On Thursday, telecommunications giant Verizon announced its program that would connect drones to its LTE wireless network. the project is called the Airborne LTE Operations (ALO).
The project has been in the works since 2014, and tests have been ongoing as different applications continue to be tested. At the present time, drones use public airways to communicate with a traditional remote control that is tethered to a wire or by Bluetooth to a device with Internet connection.
With Verizon’s data plan, drones would be connected to the network directly, bypassing the need to communicate with on-the-ground devices. This way, videos, and photographs would be transmitted live instead of needing to be downloaded first. (GoPro and other manufacturers sell live-action cams that let drone pilots record media for later download).
The Wall Street Journal reported that plans will start at 1GB for $25 a month and 10GB for $80 a month. The most obvious use for LTE mobile chips on drones would be in transmitting live videos, but there are all kinds of applications where they would be very useful.
The ALO program could aid in monitoring wildfires and oil pipelines, as well as find uses in agriculture, wildlife preservation, and traffic control. But it is the commercial applications that may prove to be exciting. Right now, the FAA restricts the height drones can be flown to 400 feet and they must be within the pilot’s line of sight.
But in some cases, such as using drones for the delivery goods, the restrictions have been lifted in certain instances while testing the concept. As an example, Google-owner Alphabet teamed up with Chipotle and Virginia Tech in a pilot program to test burrito delivery for campus students and faculty.
Verizon is not alone in its advancement of wireless connectivity for drones. AT&T and T-Mobile are also working on improving cellular network coverage for drones. Both companies have been testing drone capabilities in cell tower inspections.
Eventually, Verizon wants to see drones used as aerial cell towers in remote areas where Internet connectivity is patchy or scarce. Fortune reports that Facebook is talking with several countries about using high-altitude solar-powered drones to provide Internet connections. So the list of applications for drones connected to the Internet will continue to grow.
