300 Nokia 4G/5G drones to be deployed across Switzerland for emergency response and infrastructure monitoring

Swisscom Broadcast is deploying 300 of Nokia’s ‘Drones-as-a-Service’ networks across Switzerland to enable emergency response, handle perimeter protection, and conduct infrastructure inspections.

The drones communicate over 4G or 5G networks. The drone-in-a-box as-a-service solution includes a Nokia drone, docking station, parachute, payload equipment such as a dual gimbal camera, software ground control station, and a data collection platform in the edge cloud.

This will be the second nationwide deployment of Nokia’s Drone Networks project. Belgium’s Citymesh is already using 70 Drone-in-a-Box units to provide secure 5G-connected drone services across Belgium.

The Swisscom Broadcast project will support Switzerland’s public safety and industry sectors. The drones are operated remotely and gather relevant information within the first minutes following an emergency to aid first responders.

The drones will also be used for safety-centric applications, such as inspecting tall or hard-to-reach infrastructure, eliminating the need for workers to venture into hazardous areas.

Nokia Drone Networks is an 5G-connected unmanned vehicle solution. The drones are equipped with a dual gimbal camera with HD and thermal capabilities, a docking station, a ground control station, and all associated software and service components.

Dominik Müller, CEO of Swisscom Broadcast, said: “We are pleased to select Nokia as a partner for this important infrastructure project in Switzerland. Together, we can accelerate the go-to-market of our Drones-as-a-Service offering to our customers in the industrial and public safety sectors in Switzerland. The integration of our existing People Density Tool and our Drone Operations expertise with Nokia’s industrial-grade hardware, combined with an open and future-proof software architecture, is key to supporting such large-scale projects.”

Raghav Sahgal, President of Cloud and Network Services at Nokia, said: “We are proud to partner with Swisscom Broadcast, a true innovator in drones-as-a-service operations, for this important project to establish a nationwide Drone-as-a-Service network in Switzerland. The Nokia Drone Networks solution enables large-scale projects by incorporating our mission-critical industrial edge (MXIE) technology to power its advanced computing functions and software. It will undoubtedly help Swiss enterprises gain access to a superior Drones-as-a-Service offering to enhance worker and public safety.”