By Juan Pedro Tomás
Sky Drone and China Mobile Hong Kong (CMHK) have signed a memorandum of understanding with the aim of fostering 5G connectivity of drones as part of the work of China Mobile’s 5G innovation center.
China Mobile Hong Kong has set up a 5G innovation center as a cross-industrial platform supporting the evolution from 4G towards 5G globally, as well as a regional laboratory in Hong Kong.
As part of the agreement, Sky Drone is joining the Hong Kong Regional Laboratory to cooperate with CMHK and contribute to the evolution path from 4G to 5G.
“5G is a game-changer in the world of connected drones. Our record-breaking low latency with 4G connected drones will be lifted to a new level by using 5G. Coupled with higher bandwidth and a virtually unlimited range, truly autonomous drones are at the brink of mass market adoption.” said Boris Boege, CEO of Sky Drone.
CMHK and Sky Drone say they are already promoting 5G drone solutions to government agencies and large corporations who require drone deployments that perform tasks autonomously. This includes infrastructure monitoring, surveillance, cargo/delivery coupled with real-time artificial intelligence (AI) analysis of the data collected.
New 5G deployments are subsidized by the Hong Kong government and are in high demand all across the territory, according to the partners.
CMHK and Sky Drone said that international deployments on 4G/LTE as well as 5G networks are possible as well.
Sky Drone was established in 2012 as the UAV division of Skylab Mobilesystems to create real-time communication technology for drones. Their latest Sky Drone FPV 3, Link 3 and 4G/LTE Upgrade for Yuneec H520 products provide a bi-directional low latency data link for command and control as well as a real-time Full-HD video link to a ground control station. The company’s customers include Intel, Vodafone, Amazon, Wingcopter, European Space Agency, NASA and the Fraunhofer Institute, among others.
China Mobile Hong Kong Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Mobile Limited.
China Mobile Hong Kong officially launched commercial 5G services on April 1, 2020. Initially, the 5G network will cover the entire Hong Kong city – 90 per cent of the major Central and Western, Wan Chai, and Causeway Bay Districts; nearly 90 per cent of the Kwun Tong District; and close to 80 per cent of the Tsuen Wan District.
The operator owns spectrum in the 3.3GHz, 3.5GHz and 4.9GHz bands.
