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Broadband Blimps

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the i-got-no-strings-to-hold-me-down dept.

mcabiling writes "SansWire Networks will demonstrate their "Stratellite" technology next week. For those of you who aren't familiar with SansWire, they plan to build a wireless network with balloons or "airships" as they call them. "A Stratellite(TM) is a high-altitude airship that when in place in the stratosphere will provide a stationary platform for transmitting various types of wireless communications services currently transmitted from cell towers and satellites. It is not a balloon or a blimp. It is a high-altitude airship." Looks like a blimp to me..."

4 of 232 comments (clear)

  1. Small-scale wifi from balloons. by Gordonjcp · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Something a couple of friends and I talked about ages ago was flying an ordinary wifi AP from an advertising balloon. Y'see, the longest run of CAT5 you can use is 300 feet. By coincidence, the highest you can fly a tethered balloon to (neglecting ATS zones) is... 300 feet.

  2. Techsphere by dmh20002 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Similar in concept but targeted at a different market. Their 'technology' link has some good info.
    Techsphere

  3. I thought of this years ago. by pclminion · · Score: 4, Interesting
    My idea didn't include blimps, though. My proposal was to put roaming access points on commercial jets, essentially creating a dynamic "sky network."

    Considering the immense air traffic over most parts of the modern world, I figured this idea might actually work, and would require basically zero investment beyond the cost of the roaming access points -- no need to invent crazy new technology when there are already perfectly good airplanes up in the air every day anyway. I figured the airlines could be paid a reasonable royalty from the fees collected from users of the network.

  4. From the specs... by Zone-MR · · Score: 3, Interesting

    " Held in position by 6 onboard GPS units connected to the ship's engines"

    WTF? 6 onboard GPS receivers? What's wrong with one good one. Surely a =10m precision is enough, and if it isn't they could try a differential GPS setup with two receivers, but six?!