SoftBank Corp.Develops Excessive-capacity 6-cell Succesful HAPS Payload,Delivers 5G Connectivity from the Sky in Subject Trial – sUAS Information

• Newly developed payload integrates service-link and feeder-link gear
• Payload efficiently achieves wide-area and steady connectivity, with view to implementation in future HAPS business providers

SoftBank Corp. (President & CEO: Junichi Miyakawa, “SoftBank”) at present introduced it newly developed a 6-cell succesful communications payload for Excessive Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) stratospheric-based wi-fi communications that efficiently delivered 5G connectivity from the sky to the bottom in a subject trial. The newly developed payload integrates gear for a service hyperlink, which connects a HAPS platform with smartphones and different cellular units, and a feeder hyperlink, which connects a HAPS platform to a floor gateway (a station linked to a base station on the bottom).

In a subject trial performed in June 2025 on Hachijō Island, Tokyo, SoftBank mounted the newly developed payload on a lightweight plane that flew at an altitude of three,000m to relay connectivity. The configuration enabled SoftBank to efficiently reveal end-to-end 5G communications between a base station and cellular gadget, in addition to footprint fixation know-how^*1 in a service space consisting of 6 cells. Primarily based on the outcomes of this subject trial, SoftBank proved its newly developed payload can present wide-area and steady communication providers from the sky.

Constructing on the outcomes of this subject trial, SoftBank will make enhancements to the newly developed payload, with the intention of reaching larger capability and implementing the payload in HAPS business providers.

Subject trial background

SoftBank is researching and creating multi-cell succesful payloads for HAPS platforms to understand wide-area protection of as much as 200km in diameter and high-capacity wi-fi communications. Thus far, SoftBank has efficiently performed a sequence of subject trials to check key applied sciences, together with the utilization of a cylindrical antenna^*2 that features as a service-link antenna, footprint fixation^*3, space optimization^*4 and spectrum sharing^*5. To function HAPS-based providers, it’s essential to combine each the service-link and feeder-link antennas into an aerial car. SoftBank’s newly developed payload can help 6 cells of space protection and used a configuration that integrates gear for the service hyperlink and feeder hyperlink, enabling the payload to efficiently ship 5G connectivity from the sky in a subject trial. A portion of the sphere trial was performed as a part of “R&D on Applied sciences for HAPS Cellular Broadband Communications” (JPJ012368C07701), a proposal chosen in 2023 by the Nationwide Institute of Info and Communications Expertise (“NICT”) in Japan for its “Modern ICT Fund Initiatives for Past 5G/6G” program.

Subject trial overview

Within the subject trial, SoftBank mounted the newly developed 6-cell succesful payload onto a lightweight plane that simulated a HAPS aerial car. By relaying the feeder hyperlink (26 GHz band) between the gateway and the plane, in addition to the service hyperlink (1.7 GHz band) between the plane and a cellular gadget, SoftBank performed a subject trial that achieved end-to-end 5G communication between a base station linked to a floor gateway and a cellular gadget. SoftBank additionally demonstrated footprint fixation in a 6-cell protection space on the bottom shaped from an altitude of three,000m on this trial.

System configuration

The system configuration for this subject trial, as follows, is proven in Fig. 1.

• The sunshine plane circled over Hachijō Island at an altitude of three,000m whereas relaying wi-fi uplink and downlink alerts between the bottom station and a cellular gadget.
• The feeder-link gear was outfitted with features together with beam monitoring, sign reception stage compensation^*6, and Doppler shift^*7 correction, and wi-fi relay of 6-cell alerts utilizing radio waves within the 26 GHz band.
• Service-link gear carried out footprint fixation for every cell by way of digital beamforming management, and, by utilizing radio waves within the 1.7 GHz band, shaped a round communication space on the bottom consisting of 6 cells spaced each 60° in azimuth, radiating from the service-link antenna (cylindrical antenna) mounted on the underside of the plane, as proven in Fig. 2.

Subject trial outcomes

Utilizing the above system configuration, SoftBank evaluated wide-area footprint fixation efficiency and throughput between the bottom station and cellular gadget at lengthy vary. Measurements of the sign power reception stage throughout the communication space confirmed that, alongside the 360° azimuth circumference centered on the circling place of the sunshine plane, the cell with the very best sign power reception switched each 60° (Fig. 3). This means that even when the plane’s place and orientation modified attributable to circling, the protection space for every cell remained fastened on the bottom.

As well as, utilizing a cellular gadget to measure throughput, a median downlink velocity of roughly 33 Mbps was achieved at a location 15 km from the middle of the sunshine plane’s circling path. This confirmed that end-to-end 5G communication through the service hyperlink and feeder hyperlink is feasible even on the fringe of the protection space. At some extent 15km away from the middle of the place the plane circled, the elevation angle to the plane at an altitude of three,000m was roughly 11 levels. Since that is equal to the elevation angle to a HAPS at an altitude of 20km noticed from some extent 100km away (the sting of its protection space), SoftBank confirmed that communication could be maintained even underneath situations equal to the periphery of a HAPS protection space.

SoftBank will leverage the outcomes and know-how obtained from this subject trial to additional enhance the payload, with the intention of reaching larger capability and implementing the payload in HAPS business providers.

[Notes]

1. *1Footprint fixation know-how is a know-how that fixes a communication space (footprint) for every cell shaped on the bottom by altering the route of radio waves emitted from a communications payload mounted on a HAPS platform because it rotates or modifications roll, pitch and yaw.
2. *2For extra particulars, see SoftBank Corp.’s discover dated September 2, 2021: SoftBank Corp. and HAPSMobile Speed up Excessive Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) R&D to Present Secure and Excessive-quality Connectivity for Future Business Companies.
3. *3For extra particulars, see SoftBank Corp.’s press launch dated June 22, 2022: SoftBank Corp. Efficiently Exams Excessive-altitude Tethered Balloon Base Station System that Makes use of Footprint Fixation Expertise.
4. *4For extra particulars, see SoftBank Corp.’s press launch dated December 20, 2023: SoftBank Corp. Efficiently Exams Protection Space Optimization Expertise that Realizes Communication Capability Maximization for HAPS.
5. *5For extra particulars, see SoftBank Corp.’s press launch dated June 26, 2024: SoftBank Corp. Efficiently Demonstrates Nullforming Expertise to Obtain Spectrum Sharing Between HAPS and Terrestrial Base Stations.
6. *6Signal reception stage compensation is a management perform that maintains a relentless sign reception stage by adjusting for variations within the radio propagation path brought on by tilt or motion of the plane.
7. *7Doppler shift is a phenomenon during which the motion of a transferring object (both the transmitter or the receiver) causes a frequency misalignment with radio waves, thereby affecting communication high quality.

• SoftBank, the SoftBank title and emblem are registered emblems or emblems of SoftBank Group Corp. in Japan and different nations.
• Different firm, product and repair names on this press launch are registered emblems or emblems of the respective corporations.

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