AT&T said it is testing how best to use drones within its business and went so far as to suggest using them to enhance coverage at live events such as concerts.
AT&T is already using drones to inspect cell towers, but it imagines them doing much more.
“Connecting drones to our nationwide LTE network lets us capture data and feed it directly to our systems,” wrote AT&T’s John Donovan in a blog post. “In turn, this can allow us to make changes to our network in real time. By using drones to inspect a cell site, we’re able to conduct inspections more quickly and safely — and even access parts of a tower that a human simply could not.” Since AT&T’s drones are already connected to its network, it sees a future wherein the drones become part of the network itself. “
Possible uses include Flying COWs (Cell on Wings) providing LTE coverage at large events or even rapid disaster response,” continued Donovan.
“A Flying COW may even be able to provide coverage when a vehicle is unable to drive to a designated area.”
AT&T plans to demonstrate these and other capabilities this week at a technology conference in San Francisco. AT&T did not say if or when it might actually provide LTE coverage via drone
