Nokia goes from phones to drones with Swiss service rollout

No pricing disclosed but plan allows users to order hands-off flights without operating any units

Nokia has hooked up with telco Swisscom Broadcast on a "Drones-as-a-Service" network across Switzerland, aimed at the emergency services and other applications where aerial observation is required.

The Finnish networking biz says its Nokia Drone Networks service comprises 300 "drone-in-a-box" units that will be deployed across the country, letting clients request a drone flight without having to own or operate one of the aircraft themselves."

According to Swisscom, it will be offering three drone services initially as part of this drone-network launch. One is for the emergency services to help them respond to incidents, such as accidents, fires or crime scenes.

Drone docking to a charging station – click to enlarge

The second is infrastructure inspection, with the units working to improve the safety of workers maintaining power lines, bridges and buildings, for example. Number three is perimeter protection, using drones to monitor public spaces, prisons, borders or even military facilities.

Nokia says that each "drone-in-a-box" features the drone itself, a docking station, a ground control station, a payload with video and thermal cameras, related software, and service components.

The solution uses 4G/5G wireless connectivity for data collection and Nokia claims its industrial grade drone is certified with the relevant authorities for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations. A fleet of the units can be controlled from a single remote operations center.

All of this does not come cheaply, The Register suspects, but Swisscom declined to give away how much it is costing them, saying in response to our query that it does not disclose this information.

Meanwhile, Nokia revealed it isn't a newcomer to this game, and it rolled out a similar 5G-connected drone platform for Belgium's Citymesh last year. This comprised 70 drones deployed in 35 emergency zones across the country, with the same aims of helping first responder teams.

We aren't aware of any disaster stories about drones dropping out of the sky during emergency responses or the like, so we assume that all must have gone well with that rollout – or well enough for Switzerland to pick Nokia as well.

Swisscom CEO Dominik Müller claimed in a canned statement that this deployment would take drone-based security to the next level.

"The nationwide drone network marks a further milestone in the development of digital security solutions in Switzerland. With Nokia's Drone Networks, we are adopting an established, end-to-end solution for networked drones with industrial and public security applications," he stated. ®