European aircraft builder Airbus will establish a separate company in the field of telecommunications and ground observation based on the Zephyr unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) development program. This was reported by the Financial Times on Monday.

“Airbus does not offer telecommunications services. The division is being done to involve other companies in the project and grow the business”– said Samer Halavi, head of the program.

The name of the new brand is Aalto. Airbus plans “will remain the owner, but will consider the possibility of attracting foreign investment”. The company management thinks that this step will accelerate the commercialization of the product. For this, the European company has already started cooperation with the American bank Morgan Stanley.

The latest modification of the high-altitude Zephyr 8 UAV is fully solar powered and has a wingspan of 25 meters and weighs less than 75 kg. It can rise to an altitude of more than 21,000 m and can also hover over a specific geographic point.

The company expects the buyers of the commercial version of the UAV, whose data has not been disclosed yet, to be telecommunications companies. The use of drones will allow remote areas to be interconnected without the need for ground infrastructure.