BROWSING: Drones
Test and Measurement: Intertek acquires UK cybersecurity firm
Testing company Intertek is boosting its network assurance portfolio with the acquisition of United Kingdom-based cybersecurity firm NTA Monitor. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
"An ever-greater emphasis is now placed on robust security assessment and compliance, with new and evolving data protection...
FCC proposes $2.8 million fine against drone company
The Federal Communications Commission has proposed a $2.8 million fine against recreational drone company HobbyKing, for selling radio frequency transmitter devices for drones which operate in unauthorized RF bands and at higher power levels than allowed under U.S. rules.
HobbyKing operates in both the U.S....
Operators take flight: 7 drool-worthy drones for tower inspections
Drone pilots prefer these drool-worthy drones for tower inspections.
Multi-rotor drones — the drones that look like little helicopters but with more than one blade — make the best tower inspectors among drone types, because they can hover steadily in one spot and take pictures. ...
76,000 UK drones to create £42bn GDP, 628,000 jobs by 2030, says report
Drones could increase UK GDP by £42 billion, or two per cent, by 2030, according to a new report by financial services firm PwC, with the largest productivity gains in the wholesale and retail trade sector in percentage terms (2.5 per cent) and the...
Operators take flight: Drones, red tape and traffic management
The FAA and industry are working together on UAV regulatory issues: it may take years to work out a viable UAV traffic management system.
Without a doubt, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 107 rule has made a big difference in making drone-based tower inspections...
Flying COW drones make headway
Flying COW drones are key FirstNet efforts and network plans of the future.
Flying Cells on Wings are similar to their terrestrial COW cousins — except instead of being mounted on a portable mast, the cell is mounted on a drone. The drones are typically...
AT&T’s new Flying COW drone to be all-weather disaster insurance
Able to fly in tough conditions, AT&T's all-weather Flying COW drone will help first responders, FirstNet.
AT&T has designed an all-weather drone to keep its wireless network “flying” in a disaster. The all-weather Flying COW drone -- designed by AT&T with help from manufacturers and...
Emerging public safety use cases for drones
Last December, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in northern Virginia used a drone to help search for a 92-year-old hunter who had gotten stranded overnight in the woods. Within 20 minutes, they had sighted the man, who was then rescued safely.
Public safety agencies are...
USDOT selects 10 US smart cities to figure out drone applications and regulations
The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) has selected 10 smart city authorities and regional government agencies to explore the implications of integrating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, into US national airspace.
The initiative variously involves state, local and tribal governments, in partnership with private...
Transport for London hands out first drone licence for railway maintenance
Transport for London (TfL) has appointed UK civil engineering firm Lanes Rail to carry out maintenance work on the London Underground network using drones, as their usage in industrial settings increases.
Lanes Rail is responsible for maintaining and repairing a wide range of assets across...
Drone test trials to shape FAA rules
It takes a whole country — government, industry, academics — to work out sticky issues with drone flight traffic control. Drone test trials continue.
Drones are becoming essential in many industries.
The real estate agents and journalists love the drone, especially when selling a ranch that...
From drone-mounted AI to smart-city blockchains: five EU innovation projects
In the face of rising political disruption, the European Commission (EC) has in recent weeks redoubled its innovation schedule with new commitments to artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and digital healthcare applications. Here, we pick five of its best Horizon 2020 projects, covering everything from drone-mounted...
How telecom operators can benefit from drones
Drones in the telecom industry
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, are often characterized as toys or weapons, but they are also seen as maintenance tools among telecom operators. In a global report on the commercial applications of drone technology, PwC estimates the addressable market...
Five drone use cases
Beyond military applications
Commercial unmanned aerial vehicles, otherwise known as drones, are no longer bound to military applications. The potential applications of drones is significantly increasing as the components that makeup the technology become more lightweight and affordable. Below explores a handful of drone use...
Intel CEO kicks off CES with security update, drones and quantum chips
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich begins CES with keynote presentation
Las Vegas, Nev. -- Intel CEO Brian Krzanich kicked off the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week with a keynote presentation centered around drones, autonomous vehicles and quantum computing.
Krzanich began his keynote addressing a security glitch...
Small cell and drone integration enables a variety of use cases for network coverage (Sponsored)
Look up, and it soon may be likely that you’ll spot a drone, particularly if you’re at a concert or an outdoor public event. Commercial-grade drones are proving to be more than a novelty, and the industry is evolving at a rapid pace. Drone...
ZTE develops 5G services in partnership with China Mobile
Services include 5G vehicle experience, UAV, submarine and 5G-based VR cloud gaming
Chinese vendor ZTE announced plans to develop six major 5G services with China Mobile. The vendor unveiled its 5G, internet of things (IoT), smart home, smart education, big video and terminal services at China...
Ericsson explains performance of drones on LTE networks
Unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, are shooting movies, spraying crops, delivering pizza, and performing dozens of other jobs across many industries. For mobile network operators, this could represent a major opportunity, and radio equipment vendors want to be ready.
"With new applications every day, I...
Drones used for RF test and measurement
The testing and measurement of radio frequency signals is a multi-million dollar business that relies on versatile hardware and sophisticated software. Now unmanned aerial vehicles, aka drones, are set to become an important part of the RF measurement industry. A U.S. startup called RDF...
AT&T offers drone services to FirstNet
AT&T hopes to use LTE-connected drones to support FirstNet, the nationwide public safety network the carrier is building for the U.S. government. AT&T already uses drones to inspect cell towers and test antenna patterns, and recently the company has started testing mobile cell sites...
Sprint takes Magic Box to the next level
Sprint plans to use its Magic Box small cell as an aerial radio, relying on the same wireless backhaul that the carrier leverages when it deploys the Magic Box indoors. The company attached a "bare bones" version of the small cell to a tethered...
Editorial Webinar: Reducing opex through infrastructure: C-RAN, LTE-A, Drones and more
Wireless networks are delivering more and more mobile data, but nonetheless carriers are managing to drive down operating costs. This webinar will explore several of the technologies and solutions that are helping operators run their networks more efficiently and drive down their "cost per...
Editorial Report: Reducing Opex Through Infrastructure: Drones, C-RAN and Software
Change is the only certainty for the fast-moving wireless industry, so mobile network operators want to focus on flexible operating expenses instead of huge capital investments in technologies that could become obsolete. How is the wireless infrastructure industry responding? This report will look at...
AT&T outlines plans for drone use
AT&T is already using unmanned aerial vehicles to survey and inspect cell towers, and now the carrier is investing in software to help drones autonomously repair tower equipment and carry radios to places where network traffic is heavy. Right now, the U.S. Federal Aviation...