\tSprint sought permission from the US Federal Communications Commission to test a new aerial telecommunications platform, a move which could boost its IoT and 5G efforts.<\/p>\n
The operator said it wants to conduct six months of testing starting 1 November to evaluate the potential uses of High Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS) alongside HAPSMobile, a joint venture between Sprint parent SoftBank and US-based technology company AeroVironment formed in late 2017.<\/p>\n
HAPS refer to networks of unmanned aircraft flying in the stratosphere, acting as telecommunication base stations to provide wide-area connectivity. When linked to ground-based networks, SoftBank said in a statement HAPS can enable drone applications, IoT and 5G technologies.<\/p>\n
Sprint said it plans to use both its 1.9GHz (PCS) and 2.5GHz spectrum, and aims to determine whether the HAPS system can maintain a stable link to its LTE network. It will also conduct network handover tests with user equipment and drive testing to measure HAPS signal coverage across the experimental area.<\/p>\n
An operator representative declined to provide further detail, but told Mobile World Live it continues to investigate \u201cinnovative new solutions to better serve our customers\u201d.<\/p>\n
Though initial tests would focus on LTE, Sprint\u2019s proposed use of 2.5GHz spectrum raises the possibility it has an eye toward using the technology for 5G.<\/p>\n
This week, Sprint turned on its next generation service in Chicago, the fifth of nine cities in its initial deployment plan [1].<\/p>\n[1] https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/featured-content\/home-banner\/sprint-heralds-5g-debut-in-four-cities\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sprint sought permission from the US Federal Communications Commission to test a new aerial telecommunications …<\/p>\n
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