Virgin Media O2 UK Trials Emergency 5G Mobile from Drones

Broadband ISP and mobile operator Virgin Media and O2 (VMO2) has teamed up with the Snowdonia Aerospace Centre in Wales to trial 4G and 5G connected drones, which in an emergency could be deployed to help create a temporary airborne mobile network for both visitors and emergency services (Mountain Rescue).

The trials are exploring how connectivity can provide key support to emergency services, so they can respond more quickly, more decisively and more efficiently to hikers stranded within the remote Snowdonia National Park, as well as cutting costs and being more environmentally friendly. In rural areas, such as this, emergency services are reliant on receiving 999 calls, but mobile reception can easily be interrupted by the extreme geographical landscape.

The drone itself is a “Dragon“ Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) that has been equipped to support a standalone airborne 5G NR (New Radio) network. The network it creates will be able to tackle more than just calls (e.g. mobile broadband, video calling and pictures etc.) and will also retain geographical location data for calls, which can be used to both guide people back to safety and to guide rescue teams to those in need.

The project, which is being funded by investment from the Innovate UK Future Flight Challenge and a Department for Transport Drone Technology Research and Innovation Grant, is supported by VMO2, Snowdonia Aerospace, SwiftFlight Avionics, Wavemobile, and the Welsh Government.

Kirsty Bright, VMO2’s Director of Network Innovation and Transformation, said:

“This project is a further example of how 5G technologies can provide real societal benefits for people around the UK, wherever they are. This trial could transform how emergency services operate and react to life-threatening situations, and make people feel safer while enjoying national parks. We’ve already run our first successful test flights at the Llanbedr airport with the Snowdonia Aerospace team and look forward to demonstrating how it can support mountain rescue teams across Snowdonia. Trials like this are all part of our wider commitment to upgrading the UK and showing the power of 5G connectivity.”

We should point out that VMO2 aren’t the only mobile operator to put mini base stations on the bottom of a drone. EE has long used a similar approach when setting up temporary mobile networks via their Rapid Response Vehicles (RRV) programme, although their drones are smaller, can’t fly as high (limited coverage) and may be more susceptible to stronger weather.