On November 24, South Korean telecom operator KT unveiled specialized disaster emergency communications solutions, such as ‘drone LTE,’ ‘backpack LTE’ and ‘satellite LTE.’
The drone LTE, a flying miniature version of a base station, is the world’s first drone-based ultra-light, ultra-small movable base station outfitted with key equipment.
The drone LTE is expected to play an important role in expediting rescue operations in disaster-struck, inaccessible areas where communication is cut off.
To provide the drone LTE service, five drones will fly in formation to cover an area as large as the size of Yeouido. Since drones can stay aloft for up to 20 minutes, drone stations will be employed to enable long-distance communication services.
For disasters in mountainous areas and maritime disasters, KT has come out with the backpack LTE and satellite LTE solutions. The backpack LTE is a small 9-kilogram LTE base station that comes in the form of a backpack.
The satellite LTE is a solution that takes advantage of satellite networks to meet the emergency communications needs of islands and enable maritime communication without the necessity of setting up fiber-optic cables or microwave transmission networks.
