At the end of last year, T-Mobile, as a leader in technological innovation, introduced a unique compact portable mobile microstation. After last year's pilot, it now brings another alternative in the field of mobile signal coverage – strengthening the network of the future using a drone. Through an unmanned aerial vehicle with a mobile station, it can "deliver" a mobile signal wherever it is needed in suitable weather conditions – and it is the first operator in Europe to do so. Over the past two years, T-Mobile has invested around CZK 5 billion in the development of the mobile network and has implemented more than 4,100 projects to modernize the network to support 5G technology.
"This technology has great potential not only in emergency crisis situations, such as fires, earthquakes or floods. This applies to all situations where terrestrial transmitters temporarily or completely terminate their service, or it is necessary to cover an area where the signal is normally not available," says Vladan Peković, CTIO T-Mobile Czech Republic, and continues: "It can also bring extensive possibilities to commercial use – with the growing popularity of mass sports or cultural events in nature, the need to temporarily strengthen the signal during these events is also growing. For example, it is an area with special legal protection, where it is not possible to build a permanent terrestrial transmitter or, due to inaccessible terrain, typically in mountainous and densely forested areas or PLA, to solve the situation even with a temporarily built mobile station."
The Primoco One 150 unmanned drone is designed and manufactured in the Czech Republic. The built-in mobile transmitter can be connected to a dedicated local core of the network and create, for example, a separate campus network, for example for emergency services. However, it can also be connected directly to the core of the live network via satellite. The drone is operated by a specialist from the control center, most often from a vehicle due to movement in the field. The Primoco One 150 unmanned aerial vehicles carry equipment supplied by T-Mobile weighing 8 kg, but they can carry up to 30 kg and move in operational deployment at an altitude of 1-2 km above the ground.
The drone used by T-Mobile in cooperation with Primoco UAV SE has a flight time of up to 15 hours, a flight altitude of up to 3,300 m, and at a cruising speed of 120 km/h, its range is up to 1,800 km – so it can cover any area in the EU in a matter of hours. A channel with a width of 10 MHz is used for signal transmission, the transmission speed reaches up to 90 Mbps. The range of the signal depends on the flight altitude and the frequencies used. Normally, it covers an area of about 9 km2, with a limit close to 20 km2. One drone can serve up to a thousand active users as part of the mobile signal distribution. From the user's point of view, nothing changes except for coverage, all you need is a mobile phone that supports 4G or 5G and an active SIM card from T-Mobile. To maximize the potential of the network, it is best to use a 5G-enabled phone.
"The Primoco One 150 is the first certified unmanned aerial vehicle in this category in the civilian field – it has an EASA LUC authorization at SAIL III level and is in the final phase of military certification according to the NATO STANAG 4703 standard. This means that it is practically equal to a conventional airliner – it can fly over a built-up area without the permission of the Civil Aviation Authority, which increases the flexibility and efficiency of its deployment," says Ladislav Semetkovský, CEO of Primoco UAV SE.The company has produced over 200 aircraft that fly on four continents. "This year, we will start construction of a new production plant with a capacity of 250 drones per year to meet the growing demands of multinational partners such as Airbus Defence. We see the partnership with T-Mobile and the Deutsche Telekom Group as a great opportunity to provide the potential offered by drones to the benefit of the majority of the population, whether it is in crisis situations or large commercial events."
This is also confirmed by Jaroslav Holiš, Research & Development Senior Manager at Deutsche Telekom: "We are very pleased that this innovation project under the auspices of the Deutsche Telekom Group is taking place in the Czech Republic. This means a lot of trust, significant investments are being made here and innovations are being developed that can be used by other countries in the group. The Czech Republic is thus the first in the EU to participate in unique innovations. This solution can quickly help all components of the integrated rescue system in emergency situations, but the potential of the technology is so great that we see it as an obligation to share it with everyone who is interested. Of course, we are at the beginning, but negotiations are already underway with the relevant ministries of EU governments on offering technology to support their IRS or defence forces."
Since 2018, Primoco has been a publicly traded company on the main market of the Prague Stock Exchange with a market capitalization of CZK 4.5 billion.
Video: https://youtu.be/0pKiTPADlJ0