en.Wedoany.com Reported - Avealto is advancing a stratospheric aircraft infrastructure initiative. This High-Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) architecture utilizes solar-powered unmanned aircraft capable of operating at an altitude of 20 kilometers, well above commercial air corridors and conventional weather systems. Each stratospheric platform provides continuous ground coverage of approximately 45,000 square kilometers. Its operational model strictly adopts a wholesale network infrastructure architecture, routing capacity directly to existing terrestrial mobile networks without providing services directly to retail consumers. This design aims to reduce regional broadband capacity costs by approximately 80% compared to standard satellite wholesale costs.

This funding round responds to telecom operators' demand for cost-effective alternatives to low-Earth orbit constellations. Avealto has secured a production base at Lydd Airport in Kent, UK, expected to create 40 to 50 advanced engineering jobs. The company is advancing deployment negotiations with Malaysian telecom operators and has expanded an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2023 with network partners in Indonesia.

The stratospheric architecture is positioned as a cleaner, more sustainable alternative to mass-producing orbital fleets. Avealto CEO Walt Anderson stated that satellites will never connect the next 3 billion people, as their economics do not work at specific price points and were never designed for this purpose. In contrast, the company's aircraft are solar-powered, involve no rocket launches, leave no debris in orbit, and do not release particulate matter into the upper atmosphere from reentry combustion when maintaining constellation operations.

The $50 million funding window is planned to close within the next 12 to 18 months. After expanding initial assembly operations at the Kent base, Avealto plans to conduct a full-scale public prototype flight demonstration in Wales in September 2026.