HAPS projects have launched aircraft including solar-powered drones and balloons to beam internet signals in much the same manner as satellites do though unlike communications satellites that typically are in geostationary orbit more than 30 thousand kilometres above the equator, these HAP platforms typical hover only 20km or so above ground, at the lower range of the ITU’s guidelines defining HAPS.
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HAPS projects were initially seen as an alternative to costly geostationary satellites as well as undersea and terrestrial fibre networks, which require massive excavation and cable laying operations. A key feature of the HAP concept is that HAPS craft could be deployed strategically in remote or rugged terrain and other underserved regions.