British mobile carrier EE has unveiled plans to use a fleet of drones and miniature blimps to supply cell phone coverage to rural areas of the UK. The company says its “air mast” network could be used in the wake of natural disasters as well as during events like soccer matches, where crowds congest mobile networks. The company, which is owned by BT, expects to deploy the technology in the field for the first time this year.

Like Facebook’s drones and Google’s balloons, the basic idea is to use airborne craft to beam signal down to users below. The blimps and drones are equipped with miniature mobile sites, including a basestation and antenna, and supply LTE coverage (or 4G, as it’s known in the UK). The blimps hover at a height of…

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