BVLOS drone flights on the mobile network are the reality of today
According to PwC UK, the public and private sector drone use could deliver a £45bn GDP uplift by 2030, and that’s just for the UK. PWC’s analysis shows £22bn cost savings can be achieved across all sectors of the economy. By utilizing drones at scale, carbon emissions could be reduced by 2.4M tons by 2030, only in the UK. But what are the use cases of today, and how can we move to operationalize them at scale?
In this blog, we look at four use cases supported by AirborneRF via major telecommunication providers globally to answer these questions. Cellular connectivity is a crucial component for realization and scalability, and those use cases are showing the way for many other applications to follow.
Search and rescue in Switzerland in collaboration with Swisscom
Rega, the leading helicopter emergency medical service provider in Switzerland, utilizes the AirborneRF solution via our partnership with Swisscom for all BVLOS operations of the Rega drone. The Rega drone is deployed on missions to search for missing, injured or ill persons to supplement the conventional resources – for example, if the helicopter has to remain on the ground due to poor visibility. The Rega drone can autonomously scan large search areas and is equipped with various sensors, such as a thermal camera. As a result, Rega has at its disposal an additional device to help it search for people in distress.
Pipeline, wells, and oil sands mine inspections in Canada in collaboration with AIRmarket
Our partner AIRmarket Inc. and Petroleum Technology Alliance Canada recently demonstrated that Drone BVLOS inspections could contribute significantly to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They developed three strategic use cases (pipeline, wells, and oil sands mine inspections) to validate the benefits of drone use under the Digital Innovation in Clean Energy (DICE) programme.
We are proud to be a part of their success and contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
This project provided valuable insights on operationalizing these use cases using remotely piloted drones and Unmanned Traffic Management Services (UTM). Right now, this is conducted using aeroplanes, helicopters and vehicles. BVLOS drone inspection will also improve the safety and compliance mandates required by the energy sector.
Medical Deliveries in the Netherlands in collaboration with KPN
Knowing where people are on the ground is precious information for drone operations. Today, almost everybody uses a mobile phone, and cellular network operators have vast data about device locations. Therefore, they know how many people are in any particular area at any given time. AirborneRF connects this data with aviation stakeholders allowing them to make real-time informed decisions about their flight path.
KPN utilizing AirborneRF and the Medical Drone Service of the ANWB, are working on emergency medical transport using drones. The main aim is to support the proper care in the right place at the right time. BVLOS drones are currently flown between Meppel and Zwolle. It is the first time in the Netherlands that a medical drone flies over such a long distance over a sparsely populated area.
Railway inspections in Latvia, using BVLOS drones in collaboration with LMT
LMT, the leading telecom provider in Latvia, in collaboration with Latvijas Gaisa Satiksme, the air navigation service provider of Latvia, and AirborneRF, performed an operation deployment – Inspection of Railway Infrastructure with Rail Baltica as a use case. With this, we helped enable the 3rd autonomy level of drone flight, the development of a new business case, BVLOS, and remote detection of security threats and C2 only through the cellular network. This is a significant step forwards to increased railway security! Youtube Channel.
