Industrial-grade and European-made, Nokia’s 5G-compatible hexacopter opens new possibilities for aerial insights and mission-critical flights. Designed for public safety agencies, smart cities, and the construction, energy, and defense sectors, the drone can fly up to 50 minutes and cover distances of up to 30km. Built with CE-certified hardware, the drone is reliable and robust, as well as water, dust, and weather resistant.

Featuring a modular design, users can pick and personalize the payload, such as a dual gimbal HD and thermal camera with 30x optical zoom, a lidar sensor, a spotlight, or a loudspeaker. For customized payloads, Nokia provides the Payload Development Kit, allowing users to design their modules, tailoring the drone to their specific mission or project needs.

Since enterprising use cases can be underpinned by uncompromising safety features, Nokia equipped the drone with a dual modem connectivity system to maintain concurrent network connections ensuring system redundancy - if the connection drops, the UAV won't. Furthermore, Nokia’s smart return-to-launch feature automatically takes the drone back to the docking station, avoiding no-fly zones, and, in an emergency, its automated parachute deployment system activates initiating a controlled descent.

By connecting to public or private 5G or LTE networks, Nokia promises customers a stable connection that offers higher data rates and lower latency enabling more data to be streamed than over Wi-Fi. Using cellular connectivity technologies also enables beyond-visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations using real-time kinetic (RTK) positioning to improve situational awareness for first responders and other professionals.

Powered by mobile networks and Edge Computing, Nokia Drone Networks isn’t just about the drone. The company also developed a drone-in-a-box (DiaB) solution, which is outdoor rated, ready for any conditions, and offers precision landing, fast charging, and an integrated heating and cooling system.

Then, there’s also the Mission Control Center, a user-friendly and scalable software to plan missions in advance and monitor in real-time using Nokia's intuitive operations interface. Together with Nokia’s Open API framework, companies can easily incorporate Nokia Drone Networks into an existing IT infrastructure, tailor data-driven insights to their operational needs, and enhance them with Advanced AI Analytics.

Earlier this year, Nokia announced a first-of-its-kind contract with Citymesh, a Belgian telecom operator, to place 70 DiaB units across Belgium and create a 5G automated drone grid that informs and speeds resource mobilization in emergency events. By giving police and fire stations access to the 70 drones deployed in 35 emergency zones, emergency services can gather information in the critical 15-minute period immediately following a call. This ensures that first responder teams are fully apprised of and equipped to respond to each unique situation.

“We are proud to be selected by Citymesh as the turnkey 5G Drone-in-a-Box platform provider for SENSE,” Thomas Eder, Head of Embedded Wireless Solutions, Nokia, said. “Our 5G-connected drone platform is a logical extension of our leadership in building nationwide wireless networks. Nokia Drone Networks is a game-changer for the operational efficiency of first responders and data security. Enabled by Nokia MX Industrial Edge, it ensures that collected data is stored locally and stays under the full control of authorities.”