Samsung has conducted demonstration of its drone-based antenna configuration measurement solution for 4G and 5G networks in its campus.
The automated solution will assist telecom engineers at mobile operators to efficiently manage cell sites, improve safety of employee, and optimize network performance, Samsung said.

An engineer on the ground used a smartphone with a remote control application to fly a camera-equipped drone that captured photos of the antennas installed on a building’s rooftop. The visual data was viewable via the engineer’s smartphone and then was transmitted to a cloud server within seconds.

The deep learning-based artificial intelligence (AI) solution instantly verified the rotation and tilt of the antennas, so that the engineers could determine if the antennas were installed correctly at predefined optimal angles.

It took less than a minute to transmit the data and process the results, enabling the engineer to view results on-site in real-time on the smartphone screen. The demo verified that Samsung’s solution can accomplish the task within 15 minutes – starting from flying the drone to the delivery of measurement results.

Operator field engineers install cellular antennas at significant heights on sites such as cell towers or rooftops, in order to ensure optimal mobile coverage. Operator field engineers carry heavy and expensive equipment as they climb up cell sites to measure the antenna configurations. Engineers can use Samsung’s drone-based AI solution to ensure safety and efficiency.

The solution’s safety benefits will be especially helpful during site audit and maintenance in the U.S., which often requires two field personnel to be dispatched to a site to audit or adjust the antenna angles — and requires climbs that use more advanced safety training.

“As the number of 5G network sites grows, we are seeing an increased market demand for intelligent solutions for site maintenance to ensure network performance,” said Sohyong Chong, head of Network Automation, Networks Business at Samsung Electronics.

Samsung Networks delivers 5G solutions ranging from chipset, radio and core network to cloud platform for both mid-band (2.5GHz/3.5GHz) and mmWave (28GHz/39GHz) frequencies.

The company has won 5G network deals in leading markets, including Korea, U.S. and more recently Japan.