GoKawiilARIA funds $94M drone network to rival Starlink for UK internet coverage
The UK's Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) is spending $94 million over three and a half years across 18 projects to build high-altitude pseudo-satellites—essentially long-endurance drones—that would deliver wireless internet to areas lacking ground networks. The program, called Enduring Atmospheric Platforms, targets a unit carrying a 300-watt communications payload that can stay airborne for a full week, with work split into technology development, system integration, and deployment phases.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Rather than chasing SpaceX's satellite model like China and Russia, Britain is betting on cheaper, more flexible airborne platforms that could be repositioned or serviced far more easily than orbital hardware. The inclusion of experimental wireless-power methods—lasers, microwaves, and even atmospheric gravity waves—signals an attempt to solve the biggest limitation of drone-based connectivity: keeping units powered aloft indefinitely without frequent landings.
- ARIA is funding 18 projects with $94 million to build drone-based internet infrastructure instead of satellites.
- Startups like Menapia and VFP Aerospace are proposing drone constellations and automated charging relays to cover the UK.
- Experimental wireless power methods—ground lasers, microwave transmission, and gravity waves—aim to keep drones airborne for extended periods.
Source: tomshardware.com — Jowi Morales, 2026-09-17
Published there as: “UK research agency backs drone-based internet service experiment with lasers, microwaves, and gravity waves used for wireless power — Britain invests $94 million into Starlink alternative”
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