February 2, 2023

UK-based Stratospheric Platforms Limited (SPL) has received investment from PT Profesional Telekomunikasi Indonesia (PROTELINDO), the largest telecommunication infrastructure company in Indonesia. SPL seeks to provide high bandwidth telecoms network coverage from the stratosphere using hydrogen-powered High Altitude Platforms (HAPS) delivered by unmanned aircraft. This strategic partnership and investment will enable SPL to explore with Protelindo development of a market-leading and innovative HAPS solution to address Indonesia’s challenging topography to deliver a world-class telecoms network.

Indonesia is the largest country in Southeast Asia, comprising over 17,000 islands and 1.9 million km² of land area. Its complex topography, including mountainous landscapes and high seas, presents challenges for telecommunications coverage. Once developed, SPL's HAP unmanned aircraft will have the ability to provide direct coverage to users over 15,000 km² and connection speeds of up to 200 Mbps.  SPL’s solution offers seamless integration with terrestrial networks and tower operators, full 5G compatibility, and unparalleled connectivity across all climates, conditions, and terrains. It is a cost-efficient solution that avoids large capital expenditure requirements and provides a revolutionary, agile, and green infrastructure with "last mile connectivity" applications anytime, anywhere.

"We are delighted to be working with the PROTELINDO team as we look forward to building on our recent 5G stratospheric demonstrations and move to our production standard hydrogen-powered aircraft and full-service roll-out," said SPL CEO Richard Deakin.

“We believe SPL’s HAP aircraft can serve as a “tower in the sky” for areas with telecom coverage challenges,” emphasized Ferdinandus Aming Santoso, CEO of the PROTELINDO Group. “This capability is relevant in both developed and emerging markets.”

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Stratospheric Platforms Limited is the leading high-altitude platform (HAP) providing ubiquitous, high bandwidth, low latency connectivity at a fraction of the cost of traditional terrestrial solutions. The company, founded in Cambridge (UK) in 2014, is backed by Europe’s largest operator Deutsche Telekom, and provides a 100% sustainable hydrogen-powered green energy telecoms solution. (www.stratosphericplatforms.com)

Protelindo is the largest telecommunication infrastructure company in Indonesia. As of September 2022, Protelindo owned and operated nearly 30,000 telecommunication tower sites with more than 55,000 tenants in Indonesia and owned over 100,000 kms of fiber, providing FTTT, FTTH and connectivity to corporates throughout Indonesia, primarily in Sumatra, Java, Bali, Kalimantan and Sulawesi.