SOMERVILLE, Mass., Feb. 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston-based
startup Altaeros has demonstrated a new "SuperTower" to help
operators deploy LTE in hard-to-reach rural communities using
tethered aerostats, the industrial versions of blimps. Altaeros
partnered with Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) to successfully deploy a
multi-sector LTE base station on a SuperTower in late 2017 in rural
Maine, providing broadband speeds
with streaming video. An overview of the SuperTower can be seen
here.
Rural markets like Maine are
ideal for operators to deploy SuperTowers which float at heights
six to eight times higher than most cell towers, offer greater
flexibility for site placement, cost up to 70 percent less to roll
out, provide coverage equivalent to a network of 30 conventional
cell towers and have less impact on the environment.
Ben Glass, CEO and CTO of
Altaeros says, "People living in rural areas often have limited or
no access to high-speed broadband. With Ericsson's innovative radio
technology installed on the SuperTower, we aim to change that and
help provide these consumers access to the benefits of affordable
broadband, such as health care, education, and economic
growth."
Altaeros developed the SuperTower to offer operators a new
infrastructure option that provides the broad coverage advantages
of satellites and aerial platforms, while seamlessly integrating
with existing handsets by using the same radios, antennas and
permitting processes as standard towers. The offering utilizes
Altaeros' proprietary tethered aerostat design and automation
technology as a platform for Ericsson's 5G-ready high-performance
radio system with MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) capable
radios.
Amy McCune, Head of Customer Unit
Regional Carriers for Ericsson North
America says, "The SuperTowers are an innovative way to
allow operators to offer high-speed broadband to underserved rural
areas via next-generation LTE technology. The platform also
establishes the groundwork for them to evolve their rural networks
to 5G in the future."
SuperTowers can also be deployed for temporary disaster relief
or special events. They will be available to operators in late
2018.
About Altaeros
Altaeros was founded in 2010 at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
to develop the world's first autonomous aerostat platform for the
telecom and renewable energy sectors. Altaeros has received funding
from a number of sources, including SoftBank Group Corp.,
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Suhail Bahwan Group, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, the National Science Foundation, and RNT
Associates, wholly owned by Mr. Ratan N. Tata, former Chairman of
Tata Sons. Altaeros is headquartered
at Greentown Labs, the largest clean technology incubator in the
U.S., located in Somerville,
Massachusetts. For more information, please visit
www.altaeros.com.
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SOURCE Altaeros