Funded by the UK Space Agency, the Connectivity for Remote Orkney Future Transport (CROFT) project will explore how technologies can be leveraged to establish 5G-enabled drone deliveries initially for remote island communities in Orkney, Scotland.
The consortium – made up of Skyports, Satellite Applications Catapult, Stratospheric Platforms (UK) Limited, Cranfield University, and West Midlands 5G – aims to establish 5G powered drone deliveries specifically, with the view to improving access and connectivity for Orkney’s remote communities.
The 22-month-long project aims to develop Sky5, a 5G-enabled drone service. Skyports said that this solution will allow for the low-latency, high-density communication and coverage that is required by uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). The project will also define the functional and performance requirements needed to develop scalable, 5G drone deliveries in harsh, rural environments.
In a statement, Alex Brown, director of Skyports Drone Services, said, “The roll-out of 5G presents a huge opportunity for drone operations. With 5G we’re unlocking ever more advanced capabilities, benefitting from rapid data exchange between our remote operations centre and the aircraft.
“We stay connected to our aircraft at all times throughout our journeys using both satellite connectivity and cellular signals. This is critical for our Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights, which allow us to reach more people and communities – as we will demonstrate with this project.”
The project is funded by the UK Space Agency ‘Connecting People’ Call, part of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) Telecoms Space for 5G & 6G Strategic Programme. The programme invited proposals from industry and academia to develop sustainable 5G and 6G technologies, products and services that bring benefits beyond the space sector.
Scotland is a specific focus for Skyports’ drone delivery efforts, and the company has completed numerous projects across the region since 2020 to test the feasibility of deploying drones for middle- and last-mile logistics.
This is the second Orkney-based project for Skyports, following the launch of inter-island drone deliveries for the Royal Mail, which the company launched in August 2023.
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