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Telstra submission 36.


Today in the Oz Binger focuses on Telstra submission 36..  :

Lift curbs on drones: Telstra
12:00amMITCHELL BINGEMANN
Telstra wants drones to fly beyond a pilot’s line of sight with the aid of the telco’s mobile towers.

Telstra has argued its vast network of mobile towers could play a role in keeping tabs on remotely piloted drones, with the telecommunications major calling for the regulatory restrictions that prohibit drones from flying beyond a pilot’s line of sight to be dumped.

Pilots must keep drones within sight but Telstra reckons those rules could be scrapped if its ­network of 8500 mobile towers was used to make drones contextually aware, in near real-time, of civil aircraft and other drones when flying in common airspace.

“Mobile networks can be used to extend the control range of drones to wherever there is coverage — beyond visual line of sight,” Telstra’s head of regulatory affairs Jane van Beelen wrote to a Senate inquiry investigating how new laws to deregulate the commercial operation of drones could affect public privacy and safety.

“Mobile networks have the ­potential to allow drones to deliver sensor data for processing, analysis and decision-making mid-flight and to receive command-and-control inputs in real time, resulting in a safer, more ­reliable shared airspace.”

In its submission, the telco ­welcomes recent moves by the aviation regulator to amend rules that have allowed commercial ­operators to fly without a licence drones weighing less than 2kg.

The Australian reported last week that pilots from Qantas and Virgin Australia hit out at laws that deregulate the commercial operation of remotely piloted aircraft, saying the rule relaxation could lead to a collision between drones and passenger planes.

The warnings were made to a Senate committee investigating the safety implications of the new rules — allowing commercial ­operators to fly without a licence drones weighing less than 2kg.

In its submission, Qantas chief pilot Richard Tobiano said the airline feared increasing numbers of untrained and uneducated drone pilots could jeopardise the airline’s operations.

But Telstra said for the nation to harness the benefits of drones, a more progressive regulatory framework, allowing drones to be flown beyond visual line of sight — a term known as BVLOS — would be required. “We understand concerns about safety, ­security, and privacy and believe they are very important factors, especially as drones become more prolific,” Ms van Beelen said.

“(But) we believe the smart use of drone technology together with mobile network connectivity and traffic management systems can help address many of these concerns while minimising the regulatory burden on drone users.”

Telstra says its mobile network would be able to provide a convenient, cost effective, reliable and secure way of communicating with drones which would pave the way for beyond of sight flying, multiple drones being controlled by a single pilot, and night flying.

“Due to regulatory restrictions, drone flights are limited to visual line of sight, unless an exemption is granted by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. Based on our experiences we believe that safe use of drones BVLOS is the key to unlocking many of the potential benefits associated with drones,” Ms van Beelen said. “For example, using a drone for shark surveillance would deliver the greatest benefit to the community if it could be flown BVLOS. Another area where flying drones BVLOS is necessary for success is the enablement of disaster response and restoration in situations where it is not always possible or safe for a user to be close enough to maintain visual line of sight (for example, bush fires or chemical spills).”

Telstra’s gambit that its mobile network could be used to track drones comes as the telco giant has been working behind the scenes on expanding its use of the technology over the past 12 months

The telco is currently working with Shell Queensland Gas Company and the Boeing subsidiary Insitu Pacific to develop a situational awareness system that will allow a drone fleet to inspect gas wells, pipelines and production ­facilities that sit beyond the line of sight of the pilot.

The telco is also using drones as its “eyes in the sky” to inspect its mobile towers and other infrastructure. It has 11 licensed pilots currently flying remotely piloted aircraft across five zones nationwide.

In its submission, Telstra also calls on the senate committee to establish a forum, chaired by the aviation regulator and with members from suppliers and commercial users of drones, to report on the regulations, technology and educational resources that will be required to enable the widespread and safe use of drones in the ­future.

Drone technology has become increasingly popular among recreational and commercial operators in recent years. But it’s also being adopted by a range of industries due to the potential of the flying machines to dramatically reduce the cost and human risk involved in monitoring infrastructure.

Such is the potential of the growth of the drone industry that Goldman Sachs estimates total global spending on drones will top $100 billion by 2020, rivalling the size of the helicopter market, with ripple effects to areas such as insurance, camera makers, and component manufacturers.

Fast food operator Domino’s Pizza, for one, is aiming for a commercial lift-off for the ­nation’s first drone-delivered pizza next year with a test site being sought in regional ­Australia.

Additional reporting: David Swan

 
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