By J. Sharpe Smith, Contributing Editor According to a speaker at a recent NATE conference, data provided by drones is helping carriers increase their quality control, and tower maintenance companies are getting a report card judging their work on the tower. “I’m a data person. I like to measure things, and we’ve had an amazing experience with drones,” said Brandi …
Urgent call from NATE, WIA and other stakeholders for FAA to finalize BVLOS drone operations rules
Spearheaded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a coalition of industry organizations, including NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association and the Wireless Infrastructure Association have formally requested that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) swiftly issue rules to enable beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly known as drones. In a letter addressed to Secretary …
FCC proposes opening 5GHz spectrum for drones to enhance emergency and commercial uses
The FCC is proposing to open a specific segment of the 5 GHz spectrum to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones, aiming to enhance their usability in critical applications like emergency response and commercial services. This regulatory initiative seeks to designate the 5030-5091 MHz band exclusively for drones, improving communications during wildfires, disaster recovery, and for first responders. Traditionally, most drones …
Valmont records longest beyond visual line of sight flight on the wings of T‑Mobile 5G
Valmont has completed an industry-first, piloting an unmanned 77-mile beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operation, enabled by T-Mobile 5G. Traditional methods for infrastructure monitoring typically require extensive manpower, manned aircraft operations or ground-based inspections, which involve significant safety risks, more time and more money. But not anymore, states Valmont, especially now that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is …
NATE’s UAS expo has its first successful flight over Valmont’s corporate headquarters in Nebraska
As a result of years in the making, the inaugural NATE UAS Expo hosted by Valmont in Valley, Nebraska, last week took to the air. It was a huge success, according to almost 200 people who attended the event. “At the NATE UAS Committee and TIA Drones Ad Hoc meetings, we’ve been talking about the accuracy, safety, and future use …
As an exterior cleaning drone makes its debut, communication tower painters fear no threat
Drones are excellent for mapping towers and providing inspections, but they haven’t had a serious impact on tower technicians’ work on structures. However, window washing companies and pressure cleaning businesses might see a drop in income since Lucid Drone Technologies has teamed up with T-Mobile to have the carrier provide the IoT connectivity for their fleet of industrial spraying drones. In …
FCC is considering a DJI drone ban that would take a tool out of the contractor’s toolbox and not replace it
The Federal Communications Commission voted Tuesday to boot China Telecom Americas off of U.S. networks, finding that the service provider could not quash concerns that it’s beholden to surveillance requests from the Chinese government. The decision means China Telecom Americas must now discontinue U.S. services within 60 days, ending its authorization for the past 20 years to operate in the …
NATE provides the industry with their free sUAS Operations Best Practices Advisory drone resource
NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association today officially released the NATE sUAS Operations Best Practices Advisory resource. This in-depth, 38-page document becomes the latest in a line of commercial drone-related resources that NATE’s UAS Committee and its cadre of aviation subject-matter experts have developed. NATE is providing this resource as an industry-specific guideline manual for carrying out UAS operations for …
NATE weighs in regarding FAA’s digital license plates in the sky, requesting relief on 400′ limitation
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) has weighed in with their comments to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the agency’s notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that seeks to require the remote identification of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operating in the airspace of the United States, and the ability of people on the ground to determine the identity of …
U.S. patent application pushes credibility of Swiss Army knife cell tower drones
Commentary – Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are assisting the wireless infrastructure industry with great tower mapping, 3D modeling, close-out documentation and other capabilities that have proven in some cases to be more accurate and safer for the workforce. However, a recent patent application for a UAV is so technologically advanced that the applicant’s inventors will inevitably displace tower techs that …
NATE hosts UAS operations showcase event in D.C. Beltway at Crown Castle site
Key stakeholders from federal government agencies, industry and media participated in the inaugural NATE Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Operations “Field Day Showcase” yesterday. This dynamic drone experience was held at a Crown Castle tower site located in Gainesville, Va., in close proximity to the Washington, D.C. beltway. At the event, attendees were provided an opportunity to witness live flight demonstrations …
Influential wireless and drone companies at inaugural UAS summit
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) recently hosted a successful inaugural Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Summit in the Motor City of Detroit, Michigan.The high-level, 2-day strategic planning event was attended by participants representing the most prominent companies in the wireless and drone industries.During the NATE UAS Summit, attendees received an update from the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) UAS Integration …
AT&T’s “Extreme-Weather Drone” ensures faster network recovery and a first responder role
By Art Pregler AT&T Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program Director It can see through obstacles, fly through rain, operate in extreme temperatures and communicate in areas without infrastructure. And it took its first flight last week in Bedminster, New Jersey. Meet the newest superhero of AT&T’s Network Disaster Recovery (NDR) Team – “The Extreme-Weather Drone.” This versatile new technology has the …
CTIA: Wireless networks should be communications platform for drones
CTIA, the wireless association, today called on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to recognize that commercial wireless networks offer the best communications platform to support America’s fast-growing drone market. CTIA and the wireless industry are working with policymakers to boost investment, innovation and jobs by creating a national framework for FAA management of U.S. drone airspace. CTIA’s call comes as …
Carrier CEOs chew on Trump’s ear to clear the path and speed up small cell installations
President Donald Trump offered backing for emerging technologies such as next-generation wireless and unmanned aerial vehicles in a meeting yesterday with the heads of telecom giants AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile, and drone companies such as Trumbull Unmanned as well as venture capitalists and health care providers. Wireless makes some strange bedfellows During the meetings in the East Wing, Trump …
Calculating the job risk online, cell tower technicians are ‘doomed’ – but it’s unlikely
A study that has been kicking around since it was published by researchers at Oxford University in 2013, has gained a second life in the last few months after two online entrepreneurs made it easy to find out how susceptible 702 occupations were to being replaced by machines. The university report by Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael A. Osborne was created …
UAS focus conference features NATE’s new epic drone video
The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) today unveiled an Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) safety video as part of Volume 2 of the popular Climber Connection series. The UAS Operations video was showcased by NATE during a main stage presentation at the 2017 Drone Focus Conference in Fargo, N.D. The 2017 Drone Focus Conference is a prominent annual gathering of …
AT&T’s disaster drill sets stage for providing connectivity during emergencies
Hurricane season officially kicks off on June 1, and the National Weather Service says an average of three hurricanes hit the U.S. coastline every two years. But each one carries with it different catastrophic results and AT&T says it wants to be prepared for all scenarios, and goes through a number of exercises that put their Network Discovery (NDR) team …
AT&T’s tower-centric drone software could sunset a number of head counts
More than 30 years ago, Art Pregler directed the Air Force’s complex mission of taking full sized multi-million-dollar fighter aircraft, converting them into drones, and then shooting them out of the sky with new advanced weapons systems. Today, as director of AT&T’s National Mobility Systems, Pregler’s role is just the opposite, requiring him to ensure that the carrier’s experimental drones remain …
Using cell towers, a record is set for longest drone package delivery in the U.S.
A new record has been set in long-distance drone delivery using cell towers to maintain a connection between a drone in the air and a pilot on the ground, rather than relying on a radio frequency. On May 5, a Nevada UAS Consortium (Team Roadrunner) set the record flying a fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) over 97 miles to Austin, …
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