SAN BERNADINO, Calif.-Wisconsin communications company Sanswire Networks L.L.C. showcased a prototype of its “Stratellite,” an unmanned airship designed to send broadband and mobile-phone signals as it flies 13 miles above the earth.
Sanswire, a subsidiary of GlobeTel Communications Corp., said the 245-foot-long, almost-finished prototype is about one-third the size of the planned operational airships, which could act as a relay platform from the stratosphere, delivering a signal to an area the size of Texas. The company believes the craft could deliver communications at one-tenth the cost of a satellite, eventually making land-based cellular networks obsolete.
The developers unveiled the work in progress during a press event at a California airport, and the company is aiming for an initial test flight at 45,000 feet in July. Sanswire hopes to deploy the first operational airships next year, staying aloft for months at a time on electric motors powered by solar-charged batteries.
A fleet of hundreds-if not thousands-of the lighter-than-air crafts is planned, delivering voice and broadband as well as high-definition TV, interactive video and satellite radio services. Military and government uses are also being considered.
