Trials using a 12,000 cubic metre balloon, flying at an altitude of around 24 kilometres for nine hours, have proved it can deliver a data rate link of 11Mbps. During the tests, the researchers managed to send data via wi-fi at at distances ranging up to 60 kilometres.
"The launch cost of the infrastructure is likely to be one-tenth that of satellite and one airship can support a user density one thousands times that of satellite," notes Alan Gobbi, the marketing manager of the York Electronic Centre.
Source: BBC
Researchers are testing a new option for deploying broadband Internet - airships. A successful trial of the technology has been conducted by researchers, led by the University of York in the UK.
