"The Internet is Totally Missing This" (Mohammed Slim Alouini)

3 billion people are still unconnected to the internet.
In this episode of Deep, host Ben Kaplan speaks with Mohamed Slim Alouini, UNESCO Chair and professor at KAUST, about the future of HAPS (High-Altitude Platform Stations) — solar-powered aircraft that could bring broadband to the world's hardest-to-reach places.
Discover how HAPS could revolutionize 6G, disaster recovery, precision agriculture, and real-time sensing — all while solving the satellite debris problem.

CHAPTERS
00:00 – Intro: Connecting the Unconnected
01:30 – What Are HAPS?
03:30 – HAPS vs Starlink vs Cell Towers
06:00 – Direct-to-Phone Connectivity
08:45 – Disaster Response & Emergency Internet
11:20 – 6G, Sensing & Smart Agriculture
14:00 – Laser Links & Free-Space Optics
16:15 – Imaging, Lidar & Surveillance Use Cases
18:30 – Powering HAPS: Solar, Hydrogen & Lasers
20:45 – HAPS Business Models & Infrastructure
23:30 – The Coming HAPS Constellations
26:00 – Near-Space as the Next Internet Layer
28:00 – Final Thoughts: The Future of Global Coverage


🎯 Topics covered:
What are HAPS and why do they matter?
HAPS vs. Starlink vs. Cell Towers
Direct-to-phone connectivity from 20km in the sky
Broadband for remote villages, refugee camps, and farms
6G sensing, smart agriculture & laser-powered data
Business models for near-space infrastructure