PR93732

LONDON, Dec. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

-- Leading telecoms research and consulting firm, STL Partners, has published

new decarbonisation research assessing the potential impact on mobile network

energy use and emissions of using High Altitude Platforms (HAP) to beam 5G to

mobile users.

STL's research projected the carbon emissions and sustainable energy of the

hydrogen-powered Stratomast HAP, designed by UK-based Stratospheric Platforms

(https://www.stratosphericplatforms.com/ ), compared to existing and planned 4G

and 5G masts. The UK was used to model decarbonisation benefits, with plans for

USA and Japanese markets in 2022.

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The report (https://bit.ly/TelecomsDecarbonisationReport ) identified over 0.45

million tons of CO2 could be saved every year, using Stratospheric Platforms'

flying 5G mast, compared to ground-based installations – the equivalent of

taking 225,000 fossil fuel cars off the road each year. A net saving of 4.5

million MWh of energy could be achieved in the UK by 2035 by terrestrial

networks.

Richard Deakin, CEO Stratospheric Platforms said, "research published today

sets out a compelling case for telecom operators and governments to use high

altitude aero platforms as a key component in their decarbonisation goals."

He went on to say, "Stratospheric Platforms offers the only airborne

hydrogen-powered telecoms platform capable of full flight control and a loiter

time of up to 6 days. As consumers consider the benefits of 5G and soon 6G,

they will quickly come to terms with the environmental and societal impact of

masts being built as close as 500 meters apart and this is where our HAP

provides the only sustainable alternative."

STL's research, calculates a potential reduction of between 10% and 30% of the

cell-site energy in the UK. This is made up of:

    -- Savings from cell sites not built. An estimated 4,600 rural cell sites

       that would not need to be built according to operators' coverage plans.

    -- Savings from decommissioned cell sites. Between 4,100 and 8,300 cell

       sites could be decommissioned by 2035, as a result of new coverage from

       Stratomast HAP.

STL Consulting Director, Philip Laidler commented, "This research brings new

insights for both the telecoms and aerospace industries. The study shows the

potentially positive environmental impact of Stratospheric Platforms' HAP

(https://www.stratosphericplatforms.com/technology/ ) on existing mobile

networks in a densely-populated, advanced market such as the UK.  The findings

will be even more compelling in other markets and HAPs should be considered an

option for accelerating the industry's journey to net-zero, globally."

SOURCE: SPL