Thales and Telstra link up to enable safe airspace for drones

Thales and Australian mobile network provider Telstra are working together to enable the management of low altitude airspace for autonomous flying taxis, drones and helicopters. The partnership is investigating how 4G and 5G technology and Internet of Things capabilities could enable robust navigation and monitoring of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – more commonly called drones. Chris Jenkins, chief executive of Thales Australia, says the partnership intends to help customers integrate unmanned aircra
March 4, 2019 Read time: 2 mins

596 Thales and Australian mobile network provider Telstra are working together to enable the management of low altitude airspace for autonomous flying taxis, drones and helicopters.

The partnership is investigating how 4G and 5G technology and Internet of Things capabilities could enable robust navigation and monitoring of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – more commonly called drones.

Chris Jenkins, chief executive of Thales Australia, says the partnership intends to help customers integrate unmanned aircraft into controlled airspace and help drone users perform their “missions in an orderly, safe and timely manner”.

Thales and Telstra have developed a prototype air traffic control platform called Low Altitude Airspace Management to integrate manned and unmanned traffic. The firms say it will include automated drone flight approvals and dynamic airspace management.

Australia is not the only country looking to improve the safety of airspace for drones. Last month, US space agency Nasa confirmed it is moving into the final %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 link-external phase false http://www.itsinternational.com/categories/utc/news/nasa-tests-drone-traffic-management-system-in-nevada-and-texas/ false false%>of a four-year programme to prove it can safely control drones flying over urban areas.

Enforcement

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Kapsch to deploy tolling roadside systems in Australia
    December 17, 2018
    Kapsch TrafficCom Australia is to deliver a tolling roadside system for two projects in Melbourne and Sydney for a combined value of AUD$30 million (£17m). In Melbourne, Kapsch’s tolling technology will be utilised in the West Gate Tunnel Project, an initiative which seeks to establish a second river crossing in the city and remove thousands of trucks from residential streets. Part of an agreement between two contractors: CPB Contractors John Holland Joint Venture (CPBJH JV), the full scope of the contr
    Read More
  • Uber may never be profitable … admits Uber
    April 12, 2019
    Private ride-hailing giant Uber, which is aiming to follow rival Lyft in becoming a public company this year, has warned that it may never be profitable. The candid admission comes in a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as Uber prepares for an initial public offering (IPO) which it reportedly hopes will value the company at $100 billion. This potential IPO figure is some way below the $120bn predicted by analysts just last year. And Uber warns: “We have incurred significant loss
    Read More
  • Rapidly-changing mobility environment is challenging policymakers, says UK DfT
    January 25, 2019
    Policy makers are working hard to make sense of a rapidly-changing mobility environment, according to a senior official from the UK’s Department for Transport (DfT). Ella Taylor, DfT’s head, future of mobility, Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (C/AV), says the pace of development in transportation modes, such as e-scooters (not currently allowed in the UK) and e-bikes (which are), presents difficulties for governments trying to create standards and laws. “Across the globe, different modes
    Read More
  • Upcoming Flir traffic webinars
    October 30, 2015
    Flir Traficon Academy is organising several informative webinars for November, to provide participants with more about keeping traffic flowing. The vehicle and bicycle presence detector on 5 November at 7:00am, 1:30pm and 6:30pm will discuss the Flir ThermiCam/TrafiSense integrated thermal camera and detector that can be used for vehicle and bike detection, which uses thermal energy emitted from vehicles and bicyclists to detect their presence
    Read More

Highlighted Content