By Neil Mann, Tech Futurist and founder at Future Horizon
Poor infrastructure in remote areas means inconsistent and expensive high-speed data connectivity, a common barrier to digital inclusivity. Instead of under the ground (fibre) or through the air (cellular), what if we could beam it down from high in the sky? This is what Sceye aims to do with their solar-powered hovering airship. The HAPS (High-Altitude Platform Station) they have created is a 65m-long, uncrewed, helium-filled aircraft.
Designed to launch and land vertically, it proceeds to a high altitude of 60,000 to 65,000 ft (18,288 to 19,812 m) – twice as high as commercial airliners. It hovers at a given set of GPS coordinates; its electric motors are powered by solar cells integrated into its full-body silver-foil “solar cape”. Flying since 2021, it has made over twenty successful test flights – with an intended commercial in-service target of 2025.
It could conceivably stay on-station in a given spot for months at a time, relaying broadband access to those who need it. Utilising an onboard 4G active antenna array and beam-forming technology to maintain an LTE OpenRAN data connection with a smartphone on the ground, it can span a record-breaking distance of over 140km. LTE typically has a range of about 100km.
In countries with small and widely dispersed populations, providing telecommunications infrastructure is expensive for providers; they pass on the cost to consumers. In 2019, Botswana (population 2.4 million) introduced “SmartBots” – free WiFi routers in public spaces. SmartBots routers in common facilities such as clinics and schools have speeds of up to 10Mbps. Over 1,100 public areas have been fitted with SmartBots routers, with plans to connect more than 500 villages. On average, more than 130,000 users access internet resources via SmartBots daily. In the intervening five years, Internet penetration has increased from 42% in 2019 to 77% in 2024. However, the lack of password protection raises concerns about user cyberattack vulnerability.
Paid connectivity in many remote locales worldwide is getting better and cheaper, though. Data from a recent study by Cable.co.uk on broadband pricing in 223 countries reveals vast global disparities in the cost of getting online. The country with the cheapest average monthly cost of broadband is Sudan (USD $2.40). The most expensive is the Solomon Islands (USD $457.84). The 2024 average global price is USD $55.89, a -1.84% difference from the previous year.
Much of what people crave with increased connectivity is access to content. Enjoying videos on the likes of TikTok and YouTube is what most people think of, but remember the joys of audio. If the question were posed, “What is the most popular way to buy music?” You might reply with “streaming.” This, however, would be incorrect—you don’t buy the music when you stream it; it’s not owned—you merely rent access. The accurate answer is vinyl records. According to the Recording Industry Association of America® (RIAA), 43 million records were sold in the US in 2023 versus 37 million CDs—the second year this was true. In our contemporary connected world of everything-as-a-service, vinyl sales are trending up. What this means, in effect, is that a growing number of people are willing to pay more for a less convenient way to listen to music—but why?
The catalyst was, in a word, COVID.
Revenues from physical music formats continue to grow after their remarkable resurgence when people were stuck indoors. Many had a surplus of cash and a requirement for stimulation and entertainment they could undertake safely within their homes. In 2020, phonograph record revenues surpassed those of CDs for the first time since the 1980s. In 2021, Taylor Swift sold 102,000 copies of her ninth studio album, “Evermore”, on vinyl in one week; the sales beat the most significant sales in one week on vinyl since Nielsen started tracking vinyl sales in 1991. In revenue terms, streaming dwarfs its physical predecessor, pulling in $14.4 billion in 2023 (84% of music industry revenue). 2023 vinyl sales earned $1.4 billion (71% of overall physical sales). Customers paying for downloads of songs, meanwhile, accounted for less than a third of vinyl at $434 million.
Vinyl, being physical, means emissions are required to produce it. Most are made from PVC, a type of plastic which takes centuries to decompose. In a nod to sustainability, earlier this year, the new album from Billie Eilish was released on pressed eco-vinyl with packaging made from recycled materials. Streaming is still considered the best option if you only listen to a track a few times. For repeat listens, though, physical copies of albums are likely a more sustainable long-term alternative. In the same way that we’ll still pay a premium for mechanical watches over a much more feature-packed digital smartwatch, vinyl records are here to stay long-term. New, innovative and digital isn’t always preferable; we’re still subjective animals, and that won’t change in the future.
