Swisscom Broadcast has selected Nokia to deploy a nationwide Drones-as-a-Service network across Switzerland. 300 Nokia Drone-in-a-Box units are planned for deployment to enable emergency response, perimeter protection and infrastructure inspection.
The deployment is expected to be available in all areas of Switzerland. Nokia and Swisscom are cooperating with the relevant authorities to ensure all operations comply with regulatory frameworks, especially from spectrum and aviation safety standpoints.
The units incorporate the drone, a docking station, a ground control station, a payload with video and thermal cameras, related software, and service components. The system is also designed to support interfaces and APIs for third-party integrations, such as traffic monitoring systems, video management software, dispatch solutions, and industrial inspection and process monitoring systems.
This will be the second nationwide Nokia Drone Networks project after Belgium’s Citymesh deployment. Nokia will use its MXIE platform to support beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) autonomous operation.
Public safety agencies in Switzerland will be able to tap into the nationwide drone network by requesting a flight, similar to a ride-sharing service, from Swisscom Broadcast. The service also includes compliance, data collection and analysis of the collected data.
The drones can also be used to inspect tall or hard-to-reach infrastructure, which removes the need for workers to climb or walk around hazardous areas. As Nokia Drone Networks are an integral part of the Nokia MXIE platform architecture, additional applications can be offered to industrial customers in Switzerland with Edge computing needs, such as creating 3D maps or detecting assets.
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