Telefónica Tech (TT) announced this week a collaboration with EHang to boost Urban Air Mobility (UAM) in Europe and Latin America, reports a press release.
This is a huge deal for EHang as it offers the Chinese company not only a partnership with one of the largest phone and mobile network providers in the world, but an opening to successfully enter other regions outside of China and Asia to deploy its smart aerial autonomous solutions and drive the Low-Altitude Economy. For an autonomous aircraft needs a company of TT stature to expand around the globe using 5 and a little later 6G.
The release says, “Both companies intend to implement use cases in Europe and Latin America around Air Mobility, Smart City Management and Aerial Media solutions in areas as diverse as passenger transport, logistics, health services, emergency response and Smart Cities management. Telefónica and EHang will also collaborate on ‘Drone Light Shows’ with swarms of drones to digitalise and increase the sustainability of large-scale shows and events.”
Victoria Jing Xiang, EHang’s COO for Europe and Latam, commented, “Telefónica Tech’s capabilities and expertise in connectivity and the internet of things (IoT) will enable EHang to deploy its solutions efficiently and securely, allowing millions of people to benefit from its applications in their daily lives”.
EHang 216‑S UAV Flying in Spain (Credit: Oronbb, CC BY-SA 4.0)
It cannot be emphasised how important connectivity is, as it plays an integral role in the development and integration of UAM. 5G mobile networks, for example, have the capacity “to guarantee reliable communications, low latency and high data transmission capacity,” continues the release. “These characteristics make it possible to optimise the real-time control and monitoring of aircraft by sending telemetry or multimedia data to both ground control systems and centralised public information systems for immediate processing and management.
“Similarly, 5G helps to ensure the continuity of UAV operation by preventing potential interference and providing security through the encryption of SIM cards in UAVs.”
The level of privacy and security of the information obtained by the drone is also enhanced to prevent data traffic being shared outside the customer’s premises. It can provide coverage too in isolated and remote areas. Meanwhile, both companies rely on TT TheThinX laboratory, considered one of the most advanced and best equipped IoT environments in the world.
Alfredo Serret, Global Head of IoT at Telefónica Tech, remarked, “The fact that EHang relies on our connectivity to develop the sector in Europe and Latin America confirms the strong positioning of our service in both markets, and means combining capabilities to enable connected, safe, efficient and green air mobility for all.”
As part of the new partnership both companies will attend the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona on February 26th. They will share Telefónica’s stand (Hall 3, Stand 3K31) as well as give a talk on their new collaboration between 2.30pm and 3pm.
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