- Qualcomm thinks that drone geofencing might be one of the first 6G sensing applications
- Drone geofencing is like a polite but firm “Do Not Enter” digital sign for drones
- Analysts think that geofencing could be an important sensing use case, but are divided about when it will arrive
6G is still years away but when it does arrive in all its glory around 2030, Qualcomm says drone geofencing will be among the first major use cases for the new wireless standard.
Drone geofencing is like a polite but firm “Do Not Enter” digital sign for drones put up by the 6G network. Geofencing works by bouncing signals off objects and allowing the network to sense of position and detect objects, which is useful for many autonomous vehicles and robots, noted J.Gold Associates principal Jack Gold.
Fierce discussed 6G with Qualcomm at the World Trade Center in Manhattan where Juan Montojo-Bennassar, VP of standards at the company, covered a lot of territory. Since we were on the 69th floor of the largest building in the United States, we were particularly interested in what he said about 6G sensing and drones.
A future full of drones
Qualcomm envisages a near future with a good deal more drones buzzing around overhead. As Montojo-Bennassar noted, delivery drones are already being tested in China. Geofencing protects buildings, drones and other autonomous flying vehicles from collisions.
Montojo-Bennassar said that millimeter wave (mmWave) - or other gigahertz (GHz) frequencies - would likely be used for these early 6G geofencing applications. Interest in higher terahertz (THz) frequencies, which had been fierce early in the 6G development, is waning, he noted.
“In 3GPP circles, terahertz is not a priority,” the VP said, adding that some new operators have said: “I’m not interested at all."
Unfortunately, no one really knows what kind of coverage mmWave or upper 6, 7 or 8 GHz geofencing will actually offer. Certainly in the early days of 5G, mmWave was known for delivering fast data speeds but over short distances as long as there were no walls or other obstacles in the way.
Montojo-Bennassar is confident that mmWave will be suitable for drone geofencing applications. “Millimeter wave, as long as there no obstruction, is great,” he said.
Analysts on 6G sensing
“Geofencing for drones is a great use case for sensing, and vendors and operators are working on this,” said Monica Paolini, principal at Senza Fili, noting that several operators and vendors are already working on this, although she said that she couldn't name any names.
"More generally, you can think of sensing as a technology that allows any device with connectivity to have environmental awareness, thus greatly increasing the value of connectivity. Once available, we will gradually figure out how to leverage sensing, but it is a huge opportunity,” she added.
J.Gold Associates analyst Jack Gold is a little bit more circumspect about drone geofencing. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see that application of 6G, but it’s not clear that drones will be the premiere case,” he told Fierce in an email.