Will this be the biggest change in mobile phone history in the next few years. Kamal Alavi's project will create a mobile phone airship to conquer the stratosphere. According to a Alavi, a Swiss of Iranian extraction, a zeppelin will replace all of the terrestrial mobile phone antennas in Switzerland soon. The world of mobile telephony and data transmission will be turned on their heads with the High Altitude Platform Systems (Haps) technology which would make the currently 1000 earth-bound antennas redundant and drastically reduce radiation. Alavi who is one of the former aerospace engineer is now working with a team of 50 scientists to prepare a 2007 test run of the airship, the X Station. X Station is a 60-meter long helium-filled balloon that is outfitted with a mobile phone antenna and other transmitting digital data will remain stationary at 21 kilometers above the earth. That means it won't be limited to forwarding mobile phone signals but also be capable of handling radio, television and internet needs for entire nations. X Station will be powered by solar panels and giant propellers to stay in place. According to Alavi, this will definitely reduce radiation by which the spot beam antennas developed at Lausanne will allow radiation to be adjusted according to usage. This massive project of Haps airship will cost no more than USD32 million. If X Station is a success, about 20 Haps would be required to cover Europe alone and 40 for Africa.

[via swissinfo]