5G Drones

5G to control drones and keep them airborne.

10:25 10 August 2017

5G is expected to deliver ultrafast connection that can support many technological advances, such Internet of Things (IoT), once it is finally launched in 2020. One of its various possible uses is drone flight.

 

In a test carried out by uVue, it was found that a pre-5G network slicing has the ability to control drones and keep them airborne.

 

Maria Cuevas, BT’s Head of Converged Core Network and Services Research has noted: “The demonstration was most effective in showing that we are able to protect a private ‘slice’ of the network for uVue’s drone as the rest of the network was deliberately overloaded. The slice allocated to drone control remained perfectly functional and stable, enabling the drone to remain responsive to the pilot’s control at all times.”

 

Russ Delaney, Director of Tech Ops at uVue, an ex-British Army helicopter instructor and drone pilot summed up the potential, added: “I was delighted at how responsive the drone control was over the mobile network and at how reliable the private slice was. Delivery of real-time low latency HD video footage back over the network provided a completely new standard for ‘eye in the sky’. This is a key milestone in UAV development, showing that cellular networks have immense potential to provide uncompromised drone control and hence air safety.