Friday, July 18, 2003
The Economist on UAV's
I am way back on my reading, especially of the Economist, which I like to finish the weekend after I receive it in the mail. So, last night I found myself reading the issue of July 5th. It had a great story about the possibility of using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) for commercial purposes -- from being a cheaper alternative to satellite-based broadcasting to providing broadband access, thanks to its ability to hover in one place for extended periods of time.
SkyTower should be able to make flights of several weeks' duration over the wealthy markets of North America and Europe. (Longer flights will be possible over countries near the equator, because they are sunnier and there is less wind.) This, he says, is long enough to make it possible to provide a broadband service that would be cost-competitive with today's land and satellite-based systems. A single UAV could provide connections of at least five gigabits per second to around 200,000 subscribers, and a rotating fleet of them would provide continuous coverage.
Those who know me well know about my great interest in the economics of providing satellite based connectivity, so to read about a cheaper, more viable alternative was very exciting. The Economist article was also timely because there have been several stories appearing in the media recently about the US marketing airships to India.
SkyTower should be able to make flights of several weeks' duration over the wealthy markets of North America and Europe. (Longer flights will be possible over countries near the equator, because they are sunnier and there is less wind.) This, he says, is long enough to make it possible to provide a broadband service that would be cost-competitive with today's land and satellite-based systems. A single UAV could provide connections of at least five gigabits per second to around 200,000 subscribers, and a rotating fleet of them would provide continuous coverage.
Those who know me well know about my great interest in the economics of providing satellite based connectivity, so to read about a cheaper, more viable alternative was very exciting. The Economist article was also timely because there have been several stories appearing in the media recently about the US marketing airships to India.
