SK Telecom said on the 15th that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Punzin, Konan Technology, Contela, and Flactory to develop a communications relay drone to expand the operational radius of military drones.
At the signing ceremony held that day at SK Telecom's Namsan office in Seoul, attendees included Na Gyeong-hwan, head of SKT Enterprise Solution Division; Kim Jeong-hun, head of business strategy at Punzin; Kim Gyu-hun, head of defense AI business at Konan Technology; Kim Tae-yeon, head of the MTS business division at Contela; and CEO Kim Tae-hoon of Flactory.
A communications relay drone serves as a repeater that extends wireless communications in areas with poor connectivity so attack and reconnaissance drones can expand their operational radius.
The military is currently implementing communications relay drones using the I-eum 5G frequency. However, due to the high-frequency characteristics of the band in use, the operational radius is limited, and the need to expand it has been raised.
The communications relay drones being developed by the corporations participating in this agreement plan to use low frequencies such as 800 MHz on commercial networks. Through this, they are expected to greatly extend radio reach and, thanks to excellent diffraction, secure a stable operational radius even in urban environments with many obstacles.
According to SK Telecom, stability can be improved by operating multiple relay drones alternately by applying handover technology between communications relay drones. Even if one communications relay drone is shot down, attack and reconnaissance drones can connect to another communications relay drone.
Handover is a function in a mobile communication network that allows a device to remain connected without interruption by synchronizing to the call channel of another base station when moving from the service area of the connected base station to that of another base station.
The corporations participating in this agreement will provide core technologies in their respective areas of expertise. SK Telecom will be in charge of wireless lines, handover technology, and real-time video control. By combining a low-frequency band capable of long-distance transmission with T Live Caster, a real-time video control system, it will transmit real-time footage from operational drones to rear-area drone pilots.
Punzin will handle drone wireless quality measurement and AI technology, and Konan Technology, an artificial intelligence company, plans to collaborate through edge tactical equipment. In addition, Contela will handle a satellite communication-based mobile base station, and Flactory will handle an I-eum 5G core and communications equipment based on a mini PC.