World Mobile is launching a blockchain-enabled 5G network using drones to beam connectivity directly to users worldwide. The project, partnered with Indonesian telecom company Protelindo, is designed to bridge gaps left by traditional communication infrastructure worldwide.
The project uses hydrogen-powered drones, flying at 60,000 feet in the stratosphere, to provide wireless coverage of up to 15,000 square kilometers per aircraft using 450 guidable beams, Charles Barnett, the chief business officer of World Mobile Group, told Cointelegraph.
This aerial network outperforms satellite-based telecommunications, with “6ms of total latency,” allowing it to provide service “up to 18 times cheaper” per gigabyte than space-based infrastructure, Barnett said.
The company is attempting to take a slice of the sky-based communications pie, a $98.3 billion sector, which includes satellite and aerial-based communications platforms.
World Mobile has already established a ground-based, decentralized wireless network that mixes traditional telecom infrastructure and independent, distributed network providers to create an alternative to legacy telecommunication networks, extending service to underserved communities and patching dead zones.
Related: SpaceX moves $153M in BTC after three-year silence
Challenges to launching atmospheric-based telecommunication networks
Launching and maintaining a stratospheric-based communication platform carries several technical and regulatory challenges, Barnett told Cointelegraph.
The company is aiming for each hydrogen-powered drone, which has a 56-meter wingspan and weighs four tons, to remain airborne for nine days before it must land at a designated refueling station.
This means the craft, and its fuel source, must be as light as possible to achieve maximum fuel efficiency and remain aloft, while also ensuring robust construction that can withstand weather conditions at lower altitudes in the atmosphere.
At altitudes of 60,000 feet, the drones will sit above weather systems. The Stratosphere also has calmer winds than at lower altitudes, where turbulence can be an issue.
However, even in the stratosphere, the drones must still be protected from cosmic radiation,…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Cointelegraph.com News…