Understanding the Function of a Cellular Network Provider and its Operations
Cellular Network Providers Support Long-Range Drone Operations
Cellular Network Providers (CNPs) are playing a pivotal role in enabling drones to operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), a crucial advancement for enterprise drone applications. By providing reliable, low-latency communication links, CNPs enable real-time command, control, and data exchange over extended distances, where direct visual contact is not feasible.
For instance, a utility company recently used a drone equipped with a 5G modem to inspect a 20-kilometer power line in rural terrain. The cellular network ensured consistent coverage across the entire route, even over hills and tree lines, making the operation efficient and compliant with BVLOS regulations. The drone maintained a secure connection to its flight management system and streamed high-definition video back to engineers at the control center via the regional CNP.
To connect to a CNP, it's more suitable to use IoT-specific or drone-certified SIMs rather than a regular phone SIM card in a drone. These specialized SIMs offer broader roaming, dynamic IP handling, and greater reliability for mission-critical use in drones. Moreover, they provide enterprise-grade security options and encrypted data transmission, ensuring operational safety and preventing hacking or interference.
CNPs utilize cellular standards adapted for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to maintain stable, seamless handover as drones fly across multiple cell towers, ensuring continuous control and telemetry links even at high speeds and altitudes. Furthermore, cellular networks are increasingly integrated with satellite and high-altitude platform systems to cover areas beyond terrestrial cell reach, such as oceans, remote regions, or cross-border flights. Protocol adaptations like delay-tolerant networking, Doppler shift compensation, and fast beam tracking in Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) enhance coverage and link reliability for BVLOS operations.
CNPs contribute to compliance with evolving regulatory requirements by enabling dual-link architectures and risk-based frameworks for BVLOS permissions, facilitating routine and scalable enterprise drone operations. They also support emerging 5G and future networks, aiming to extend and adapt cellular technologies to meet the high reliability, low latency, and scalability demands of advanced air mobility, further enhancing drone operational capabilities.
In summary, CNPs provide the communication backbone for BVLOS drone operation by ensuring persistent, secure, and widespread coverage, often augmented by satellite systems to address coverage gaps beyond terrestrial networks. This connectivity is essential to unlock the full potential of enterprise drone applications that require extended range, high reliability, and regulatory compliance. As drones move toward autonomy and larger-scale integration into national airspace, CNPs will continue to be vital, supporting operations such as delivery drones, emergency response UAVs, inspection missions in remote areas, and UTM (Unmanned Traffic Management) systems.
Technology like data-and-cloud computing and technology improvements in cellular networks are essential components that allow drones to operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) efficiently and securely. CNPs (Cellular Network Providers) are integrating their systems with satellite and high-altitude platform systems, utilizing protocol adaptations to cover areas with cellular network gaps, ensuring seamless connectivity for extensive drone operations.
