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Communications from Aerial Platform Networks delivering 'Broadband for All'

CAPANINA

November 2003 saw the start of a major new research project, CAPANINA, at the University. CAPANINA (FP6-IST-2003-506745) is a multi-partner project that is developing wireless and optical broadband technologies that will be used on High Altitude Platforms (HAPs). HAPs are either airships or planes that will operate in a quasi-stationary configuration in the stratosphere some 17-22km above the ground. Our aim is to deliver low-cost broadband service up to 120Mbit/s. This will greatly benefit rural and other 'hard to reach' areas, due to the unique wide-area, high-capacity coverage provided by HAPs.

CAPANINA follows on from the highly successful HeliNet project which, amongst other things, completed an outline design of the broadband architecture. The primary aim of CAPANINA is to build on these achievements and provide technology that will deliver low-cost broadband communications services to small office and home users at data rates up to 120Mbit/s (2000 faster than today's dial-up modems). Users in rural and other 'hard to reach' areas will benefit thanks to the unique wide-area, high-capacity coverage provided by HAPs. Trials of the technology are planned during the course of the project. Additionally, the feasibility of providing a similar service to trains for 'WiFi' lap-top users via a roof-top steerable antenna will be evaluated.

The €5.6 million, 3-year project is being partially funded by the European Union's Framework 6 initiative and is being coordinated by York Electronics Centre, with a substantial proportion of the technical programme being carried out in the Department of Electronics by the Communications and Physical Layer Research Groups. A further ten European partners, a mix of industrial and academic institutions, are members of the Consortium. CAPANINA is also linked, via the Communications Research Laboratory of Japan, to a similar large Japanese government funded project, which in collaboration with US partners including NASA, has demonstrated HDTV and '3G' mobile technologies from a HAP.

Members

• David Grace

Funding

• European Commission: FP6 STREP Project

Dates

• January 2003 to
  January 2007

Research