The Airbus/Aalto Zephyr HAPS system. Photo: Airbus

Aalto HAPS (AALTO) has broadened its reach into one of the largest markets in Asia. The company signed an MoU with PT Dayamitra Telekomunikasi Tbk (Mitratel), an Indonesian digital infrastructure telecoms company to explore how to provide commercial HAPS solutions in Indonesia.

The companies said the combination of Mitratel’s digital infrastructure portfolio that includes more than 38,000 towers and 37,000 km of fiber optic cables with Aalto’s Zephyr capabilities from the stratosphere will be transformative for mobile connectivity and Earth Observation (EO). The two companies announced the deal on Aug. 6.

Indonesia is the largest archipelago, with geographic and economic challenges in extending internet access and network availability across 3T, the country’s frontier, outermost, and underdeveloped areas. Capable of flying for months at a time, Zephyr is a payload agnostic platform that can transform into a multi-functional tower in the sky to provide low latency 5G direct to-device mobile connectivity services in hard-to-reach and rural locations.

“Zephyr is at the cutting-edge of sustainable technology, with connectivity and observation capabilities that can help bridge the digital divide in Indonesia. There is a unique opportunity for non-terrestrial networks such as HAPS to play a critical role in the telecommunications ecosystem of countries like Indonesia, enhancing existing infrastructure from mobile network operators and tower companies,” Samer Halawi, CEO of Aalto, said in a statement.