M1 and Airbus to Pilot 5G for Unmanned Flights in Singapore

Singaporean telco operator M1 and Airbus have partnered to pilot the use of 5G to operate unmanned aerial vehicles in real-world environments. The trials will assess if these vehicles can run safely and efficiently during the duration of their flights.

Both partners will collaborate alongside Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) to run the coastal trials, and will be conducted on M1’s 5G standalone network in the Singapore Maritime Drone Estate. The necessary licenses and approvals first could be gotten in the relevant agencies before any flight trials have been conducted, they said.

Apart from providing the 4G and 5G network support, M1 would Also collect data to analyze  the coverage  and performance of cellular network in the working areas, as well as perform network optimization and the execution of interference minimization methods.

The telco also would assess the use of 4G and 5G technology to facilitate enhanced geo-location positioning for several phases of unmanned aircraft systems flight using network-based information, which it stated to be more accurate than current Global Navigation Satellite Systems technology. The telco would also assess network performance enhancements in latency, stability, and user throughput when differentiating between 4G and 5G networks.

In addition, M1 Has plans to work together with local business TeamOne Technologies to design and construct an aeronautical certified 5G communication modem for urban air mobility operations. This device would be tested and optimized throughout the trials.

Aside from this Coastal trials, M1 and Airbus also plan to conduct connectivity trials for in-land areas, which would enable both companies to benefit from growing interest in unmanned aircraft systems from other industries.  

The aircraft maker would supply a fleet of these systems for testing in addition to its business experience to make sure The flight operations fulfilled regulatory and safety requirements.