09 August 2024
Mitratel has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with high altitude platform station (HAPS) firm AALTO to look into providing commercial HAPS solutions in Indonesia.
Under the MoU, Mitratel and AALTO will explore ways that HAPS can be offered as a viable service to bring internet access and network availability across what Indonesia calls its ‘3T regions’ – remote, underdeveloped, and disadvantaged.
AALTO designs, manufactures and operates the solar-powered Zephyr HAPS aircraft, which flies in the stratosphere above conventional air traffic to provide low latency, direct-to-device 4G and 5G services. The Zephyr is a payload agnostic platform capable of flying for months at a time, and has a coverage of 7,500 square kilometres – the equivalent of up to 250 terrestrial towers. It’s also able to integrate seamlessly with mobile operator networks as a complementary connectivity solution.
Mitratel’s digital infrastructure portfolio in Indonesia currently includes more than 38,000 towers and 37,000km of optical fibre.
“We are confident that collaboration with AALTO will expand existing infrastructure to improve access to affordable and effective connectivity across 3T regions by developing the industrial and commercial pathway for HAPS and ‘flying tower systems’ (FTS) in Indonesia,” said Mitratel CEO Theodorus Ardi Hartoko.
