Telefonica Unveiled 5G Drone Service in Spain

Telefonica unveiled a domestic end-to-end drone service in Spain. The service comprises remote piloting, 5G connectivity, hardware, and software systems for industry and public sector organisations.

The operator highlighted that its system lowers response times and removes the need for organisations to have their own drone pilots on the ground. Drones are controlled from the T_Space facility located in Telefonica’s National Supervision and Operations Centre in Aravaca, Madrid.

Along with supplying remote pilots, its end-to-end offering includes a “drone-in-a-box” product providing the means for automated take-off, landing, and refuelling. This, it noted, allows the machines to be deployed quickly and easily. 5G makes long-distance flights, continuous drone control, and real-time video transmission possible.

Telefonica highlighted the availability of edge computing nodes for secure transmission and real-time analysis of the images captured. Other elements the operator pointed to are: aiding its offering are network slicing, computer vision for advanced analysis of data and images, and the use of Open Gateway APIs for safe and optimised flights.

The company is offering two versions of its end-to-end drone service, one aimed at customers with their own drones and another where it also supplies the hardware. Among its target customers are industrial players, the energy and logistics sectors, and public administrations. Surveillance, infrastructure inspection, and fire prevention were cited as potential applications. The technology has already been deployed in Caceres in collaboration with a regional government as part of measures to prevent and respond to forest fires.