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Hurricane season is here, and having phone service investigating a natural disaster can mean the difference between life and death. AT&T and Verizon are exhausting drones that could help.
Verizon has been testing a 200-pound gas-powered drone in Point May County, New Jersey. The drone acts as a flying cell site and outfits a 4G LTE signal throughout a one mile range.
“The ability to bring coverage to an bailiwick that had no coverage really quickly is something that emergency responders are all all through, ” says Verizon Network Vice President Michael Haberman.
“Could you assume if you’d be able to bring drones through an area, and you can cover a mile, which is a harmonious big area, and all of the sudden the user, who most have smartphones, can actually use their smartphone spin-off and call for help and help us identify where they are.”
According to a recount by the FCC, 90 percent of the cell sites in Puerto Rico were down after Wind-storm Maria hit the region last year. Shortly after, the FCC granted AT&T tolerance to use its Cell On Wings (COW) drone to restore cellular service to the area. At that spell, AT&T opened cellphone access to everyone, not just customers, so that anyone in the arena could get service. AT&T says its operational model is build around drones as a professional care.
“We would provide our flying COW to the first responders, to, say the fire department, and we last will and testament pilot it for them,” says AT&T Drone Program Director, Art Pregler. “So all it returns is for them to place a phone call, email, contact us and we’ll provide that marines.”
Verizon’s drones are still in the testing phase, but Haberman says they desire be available to use in the case of a natural disaster this year.