By Mohamed-Slim Alouini, Al-Khawarizmi Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
My name is Mohamed-Slim Alouini, and I am a founding faculty member at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), where I am currently the Al-Khawarizmi Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the holder of the UNESCO Chair on Education to Connect the Unconnected. We are particularly focusing on addressing the technical challenges associated with information and communication technologies (ICT) in under-served regions and are committed to bridging the digital divide by tackling issues related to the uneven distribution, access to, and utilization of ICT in rural, low-income, disaster-prone, and hard-to-reach areas.
As a member of the HAPS Alliance, it allows KAUST to be aware of the latest advancements and innovations in HAPS technology, which can enhance our research and teaching. It also gives us opportunities to connect with key industry players in the HAPS area, which can be beneficial for both research collaborations and future internship/permanent job opportunities for our students.
Given KAUST’s expertise in 5G and 6G technologies, we can make contributions to the HAPS Alliance in three ways:
- Exploring and developing innovative approaches to spectrum management and sharing between HAPS and terrestrial networks,
- Developing beamforming and massive multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) techniques to enhance the capacity and coverage of HAPS systems while mitigating interference between HAPS and terrestrial/satellite networks, ensuring that all systems can operate efficiently in shared frequency bands, and
- Developing and optimizing free space optics-based communication links for HAPS to serve as high-capacity backhaul/feeder link solutions.
In my opinion, the HAPS Alliance is much needed to create a robust ecosystem that attracts significant funding to the industry. When this happens, HAPS manufacturers will be able to drive down deployment costs to make this technology ready for massive commercial deployment on a global scale, similar to the success achieved by the satellite industry over the last decade.
As the holder of a UNESCO Chair focusing on Connecting the Unconnected, I am particularly excited about the HAPS Alliance’s efforts to provide a networking platform for all those interested in developing and promoting high-speed connectivity solutions to remote and under-served areas. Indeed by deploying HAPS, these regions can gain access to essential services like education, healthcare, and economic opportunities that were previously out of reach due to a lack of reliable internet access. This aligns very well with the goals of my UNESCO Chair aiming to study connectivity solutions that help reduce the digital divide and promote equitable access to technology for all.