Data access and transport from the stratosphere on 26GHz radio spectrum, with a forty-year government concession
Current status:
Application Filed
LICENCES UNDER DEFINITION
Year
2022
Client
Government of the Canary Islands
Services
Radio spectrum management
The radio spectrum is a limited resource. Holding spectrum rights for twenty years means controlling a strategic asset and a government concession that enables an entire business model.
In 2022, TheIPBox filed an option with the Spanish Government to acquire 26 GHz spectrum licences for the Canary Islands. The licences have a twenty-year term, renewable for a further twenty years.
The enabling technology is HAPS (High-Altitude Platform Stations): stratospheric platforms operating at an altitude of approximately 15,000 metres as airborne base stations. At this altitude, the available bandwidth can be up to ten times greater than that of traditional satellite systems. Fuerteventura is an ideal location for this project: the local technology park hosts Europe’s first infrastructure dedicated to the launch of drones and airborne platforms, with a fully operational 24/7 control centre.
The business model involves direct spectrum management in Fuerteventura and licensing to other operators across the remaining islands. Investing in this project means participating in the acquisition of a government concession for radio spectrum for a total of forty years.