— Major Step Toward Realization of 5G Communication from Stratosphere —

SKY Perfect JSAT Corporation, NTT DOCOMO, INC., the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) ,and Panasonic Holdings Corporation (Panasonic HD) y have successfully conducted a 5G communication verification test in the 38GHz band1 from an altitude of approximately 4km using a small Cessna aircraft operated by Kyoritsu Air Survey Co., Ltd. simulating the eventual use of High-Altitude Platform Stations (HAPS) 2. The demonstration was the first of its kind in the world.

In this groundbreaking trial to demonstrate the practical application of 5G feeder link3 and backhaul line4 for HAPS, a Cessna aircraft was equipped with newly developed communication equipment (“Cessna onboard station”) that is expected to be deployed eventually in HAPS. Additionally, a lens-type antenna with an auto-tracking function was used as the HAPS ground station (“ground station”).

The trial established an aerial relay backhaul line between the Cessna aircraft, flying at altitude of approximately 4km, and three ground stations, using the 5G New Radio (NR) standard5 with 38GHz band radio waves, which is a novel approach for terrestrial 5G networks. The achievement of multiple backhaul line consisting of aerial relays using the 5G NR standard with 38GHz band radio waves was a world first in telecommunication technology.