Episode 783: What is a Cellular Drone?

Basically, mobile phones weren't intended for use in the air. Therefore, the radio waves emitted from the base station antenna are directed toward the user, that is, toward the ground. If machines like cellular drones proliferate, I don't know how much it will affect terrestrial cell phone usage.

The basic policy of the Radio Law, which is a law related to radio waves, is ``We must strive to ensure that any device can be used smoothly with each other.'' Devices like cellular drones that could affect us cannot be left unchecked. So far, applications like cellular drones have been regulated in principle.

However, as a future need, there is a movement toward the practical use of cellular drones in Japan and overseas. In response to this, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has decided to allow the use of mobile phones, etc. in unmanned aircraft on a trial basis to the extent that it does not interfere with the operation of existing base stations, such as cellular drones. In July 2016, the Radio Law Enforcement Regulations and Examination Criteria were revised to enable experimental flights.

Therefore, an experiment is being held this fall. In Fukuoka, NTT Docomo conducted an experiment (*related article). In the experiment, a drone equipped with mobile communication functions was flown to an island 2.5km away to deliver packages.

An experiment involving Chiba City, Rakuten, and NTT Docomo is also being conducted (* Related article.

In these experiments, we investigated whether it is possible to deliver packages over long distances using cellular drones, and also whether they can be carried in the air up to an altitude of 150 meters, where drones are allowed to fly. Various verifications are carried out, such as how practical the use of telephone radio waves is, and whether there is any impact on ground communication.

Based on the results of these experiments, if it leads to future technical improvements and legal revisions, there is a possibility that commercial services will eventually come out in Japan as well.