Sceye Secures Investment from SoftBank to Launch HAPS Services in Japan
In a landmark move for the telecommunications landscape, Sceye, an innovative aerospace firm specializing in High-Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS), has secured a significant investment from SoftBank Corp. This partnership reflects SoftBank’s commitment to advancing telecommunications infrastructure and explores the potential of stratospheric solutions for connectivity and environmental monitoring. The funding comes as part of Sceye's Series C financing, with SoftBank also planning to conduct a pre-commercial HAPS flight over Japan in 2026.
The collaboration emphasizes SoftBank's long-standing dedication to pioneering HAPS technology as a transformative aspect of modern infrastructure aimed at enhancing global connectivity. Traditional cellular networks have primarily focused on 2D coverage for devices, but the advent of 6G promises the necessity of 3D networks to accommodate increasing airborne communication needs, including for drones and UAVs. Sylke Sceye, leveraging SoftBank's expertise in non-terrestrial network solutions, aims to implement HAPS-based stratospheric telecom as a scalable supplement to existing terrestrial towers and satellite constellations.
Beginning in 2026, SoftBank intends to roll out pre-commercial HAPS services in Japan, facilitating communications restoration during large-scale disasters such as earthquakes, and connecting remote areas often overlooked by conventional infrastructure. The advantages of HAPS—enhanced speed, expanded capacity, lower latency, and versatile deployment—endow SoftBank the ability to bolster network resilience while promoting universal service nationwide. According to Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen, CEO and founder of Sceye, "SoftBank brings a wealth of knowledge related to non-terrestrial connectivity and has championed using the stratosphere to tackle pressing global issues. Their investment underscores the viability of Sceye's platform, and we’re excited to have them as a strategic partner on our journey towards commercialization."
This funding follows Sceye’s successful flight program in 2024, where they achieved a milestone by conducting a complete daytime flight within the stratosphere, maintaining presence over a designated area for over 24 hours. This successful test confirmed the feasibility of geostationary platforms below orbital altitude and was pivotal in forging this partnership. Junichi Miyakawa, President and CEO of SoftBank Corp., remarked, "Since 2017, SoftBank has been at the forefront of developing HAPS-based services. I am thrilled that, in addition to our research and development efforts for HTA-HAPS, we will be able to offer pre-commercial HAPS services through our new collaboration with Sceye in 2026. The stratospheric telecommunication offered by HAPS is set to play a crucial role in expanding network coverage in areas challenged by existing cellular infrastructure and serves as a vital method for restoring communication in the wake of major disasters."
Joining a remarkable group of international investors from the telecommunications sector, SoftBank’s participation further affirms Sceye's unique technological capabilities. The newly secured capital will be channeled into further developing the HAPS technology and transitioning towards commercial operations.
Founded in 2014, Sceye is at the forefront of aerospace innovation, developing High-Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS) to connect people and protect the planet. With over 20 successful flights and partnerships with federal, state, and commercial entities, Sceye is crafting a new infrastructural tier between terrestrial and space systems. Their platforms aim to enhance connectivity, identify and mitigate climate disasters in real time, and provide precise environmental monitoring, ultimately benefiting humanity and the planet.
SoftBank Corp., guided by its philosophy of "Information Revolution – Happiness for everyone," operates telecommunications and IT businesses globally. Building on a strong business foundation, SoftBank seeks to expand beyond telecommunications in alignment with a growth strategy that emphasizes the power of 5G/6G, IoT, digital twin technology, and non-terrestrial network solutions, while also constructing AI data centers and developing tailored 1 trillion parameter large language models in Japanese. By integrating AI into its radio access networks (AI-RAN), SoftBank aims to establish itself as a provider of next-generation social infrastructure.