Airspan Networks Holdings, a Plano-based global provider of wireless network solutions, plans to deploy a 5G Air-to-Ground (ATG) communications system for Tokyo-based Space Compass’s High-Altitude Platform Station (HAPS)—empowering “a new generation of Maritime Domain Awareness from the stratosphere.”
The project will show how 5G connectivity from 10 to 11 miles above the earth can provide secure command-and-control and real-time mission data between a HAPS aircraft and ground stations up to 186 miles away.
“Airspan is proud to support this groundbreaking HAPS program with our 5G ATG platform,” Henrik Smith-Petersen, chief sales officer at Airspan, said in a statement. “Our technology is designed to deliver carrier-grade performance in some of the most demanding environments, and this project demonstrates how 5G can unlock powerful new applications for high-altitude aviation and wide-area surveillance.”
As Dallas Innovates reported last month, Airspan is new to North Texas, moving its headquarters to Plano from Boca Raton, Florida. According to its website, Airspan has 12 offices: four in the U.S. and eight around the globe—including one in Tokyo, the home of Space Compass.
Supports constant monitoring of shipping lanes, coastal regions, and remote ocean areas
Using Airspan’s 5G In-Motion ATG technology, the system will deliver high-speed data rates, wide-area maritime coverage, and continuous 360-degree connectivity through advanced beam-forming and high-gain antenna systems, the company said. This use case is designed to support constant monitoring of shipping lanes, coastal regions, and remote ocean areas from above the weather and beyond the reach of conventional networks.
The system includes airborne radios and antennas, onboard 5G processing units, and a full ground-based 5G RAN, core network, and management system—all optimized as an end-to-end solution for the power, weight, and challenging environmental requirements of stratospheric flight.
After extensive laboratory and pre-flight testing, the system will be validated for light plane operations in 2026 in advance of stratospheric flight trials in 2027, Airspan said.
“This collaboration brings together Space Compass’s vision for high-altitude maritime surveillance with Airspan’s leadership in 5G Air-to-Ground technology,” said Yasuhiko Morita, CTO of Space Compass. “By extending reliable broadband connectivity into the stratosphere, we are enabling a new class of persistent maritime domain awareness that supports security, safety, and environmental protection.”
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R E A D N E X T
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The global provider of wireless network solutions said its new Plano headquarters will employ up to 150 people in R&D, engineering, customer support, sales, and corporate functions. Airspan has 11 offices worldwide, including four in the U.S.
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