Telefónica to Present 5G Drone Package Delivery Technology, Developed with Gradiant, at Mobile World Congress
This pioneering use case in Spain consists of several drones communicating mid-flight and with different connected urban elements in order to make the correct delivery of a package to a mobile collection point
In addition to Gradiant, Telefónica has collaborated with Ericsson, Genasys and Correos
They have combined innovative technologies such as 5G, C-V2X communications (the same as used in a connected car), RTK and mobile location technology
Today, at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Telefónica presents “Drones 5G: Present and Future,” addressing the use case of package delivery based on 5G-connected drone air traffic developed in collaboration with Gradiant.
The aim of this project, the first of its kind in Spain, is to assess how the 5G network can facilitate the development and deployment of drone services in urban environments. To achieve this, Telefónica has collaborated with Gradiant on the development of the intelligent cooperative communications system, on the implementation of the solution that allows it to offer precise locations and on the integration of these technologies in the drones and Smart City elements. Ericsson, which provides the mobile network currently in commercial format in which this project is being developed, and Genasys, a company specialising in LBS (Location Based Services) and critical emergency communications, have also participated.
The use case, recently presented at Telefónica’s headquarters in Madrid, involves the flight of several drones that communicate with each other and with different connected urban elements, with the aim of making the correct delivery of a package to a mobile collection point, encountering another drone or a warning of a restricted flight area in its trajectory. The involvement of Correos, an innovative and pioneering company in the exploration of new solutions for the transport of goods using drones, to reach areas that are difficult to access or even provide new services, has been fundamental to the development of this project.
Combination of technologies
To make this pilot possible, it has been necessary to combine several technologies, such as 5G, C-V2X communications, RTK technology and mobile location technology. 5G technology, with its low latency and high bandwidth, is key to the development of drone-based use cases, as low latencies are decisive for real-time communication and cooperation between drones, and between drones and connected objects.
As for C-V2X technology, used in connected cars, it has facilitated the drone’s ability to interact with its environment through short-range messages, communicating with the Smart City in order to react intelligently to changing conditions in the environment. Finally, RTK (Real Time Kinematic) technology offers precise locations with margins of error of centimetres, which is essential for certain situations such as landing drones in mobile mailboxes.
This is in addition to the 5G location service, which provides location information and an estimate of the drone’s distance to the antenna. This service is intended as a second independent positioning source to cross-check the position calculated with GNSS, ensuring the integrity of the positioning.
