World mobile stratospheric advances direct-to-device roadmap, spotlighting announcement at Rare Evo

London, July 10th, 2026 - World Mobile will be one of the headlining presences at Rare Evo 2026, taking place in Las Vegas later this month. The company joins as a premier sponsor and will deliver a keynote address featuring Micky Watkins, Co-Founder & CEO of World Mobile.

At the center of that presence is what the company calls its biggest story yet: the World Mobile Stratospheric direct-to-device connectivity roadmap.

World Mobile Stratospheric set out its direct-to-device connectivity roadmap, highlighting the role of its StratoMast high-altitude platform and the SkyMast flight-test pathway with Britten-Norman as the company develops an airborne network layer between terrestrial towers and satellite systems.

AI is moving from centralised data centres into phones, machines, vehicles, sensors and public infrastructure at the edge. According to the International Energy Agency global consumption from data centres is projected to double to around 945 TWh by 2030. But compute alone is not enough. Intelligence must be able to reach the places where people, devices and infrastructure operate.

Mobile networks are carrying more of that burden. The Ericsson Mobility Report says 5G subscriptions have passed three billion globally and that mobile network data traffic grew 22 percent last year. Omdia forecasts smartphone satellite services will reach 411 million monthly active users by 2030.

No single layer will define the next connectivity era. The stratosphere sits between terrestrial infrastructure and orbit: close enough to serve demand on the ground, high enough to cover large areas, and flexible enough to be repositioned as network needs change.

StratoMast: a high-capacity connectivity layer

At the centre of the roadmap is StratoMast, a hydrogen-powered high-altitude platform designed to fly at around 20,000 metres and carry a mobile network payload in the stratosphere. Its proprietary phased-array antenna, the core network capability within StratoMast, is being developed to concentrate reusable 5G capacity across approximately 15,000 square kilometres per platform.

SkyMast and the Britten-Norman flight-test pathway

World Mobile Stratospheric is advancing the SkyMast pathway using a Britten-Norman BN2T-4S Islander aircraft as an airborne testbed for 5G system integration and validation. In its partnership announcement, Britten-Norman said the collaboration will demonstrate a pioneering airborne 5G communication system and validate how aircraft-based systems can extend coverage to remote areas and restore communications after disasters.

The programme has since moved from announcement to integration. Britten-Norman has confirmed that the BN2T-4S Islander is prepared for the next phase of system integration and ready for installation of the airborne 5G antenna system. Installation is underway at Britten-Norman's MRO facility, test flights are scheduled to commence in the summer, and flight assessment will be conducted with World Mobile Stratospheric in cooperation with BT at its Adastral Park R&D facility 

Beyond the coverage

World Mobile Stratospheric sees stratospheric connectivity as part of a wider shift in how critical communications infrastructure is planned, deployed and governed. For governments, operators and enterprises, the next generation of connectivity is not only about expanding coverage. It is about resilience when ground infrastructure is damaged or overloaded, flexible capacity when demand shifts, and greater control over how national and regional communications systems are designed.

A stratospheric layer can support underserved regions, emergency response, temporary capacity and data-sovereignty-focused network architectures, while integrating with terrestrial infrastructure and future non-terrestrial network standards. This is especially relevant as telecom moves toward a more intelligent, multi-layered network model for 5G, 6G and AI-enabled services.

Direct-to-device is more than a satellite story

Direct-to-device is often discussed only through the lens of satellite networks, but orbital and airborne systems are not interchangeable. A stratospheric layer offers wide-area reach while staying closer to terrestrial users, supporting underserved regions, emergency response, temporary capacity and data-sovereignty-focused architectures alongside future non-terrestrial network standards.

"The next generation of connectivity will not be defined by coverage alone. It will be defined by how effectively networks connect people, devices and intelligence wherever demand exists. As AI moves from the data centre to the edge, and as direct-to-device becomes a major telecom category, the stratosphere gives us a powerful new layer between towers and satellites." said Micky Watkins, CEO, World Mobile Group.

About World Mobile Stratospheric

World Mobile Stratospheric is developing high-altitude airborne connectivity systems designed to support direct-to-device mobile coverage from the stratosphere, extending mobile connectivity across underserved regions, high-demand areas, disaster-affected locations and future AI-enabled edge environments. Learn more at wmstratospheric.com.

About World Mobile

World Mobile is building a decentralised mobile network designed to expand connectivity through a sharing economy model. Its ecosystem combines telecom infrastructure, community-operated nodes and blockchain-enabled coordination to support wider access, network participation and new models for digital connectivity. Learn more at worldmobile.io. 

About Rare Evo

Rare Evo is an annual blockchain and AI conference held at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, bringing together builders, enterprises, investors, policy makers, and communities from across Web3 and emerging technology. Rare Evo 2026 takes place July 28-31. General Admission Tickets are free. You can secure your ticket now at https://www.rareevo.io