Mobile network for emergencies
Flying antenna: Telekom relies on mobile phone drone
A good cell phone network is important. But what to do if severe storms paralyze the antenna stations on the ground? When answering this, Telekom points upwards.
Deutsche Telekom has presented a flying mobile phone antenna that can enable a cell phone network from the air for flood disasters or forest fires. Technical director Claudia Nemat presented the aircraft, which is almost four meters long and a good one meter high, at the mobile communications fair MWC in Barcelona. The span is almost five meters.
The antenna drone enables up to 4,000 people to download 100 megabits per second. “It can stay in the air for up to 15 hours and cover an area of 20 square kilometers with robust connectivity,” said Nemat.
Telekom had recently tested the mobile phone drone in a ski race in the Czech Republic, where about 24,000 people were in a remote area. There, the drone flew at an altitude of 2,300 meters. With a pace of 120 kilometers per hour, she circled for hours over the area. The drone itself was connected to the Telekom network via satellite. However, it is also possible that the connection is made via a vehicle on the ground.
According to the company, the test was positive and the connections on the ground were good. The drone comes from the Czech manufacturer Primoco, Telekom has installed the antenna. It is still open whether the Bonn Group will use the flying drone regularly in the future or whether it will remain in the test phase.
dpa
Source: Stern
