Huawei’s PanoAAU Aims to Change the Economics of 5G Coverage

As 5G networks continue to expand beyond dense urban centres, the industry has been forced to confront a difficult reality. Traditional deployment models, built around three-sector sites and relatively narrow beam coverage, do not translate well into rural and semi-rural environments. Lower population density, larger coverage areas and tighter budgets mean that operators need to extract far more value from each site.

Huawei’s PanoAAU is one attempt to address this challenge. While it has been in the market for some time, publicly available technical detail remains limited. However, by piecing together information from different announcements and deployments, a clearer picture begins to emerge of what the solution is trying to achieve and why it matters.

At its core, PanoAAU is an evolution of the active antenna unit, designed to extend coverage both horizontally and vertically. The most notable shift is the move from the conventional 120 degree sector to a 180 degree wide-angle coverage. This is enabled through extremely large antenna array technology combined with beamforming and what Huawei describes as a wide-angle beam management approach. The practical implication is that a traditional three-sector site could, in some scenarios, be replaced with a two-sector configuration while still maintaining, or even improving, coverage.

This change is not just about radio performance. It has direct implications for site economics. Reducing the number of sectors means fewer radio units, less equipment on the tower, lower power consumption and potentially reduced site rental costs. In rural deployments, where return on investment is often marginal, these savings can be significant enough to make previously unviable sites commercially feasible.

The antenna design itself appears to rely on a combination of lightweight materials, low-loss feeding structures and metamaterial-based elements. These are intended to address the physical challenges that come with larger antenna arrays, particularly weight and signal loss. The use of such materials is consistent with a broader trend in radio design, where advanced materials are being used to push beyond traditional performance limits without making deployments impractical.

Software plays an equally important role. Wide-angle coverage introduces complexity in beam management, especially when trying to maintain capacity and user experience across a broader footprint. The solution therefore depends heavily on more precise and responsive beamforming algorithms to ensure that users are still served efficiently, even as the coverage area expands. This is particularly relevant for uplink performance, which is becoming increasingly important as networks evolve towards AI-driven applications and more interactive services.

PanoAAU also sits within a wider portfolio of radio solutions that Huawei has been promoting in the context of 5G-Advanced and what it refers to as 5.5G. Alongside products such as MetaAAU and EasyAAU, it reflects a move towards more specialised radio units tailored for different deployment scenarios. In this context, PanoAAU is positioned as a coverage-focused solution, particularly suited to suburban, rural and geographically complex environments.

MTN Zambia has partnered with #Huawei to deploy the dual-band AAU, which is a key member of Huawei's Pano Radio series. It supports flexible multi-frequency tilt adjustment and enables co-deployment of 4G and 5G networks.
For more details, please refer to: https://t.co/9mN7OiVuwV pic.twitter.com/OPWI0HFZOF

— Huawei Wireless (@HuaweiWireless) November 6, 2025

Early deployments outside China provide some useful context. In Zambia, for example, MTN has worked with Huawei on dual-band active antenna solutions that are part of the same broader radio evolution. These deployments highlight a similar set of challenges, including limited tower space, the need to support both 4G and 5G, and the pressure to reduce both capital and operational expenditure. Solutions that integrate multiple bands and simplify installation are particularly attractive in such markets, where infrastructure constraints are often more pronounced.

There are also indications that the concept extends beyond traditional ground-level coverage. The emphasis on vertical reach suggests potential applications in high-rise urban environments and, increasingly, in low-altitude connectivity scenarios. This is where the discussion begins to overlap with one of the more interesting developments in 5G-Advanced, namely the integration of sensing capabilities into the network.

Recent trials in China have demonstrated how 5G-Advanced base stations can go beyond communication to provide radar-like sensing. Using integrated sensing techniques, networks are able to detect, track and monitor low-altitude objects such as drones in real time. Tests have shown that even very small objects can be identified with high accuracy, with the network able to determine position, speed and trajectory without relying on external systems such as GPS. This creates the possibility of electronic fencing, intrusion detection and broader airspace monitoring using the existing mobile infrastructure.

While this capability is not specific to PanoAAU, the underlying requirement is clear. Wider and more flexible coverage, including improved vertical reach, becomes increasingly important when networks are expected to support both communication and sensing functions. In that sense, technologies like PanoAAU can be seen as part of the enabling layer for these emerging use cases, particularly in scenarios where coverage continuity is critical.

Deployments in markets such as China and trials in other regions suggest that the solution is not purely theoretical. Operators have reportedly used it to reduce the number of required sites or sectors while maintaining service levels. In some cases, it has also been associated with lower energy consumption, aligning with the broader industry push towards greener network infrastructure.

The link to energy efficiency is particularly important. By integrating multiple capabilities into fewer units and enabling both 4G and 5G operation within the same hardware, solutions like PanoAAU can reduce overall network power consumption. This is increasingly becoming a key metric for operators, not just from a sustainability perspective but also in terms of operational expenditure.

It is also worth noting that PanoAAU is part of a broader shift in how radio access networks are being designed. The traditional approach of uniform site design is giving way to a more modular and scenario-driven strategy. Different environments require different solutions, and vendors are responding with increasingly diverse portfolios of radio units. In that sense, PanoAAU is less about a single product and more about a design philosophy focused on flexibility and efficiency.

That said, there are still open questions. Much of the available information comes from vendor-led announcements, with limited independent performance data. The real-world gains in coverage, capacity and cost savings will depend heavily on deployment conditions, spectrum availability and integration with existing networks. As with many new radio innovations, the benefits are likely to vary significantly from one market to another.

Even so, the underlying idea is difficult to ignore. If operators can meaningfully reduce the number of sectors or sites required for wide-area coverage without compromising user experience, it could have a lasting impact on how 5G networks are rolled out, particularly in underserved regions.

In that context, PanoAAU represents an interesting step in the ongoing evolution of radio access technology. It highlights the industry’s efforts to balance performance, cost and sustainability, while also preparing the network for emerging use cases that extend beyond traditional mobile broadband.

Related Posts: 

• Connectivity Technology Blog: China’s Low-Altitude Economy Takes Off with Advanced Connectivity
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog - FDD Tri-Band Massive MIMO: Unlocking Sub-3 GHz Potential for 5G Evolution
• Connectivity Technology Blog: Building the Low Altitude Economy (LAE) with 5G Advanced and 6G
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: China Deploys 5G-A Synaesthesia in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR)
• Private Networks Technology Blog: Huawei's Smart 5G Warehouse - Future of Logistics
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Huawei's RuralLink Solution Proposes to 'Connect the Unconnected'
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Huawei MetaAAU Promises Improvement in 5G Network Performance and Energy Efficiency
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Huawei Explains Antennas and Radomes
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Huawei's 5G Book RRUs Start Delivering On Their Promises 

Nokia and Citymesh Bring Drones-in-a-Box to Life Across Belgium

Belgium is emerging as a true pioneer in aviation, public safety and telecom convergence, thanks to the nationwide Drones-in-a-Box network delivered through the partnership between Nokia and Citymesh. What began as small-scale trials in ports and industrial zones has now grown into one of the most ambitious drone grid deployments in the world. It blends 5G connectivity, automated drone operations and remote command capabilities to support emergency response and critical infrastructure monitoring.

Citymesh, now well established as Belgium’s newest mobile operator and a European leader in private networks, has been championing the idea of safety drones for several years. The company has already proved the concept in locations such as Brussels Airport, the Port of Antwerp Bruges, Kortrijk and Genk. These pilots demonstrated how much time is lost in the first moments of an incident when responders are unsure of what they will face. A drone that can be airborne in seconds and provide live video, thermal analysis and AI-assisted insights significantly improves situational awareness.

Nokia’s Drone Networks platform is central to the national rollout. The agreement covers 70 Drone in a Box units which are positioned across 35 emergency zones. When integrated with Nokia’s 4G and 5G connectivity, the drones can be remotely launched from one of Citymesh’s Remote Operations Centres. These centres operate around the clock and ensure that flights remain compliant with aviation rules while delivering reliable coverage during both planned and unplanned missions.

The platform is engineered for demanding environments. Each drone carries high definition and thermal cameras capable of identifying smoke, fire boundaries and people. Twin 4G and 5G modems maintain real time links, and the Nokia MX Industrial Edge keeps sensitive data processed and stored locally. A presentation by Citymesh at Portcomms 2025 highlights additional elements such as certified parachutes, environmental control in each docking station and a robust API framework that allows further integration with port systems, security platforms or smart city tools.

Operationally, the SENSE network is already proving its value. In the first years of service the drones have supported more than a thousand beyond visual line of sight flights and hundreds of flight hours. The system has been validated across busy urban environments, coastal zones and industrial complexes. With three Remote Operations Centres and certified pilots, Citymesh has created a repeatable operational model that blends telecom expertise with aviation-grade processes.

The impact goes beyond emergency response. Ports and industrial plants are using drones for inspections, environmental monitoring, perimeter detection and asset management. The presentation shared at PortComms 2025 outlines how ports benefit from fast inspection of quays, cranes, buoys and fumigation zones, as well as pollution detection and situational awareness for safety teams. Similar gains are emerging across utilities, transport operators, municipalities and even defence, where civil and security use cases can share the same network.

The legislative environment in Belgium currently restricts nationwide beyond visual line of sight operations to emergency services, but future expansion into commercial use cases is expected. As demand grows for automated inspections, border surveillance and environmental assessment, the Drone-in-a-Box network provides a ready-made foundation for new services.

For Nokia, the project reinforces its role in mission critical communication systems and industrial digitalisation. For Citymesh, it marks the evolution from smart city experimentation to a smart country approach where aerial intelligence becomes a first line tool for public services.

Belgium’s nationwide drone network is an example of how telecom infrastructure continues to evolve. Private 5G, edge computing and automated platforms are increasingly central to public safety and industrial operations. The Nokia and Citymesh partnership shows what is possible when connectivity, aviation technology and real operational requirements come together with a clear purpose. 

T-Mobile USA's Disaster Response Satellite Vehicles, Drones and COWs

The United States of America (USA) is a huge country. With such a vast area it is no surprise that it experiences a relatively high number of natural hazards and disasters. It is prone to hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, tornadoes in the central region known as Tornado Alley, earthquakes along the West Coast, wildfires in dry areas, and floods in various regions.

It is for this reason that all US operators have to be prepared for any emergency at a very short notice. In earlier posts we looked at AT&T’s Flying COWs (Cell on Wings) and Verizon's Disaster Response COW, THOR. In this post we will look at T-Mobile's COWs.

In a recent news article, T-Mobile detailed their disaster preparedness. Quoting from the article:

Since 2021, T-Mobile has made strategic investments to increase its network hardening footprint by more than 30%, placing fixed backup generators at even more towers, cell sites, network switches, data centers and other critical sites nationwide. These investments also enable the Un-carrier’s emergency response teams to leverage the network in innovative ways. For example, technicians and engineers who monitor weather in the field can remotely adjust sites in real-time to concentrate the signal in impacted areas, providing first responders with more bandwidth for data-intensive activities such as orchestrating rescues. This saves critical time and has minimal impact on customers due to T-Mobile’s network resiliency.

T-Mobile is increasing its inventory of heavy-duty network disaster response vehicles—Satellite Cell-On-Wheels (SatCOWs) and Satellite Cell-On-Light-Trucks (SatCOLTs)—by over 50%. And this year, the Un-carrier is also rolling out new Class Super C RV Command Centers for on-site operations management and new heavy-duty community support trucks that provide device charging, charging supplies and Wi-Fi for anyone who needs it.

The Un-carrier’s fleet already includes Network Emergency Operation Centers, Rough Terrain Dual Mast COLTs (which provide coverage for up to two miles, two-way radio communications, Wi-Fi and emergency lighting), Jeep COLTs, network and community Command Centers, Wi-Fi charging trailers, tow response vehicles and more.

The emergency response team also stages agile solutions like COWs, VSATs (small satellite terminals) and microwave/long-range microwave kits to quickly restore service in impacted areas.

The Un-carrier is looking ahead and innovating on the next wave of natural disaster prevention and response technology. Through an award-winning partnership, Pano AI leverages T-Mobile’s 5G network, ultra-high-definition cameras and a proprietary AI platform to scan and locate early-stage wildfires. With this technology, utility companies, fire authorities, forestry companies and private landowners can detect and respond to wildfires in rural areas faster than ever before.

Earlier this month, T-Mobile and Valmont announced the longest ever beyond visual line of site (BVLOS) drone flight for infrastructure inspection—77 miles—enabled by T-Mobile’s 5G network. During the flight, Valmont demonstrated the capability of a 5G-enabled technology to preemptively monitor infrastructure such as power lines, railroads and bridges in Texas with greater accuracy, helping to prevent malfunctions and infrastructure-related emergencies.

.@TMobile Responds to Devastating Flooding Across Vermonthttps://t.co/lPdbIDDOav

— T-Mobile Newsroom (@tmobilenews) July 13, 2023

When disasters strike, T-Mobile deploys cutting-edge 5G Search and Rescue (SAR) drones and tethered drones to aid in disaster response efforts. SAR drones can fly up to 75 miles per mission to provide coverage and use infrared and thermal imaging to locate people, especially in unfavorable conditions. And with a 55-pound payload capacity, they can also deliver lifesaving supplies. Connected to power and backhaul resources, tethered drones can fly up to 400 feet to provide nearly continuously coverage to surrounding areas.

You can read the complete article here which contains a lot of pictures of their disaster response vehicles.

Related Posts: 

• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Evolution of AT&T’s Flying COW (Cell on Wings)
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: THOR - Verizon's Disaster Response COW
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog - T-Mobile USA: Anatomy of A Mobile Wireless Network
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: T-Mobile USA is deploying 25K small cells with LAA
• Operator Watch Blog - T-Mobile, USA: 5G, LAA & Small Cells 

Evolution of AT&T’s Flying COW (Cell on Wings)

I first got introduced to COWs (Cell on Wheels) when AT&T talked about them back in 2014. Since then I have written about AT&T's Flying COWs (Cell on Wings as opposed to Wheels) and also the Flying COW - Helicopter. All of the Flying COWs were transmitting 4G/LTE.

In an announcement last June, AT&T announced that their Flying COW was able to transmit 5G. Surprisingly they haven't shared any videos publicly, unlike the 4G ones. Their announcement said:

The AT&T drone team picked this remote location for the ground-breaking launch of its Flying COW® (Cell on Wings), because of that: it’s remote. No trees. No houses. No humans. Only wide-open spaces and the occasional four-legged cow.

“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.”

Did you notice the PM named in the story? Ethan Hunt. Same guy from Mission: Impossible. Expect #5G on high speed motorcycle chase next.

— Viet Q Nguyen (@VietQNguyen) June 2, 2022

That means, 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.

“Our focus within the drone world is connectivity. All of our drone solutions have that focus,” said Art Pregler, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Program Director, AT&T. “5G brings a lot of new capability to the table. We can connect a lot larger number of devices with 5G. When we put that up, we can share with a larger population.”

We’ve taken #5G to new heights! @ATT launched an industry first, delivering 5G via our Flying COW® (Cell on Wings). This can revolutionize the way first responders communicate when disaster strikes and connect those in rural communities across the U.S. https://t.co/NDNq5UstNS pic.twitter.com/XwlxV1jydT

— AT&T News (@ATTNEWS) June 6, 2022

That, in turn, can lead to a more seamless experience, better network performance and an overall better experience.

 “It’s enabling a lot more solutions, including human-to-machine interface that are now capable that wasn’t previously possible,” said Art.

Complete story here.

Related Posts: 

• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog - AT&T: Small Cells advertisement and Cell On Wheels (COW)
• The 3G4G Blog: Connecting Rural Scotland using Airmasts and Droneways
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Drones, More Drones & Droneway
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Telefonica's LTE Nano Small Cell
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Flying Small Cells are here...
• The 3G4G Blog - AT&T Blog: "Providing Connectivity from Inside a Cactus" 

SPL Looking to Beam 4G/5G from an Aircraft

While we talk about satellite connectivity, drones, HAPS, UAVs, etc., we don't necessarily think about connectivity through an aircraft. Last year, we looked at the announcement from Deutsche Telekom and Stratospheric Platforms Limited (SPL) where they talked about the world's first successful demonstration of LTE/4G voice and data connectivity over a platform flying at the edge of the stratosphere and fully integrated into a commercial mobile network.

The main advantage of aircraft is that you do not have to worry about designing a new system and can carry higher loads. The disadvantage I can see is that you won't be able to charge using solar cells. That is why the SPL system is using "environmentally-friendly hydrogen fuel cell power system". The SPL website says:

• The platform is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell system
• Hydrogen is stored in liquid form, using our breakthrough technology, to deliver the highest energy density source of any aviation platform in the world
• Not reliant on solar energy and its associated limitations
• Low environmental impact – water vapour exhaust, no NOx emissions and low noise

They have also developed the world's largest commercial airborne communications antenna. You can see the specific details for the DT deployment that I covered in the earlier post here. Regarding the antenna, the website says:

The Fastest 5G airborne antenna in the world

• The antenna works with all current and future standards (including 3G, LTE/4G, 5G)
• Compatible with all consumer smartphones without any hardware or software changes
• Beam coverage can be formed to match specific shapes, e.g. motorways, canals or shipping lanes

Cambridge Consultants, who are working closely with SPL for the antenna design, have more details on this here.

This Reuters video below provides a lot of technical information.

Let us know if you think we will see more of these going forward in the future.

Related Posts: 

• Connectivity Technology Blog: Deutsche Telekom and Stratospheric Platforms Limited (SPL) show Cellular communications service from the Stratosphere
• Connectivity Technology Blog: Loon's Journey is Coming to an End but its Legacy Will Live On!
• Connectivity Technology Blog: HAPSMobile and Loon Deliver 4G from Stratosphere
• Connectivity Technology Blog: 5G Ready' OneWeb Megaconstellation is Getting Ready for Commercial Launch
• Connectivity Technology Blog: Why Starlink is Already a Gamechanger
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Altaeros’ Autonomous Tethered Aerial Cell Tower, SuperTower ST200 

Softbank Demoed Drone Wireless Relay System

Back in 2016, I was involved with doing testing using drones and Helikite with the UK operator EE. You can read more about that here. Since then, many different operators have tested the use of drones mainly for disaster recovery kinds of scenarios. The Japanese operator Softbank recently tried the same.

The press release from them provided the following details:

When typhoons, earthquakes, landslides and other types of natural disasters strike, mobile phones serve as an important lifeline for people to get information and to stay in touch with their family, friends and colleagues. SoftBank Corp. recognizes the importance of restoring communications lifelines quickly, and is engaged in developing and building systems for disaster preparedness.

One such service restoration initiative SoftBank has been working on is the “Drone Wireless Relay System.” On August 31, 2020, SoftBank demonstrated the solution for the press at Katsuma Radio Control Airstrip in Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, just east of Tokyo.

Thanks to their portability and ease-of-use, drone-based wireless relay base stations are showing promise as a means of providing connectivity when outages occur in the wake of natural disasters. SoftBank has been working with theTokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech)’s Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering since 2019 to conduct research on drone-based wireless relay systems that use a wired power feed.

SoftBank’s drone-based relay base station rises to an altitude of 100 meters, covering a 10km radius. The drone can be transported in a small vehicle and is easy to set up. Compared to another SoftBank network recovery solution, the moored-balloon relay system, the time to deployment is much shorter. In addition, the wired power supply allows the drone to fly continuously for three days or longer, making it suitable for operations over the short- to medium-term.

The moored-balloon wireless relay system is capable of lifting wireless relay equipment to an altitude of 100 meters, covering a five-kilometer radius in open terrain. SoftBank 3G (mobile phone) (2.1 GHz band) voice communications and packet transmissions (email, Internet, etc.) can be used within the coverage area. We are also conducting trial tests of a new moored-balloon wireless relay system for SoftBank 4G LTE that can be deployable from ships, as part of our efforts to continuously improve this system.

A video from the recent drone event is as follows:

Related Posts:

• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Drones for Tower Inspections and Optimization
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Dronecell - Turkcell's Flying Base Station
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Turin will be the first European city with a 'drone ready' 5G network
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Autonomous Relaying Drones
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Flying Small Cells are here...
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Drones, More Drones & Droneway

Loon Overview and Advancements

We have written about Alphabet's Loon many times on our blogs. While we agree that the business case for the technology is poor, it has nevertheless the potential to bring connectivity quickly to areas of need. Links to the different blog posts are at the bottom of this post.

The video below was posted by Loon on their YouTube channel



While there is no shortage on tutorials explaining how Loon works, here is an older video looking at the Loon infrastructure



The only real challenge left is how to control the trajectory when there is a hurricane or very windy situation as can be seen in this Tweet below

I'm pleased my old tweet still finds some use. I wrote more about the subject in comments to the FCC concerning the recovery from Hurricane Maria.
Tradewinds are difficult. Wind against mountains maybe better, e.g. Chile & Peru.https://t.co/MZABPNosZ3

— Stephen Wilkus (@sawilkus) July 26, 2020

Related Posts:

• Connectivity Technology Blog: Loon has Started Delivering Connectivity to Rural Kenya
• Operator Watch Blog: Kenya has a Model Mobile Market
• Connectivity Technology Blog: Loon and Terrestrial LTE can Co-exist
• The 3G4G Blog: An Introduction to Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN)
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Loon powered emergency networks for flood affected Peru
• Connectivity Technology Blog: Internet Para Todos (IPT) Making Progress in Connecting The Unconnected Peruvians
• Connectivity Technology Blog: HAPSMobile and Loon Partner for Stratosphere-Based LTE Communications Solution

Drones for Tower Inspections and Optimization

With the advancements in drone design, technology and automation, over the last couple of years I have noticed quite a few announcements about drones for tower inspections and optimisation. It would not be possible to cover all the companies here that have a solution but here are three big well known names in our industry that we are going to look in this post.

Back in March 2019, NTT Docomo announced that they have agreed to test docomo sky(TM) for Tower Inspection with PT Solusi Tunas Pratama Tbk. (STP), a company that leases out telecommunication towers in Indonesia. 

The service uses drones to photograph base stations and telecom towers and transmit the information to a command center in real time. The partners hope to expand the scope of the test to include other locations and facilities prior to launching a full-scale commercial service in the first half of this year.

The system being tested is based on an operational drone-based tower inspection system developed by DOCOMO for its commercial network throughout Japan, and supports the "docomo sky" ground control station (GCS) app for assistance in inspection tasks, enabling drone operators to input flight data with ease. For the test, DOCOMO will provide its cloud-based platform for operational support and data analysis. The drones fly automatically, take photos and transmit the images via the platform in real time, enabling technicians to inspect the towers via the docomo sky web browser immediately.

Indonesia is undergoing rapid urban development, including the construction of tall buildings and transportation infrastructure, which has resulted in large structures occasionally interfering with radio propagation from telecom towers. STP, which manages such facilities, must dispatch technicians to visually check conditions by climbing the towers. The new service will enable remote inspections to be conducted much more quickly and safely than at present, thereby allowing STP to achieve greater customer satisfaction with its service to mobile network operators.

In addition, the service is expected to support efforts to speed up procedures for inspecting and restoring telecom facilities in Indonesia whenever a natural disaster occurs.

Going forward, DOCOMO will continue to develop and upgrade its advanced drone services, one of the many ways the company is serving society by leveraging its diverse technical assets and know-how, including mobile network technology and platform businesses.

This week Docomo announced new features of drone platform "docomo sky" and new tariff. Details (in Japanese) available here.

Back in April this year, Rakuten Mobile announced that it will collaborate with Rakuten Group company Rakuten AirMap, Inc., which provides solutions supporting safe and compliant drone operations to enterprises, airspace authorities and drone operators in Japan, in using drones to conduct completion inspections of base stations for its mobile network.

As Rakuten Mobile expands its base station network across Japan, drones will take multi-angle photographs of the newly constructed base stations. In typical completion inspections, an engineer climbs the antenna tower on which the base station is installed and visually inspects the equipment. However, these inspections raise a number of concerns regarding safety, the time required to carry out the inspections and personnel costs. By carrying out the work with drones, completion inspections can be conducted in a shorter amount of time, more efficiently and with a higher degree of safety. Completion inspections will be conducted using AirMap’s TowerSight, a unified system that allows tower companies and MNOs to transform their tower inspections using automated drone workflows.

To date, Rakuten Mobile has conducted limited trials of base station completion inspections using drones in certain areas, and will now fully adopt drones for completion inspections nationwide. By using drones in completion inspections, Rakuten Mobile aims to improve the efficiency of base station construction and accelerate the expansion of its network area.

Drone captures of the base station and surrounding area are shared through Rakuten AirMap’s cloud-based inspection system, allowing staff working on the construction of the base stations to manage and share information efficiently and chronologically.

Rakuten AirMap has been instrumental in establishing the infrastructure for safe and scalable drone use in Japan and will leverage its expertise in completion inspections to contribute to the growth of drone applications in business. The two companies are also looking into the use of drone-based inspections during natural disasters and other emergency situations.

The official Rakuten Blog has a much more detailed article here.

The final announcement is from Samsung Electronics where they announced a successful demonstration of their new drone-based antenna configuration measurement solution for 4G and 5G networks in the company’s campus.

This automated solution will offer operators a simplified way to more efficiently manage cell sites, improve employee safety, and ultimately optimize network performance.

In the demonstration, an engineer on the ground used a smartphone with a remote control application to fly a camera-equipped drone that captured photos of the antennas installed on a building’s rooftop. The visual data was viewable via the engineer’s smartphone and then was transmitted to a cloud server within seconds. The deep learning-based artificial intelligence (AI) solution instantly verified the rotation and tilt of the antennas, so that the engineers could determine if the antennas were installed correctly at predefined optimal angles.

It took less than a minute to transmit the data and process the results, enabling the engineer to view results on-site in real-time on the smartphone screen. The demonstration verified that Samsung’s solution can accomplish the task within 15 minutes – starting from flying the drone to the delivery of measurement results. This compares to the several hours it can take for a tower climber to prepare, climb up and down a cell tower, and measure antenna configurations.

In conjunction with this new solution, Samsung will continue to add additional features, which will allow the engineers to remotely adjust the antenna tilts to its optimal position from a mobile device and PC.

Cellular antennas are typically installed at significant heights on sites such as cell towers or rooftops, in order to ensure optimal mobile coverage. Operator field engineers ordinarily carry heavy and expensive equipment as they climb up cell sites to measure the antenna configurations. With Samsung’s drone-based AI solution, operators will have a new approach for reinforcing the safety of their employees.



The solution’s safety benefits will be especially helpful during site audit and maintenance in the U.S., which often requires two field personnel to be dispatched to a site to audit or adjust the antenna angles -- and requires climbs that use more advanced safety training.

“As the number of 5G network sites grows, there has been a heightened focus on network performance by operators, and we are seeing an increased market demand for intelligent solutions for site maintenance,” said Sohyong Chong, Vice President and Head of Network Automation, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics. “Once this solution launches globally later this year, it will offer a safer, more cost-effective and convenient way to satisfy market demands, leveraging our unique capabilities in combining the latest technologies—drones, AI and 5G.”

Samsung Networks is a pioneer in the successful delivery of 5G end-to-end solutions ranging from chipset, radio and core network to cloud platform for both mid-band (2.5GHz/3.5GHz) and mmWave (28GHz/39GHz) frequencies. The company has been supporting 5G commercial services in leading markets, including Korea, U.S. and more recently Japan, where the majority of worldwide 5G subscribers are currently located.

Dronecell - Turkcell's Flying Base Station

At the recent IEEE 5G Summit in Istanbul, Gülay Yardım, Head of 5G R&D and Radio Network, TURKCELL presented their vision on how Drones & Mobile Technology can work together for mutual benefits and what challenges need to be solved.

The picture above shows how the different components in the drone cell fit together. I also blogged about this in my post-MWC summary blog here.

Features and specifications of the dronecell above.

I also recorded this video below at MWC which gives an idea on how dronecell uses AI to analyze the footage in case of disaster and help with emergency assistance.



Related Posts:

• Turkcell Marks a 'First in the World in 5G' with Domestic Drone Technology
• Drones at Mobile World Congress 2019 and my upcoming webinar on 5G at #MWC19
• Turkcell's Small Cell Strategy
• Turkcell Group in 5 slides

KT 5G Skyship Search and Rescue Platform

Last year I wrote about KT's Skyship platform. I thought it may be worth revisiting now that the vision is slowly turning into reality. There were some videos that were recorded at MWC and immediately following it. All of them are embedded in the playlist below. They will give an idea of what KT is going to use the Skyship platform for.

A presentation by Riku Jäntti, Aalto University on PriMO-5G - Virtual Presence in Moving Objects through 5G also added some more details on the 5G Skyship search and rescue application. The presentation is available here.

Related Posts:

• Altaeros’ Autonomous Tethered Aerial Cell Tower, SuperTower ST200
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Flying Small Cells are here...
• Turin will be the first European city with a 'drone ready' 5G network
• Drones, UAVs, LTE & 5G
• 3GPP Release-16, Release-17 & Beyond...
• Update from 3GPP on LTE & 5G Mission Critical Communications
• Tutorial on Network In a Box (NIB)
• Couple of talks by NTT Docomo on 5G and Beyond (pre-6G)
• China Telecom: An examination of the current industrial trends and an outlook of 6G

Altaeros’ Autonomous Tethered Aerial Cell Tower, SuperTower ST200

Couple of months back, Altaeros announced "world’s first commercial aerial cell tower". This is a contentious point as the UK MNO, EE has already claimed "World’s first commercial use of Helikite ‘air mast’ technology showcased with 360° live stream over 4G" back in 2017. While we can argue that EE's aerostat was a Helikite while this is something different, they are both aerial cell towers.

Their press release says:

The SuperTower uses a proven aerostat platform, combined with innovative automation and control software, to deploy radios and antennas over four times higher than traditional cell towers allowing carriers to efficiently cover substantially more area than traditional towers. The ST200 was tested with six high capacity Ericsson 4G LTE radios and three highgain Matsing lens antennas. During initial testing users were able to stream high-definition video at distances well beyond the reach of a typical cell site, even in the hills and forests of New England. Altaeros is initially deploying SuperTowers in partnership with carriers in the US, with plans to quickly expand internationally.

The website specifies: The Altaeros SuperTower is designed to meet this challenge. Each SuperTower deploys radios and antennas over 800 feet above ground level. Greater height and flexibility mean a single SuperTower replaces fifteen regular cell towers at 60% lower cost, shifting the rural networks from a loss-making endeavor to a growth engine for carriers.

Mobile World Live provides some more details about it's trials:

Ben Glass, CEO and CTO of the company, told Mobile World Live (MWL) the company is testing the system with “some of the big carriers that are household names”, with a view to deploying it in the latter part of 2019 and early 2020.

The executive did not confirm which operators are testing the technology. However, applications filed with the Federal Communications Commission show it conducted FDD-LTE tests in PCS spectrum and more recently trialled TD-LTE at 2.5GHz.

A Sprint representative told MWL it allowed Altaeros to use some of its 2.5GHz spectrum for the latter testing, but did not confirm whether it is evaluating the technology for itself.

Verizon flat denied it is involved: AT&T and T-Mobile US had not responded at the time of publishing.

Here is their video providing more details:


The website specifies potential applications for Altaeros’ technology include:

• Cellular Networks
• Industrial/Agricultural IOT
• Fixed Wireless
• Environmental Monitoring and Agribusiness
• Disaster Recovery
• Public Safety

Couple of important points from the FAQ's

What if a tether breaks loose?

The Altaeros SuperTower has three load-bearing tethers. If one of the tethers breaks loose, the remaining tethers will reel in the shell. In the very unlikely scenario that all three tethers break loose, an automatic vent will begin to release helium to allow the SuperTower to slowly descend to the ground. Similar safety features have been reliably demonstrated on hundreds of existing aerostats.

How fast can the SuperTower be deployed?

Once on site, the Altaeros SuperTower can be inflated and deployed in a few days. Our system does not require a crane or cement foundation for its installation.

In disaster recovery kinds of use case, air masts like these may need to be deployed for a few days to weeks. It is essential that they can reach their destination quickly. Having reached their destination, they also need to be deployed in a few hours. On the other hand there are many other scenarios where these kinds of air masts, as long as they can stay up for months, be useful for something or other. We look forward to hearing more about them in future.


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Huawei SkySite: Drone with 5G base station & '5G Book' RRU

One of the announcements from Huawei that seem to have missed most of the articles, magazines & analysts is their SkySite Drone with a 5G Base Station and a RRU called '5G Book'. 

Picture Source: Various, see references at the bottom

While Huawei calls SkySite as a drone with integrated 5G base station, I am assuming that the BBU (or CU in 5G) is located on the ground. The tethering is used for providing power as well as fiber for communication between the CU/DU on the ground as the '5G Book' RRU on the drone.

EE was the pioneer of these tethered drones (called Airmasts initially and E.M.M.A. later) as you can see from this video by ThinkSmallCell here.

The drone is designed for emergency coverage after a site failure due to technical issues or natural disasters like earthquakes or floods. The drone weighs just 7 kgs. Tethering allows the drone to be up for a few days. From my past experience, the limiting factor was the motors on the drone getting hot. It can still remain in air between 2-4 days.

We're currently at @Huawei's pre #MWC19 briefing. please excuse the long distance photography - here's a look at their #drone mounted Book RRU #5G cell which can provide 20-30km2 of coverage while flying at 100 metres. Weighs only 7kg. pic.twitter.com/B1cRJrePu8

— Land Mobile magazine (@Land_Mobile) February 20, 2019

According to Developing Telecoms:

In his introduction, President of Carrier Business Group Ryan Ding focused on the vendor’s growing role as a provider of humanitarian communications solutions by unveiling the new Huawei 5G Skysite. Using a new ‘Book’ radio unit weighing only 7 kilos, 5G Skysite is 40% lighter than the outgoing 4G Skysite. The 5G Skysite antenna is supported 100 meters above ground by a drone and the entire base station can be set up in five minutes, to give between 30-40 square kilometres signal coverage.


References:

• Huawei SkySite: Drohne mit 5G Basisstation - MaxWireless (German)
• Land Mobile Magazine Tweet
• Da Huawei nuove soluzioni per il 5G, anche il drone che si alza in volo per supportare le comunicazioni d'emergenza - hwupgrade.it (Italian)
• Huawei Focus on Emerging markets at MWC19 - Developing Telecoms

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• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Flying Small Cells are here...
• Telecoms Infrastructure Blog: Turkcell Marks a 'First in the World in 5G' with Domestic Drone Technology
• Macrocells, Small Cells & Hetnets Tutorial

Turkcell Marks a 'First in the World in 5G' with Domestic Drone Technology

Press release from Turkcell (translated from Turkish to English by Google translate):

Turkcell continues to undertake firsts in the scope of its 5G works. Huawei Turkey and Aviation Lapis Technologies R & D engineers working with Turkcell team has now spent on a different solution in drone technology life. In this work, which is a first in the world, Turkcell successfully completed the trial flights of the domestic drone, which is controlled by 5G and capable of transferring 360 degree 4K images to live virtual reality glasses.

Carrying one step further studies in 5G Turkcell, Huawei Turkey R & D center and domestic drone manufacturers Lapis Aviation Technology, in cooperation with Turkey's first experienced live virtual reality experience through 5G technology has scored the indigenous drones. The drone, which successfully completed the test flights, is controlled by 5G. Thanks to this innovative application, which provides real-time high-speed data transfer over 5G technology, Turkcell became the first operator in the world to implement this solution in line with 3GPP standards. This solution, developed by Turkcell with its business partners, eliminates the distance between pilot and drone thanks to low delay connection and 5G coverage.

Turkey's first 3.5 GHz frequency band can be controlled through the 5G technology provided through Turkcell 5G Drone, 360 4K camera in live images still virtual reality to the viewers in different locations through 5G (VR) offers the opportunity to watch the spectacle. Thanks to this solution, which brings a new dimension to drone applications, it is possible to control the oil and gas pipelines in the industrial area and to carry out operations such as the control of the fields in the agricultural sector in a safer, faster and economic way. In addition, thanks to the 360-degree 4K image-forwarding capability, new experiences can be offered to the entertainment industry by providing concerts or other shows to be transmitted to virtual reality glasses.
...

Today, because the drones are controlled via Wi-Fi, the communication distance between the drone and the pilot can be reduced to 500 meters, especially in crowded cities. Thanks to the 5G technology that enables low-delay connection and high-speed data transmission, the Turkcell 5G Drone can be controlled with a high-resolution 4K image without a distance limit. In addition, increasing the number of commercial drones flying at low altitude is also a very important need to manage air traffic. With this technology, which will contribute to the management of air traffic, commercial UAVs and drones will increase their use in many sectors such as transportation, logistics, security, monitoring and media.

Last year we blogged about South Korean operator KT and separately, Japanese operator KDDI doing something similar. See here.


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Turin will be the first European city with a 'drone ready' 5G network

Last year I blogged about how TIM wants Turin to be the first 5G city in Italy. Since then I have also blogged about how TIM has rolled out "commercial" 5G across the whole of San Marino.

Turin (Torino) will be the first European city with a 'drone ready' network, thanks to the use of TIM's 5G technology. Last month measurement activities of the aerial coverage at high altitude was done in Piazza Vittorio Veneto and at the Parco del Valentino and Parco Dora. "The municipality of Turin will use the drones for security and we will experiment with the municipal police remotely piloted aircraft to control some areas most at risk of safety", explains Paola Pisano, councilor for innovation of the municipality of Turin. "Do not call it Big Brother, the goal is to support men in uniform operating on the territory" he continued. via La Repubblica (translated from Italian via Google translate)

The photos above are available on TIM Newsroom Flickr channel here.

According to Mobile World Live:

Telecom Italia and its partners flew remotely piloted aircrafts using 5G to measure mobile coverage in Turin in Italy, which the operator claimed will make the city the first in Europe with a drone-ready network.

The trial was coordinated with the support of the Turin Polytechnic University and enterprise drones solution provider Seikey.

Public safety, critical infrastructure monitoring and land protection are some examples TIM gave of drone applications that will benefit from a high quality connection to send data and videos in real time.

As can be seen in one of the pictures, the equipment used for measurements is PCTEL’s flagship IBflex® scanning receiver for sub-6 GHz bands that was announced at MWC Americas 2018. Here is a tweet from them with embedded video.

PCTEL's IBflex® scanning receiver takes flight! Watch as Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) conducts aerial measurements of their #LTE network in Torino. https://t.co/9MJQEl8foW #mobile

— PCTEL (@PCTEL_inc) November 28, 2018

If for some reason you can't see the video, the direct link to YouTube video is here.

Drones, UAVs, LTE & 5G

Its been nearly couple of years since I was involved with EE/BT for their Airmasts project. Details here with some good links in that post too. Since then many other operators have been involved with something or other to do with drones, blimps, balloons, etc.

Here are a few recent ones that I found interesting

KT has unveiled its 5G emergency network service called Skyship that uses airship drones to search for survivors in the aftermath of disasters.

KT collaborated with local drone maker Metismake to design the helium gas-based airship, which has an attached pod with propellant, network module, high-resolution camera, and a trunk that can deploy smaller drones to the ground.

It was designed in NACA airfoil and can maintain stable flight in 13 metre-per-second winds. It has a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour and can fly up to six hours.

More details on ZDNet here.

KDDI announced today that it has successfully completed a live 4K video transmission test using a drone that leverages 5G technology. The test was carried out in an effort to realize consumer services that can benefit hugely from drones, such as public safety and surveillance, agriculture monitoring and disaster response. The test, the first of its kind to have taken place in Japan, was carried out in cooperation with Nakao Research Laboratory of the University of Tokyo, TripodWorks and Prodrone. 

The test area was set up in the university's Kashiwa campus using Samsung Electronics' 5G end-to-end solutions including 5G AU, 5G core and 5G tablet, and for video streaming 28GHz frequency were used. Using a 5G supporting device, the video shot in the air using the 4K camera mounted on the drone was uploaded in real time.

More details on Netmanias here.

Looking at Drone communications over LTE / 5G, Sequans communications have recently published a white paper looking at how LTE would be a communication technology of choice for drone communications over long distances. There are some issues to resolve including how to get reliable signal in the drones as they fly above the typical coverage zone of an LTE antenna.

Details here: http://lteanddrones.com/


Ericsson had done some similar study and published a whitepaper on this topic last year. Details available here but the video below is worth a watch too.

Autonomous Relaying Drones

Came across this post from Prof. David Gesbert about the project ERC PERFUME are involved in. The post says:

Autonomous Flying Cellular Relay Robots

The team of ERC Advanced PERFUME project (www.ercperfume.org) at EURECOM under Prof. David Gesbert recently pioneered autonomous flying base station relays. The aerial robots  use machine learning to self-optimize their position based on suitable radio measurements and provide end-to-end enhanced connectivity to mobile users carrying off-the-shelf commercial terminals.  The communication layer builds on the OpenAirInterface developped at EURECOM's Communications Systems Department.

A first video was just unveiled here:


I have written about drones multiple times in the past (see here, here & here for example). Last week I looked at the relays (or Relay Nodes, RNs) as defined by 3GPP. We could safely assume that this autonomous relaying drone is Layer 3 Type 1a/1b RN.

I have heard multiple operators talking about this kind of approach where a person or group of people can get preferential services via drones in festivals and events. Of course it would make sense that these people are on some VIP package or emergency services workers.

Its an interesting concept but there will be many open questions. It would have to be tried for a long time to identify and iron out all the issues.

Do you agree / disagree?