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recent post reminded me of an idea I had, after the 9/11 attacks. This led to a confluence of ideas, for me.
1. Mobile communications are dependent upon line of sight, to cellular comms towers.
2. Inner city buildings are vulnerable to attack from the air
3. Most commercial air traffic is already
routed away from CBD areas.
4. People like looking down from high places.
With these premises in mind, I reason that tethered dirigibles could be used to retransmit cellular comms calls, from a height of 500-1500 metres (1600-4800 feet) above conurbations.
Being tethered, they will serve the same purpose as barrage balloons, keeping aircraft away from CBD areas and valuable or sensitive installations, at risk of entanglement and destruction prior to hitting any target buildings.
Revenues might be easily derived, by making many of the dirigibles into viewing platforms for gawking tourists. A paternoster elevator system, (think of a ferris wheel on a wire), would be an ideal means of achieving this.
Story about Platform Wireless, Inc.
http://wireless.iop...les/feature/2/7/4/1
[krelnik, Apr 14 2005]
ComputerWorld: It's a Bird, It's a Blimp...
http://www.computer...10801,75358,00.html
[krelnik, Apr 14 2005]
[link]
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Bun for resurrecting paternoster elevators |
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Shape them like massive pumpkins-Beebop. |
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This would be a good way of restoring cellular comms in the short term following a natural disaster. |
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There are some companies working on dirigible-based wireless systems, but I don't think they are focusing on the cellular angle. They seem more oriented toward broadband data service without having to put a satellite in orbit. (As a result, their dirigibles are MUCH higher altitude). See link. |
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Another good use for this would be to simply increase cellular network capacity during temporary non-disaster events, like outdoor music festivals which cluster hundreds of thousands of people in a small area. |
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That's true enough, [krelnik]. The same solution would work well in disaster areas, I'd imagine. |
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