Block diagram of stratellite and its explanation

Stratellite is a registered trademark of Sanswire for a future emission-free and high altitude stratospheric dirigible that provides a stationary communications platform for various types of wireless signals usually transported by communications towers or satellites. The Stratellite is a concept that has undergone several years of research and development, and which is not yet commercially available; Sanswire, with its partner TAO Technologies, anticipates its current sequence of tests to include the launch of a Stratellite in the stratosphere.

High-altitude airships, such as the Stratellite, would be lower than a satellite in orbit, but well above the jet stream and most of the weather, in the stratosphere about 20 km above Earth. A single unit could send broadband, mobile phone and digital television and radio signals to a large area. The Unmanned Stratellite would be powered by solar cells and powered by electric motors. So far, this technology remains unproven, and is far from commercialization. There is no prototype of work that can perform all these functions. Lag times would be reduced by a factor of almost 2000 compared to geosynchronous satellites, and 15 times for satellites in low orbit, but with a smaller coverage area. Compared to terrestrial communications towers, Stratellite's coverage would be higher, with delay times more depending on internal communications equipment than distance.

Estimated broadband coverage is estimated at 300,000 mi ² (480,000 km ²), roughly the size of Texas or France. Wireless signals could be transmitted from and to a diameter of 320 km, but the characteristics of the terrain and artificial structures could interfere partially or locally with the signal. Since the Stratellite is designed for regular return to the surface for maintenance, some overlap and redundancy would be required to maintain continuous service. Initially, Sanswire Networks plans to deploy this technology in major metropolitan areas. Proponents say a high-altitude communications platform such as the Stratellite could make terrestrial towers obsolete, reducing the cost and time required for hardware upgrades. An update made to a single unit would cascade a whole network of virtual broadcast towers. It will be possible to bring the broadband service to a large area now without land towers quickly and with relative ease.