April 13, 2005
Robot plane may deliver broadband from on high
A US communications company has unveiled its almost-finished prototype of an unmanned airship designed to fly 21 kilometres above the earth and send broadband and mobile phone signals to an area the size of Texas, reports ABC News Australia.
"Makers of the 'Stratellite' believe it will revolutionise the broadband and wireless industry if it gets off the ground.
"We're shooting for satellite replacement at a lower cost," said Leigh Coleman, president of Sanswire parent GlobeTel Communications.
"We believe this will change the way you communicate.
The Stratellite is designed to fly above the jet stream but lower than a satellite and its designers claim it will cost one-tenth the price of a satellite at $US25-30 million.
Its makers say the Stratellite would also render land-based cell-phone towers obsolete.
The company hopes to start building and launching full-size Stratellites as soon as next year, with hundreds if not thousands of the devices eventually straddling the globe, staying aloft for months at a time."
Related articles:
-- GlobeTel Provides Update on Stratellite
-- Florida company readies communications “Stratellite”
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