Nokia to trial drone-based traffic management

Nokia is to use Space 53, Europe's first dedicated testing facility for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) at Twente Airport, near Enschede in the Netherlands to develop and trial its UAV Traffic Management (UTM) system using drones in proximity to urban areas, people, manned aircraft, other drones and other objects.
September 28, 2016 Read time: 2 mins

183 Nokia is to use Space 53, Europe's first dedicated testing facility for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) at Twente Airport, near Enschede in the Netherlands to develop and trial its UAV Traffic Management (UTM) system using drones in proximity to urban areas, people, manned aircraft, other drones and other objects.

Nokia will design and deliver the infrastructure to test and develop the Nokia UTM system at Twente Airport using real-life simulations and commercial demonstrations.

The Nokia UTM solution will provide the flight automation, no-fly zone control and beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) capability that will be vital for the safe operation of UAVs in densely populated cities and remote rural areas. UAVs must be able to operate without endangering manned aircraft operations, requiring the development of highly dynamic no-fly zones together with enforcement of civil aviation regulations.

The Nokia technology uses LTE and 5G, as well as Mobile Edge Computing, to ensure the extreme low-latency and ultra reliability required for UAV traffic management. Drones equipped with Nokia's UTM modem (comprising an LTE modem, GPS transceiver and other telemetry modules), combined with the computing and processing power of the Nokia AirFrame platform, monitor airspace and flight paths. They can also handle the exchange of telemetry data as well as establishing dynamic no-flight zones, ensuring safe operation around other civil airspace users.

A Nokia UTM smartphone app, working with the UAV Traffic Management interface, provides drone operators with real-time flight permissions, real-time no-fly zone information as well as information about local regulatory rules, giving an extra degree flexibility and awareness.

According to Nokia, the UTM platform can also be adapted to the individual regulatory requirements of different countries, potentially providing the basis for global standardisation of such systems.

UTC

Related Content

  • May 8, 2015
    Joined-up thinking for future ITS
    David Crawford looks at a US model which, for modest federal funding, is producing substantive results. Outward and upward is the clear message emerging from the US$458,000, 2015 workplan of the US government’s ENTERPRISE (Evaluating New TEchnologies for Roads PRogram Initiatives in Safety and Efficiency) joint funding scheme for ITS research.
    Read More
  • September 19, 2019
    5G smart light poles extend from Nokia campus
    A collaboration led by Nokia Bells is extending smart poles beyond the LuxTurrim5G project in the Finnish city of Espoo to a nearby residential area called Kera. The LuxTurrim5G project seeks to develop and demonstrate a fast 5G network based on smart light poles at Nokia’s campus. The new smart poles will support Sensible4’s autonomous bus Gatcha operating between this area and Kerra railway station. Juha Salmelin, LuxTurrim5G project coordinator from Nokia, says: “During the project, we have learned a
    Read More
  • October 8, 2020
    Volocopter plans commercial eVTOL in Japan
    Drone firm has also entered partnership to test air taxis in Paris
    Read More
  • June 26, 2018
    Managed lane operators: meet the CAV pioneers
    There is some controversy over the testing of connected and autonomous vehicles – but Robert Deans of Transurban North America explains how managed lanes could be vital in the development of CAVs, benefiting everyone. Managed lane operators have the opportunity to establish themselves as leaders in the testing and roll-out of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs), assisting and accelerating the transition of CAVs onto road networks to deliver economic and safety benefits. Managed lane facilities
    Read More

Highlighted Content