Vodafone Spain conducts first 5G-controlled drone flight in …

Vodafone Spain has claimed a global first after it deployed a commercial 5G network in the coastal resort of Benidorm to fly a drone in a real urban environment. The operator obtained the authorisation of Spain’s aviation safety agency (AESA) for the trial flights conducted in collaboration with the City of Benidorm, the Advanced Centre for Aerospace Technologies (CATEC) and Valencia’s Polytechnic University (UPV).

Test flights using the 5G network were carried out along Benidorm’s beach and in one of the town’s parks (Parque del Avenida), where trials of drone control beyond the line of sight of the pilot were conducted together with demonstrations of live streaming and Vodafone’s system of static, temporary and dynamic exclusion zones. 

The drones were also used to deliver pharmaceutical products from the beach to Benidorm Island 4 kilometres away to demonstrate the potential role of 5G technology in emergency services.

Vodafone Spain activated its 5G network in an initial 15 cities (Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Malaga, Zaragoza, Bilbao, Vitoria, San Sebastian, La Coruna, Vigo, Gijon, Pamplona, Logrono and Santander) in June 2019 and is set to expand it to at least 5 more this year.