Drones and aerial vehicles are no longer a future prospect. From delivery services and public safety operations to the prospect of VIP transport at major international events, the sky is getting busier. And where there is activity in the air, there is a need for spectrum.
This event brings together industry, operators and policymakers to map the spectrum landscape for drones and connected aerial systems, and to explore what needs to happen next.
Agenda
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Time Slot |
Agenda Item |
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10:00-10:05 |
Welcome from Prof. Robert Stewart, UK SPF Cluster 2 and Univ. of Strathclyde |
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10:05-12:25 |
Presentations from speakers:
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12:25-12:55 |
Q&A and open discussion |
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12:55-13:00 |
AOB and Close |
What we'll cover
- The spectrum requirements for drones and aerial vehicles across a range of RF frequency bands, from UHF at 400 MHz through low and mid-band spectrum at 4GHz, and indeed higher.
- The growing matrix of airborne connectivity: flying UEs, tethered and untethered gNBs / base-stations, stratospheric platforms operating as gNBs, and more.
- Real-world use cases, including logistics and delivery, public protection and disaster relief (PPDR), large-scale event applications such as live event cameras.
- The spectrum sharing and licensing dimension- why "sharing" can mean very different things depending on context and service intended.
- Safety, spectral interference and
Why this matters
The UK's airspace is evolving quickly, and the spectrum underpinning it is central to whether that evolution is safe, efficient and commercially viable. techUK's Emerging Technology and Innovation programme is convening this conversation to ensure industry voices shape the policy and technical decisions ahead.
This is an open and participatory session. Whether you work in spectrum policy, drone operations, connectivity infrastructure, or adjacent sectors, we want to hear from you about where your interests lie.
Tales Gaspar
Tales has a background in law and economics, with previous experience in the regulation of new technologies and infrastructure.
Sophie Greaves
Sophie Greaves is Associate Director for Digital Infrastructure at techUK, overseeing the Telecoms Programme, the Data Centres Programme, and the UK Spectrum Policy Forum.