Vodafone has collaborated with Manna Air Delivery in Ireland to remotely pilot a delivery drone over two kilometres using Vodafone’s mobile network.
“Manna, which has completed approximately 200,000 deliveries, recently worked with Vodafone to test how mobile technology can assist a pilot to operate a drone beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) to increase home deliveries to more places,” Vodafone said in a July 3 press release. “The project supports Vodafone’s wider research into how the mobile network can support communication between multiple commercial drones to enable them to fly safely.”
During the proof-of-concept test with Manna, Vodafone used the 4G network to gather telemetry data from the drone to track its flight. Vodafone’s network APIs were used by the companies to securely access aerial mobile coverage maps, for a safe and connected flight path for the drone at Manna’s test facility in Moorock, Ireland.
Vodafone has conducted several trials, including an air traffic control drone tracking and safety system, and a test to show how mobile technology can be used to prevent drones from interfering with high-security areas. In the future, the company aims to combine low earth orbit satellites with its terrestrial network to monitor commercial drones safely. Ultimately, Vodafone hopes to support a long-range air traffic management system to control the predicted increase in beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drones and other airspace users. This would enable two-way communication with drones using Vodafone’s network to limit collisions between multiple airspace users on a pan-European scale.
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