SoftBank announced it conducted a verification trial to provide mobile communications from the air by housing a communication unit (Disaster Relief Unit Pod, “DRU Pod”), designed and manufactured in Japan, and mounting it on a large remotely piloted aircraft system (Remotely Piloted Aircraft System, “large RPAS”), with the goal of rapidly establishing temporary communication coverage on the ground when terrestrial networks are disrupted during large-scale disasters.
By transmitting radio waves from a large RPAS flying at an altitude of 3,000 meters, SoftBank successfully established a ground communication area with a diameter exceeding 5 km. This verification trial marks the first time in Japan that mobile communications have been successfully provided from the air using a DRU Pod designed and manufactured in Japan for a large RPAS.
In conducting this verification trial, SoftBank completed a series of processes required for practical deployment, including conformity verification for manufacturing of the DRU Pod in Japan, integration into the aircraft, confirmation of flight safety, and obtaining airworthiness approval for the aircraft equipped with the DRU Pod. This verification trial was conducted using a large RPAS owned by the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) through inter-ministerial cooperation between the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) and the JCG.
The success of this verification trial is expected to accelerate the early realization of an emergency coverage solution during disasters using large RPAS as communication platforms. Going forward, utilizing the data and insights gained from this trial, SoftBank will continue to advance the development of related technologies and study operational methods, aiming for the real-world deployment of emergency coverage solutions during disasters.
AloJapan.com