In a quiet, nondescript field in rural Missouri, usually the only things fluttering through the tall grass are butterflies and birds. But recently, a Flying COW® (Cell on Wings) joined the horizon, ushering in what AT&T is claiming to be an industry first by transmitting its 5G network from a drone. The carrier said its drone team picked this remote location for the ground-breaking launch of its Flying COW®, because of that reason: it’s remote. No trees. No houses. No humans. Only wide-open spaces and the occasional four-legged cow.
“We had intermittent, weak LTE signals at the flight location before we launched the 5G Flying COW®,” said Ethan Hunt, Unmanned Aircraft Systems 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.”
The test showed that customers with a capable 5G phone in the area could have gone from no service to super-fast wireless connections in seconds. In the future, this could help first responders in a search and rescue mission.
“Drones may use 5G for command and control or to stream video, but the AT&T 5G Flying COW® is the only drone that provides a 5G network,” Ethan said.
A COW serves as a cell site on a drone, and AT&T has been using this technology to beam LTE coverage to customers during big events and disasters for years. Other companies may use 5G signals to communicate with drones, but the 5G Flying COW® could be a game changer.
“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. “We’re 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 U.S. and elsewhere.”
Another AT&T drone project in the works right now involves Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) flight operations. The carrier said its drone team is testing BVLOS – which would allow the pilot to operate a drone from a completely different location. The company currently has an AT&T-patented flight control system that allows their operators and its tethered Flying COWs® to be separated by thousands of miles. Also in the works is tests on untethered Flying COWs® from the operator’s location to fly many miles away to provide 5G connectivity at BVLOS locations.
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