World Mobile Stratospheric and Britten-Norman pioneer airborne 5G to connect the unconnected

World Mobile Stratospheric (WMS), a joint venture between World Mobile Group and Indonesia’s Protelindo, has partnered with aircraft manufacturer Britten-Norman to pioneer airborne 5G connectivity aimed at bridging the global digital divide. The initiative will use a Britten-Norman BN2T-4S Islander aircraft as a test platform for a novel 5G communication system operating from the stratosphere. Flight trials are planned for mid-2026 from Britten-Norman’s UK test facilities, supported by BT’s research team, to validate the telecom payload and assess coverage and performance of 5G links delivered from aircraft altitude. This project represents a foundational step toward establishing a stratospheric connectivity platform. The airborne 5G system aims to provide reliable internet access to remote and underserved regions, particularly in parts of Africa, Southeast Asia, and rural Europe, where traditional ground-based infrastructure is economically unviable. By leveraging decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN), the model distributes