Telefonica Spain launches 5G drone service in Spain

Telefonica Spain launched an end-to-end 5G drone service in Spain for industry and public sector organisations. The service combines remote piloting, 5G connectivity, hardware and software systems, with drones controlled from the T_Space facility at Telefonica's National Supervision and Operations Centre in Aravaca, Madrid.

Telefonica said the service reduces response times and removes the need for customers to have their own drone pilots on the ground. The offer includes remote pilots and a drone-in-a-box system for automated take-off, landing and refuelling, and it is available in two versions: one for customers that already have drones and another where Telefonica also supplies the hardware. Telefonica said 5G enables long-distance flights, continuous drone control and real-time video transmission, with edge computing, network slicing, computer vision and Open Gateway APIs also used in the service.

Telefonica is targeting industrial companies, the energy and logistics sectors, and public administrations with use cases including surveillance, infrastructure inspection and fire prevention. The company said the technology has already been deployed in Caceres with a regional government as part of forest fire prevention and response measures. The launch adds to the use of 5G and edge computing in connected drone operations, where operators are packaging connectivity, software and managed services for enterprise and public sector customers.