Alphabet subsidiary Loon, along with a coalition of companies, has formed the HAPS Alliance to help promote high-altitude internet.

Loon was founded with the goal of providing internet access to under-served communities, using high-altitude balloons to deliver it. With today’s announcement, SoftBank’s HAPSMobile, AeroVironment, Airbus Defence and Space, Bharti Airtel Limited, China Telecom Corporation Limited, Deutsche Telekom AG, Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, Intelsat US LLC, Nokia Corporation, SoftBank Corp. and Telefónica S.A. have joined with Loon to help further that goal.

The new Haps Alliance “is being created so member companies can collectively advocate for High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) business development with the relevant authorities in various countries, build a cooperative HAPS ecosystem, develop common product specifications and promote the standardization of HAPS network interoperability. All of these activities will be key to the Alliance’s aim of addressing diverse social issues and creating new value by providing telecommunications network connectivity worldwide through the utilization of high altitude vehicles. The Alliance, originally an initiative from HAPSMobile and Loon, will have members from participating leading companies across the aerospace, technology and telecom industries to carry out the Alliance’s activities.”

This is good news for rural and under-served communities around the world and should help accelerate the deployment of high-altitude internet solutions.