AirMarket and TELUS team up to link wireless networks and Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) systems for the growing drone sector

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – AirMarket Inc (AirMarket) and TELUS today signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) that underpins their new strategic alliance, which aims to accelerate the development and deployment of Unmanned Traffic Management services for the global drone market.

Utilizing the power of Canada’s largest and fastest network, AirMarket and TELUS are combining efforts to deliver a telecommunications control framework to safely integrate Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly referred to as drones, into Canadian airspace.

Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) refers to systems that manage drone traffic for the safe integration of manned and unmanned aviation. As the use of drones continues to grow in popularity and more applications are developed for their use, it is crucial that UTM rapidly evolves to address new, complex air traffic situations. While basic systems are available today, such as the utmOSphere solution marketed by AirMarket, which is currently deployed in New Zealand, Italy and Dubai, this alliance between AirMarket and TELUS aims to build solutions that will help to shape the future of this burgeoning space.

“Canada is poised to move Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations” said Lindsay Mohr, CEO of AirMarket. “There are numerous commercial and industrial opportunities for drone use, and Unmanned Traffic Management systems are KEY to unlocking this potential.”

“As UAVs require a fast and reliable wireless connection, it is vital that telecommunications companies play a major role in developing and implementing UTM systems, so we are excited to be working with AirMarket to address the needs of this growing market,” said Ibrahim Gedeon, CTO at TELUS. “From integrating with today’s 4G LTE networks to preparing for the 5G networks of the future, we look forward to working with AirMarket to advance UTM technology and the UAV ecosystem in Canada.”

Both TELUS and AirMarket are working closely with the Canadian airspace management and regulatory bodies, NAV Canada and Transport Canada, to assist them in developing the necessary policies, rules and regulations to ensure that drones can safely fly within Canada’s airspace. The goal of this effort is to enable the delivery of cutting-edge services which will, in turn, foster the creation and development of new drone technologies, such as autonomously protecting our airports and monitoring pipelines, railways, electrical transmission lines and bridges.

About AirMarket

AirMarket is an Unmanned Traffic Management technology startup focused on the use of cellular telecommunications. AirMarket delivers traffic management solutions for the safe integration of drones into national airspace. AirMarket delivers drone-centric business solutions through data collection, processing and management.

About TELUS

TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a dynamic, world-leading communications and information technology company with $14.6 billion in annual revenue and 14.2 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video and security. We leverage our global-leading technology to enable remarkable human outcomes.

Our longstanding commitment to putting our customers first fuels every aspect of our business, making us a distinct leader in customer service excellence and loyalty. TELUS Health is Canada’s largest healthcare IT provider, and TELUS International delivers the most innovative business process solutions to some of the world’s most established brands.

Driven by our passionate social purpose to connect all Canadians for good, our deeply meaningful and enduring philosophy to give where we live has inspired our team members and retirees to contribute more than $700 million and 1.3 million days of service since 2000. This unprecedented
generosity and unparalleled volunteerism have made TELUS the most giving company in the world.

For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com, follow us

@TELUSNews on Twitter and
@Darren_Entwistle on Instagram.

For more information about AirMarket, please visit https://airmarket.io/, follow us on LinkedIn, or contact Jeremy Byatt (Senior Vice President) +1(613)797-9418 info@airmarket.io