Nokia and Swisscom Broadcast have announced a collaboration to roll out the largest Drones-as-a-Service (DaaS) network in Switzerland, deploying 300 of Nokia's Drone-in-a-Box units across the country. The initiative aims to enhance public safety and industrial operations by providing advanced drone solutions for emergency response, infrastructure inspection, and beyond visual line of sight operations.
This deployment represents Nokia's second major DaaS network, following a similar project in Belgium with Citymesh. The network will support Switzerland’s public safety efforts and Industry 4.0 initiatives by integrating Nokia’s mission-critical industrial edge computing (MXIE) with 3GPP technologies, enabling autonomous drone operations beyond visual line of sight.
Swiss public safety agencies will be able to utilize the drone network via an on-demand service similar to ride-sharing, which Swisscom Broadcast will offer. These drones are designed to rapidly gather critical information during emergencies, improving the situational awareness of first responders and optimizing resource allocation. Nokia and Swisscom will also provide a service portfolio that includes compliance, data collection, and analysis to support the operations.
The network will be available nationwide, ensuring that even the most remote areas of Switzerland can benefit from the advanced capabilities of drones. Both Nokia and Swisscom Broadcast are working closely with regulatory bodies to ensure that the deployment complies with all relevant spectrum and aviation safety regulations.
In addition to public safety applications, the drones will enhance industrial safety by inspecting difficult-to-reach infrastructure, reducing the need for workers to operate in hazardous environments. The Nokia Drone Networks solution, which forms part of Nokia’s MXIE platform architecture, is designed to facilitate easy integration with industrial applications, such as 3D mapping and asset detection.
The comprehensive DaaS solution includes the drone itself, a docking station, a ground control station, payloads equipped with video and thermal cameras, and a suite of software and service components. It also supports third-party integrations, enabling seamless connections with traffic monitoring systems, video management software, dispatch solutions, and industrial inspection tools.
Dominik Müller, CEO of Swisscom Broadcast, expressed confidence in the partnership with Nokia, stating, "Together, we can speed up the go-to-market of our Drones-as-a-Service offering to our customers in the industrial and public safety landscape in Switzerland." He emphasized the importance of integrating Nokia's industrial-grade hardware with Swisscom's existing tools and expertise to support large-scale projects.
Raghav Sahgal, President of Cloud and Network Services at Nokia, also highlighted the significance of the collaboration, noting, "Nokia Drone Networks solution enables large-scale projects as it incorporates our mission-critical industrial edge (MXIE) technology to power its advanced computing functions and software. It will undoubtedly help Swiss enterprises gain access to a superior Drones-as-a-Service offering to enhance worker and public safety."
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