Vodafone UK says drones should be equipped with SIM cards to give them cellular network connectivity, in order to combat improper usage and enable them to be flown beyond “visual line of sight” of their operators.
The network commissioned a report, written by WPI Economics, which found that 80 per cent of people would support more widespread adoption of drones if there was a mechanism to provide increased safety, security and monitoring.
The number of near misses between drones and commercial aircraft is rising every year, and Gatwick was even forced to close for 24 hours in December 2018 due to a drone incident.
Currently, pilots must keep their drones within sight at all times, which limits their use for applications like remote deliveries, transport for medical supplies and infrastructure inspection.
Cellular connectivity would allow pilots to fly their drones much further while creating a way to track and potentially disable problematic devices.
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