Internet from the Stratosphere: How HAPS Challenge Starlink

An unexpected layer of the atmosphere is now becoming the focus of attention: the stratosphere.

Starlink is sending thousands of satellites into space, and OneWeb is doing the same, yet a huge proportion of humanity still has no reliable connection. A new technology aims to close precisely this gap: platforms operating at an altitude of 20 kilometres could deliver fast internet from the stratosphere and tackle coverage blackspots across the globe.

Why satellites alone cannot close the digital divide

According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN agency, in its Facts and Figures 2025 report, around one quarter of the world’s population has no working internet access. This particularly affects remote villages, sparsely populated areas, islands and desert regions. In such places, neither fibre rollout nor a dense network of conventional mobile masts is economically worthwhile.

At first sight, the answer seems obvious: launch more satellites. Around 10,000 units in the Starlink constellation and roughly 650 OneWeb satellites already orbit Earth. However, several factors prevent them from providing genuinely complete coverage:

• Limited capacity in each area: When large numbers of people in a small location go online at once, one satellite no longer has enough capacity.
• Complex infrastructure: Reliable service requires enormous swarms of satellites in low Earth orbit, making the system technically demanding and exceptionally expensive.
• High prices for end users: Satellite internet subscriptions are simply unaffordable in many developing and emerging economies.

This is where the concept of “internet from the stratosphere” comes in. Rather than operating in space, the platforms would remain far above any aircraft, effectively fixed over a region like a mobile mast in the sky.

How HAPS turn the stratosphere into a vast wireless network

The technology is known as HAPS, short for High Altitude Platform Station. The term covers various airborne platforms positioned at altitudes of roughly 18 to 25 kilometres. They fly well above commercial aircraft but remain far below the orbit of conventional satellites.

Several types of platform can be used:

• Helium-filled, solar-powered airships
• Large balloons carrying communications modules
• Ultra-light solar drones with wide wingspans
• Uncrewed specialist aircraft designed for long-endurance flights

Most HAPS systems combine solar panels with batteries, allowing them to stay airborne for weeks or even months while holding position over a defined area. They are much closer to users than satellites are, and that shorter distance is the crucial difference.

“The shorter distance between the platform and the receiver reduces latency, increases data rates and significantly lowers costs per user.”

One platform can provide broadband internet across an area covering hundreds of thousands of square kilometres. This could readily serve an entire country with several million inhabitants, particularly where mobile masts already exist in selected locations and can connect to the signal.

From failed balloon schemes to commercial stratospheric fleets

The underlying idea is not new. Researchers were already testing high-altitude platforms during the 1990s. Later, Alphabet, Google’s parent company, launched Project Loon, which planned to use balloons drifting over remote regions to provide internet access. The initiative was discontinued in 2021 because it was too expensive, too vulnerable and too difficult to manage logistically.

A number of issues held back the vision:

• Balloons were difficult to keep above a fixed location.
• Strong winds repeatedly pushed platforms away from their target area.
• Launching and recovering them was complicated and costly.
• Satellite networks were becoming cheaper and more efficient at the same time.

The situation has since changed. New materials, lighter solar cells, improved batteries and more capable control software are making HAPS more viable, with several companies close to starting commercial operations.

These companies want to challenge Starlink from the stratosphere

Sceye: huge solar airship over the US

US company Sceye is developing a 65-metre helium-filled airship fitted with solar panels. The platform is intended to hover precisely over an operational area for months at a time, functioning as a communications tower in the sky. Its initial target areas are rural parts of the United States, including reservations and sparsely populated states with major coverage gaps.

The key feature is that the airship can be placed with pinpoint accuracy and continually correct any drift. As a result, it could be used not only for internet connectivity but also for infrastructure monitoring, environmental measurements and disaster-response operations following storms and flooding.

Aalto HAPS: Airbus drone with a 67-day continuous flight

Aalto HAPS, an Airbus subsidiary, is taking a different route. Its aircraft, named “Zephyr”, is an ultra-light solar drone with a wingspan of around 25 metres. It takes off like an aeroplane, gradually climbs into the stratosphere and then remains ‘parked’ above a location - for a record 67 days without interruption.

Zephyr can support telecommunications, surveillance, border security and even military uses. For network operators, one particularly attractive prospect is that a fleet of Zephyr drones could provide ongoing coverage through rotation, while individual aircraft land for maintenance.

World Mobile: low-cost broadband from hydrogen drones

The UK project World Mobile is clearly focused on affordability and reach. The company is developing a hydrogen-powered drone designed to deliver up to 200 megabits per second. Its platforms are aimed chiefly at poorly served regions in Africa and remote parts of Europe.

“According to the company, nine of these drones would be enough to provide fast internet across all of Scotland - for around 80p per person per month.”

For comparison, a Starlink subscription there costs around £75. Even if that calculation proves optimistic, it highlights the considerable cost-reduction potential of stratospheric technology.

Internet from the stratosphere as a third pillar of connectivity

HAPS platforms are not intended to replace satellites or mobile networks, but to complement them. In an ideal arrangement, three layers would work together:

• Ground: Fibre, mobile masts and Wi-Fi hotspots in towns and villages.
• Stratosphere: HAPS platforms supplying large rural areas and difficult-to-reach regions.
• Space: Satellite constellations serving oceans, polar regions and global backup needs.

For this interaction to work, clear rules are required. The allocation of radio frequencies, coordination with existing mobile bands and management of data traffic will all be important. Regulators must determine how much spectrum HAPS receive and how they are integrated into existing networks.

Key terms explained simply

What does latency mean?

Latency is the delay experienced by a data packet as it travels from sender to recipient. The higher the latency, the more slowly websites, video calls and online games respond. Conventional geostationary satellites often have latencies of 600 milliseconds or more. HAPS systems are considerably lower, often approaching the range of 4G or 5G networks because their signals travel much shorter distances.

Bandwidth and data rate: what is the difference?

Bandwidth refers to a connection’s maximum capacity - the amount of data that could theoretically be carried. Data rate describes the actual throughput achieved at a particular moment. HAPS can concentrate high bandwidth within relatively small areas, potentially providing noticeably better data rates, especially where only weak mobile networks are currently available.

Risks, unanswered questions and possible applications

Despite its many promises, the technology also brings uncertainties. It remains unclear, for example, how resilient the platforms will be against extreme weather events, even in the comparatively stable stratosphere. Operators must also prepare for attacks on infrastructure, such as cyber-attacks targeting control systems.

Airspace is another issue. The military, civil aviation and weather services already make extensive use of higher atmospheric layers. As more HAPS platforms are deployed, global coordination will become increasingly important to avoid collisions and interference.

On the other hand, the opportunities are extensive. Following earthquakes or flooding, HAPS could be moved over a crisis zone within hours to establish emergency networks. In sparsely populated countries, schools, health centres and public authorities could be connected to modern online services. IoT applications for agriculture, logistics and environmental monitoring could also be linked through stratospheric platforms.

Ultimately, real-world deployment will determine whether internet from the stratosphere can truly reach people more effectively than Starlink and similar services. The first demonstrations have been announced for this year. If costs, reliability and regulation align, this intermediate zone between Earth and space could become one of the most important arenas in the global race to deliver the last digital mile.