Drone deliveries poised for take-off in UK
COMMERCIAL drones are on the brink of being launched into Britain’s skies after Ofcom unveiled plans to prevent them crashing into planes and other aerial vehicles.
The regulator will ring-fence radio frequencies to be used solely by drone operators to cut the chance of interference that can make them fly erratically.
Under current rules drone operators must use radio frequencies reserved for home Wi-fi and toy radio-controlled aeroplanes, creating risks for heavier or longer-distance drone flights.
Royal Mail has already carried out trials of postal deliveries using drones with PPE, Covid testing kits and other mail sent to the Isles of Scilly from the mainland in May last year.
Over the next three years Royal Mail wants to deploy 200 drones to deliver mail across the UK, with plans to expand this to 500 longer-term.
However, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has warned that a widespread rollout of drone deliveries can only happen after new safety crash-prevention technology is developed.
Vital radio signals used to control drones can interfere with each other unless they have their own dedicated frequency. Interference from other signals can also ground drones.
A CAA spokesman welcomed Ofcom’s move, saying it will be a “key element” in developing future uses of drones in the UK.
Advances in drone technology are based on safely flying the craft beyond visual line of sight.
Drones can only be legally flown if the operator can see them, restricting how far they can fly.
In addition to Royal Mail’s trial, several others have taken place in the past few years where cargo-carrying drones have been exempted from normal rules as part of controlled experiments.
The RAF has also been using its Skyguardian drones, made by General Atomics, for trial flights in Lincolnshire’s airways.
Helen Hearn, Ofcom’s spectrum interim group director, said: “Commercial drones have the potential to bring a whole host of benefits.
“We want to ensure that businesses pioneering these projects can access the spectrum they need to harness the full potential of the latest drone technology.”