Akihabara News (Tokyo) — NTT Docomo is preparing a host of services that will make longer range drone flights possible in the coming years.
Most drone flights in Japan have used wifi to connect the aircraft with their pilots, but next year the Japanese government is expected to legalize Level 4, which denotes drone flights beyond visual line-of-sight, even in populated areas.
Since these longer flights are beyond the capacity of wifi in many cases, long-term evolution (LTE) wireless broadband systems, now used mainly for mobile devices and data terminals, will become indispensable for control and communication.
Generally speaking, wireless communication is used in drones for two main purposes–to remotely control the drone flight and convey flight control commands from the user to the drone, and to convey information from the drone back to the user, such as video and flight information.
This is where “Docomo Sky” aims to step in, offering drone manufacturers a solution that uses LTE communication for long-range drone flights.
These so-called “cellular drones” can also potentially take advantage of the Docomo Sky Cloud services, which include automatic flight preparation, video photography, data analysis, and report-creation functions.
NTT Docomo is encouraging drone manufacturers to make their aircraft compatible with its LTE system, and so far the domestic firms ACSL, Aerosense, Eams Robotics, NTT e-Drone Technology, and Sony have hopped on board.
Additionally, US-based Skydio, a major drone-maker in which NTT Docomo has invested, is also joining the program.
Looking forward, Docomo Sky will also be offering “packages” aimed at facilitating specific kinds of drone operations, such as agricultural, industrial, and entertainment uses.
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