Fiber-optic speeds from the stratosphere

For the first time, one of these enormous reflective helium-filled balloons has crossed the Pacific Ocean and arrived in Japan

to beam internet to people's phones, drones, and other devices. They're called HAPS, or High Altitude Platform Systems, and they're made by a company called Sky

which aims to create a new layer of internet and communications infrastructure between low-Earth orbit satellites

and ground-based cell towers in a region called the stratosphere. That's essentially the same as a fiber optic cable, but from the stratosphere

There is, of course, no cables involved in Sky's half-spaced internet. The company's latest mission covered roughly 18,000 miles and lasted 30 days

beginning from their hangar in New Mexico and ending up in Japan, where Sky ran a long list of connectivity tests with SoftBank

including beaming wireless broadband internet directly to people's devices. Text, voice, video, internet was tested primarily

but we also went on to test edge computing in the stratosphere

Edge computing describes when data processing happens on the device that is capturing the data rather than being transmitted via the internet back to some sort of data center for processing

We tested that with management of drones and aero vehicles in general, really to be ready for 6G

This is Sky longest ever HAPS journey a continuation of their recent endurance testing program and an important step on the road to bringing HAPS connectivity to customers around the world Sky HAPS can operate like a cell tower in the sky and the company says that OneHAPS is designed to cover an area equivalent to 500 ground cell towers

The service that we're going to offer is not as reliable as towers

but more reliable than satellites. There is a real gap that we are filling with service from the stratosphere

Beyond just reaching people in places that are too dense for satellite-based internet and too remote for fiber-optic installation

Sky believes its HAPS-based internet will be useful in the futuristic field of quantum key distribution

Quantum keys are the sensitive packets of data that protect encrypted quantum computer communication

These signals degrade over long distances, meaning Sky's HAPS may prove useful in ensuring they get to where they need to go without breaking down or falling into the wrong hands

Future infrastructure is a layered approach. Geostationary satellites have a role. LEO satellites have a role

And we want to build an additional layer that's even closer to the surface of the planet in the stratosphere

And we want to have a large ownership to that stratospheric layer where we essentially want to be landlords in the stratosphere

Sky's next flight is to Peru, where its haps will remain for an extended period of time, providing Internet connection and eventually scaling up to begin providing commercial haps-based Internet to customers

I had a chance to check out Sky's hangar in New Mexico a couple of years ago as the team prepared for a test flight

You can check out that video here and let me know down in the comments what you think

of Hap's based internet. And while you're there, hit subscribe for more stories that make you say, what the future