Old Tech Solution to Cellular Coverage Problems: Weather Balloons

By Michael Santo
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews

Let’s say you have a state with low population density, but you still want complete coverage for the whole state. That can be an expensive proposition, and not all that cost-effective, to build up cell towers across the state. Extend America Inc., a wireless telecommunications company is looking to solve that problem by using weather balloons instead. According to CEO Ed Schafer (former governor of North Dakota, where a test is to take place), “To cover every square mile of North Dakota, it would take 1,100 cell towers. We can do the whole state with three balloons.”

The balloons themselves would drift across the state, eventually dropping the repeater when they drift outside North Dakota. The balloons only cost $55 apiece whereas a tower would cost $250,000 … and the repeater should be recoverable and reusable.

Up to 20 miles above the earth, well above commercial airliner pathways, steady stratospheric winds would push the latex balloons across the state at about 30 mph. Each balloon would deliver voice and data service to an area hundreds of miles in diameter.

“Nine balloons would always be in the air, with some going up, some going down, and some in the middle,” Schafer said. Source: AP via ABC News

We Say: Cost-wise, this makes a lot of sense. There simply isn’t enough population density to make towers viable. Will it work? The test will be run in the next few weeks, so we’ll be watching.