Vodafone's trialling a new system which will see 4G SIMs embedded in drones, making them easier to detect at long ranges and therefore easier to keep out of the flight paths of larger aircraft. The new Radio Positioning System, which Vodafone is claiming as a world-first will also allow for automatic geofencing, forcing UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicle) to stick to a certain flight path, the ability for authorities to remotely assume control of the vehicle and also SIM-based e-identification, effectively turning your drone's SIM's ICCID - the little grey number on the back of the card - into a licence plate. Drones are too small to be detected by radar and while the Civil Aviation Authority and Ofcom have published guidelines about where you can fly drones and what radio frequencies can be used, that's not going to stop anyone who isn't particularly bothered about breaking the law. Vodafone Group's chief technology officer Johan Wibergh, said: "This groundbreaking innovation by Vodafone will help to ensure the skies stay safe as drones become ubiquitous, everywhere." Vodafone hopes that the tech behind RPS will also be able to better help you keep track of lost devices and replace the need for GPS antennas in IoT systems, particularly for tracking items indoors. Read next: Amazon Testing Delivery Drones in UK In terms of tracking drones, RPS allows for accurate real-time monitoring of a UAV's location at distances of up to 50 metres across its network and have already conducted a low-scale trial in Sevilla, Spain with an X-UAV model, weighing 2 kilograms. It's now looking at running further trials in Spain and Germany this year and intends to have the service ready for commercial use in 2019. Vodafone has no plans to hold any in the UK just yet, though last year, the government announced plans for a drone registration system, which is what RPS offers, at least in part. How compatible the UK government's new rules would be with those of European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) after March 2019, like everything, is up for debate. Meanwhile, pan-EU regulations on drone use are expected to be firmed up by the end of the year. Matthew Baldwin, deputy director general of the European Commission, added: "The Commission supports all trials aimed at realising our U-space vision for safe commercial drone operations in the EU - there is a growing network of demonstrations and projects across the EU. We look forward to hearing the results of Vodafone's work." This article was updated at 14:00 to add that Vodafone has no current plans to test out RPS in the UK.
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Vodafone's trialling a new system which will see 4G SIMs embedded in drones, making them easier to detect at long ranges and therefore easier to keep out of the flight paths of larger aircraft. The new Radio Positioning System, which Vodafone is claiming as a world-first will also allow for automatic geofencing, forcing UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicle) to stick to a certain flight path, the ability for authorities to remotely assume control of the vehicle and also SIM-based e-identification, effectively turning your drone's SIM's ICCID - the little grey number on the back of the card - into a licence plate. Drones are too small to be detected by radar and while the Civil Aviation Authority and Ofcom have published guidelines about where you can fly drones and what radio frequencies can be used, that's not going to stop anyone who isn't particularly bothered about breaking the law. Vodafone Group's chief technology officer Johan Wibergh, said: "This groundbreaking innovation by Vodafone will help to ensure the skies stay safe as drones become ubiquitous, everywhere." Vodafone hopes that the tech behind RPS will also be able to better help you keep track of lost devices and replace the need for GPS antennas in IoT systems, particularly for tracking items indoors. Read next: Amazon Testing Delivery Drones in UK In terms of tracking drones, RPS allows for accurate real-time monitoring of a UAV's location at distances of up to 50 metres across its network and have already conducted a low-scale trial in Sevilla, Spain with an X-UAV model, weighing 2 kilograms. It's now looking at running further trials in Spain and Germany this year and intends to have the service ready for commercial use in 2019. Vodafone has no plans to hold any in the UK just yet, though last year, the government announced plans for a drone registration system, which is what RPS offers, at least in part. How compatible the UK government's new rules would be with those of European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) after March 2019, like everything, is up for debate. Meanwhile, pan-EU regulations on drone use are expected to be firmed up by the end of the year. Matthew Baldwin, deputy director general of the European Commission, added: "The Commission supports all trials aimed at realising our U-space vision for safe commercial drone operations in the EU - there is a growing network of demonstrations and projects across the EU. We look forward to hearing the results of Vodafone's work." This article was updated at 14:00 to add that Vodafone has no current plans to test out RPS in the UK.