Ubiqomm and Skyriver team on ‘Wi-Fi in the sky’ BVLOS drone flights

Ubiqomm has unveils its ubiquitous high-speed data connectivity solution, especially designed for enterprise drone fleets engaged in present line of sight (LOS) and, in the future, beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights.

“The application for drones is increasing exponentially as companies apply drone technology for surveying and performing emergency operations in remote locations, and other use cases including traffic monitoring in cities, and above stadium live-streaming of sporting events. Consistent high-speed data connectivity between drones and ground control centers is becoming mission critical,” said Saum Vahdat, VP of Marketing and Business Development at Ubiqomm.

Ubiqomm’s wireless solution encompasses a network of base stations on the ground and communications devices mounted on drones. Each base station is capable of supporting all drones within its 25km+ coverage radius. The seamless handoff with the adjacent base station ensures ubiquitous coverage in a large area while connecting drones to a cloud backhaul.

Ubiqomm’s unique patented solution uses multiple techniques, such as innovative antenna design for both base stations and drones, mobility management, and interference mitigation, together achieving very high bandwidth efficiency. Vahdat added “Dubbed as “Wi-Fi in the Sky,” Ubiqomm’s solution enables 10x lower CapEx and OpEx as compared to terrestrial LTE networks while enabling very high-data rates of 200 Mbps between drones and base stations.”

Ubiqomm is partnering with Skyriver, an affiliated company in the Bridgewest Group portfolio of businesses with expertise in wireless broadband network design and deployment, in the millimeter wave and lower spectrum bands. Together, the two companies are offering demonstrations to companies that are interested in leveraging Ubiqomm’s technology for their own products and services.

The demonstration includes multiple drones flying within a region approximately 25km away from their San Diego base station. Each drone will be transmitting multiple 1080p video streams to the base station, utilizing secure high-speed links (200+ Mbps).

Ubiqomm and Skyriver are seeking industry partners for development, testing and trials of UAV traffic management (UTM) protocols in addition to the “Wi-Fi in the Sky” network solution, paving the way for BVLOS flight operations.