Does this count as a mulligan?
Nokia has reapplied for permission to conduct drone experiments using AT&T smartphones to test radio frequency signal strength after previous approval secured by the company last year went unused.
According to its application, Nokia’s proposed tests involve operating three commercial AT&T smartphones – two Samsung Galaxy S4 phones and an LG G2 phone – and a DRT receiver secured to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to measure the RF signal strength of the network in the air. The devices would be locked into the 1900 MHz (PCS) and/or 1700-2100 MHz (AWS) bands, and would not transmit in the 850 MHz cellular band, Nokia said.
“The (LG G2) will act as a controller which controls other two Samsung (S4 devices) and DRT receiver through Bluetooth,” Nokia wrote in its application. “The two Samsung (S4 phones) will be used to collect data operating in AT&T network. 1900MHz PCS and/or 1700MHz-2100MHz AWS bands. DRT receiver will scan PCS and/or AWS bands. The control system for the drone will operate in the unlicensed 2.4GHz band.”
If approval is granted, the tests will be conducted near the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City and along the Kansas Turnpike in Bonner Spring, both in Kansas over a six month period starting next month.
The application marks Nokia’s second attempt to conduct the test.
In its filing, Nokia noted it previously applied for and received approval to conduct an identical set of tests from June to December, 2016, but never carried out the experiments because it “spent this time preparing legal documentation.”
The Nokia tests would be just the latest in a series of drone trials conducted on AT&T’s network.
At last year’s Mobile World Congress, AT&T announced a collaboration with Intel to test how drones flying at high altitudes perform on the telecommunication company’s LTE Network. And in July, the carrier launched the trial phase of its national drone program to see how UAVs can both improve coverage and benefit Internet of Things applications.
