Stratospheric Internet Technology Targets Hard-to-Reach Signal Areas in Indonesia
Internet networks no longer depend entirely on telecommunications towers on the ground. High-Altitude Platform (HAP) technology SkyMast offers 4G and 5G connectivity direct from the stratosphere to standard mobile phones, potentially opening up internet access to remote and hard-to-reach regions of Indonesia.
The technology has been developed by World Mobile Stratospheric through a High-Altitude Platform (HAP) called SkyMast. The innovation is considered a potential alternative for narrowing the connectivity gap in Indonesia, an archipelagic nation of thousands of islands whose geography does not always allow conventional telecommunications infrastructure to be built.
SkyMast is designed to operate in the stratosphere at an altitude of around 60,000 feet. From the air, the platform can broadcast 4G and 5G networks directly to people’s phones without requiring satellite dishes, special terminals or additional devices. Each platform is claimed to cover areas of up to roughly 15,000 square kilometres with latency of less than one millisecond.
With these capabilities, regions that have long faced obstacles to building telecommunications infrastructure due to geographical conditions or economic considerations have the opportunity to gain connectivity without having to wait for towers to be built on the ground.
One advantage of the technology is its ability to connect directly with mobile devices already supporting telecommunications networks. Users need not install special terminals or satellite dishes, nor download additional applications. Phones compatible with cellular networks can be used immediately to receive connectivity services broadcast from the platform in the stratosphere. The technology opens up new possibilities in telecommunications network development, particularly for island regions, remote areas and zones difficult to reach through land-based infrastructure.
The development of SkyMast is aimed not only at extending network coverage. World Mobile Stratospheric also offers a sovereign data routing concept, which allows data traffic to remain within national borders. The concept is supported by encrypted infrastructure based on 3GPP standards.
This approach opens opportunities for Indonesia to build connectivity that not only has wide coverage but also provides greater control over national infrastructure and data traffic. Stratosphere-based technology thus has the potential to become part of a broader discussion on connectivity, data security and digital sovereignty.
SkyMast has previously undergone a number of connectivity demonstrations with BT in the United Kingdom and NEOM in Saudi Arabia. Beyond expanding telecommunications access, the platform is also being developed to support communication needs during emergencies and disasters.
When towers and ground-based communication infrastructure are disrupted or paralysed by disasters, the SkyMast aircraft is designed to function as an emergency network from the air, broadcasting 4G and 5G services directly to standard mobile phones. This capability could provide an alternative means of communication when conventional infrastructure cannot operate normally.
In Indonesia, the stratosphere-based technology has received a response from PT Profesional Telekomunikasi Indonesia, or Protelindo. The company sees HAP technology as an opportunity to bring connectivity to areas that have long been difficult to reach with conventional telecommunications networks.
“We know better than anyone where towers can and cannot be built. Exclusivity over the stratosphere allows us to serve every island that could never be reached from the ground,” Protelindo said on Tuesday (8/9/2026).
The move was strengthened through the signing of an exclusive agreement between Combined Space Technology Limited (CST), the company behind World Mobile Stratospheric’s hydrogen-powered HAP technology, and Protelindo.
Under the agreement, Protelindo becomes the sole partner with the rights to acquire, use, operate and market SkyMast technology throughout Indonesia. The agreement relates to the sale of 60 per cent of Protelindo’s shareholding in CST to Stratospheric Holdings Limited.
If the technology is eventually deployed widely, telecommunications network development in Indonesia could enter a new approach. Building connectivity would no longer rely solely on erecting towers on the ground, but could also make use of airspace to reach regions that have so far lain beyond the coverage of conventional infrastructure. For Indonesia as an archipelagic state, stratosphere-based network technology could become one alternative for expanding communication access to islands and remote areas.
Ultimately, SkyMast offers a glimpse of the possible future of Indonesian connectivity: delivering networks not only from the ground but also from the sky, opening up communication access to more regions across the archipelago.