Swisscom Broadcast has been providing customised drone flights as a service for more than a year. Its partnership with Nokia Drone Networks has now taken the service to the next level. The ‘drone-in-a-bo’” units will improve the availability of operationally efficient drone applications for industrial purposes and to ensure public safety. The partnership will enable drone operations to be automated beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS).

The following three drone services are initially being offered as part of the drone-network launch:

• Drones for the emergency services (first responders): The use of remotely operated drones supports the efficiency and effectiveness of the emergency services. The information collected from the remotely operated drones within the first few minutes enables all the emergency services involved to be deployed rapidly and in a coordinated manner. The safety of first responders on site is increased through the use of air hazard monitoring sensors. The rapid evaluation of accident scenes, fires or crime scenes reduces response times, which can save lives.
• Infrastructure inspection: In the future, the drone-in-a-box units being networked and distributed across Switzerland will improve the safety of people involved in the maintenance of power lines, bridges and buildings. It will be easy for a company with critical infrastructure to order a drone for inspections that are hazardous or difficult to access. Ongoing inspections contribute to the early detection and elimination of damage, helping to keep company infrastructure well maintained and ensure compliance with the legal requirements for monitoring critical infrastructure. Swisscom Broadcast uses drones from our drone network to overfly infrastructure at intervals determined by the customer and generate detailed images. If required, these can be used to create a digital twin, for instance. Artificial intelligence is used to efficiently detect any significant changes to the infrastructure.
• Improve the protection of sites: Geopolitical changes and new technologies may require increased protection of critical infrastructure, production locations, public spaces, prisons, borders and police or military facilities. The perimeter protection solution offered by Swisscom and partners uses drones on the ground and in the air for simple inspection tasks. These robots, combined with alarm sensors, significantly improve the security of sensitive facilities and premises. Automated, drone-based surveillance allows the reduction of costs within the framework of a defined security plan.

Swisscom Broadcast CEO, Dominik Müller, commented: “The development of 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. In Nokia, I am confident that we have a strong partner by our side. Together, we can take drone-based security to the next level.”

Raghav Sahgal, President of Cloud and Network Services at Nokia, added: “We are proud to be collaborating with Swisscom Broadcast, genuine innovators in drone-as-a-service solutions, on this important project to establish a nationwide drone-as-a-service network for Switzerland. The Nokia Drone Networks solution uses our Industrial Edge Technology (MXIE) with highly developed computing and software functions, thus facilitating large-scale projects. It will undoubtedly ensure that Swiss companies can access a first-class drone-as-a-service offering, in order to increase employee and public safety.”