Qualcomm has announced that it wll work with AT&T, to test drones, on commercial 4G LTE networks.
The trials will analyze how Drones can operate safely and more securely on commercial 4G LTE and networks of the future, including 5G. The research will look at elements that would impact future drone operations.
The team will look at coverage, signal, strength and mobility across network cells and how they function in flight. The goal of the trials and ongoing research is to help enable future drone operations, such as Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS), as regulations evolve to permit them. The ability to fly beyond an operator’s visual range could enable successful delivery, remote inspection and exploration. Wireless technology can bring many advantages to drones such as ubiquitous coverage, high-speed mobile support, robust security, high reliability and quality of service (QoS).
The Drone trials will be based on the Qualcomm® Snapdragon Flight™ drone development platform. Already in use in some commercially available drones, the platform offers high fidelity sensor processing, precise localization, autonomous visual navigation and 4K videography all in an integrated, light-weight model suitable for consumers and enterprises.
Trials will begin later this month at Qualcomm Technologies’ San Diego Campus. Testing will take place at its FAA-authorized UAS Flight Center and test environment. The center contains “real world” conditions including commercial, residential, uninhabited areas and FAA controlled airspace. This facility permits testing of the use of commercial cellular networks for drones without affecting AT&T’s everyday network operations.
