Vodafone and Ericsson move mobile network drone delivery closer to reality

A drone at the site of a staged accident.

Vodafone and Ericsson move mobile network drone delivery closer to reality Drone delivery of goods and critical services via mobile networks is a step closer following successful testing by Vodafone and Ericsson. The proof of concept trial, carried out this month in Germany, proved how safe and secure flight path corridors can be established within network coverage. The testing at Vodafone’s innovation centre in Aldenhoven, Germany, used network traffic data to ensure that drone paths avoided areas of poorer network coverage or heavily loaded cells. By doing so the drone is guaranteed connectivity from departure point to destination. It allows drone operators to use coverage maps to plan a secure and reliable connection path between the drone and the control centre.

Non-mobile network drone range is limited to line of sight operation. Using mobile networks for drone delivery will significantly expand the flying or delivery range, including beyond line of sight use. This creates innovation potential across a range of delivery services, including emergency health care provision. Drone use cases are also being pursued in utility, industry and mobile network infrastructure monitoring, as well as in emergency or natural disaster response. Vodafone and Ericsson also explored how the mobile network could be used to control key drone features, such as the ability to instantly improve the definition of an on-board video camera without impacting other services. Such capabilities would be relevant in situations where live video streaming is not required for the entire flight, such as inspecting a suspension bridge.

Johan Wibergh, Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone Group, says: “Our network has evolved into a powerful platform built on machine learning and artificial intelligence, capable of delivering video, TV and data services at gigabit speeds. As we enter the next stage of our evolution, we will use our software-driven, intelligent network to deliver new digital services that aid society.“ He adds: “The responsible use of drones is one such example. They can assess fires, deliver medical supplies, and help businesses survey hazardous conditions, such as construction sites, power lines and our own mobile masts, quicker and more safely.”

Erik Ekudden, Chief Technology Officer, Ericsson, says: “Drones are immensely powerful tools for many businesses. We are still only scratching the surface of the possibilities they will open up, which makes our collaboration with Vodafone all the more exciting. Smarter network capabilities on our reliable mobile network will enable key industries such as healthcare, construction, and agriculture to accelerate site deployment, reduce health and safety hazards, and save lives."

He adds: “With this technology, service providers can expand their cellular IoT services for enterprises, confidently meet regulatory measures. This is another milestone Ericsson’s partnership with Vodafone, as we continue to evolve our network and meet the diverse needs of fundamental industries.”

Source: Ericsson

SOLAR TRAINS TECHNOLOGY PIONEER RECEIVES ITS FIRST COMMERCIAL FUNDING

• Solar trains company, Riding Sunbeams, has received its first commercial funding from Thrive Renewables and Friends Provident Foundation 

• This will enable the team to develop community owned renewable energy projects to directly power the rail network at a commercial scale for the first time

World-leading solar rail pioneer Riding Sunbeams has secured its first commercial funding from Thrive Renewables and Friends Provident Foundation, in exchange for a minority shareholding in the business and an active role in governance. Founded by climate charity Possible and Community Energy South, Riding Sunbeams will use the investment to develop a pipeline of new renewable energy projects in South East England and the Valleys in South Wales, to deliver on its aim to help decarbonise the rail system and benefit commuters and local communities.

The new working capital will enable Riding Sunbeams to provide a commercial route to market for community energy groups looking for new projects to develop and connect them to regional rail network operators like Network Rail who will pay them a fair price for their power. This will enable rail network operators to source competitively priced green electricity at the same time as supporting local communities, as well as the UK’s efforts to achieve a net zero economy.

Riding Sunbeams hopes to demonstrate a new, fairer, greener way to do business and embody how a just transition is possible by bringing together charities, communities, 

corporates and government to decarbonise and power the rail network. With its world-leading model it intends to boost the community energy sector and overcome existing barriers like grid constraints and energy price volatility, to ensure local people benefit from projects in their neighbourhood. Community groups and developers with eligible projects are being encouraged to get in touch with the organisation.

Following this funding agreement, the company formally incorporated a commitment to a just transition in its legal rules of governance, making it the first UK company to do this. Unlike other companies who have committed to socially and environmentally responsible behaviour, Riding Sunbeams wrote a just transition commitment into its legal working agreement. This means that any decision taken by the social enterprise will be made in line with the principles of a just transition.

The team proved the technical concept of powering railways directly by solar power with its First Light demonstrator project in Aldershot last year. Riding Sunbeams is currently leading another First of a Kind project funded by Innovate UK and the Department for Transport, which aims to power electrified rail networks which run on alternating current (AC) power from overhead lines. 

Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris, said,

It is fantastic to see pioneering projects that we have supported through our First of a Kind competition progressing their plans to decarbonise our railways. Harnessing innovation like this will be crucial to modernising the railway and making journeys greener and cleaner, and I welcome this vision becoming one step closer to reality.

Ivan Stone, CEO of Riding Sunbeams, said, 

We are delighted that both Thrive and the Friends Provident Foundation have chosen to invest in Riding Sunbeams. This reflects enormous confidence in our purpose to deliver competitively priced, unsubsidised low carbon energy directly to the rail network, with a clear commitment to community ownership. The investment will accelerate our already well advanced technical development, and establish the appropriate commercial framework with rail system operators for them to take advantage of these opportunities as soon as possible.

Matthew Clayton, Managing Director at Thrive Renewables, said,

We are incredibly proud to provide commercial funding to Riding Sunbeams, which aligns perfectly with our mission to power the transition to a sustainable energy future by helping people meaningfully connect with clean energy projects. It is a great example of individual investors, communities, businesses and charities coming together to deliver better, cleaner infrastructure which serves people’s needs and is fit for the future.We have a track record of successful partnerships with community energy groups, funding construction of wind and solar projects owned by local people. Riding Sunbeams has the potential to take that to a whole new level by creating a new route to market for community energy groups’ clean electricity and making rail travel even more sustainable.

Colin Baines, Investment Engagement Manager, Friends Provident Foundation, said,

We are very excited to be a part of this pioneering model. By unblocking the potential and benefits of community energy and enabling large energy users, like railways, to both decarbonise and add value to the communities they operate in, Riding Sunbeams exemplifies what a just transition to a decarbonised economy looks like. I know of few impact investments that offer such a myriad of social and environmental benefits as community energy, but there are also too few investment opportunities. Riding Sunbeams provides the opportunity to remove systemic barriers and unleash the potential of community energy to play a key role in ensuring a just transition that leaves no one behind.

Singapore tops smart city ranking for second year running

The 2020 Smart City Index measures citizens’ perceptions of the impact that technology has on their lives, surveying them on areas such as governance, health and safety, mobility and opportunities.

Singapore maintained its top place in the ranking Singapore has topped the Institute for Management Development (IMD) Smart City Index for the second consecutive year, followed by the Finnish capital Helsinki and Swiss city of Zurich. The ranking, launched last year, is based on citizens’ perception of the impact that technology has on their quality of lives as well as economic and technological data. Covid considerations This year, the IMD, in collaboration with Singapore University for Technology and Design (SUTD), has included key findings on how technology is playing a role in the Covid-19 era. The index shows that those cities with better technology are handling the pandemic better. Citizens from 109 countries were surveyed in April and May 2020 for the index and asked questions on the technological provisions of their city across five key areas: health and safety, mobility, activities, opportunities and governance. Auckland in New Zealand occupies fourth position, while the Norwegian capital of Oslo is ranked fifth. Copenhagen (6), Geneva (7), Taipei City (8), Amsterdam (9) and New York (10) make up the rest of the leading 10 cities. Brisbane (14) is the highest ranked Australian city, ahead of Sydney (18) and Melbourne (20). After New York, Washington DC (12) is the highest placed US city with Los Angeles (26) and San Francisco (27) next. This year saw many European cities drop in the rankings, including Vienna, which is down eight places to 25 and Prague, which dropped 25 places to 44. “Smart cities closer to the top of the rankings seem to deal with unexpected challenges of the devastating pandemic with a better outcome” It seems that cities have differing approaches to technology as managing the pandemic has become increasingly important in local politics. IMD’s professor Arturo Bris, who led the work as the director of the World Competitiveness Centre at the Swiss management institute, said the impact of Covid-19 “cannot be ignored”. “Those with better technology manage the pandemic better. Smart cities are not the solution, but technology helps,” he said. The health crisis has also widened inequalities between the haves and the have-nots when it comes to connectivity, both among and within cities. “Smart cities closer to the top of the rankings seem to deal with unexpected challenges of the devastating pandemic with a better outcome,” added professor Heng Chee Chan, chairperson of the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities at SUTD. Second cities The index also demonstrates the ability of some countries to develop cities beyond their capital. For example, Bilbao (24) fares better than Madrid (45). In the UK, Birmingham (40) improved by 12 positions whereas London jumped just five to fifteenth. “Look at France. The Paris region accounts for a sizeable part of the economic activity of the entire country,” said Bris. “But then look at the US, China, Australia or Taiwan, and second cities have become more important, sometimes more so than the capital.”

“The American city of Boston is a good example of how management of its city by its mayor makes a big difference” “As a signal of a country’s development, it’s important to develop those cities,” he added, recommending that policy makers promote competitiveness of second cities to improve the overall economic health of a country. City economies like Hong Kong and Singapore, and to some extent the UAE, may be at a disadvantage because they are less able to develop second cities, he said. Economic conditions In general smart cities help citizens more, the researchers concluded, but cities have widely different infrastructures to start with. For this reason, in cities that are already highly developed, such as Zurich or Amsterdam, technology plays a marginal role as there is little to improve. By contrast, in cities such as Bogota (92) or Mumbai (93), technology makes a big difference. Therefore, the biggest changes in the ranking from year to year happen in the least developed economies as it doesn’t take much for citizens to perceive great improvement. The researchers said African cities at the bottom of the raking such as Abuja (107), Nairobi (108) and Lagos (109), would do well to prioritise its implementation. Major differences Those who compiled the index also highlight that "smart" is a relative term. “Different cities use technology for different things. That might be preventing traffic, in the case of Paris, or improving citizen participation through offering free wi-fi in Ramallah,” said Bris. Chicago (41) has an ambitious technology plan based on hyper-connectivity; Abu Dhabi (42) has an eco-friendly project and Birmingham is one of cities in the UK ranked best for mobility. “Those with better technology manage the pandemic better. Smart cities are not the solution, but technology helps”

This is why we see vast differences in the smartness of cities within the same country. They differ in terms of their economies, inequality levels (for example, access to health) and policies. “Countries are no longer economic units,” said Bris. "Mayors and local authorities increasingly have the power to improve the wellbeing of citizens by implementing technology. “The American city of Boston (36) is a good example of how management of its city by its mayor makes a big difference.” The index and full report can be downloaded at 2020 Smart City Index

Source: Smart Cities World