High-altitude aircraft to tackle mobile phone blackspots

Posted on Tuesday 15 September 2026

Researchers from the Institute for Safe Autonomy at the University of York, are developing a design that aims to establish uncrewed, solar-powered aircraft, known as High Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS) as a resilient, sovereign foundation for next-generation 5G/6G communications. 

Flying around 70,000 feet up in the stratosphere, the aircraft will carry radio units capable of delivering mobile wireless coverage to areas up to 120km wide, acting in a similar way to mobile phone masts on the ground.

The project has received more than £750,000 in funding from the UK’s Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA), Enduring Atmospheric Platforms programme, which is aiming to create a new infrastructure layer between the Earth and space, delivering connectivity to underserved regions in the UK and worldwide. 

A safe, sovereign network

The designs, developed by researchers at York, will integrate the wireless technology carried onboard the HAPS with existing ground networks and, if needed, low Earth orbit satellites. Until now the development of this type of technology has been limited by the capability of lightweight aircraft HAPS to carry payloads of more than 5kg. Projects funded by ARIA’s Enduring Atmospheric Platforms programme are planning to increase that to 20kg. Critically, this design offers a commercially viable pathway to provide wireless connectivity direct to mobile handsets, reducing the need for ground based mobile masts.

Because the system is designed to be entirely UK-owned and operated, it provides a safe, sovereign network that guarantees communication continuity during national emergencies, without relying on international satellite networks.

The system will also use built-in artificial intelligence to deliver resilient  connectivity and manage energy use, making best use of solar-power and energy storage provided by the aircraft fleet. 

As well as developing the technology, the team will consider questions around regulation, and build a business case for investment, to drive future commercial development, including showing how the HAPS network could support new applications such as self-driving vehicles.

The researchers are working in a consortium, alongside partners Limosaero, who will provide expertise on aeronautical regulation and Satellite Applications Catapult, who will lead economic modelling and support radio and aeronautical regulation.

Reliable coverage

Professor David Grace, Project Lead and Communications Pillar Lead, Institute for Safe Autonomy, said: “Many areas of the country aren’t served well by broadband fibre, including remote areas like the North York Moors or the west coast of Scotland. A HAPS-enabled system can potentially deliver coverage that’s cost-effective and reliable.

"The 'mesh network' we’re designing in the air will provide a sovereign wireless network that is highly resilient. Multiple aircraft will serve mobile users, so if one plane needs to come down, and another takes its place, the network will automatically reconfigure, so users remain connected.”