Sceye Secures SoftBank Corp Investment to Enhance Stratospheric Platforms for HAPS Services
Sceye’s Transformative Partnership with SoftBank Corp.
In a significant development for the aerospace industry, Sceye, a pioneering U.S-based firm specializing in High-Altitude Platform Systems (HAPS), has announced their strategic investment from SoftBank Corp. SoftBank, known as a leading telecommunications and IT operator globally, aims to further enhance Sceye’s capabilities in providing next-generation connectivity and environmental monitoring services from the stratosphere.
On June 26, 2025, Sceye revealed that this funding is part of its Series C round and will specifically allow them to introduce pre-commercial HAPS services in Japan slated for launch in 2026. This funding is expected to play a pivotal role in elevating Sceye’s technical maturity and readiness for market deployment.
Why HAPS?
HAPS technology is designed to address the infrastructural challenges posed by traditional mobile networks, which have primarily focused on two-dimensional coverage. As the telecommunications landscape evolves towards the 6G era, the need for a three-dimensional architecture becomes increasingly apparent. This technology will significantly enhance connectivity not only for smartphones and vehicles but also for drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the sky.
SoftBank has long recognized this necessity, redirecting investment towards HAPS as a transformative infrastructure solution. This move aligns seamlessly with their mission to create a robust telecommunications ecosystem, which can effectively complement existing terrestrial towers and satellite constellations.
Strategic Goals and Vision
With this partnership, Sceye and SoftBank have set forth ambitious goals. One major target includes facilitating communication recovery during large-scale disasters, such as earthquakes — an essential service in a disaster-prone region like Japan. The HAPS network will also provide unprecedented connectivity in underserved areas, showcasing its advantages over traditional satellite communications, namely higher speed, greater capacity, lower latency, and increased deployment flexibility.
Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen, CEO and founder of Sceye, emphasized the importance of this collaboration: "SoftBank brings extensive experience in non-terrestrial connectivity and has consistently championed the stratosphere as the next frontier for solving some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Their investment validates the viability of Sceye’s platform and marks a significant step toward our commercial service launch."
The Impact of SoftBank’s Involvement
SoftBank’s entry into Sceye’s investor group is a testament to the firm’s technical capabilities, particularly its developed HAPS model through ongoing research since 2017. Junichi Miyakawa, the president and CEO of SoftBank Corp., expressed enthusiasm about this partnership, stating, "The HAPS technology will become a key component for expanding network coverage in hard-to-reach areas and restoring communications amid significant disasters."
This partnership springs from Sceye’s successful 2024 flight program where the company completed a full daytime flight in the stratosphere, confining operations over a designated area for more than 24 hours. This achievement laid the groundwork for the strategic dialogue, ultimately leading to SoftBank’s investment decision.
Future Prospects
As both companies look towards the future, the new capital obtained from SoftBank will be instrumental in supporting Sceye’s ongoing development and its transition to commercial operations. Founded in 2014, Sceye has already accomplished more than 20 successful flights and has established collaborations across various sectors, setting a precedent for innovative solutions in addressing global connectivity and environmental monitoring challenges.
Interestingly, the strategic goals of SoftBank diverge beyond the HAPS initiative. As they continue to push the envelopes of 5G/6G technology and integrate AI with their Radio Access Networks (AI-RAN), their focus will remain on becoming the next-generation infrastructure providers that can revolutionize communication as we know it.
This evolving landscape heralds a new era of technological advancement, driven by partnerships that fuse casual innovations with societal needs. The collaboration of Sceye and SoftBank offers promising benefits — unlocking new dimensions in telecommunications while significantly enhancing the well-being of communities worldwide.
Conclusion
The announcement of Sceye's partnership with SoftBank represents a crucial leap forward in HAPS development and offers substantial benefits, paving the way for a transformative approach to global connectivity and disaster responsiveness. As both companies harness the potential of stratospheric technology, they set a compelling precedent for the future of telecommunications.
For more updates on this remarkable partnership and innovations in HAPS technology, follow Sceye and SoftBank closely as they embark on this exciting journey together.