AT&T is launching drones into the sky as mobile 5G hotspots

Date:
Fri, 03 Jun 2022 19:00:12 +0000

Description:
Patchy internet in the countryside? No problem, AT&T's drones will beam down 5G.

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Telecommunications giant AT&T has developed drones capable of beaming down 5G signal to an area with patchy connectivity.

In true dad joke style, the drone has been named the 5G Flying COW (an
acronym for Cell on Wings). In testing, it was able to provide an area of
some 10 square miles with strong 5G signal, AT&T says.

We had intermittent, weak LTE signal at the flight location before we
launched the 5G Flying COW, said Ethan Hunt, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Principal Program Manager, AT&T. We flew the drone up to about 300 feet, turned on the signal and it began transmitting strong 5G coverage to approximately 10 square miles. Flying for hours

While there may be many use cases for drone-based mobile hotspots , AT&Ts first idea is to have them help first responders, mountain rescue services
and the like.

The benefits for teams works in rugged conditions are obvious, providing a reliable connection with which to communicate with one another and the people they are trying to help.

The usual problem with drones is their stamina. Todays flying machines, even the most advanced ones, can only stay in the air for a couple of hours, while consumer-grade products rarely make it for longer than 40 minutes. Right now, AT&Ts devices are tethered, but thats also being worked on for future iterations. Read more

5G: everything you need to know

Three years after the first 5G phone landed in Europe, 5G still hasn't

proven itself

Vodafone and Google Cloud look to boost Europe's 5G

We are currently working through many exciting technical challenges to expand the capabilities of our Flying COWs, said Art Pregler, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Program Director, AT&T.

Were working to autonomously fly without tethers for months without landing, using solar power to provide secure, reliable, and fast 5G connectivity to large numbers of users over wide geographic areas.This solution may one day help bring broadband connectivity to rural and other underserved communities across the US and elsewhere.

Elon Musks Starlink is working on providing the entire world with satellite internet connectivity, but until that happens, flying drones beaming down super high-speed internet is a welcome next step. Give your fleet a connectivity boost with the best business mobile plans around



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/atandt-is-launching-drones-into-the-sky-as-mobi le-5g-hotspots/


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)