Demonstrated at: #CCW2023

In a few short years, drones entered public safety mission operations and have become a valued tool for gaining situational information during a crisis or collecting data during investigations. But these tools were introduced using lightweight consumer-grade flying platforms controlled locally by pilots. The flight control tools link to the drone over the license-exempt spectrum in the ISM bands. And the drones were primarily manufactured by companies in the Peoples' Republic of China (PRC), a growing source of concern for nations in North America and Western Europe.

Fast forward, and significant progress is being made with drones that break free of local control using operational practices and communications technologies enabling Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) missions. Chula Vista Police Department's early efforts using FCC waivers in the United States demonstrated the potent value of Drones as First Responder (DFR) deployments. BVLOS extends that DFR concept to a much wider geography.

At #CCW2023, Nokia showcased its new BVLOS drone solution, including an LTE/5G connected drone vehicle and a connected launch enclosure. In the demonstration, Nokia shows how the central control room can launch, fly, and recover the drone. In-flight mobile broadband provides a powerful control link and an ample downlink for data generated by the drone. Nokia designed the enclosure for deployment at remote, uncrewed locations such as fire brigade halls, police facilities, or other geographically valuable sites. This flexible approach ensures optimal travel time to all corners of a region.

The Nokia Drone Networks effort builds on the company's growing expertise in private enterprise networking to leverage LTE/5G technology to serve wide-area private network customers such as public safety, utilities, and transportation. The group benefits from Nokia's deep expertise in LTE/5G communications while taking pains to constrain the design and production process in Finland. At #CCW2023, Nokia announced that Belgium's Citymesh selected the solution for what is billed as the first nationwide drone network that will aid Belgium's emergency services.

Thanks to Nokia Cloud and Network Services (CNS) Head of Embedded Wireless Solutions, Thomas Eder, for demonstrating the pioneering capabilities. When not guiding the Nokia portfolio, Thomas also serves as a volunteer firefighter in his hometown. That background gives Nokia an important insight into the practical requirements and constraints that must be considered.