World Mobile launches drone-based, decentralized telecom project

The decentralized telecommunication project uses unmanned aerial drones in the stratosphere to provide wireless services to users.

World Mobile is launching a blockchain-enabled 5G network using drones to beam connectivity directly to users worldwide. The company partnered with Indonesian telecom firm Protelindo to create World Mobile Stratospheric, an initiative designed to bridge gaps left by traditional communication infrastructure worldwide.

The project uses hydrogen-powered drones, flying at 60,000 feet in the stratosphere, to provide wireless coverage of up to 15,000 square kilometers per aircraft using 450 guidable beams, Charles Barnett, the chief business officer of World Mobile Group, told Cointelegraph.

This aerial network outperforms satellite-based telecommunications, with “6ms of total latency,” allowing it to provide service “up to 18 times cheaper” per gigabyte than space-based infrastructure, Barnett said.

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