AT&T Hopes to Use Drones to Boost Your LTE Signal at Concerts

Ever get terrible cell service at a concert, or a sports game? Well, AT&T wants to fix that — with drones.

The cell service provider said it is currently planning and testing a way to provide customers at packed venues with increased LTE service by using a drone that is tethered to the ground, according to MarketWatch.

John Donovan, Chief Strategy Officer at AT&T, noted that this isn’t quite a reality yet, but added that his company is working on it.

“That’s why for the past year we’ve been exploring and testing different ways drones can benefit our customers,” Donovan wrote in a July 13 blog post.

In the same blog post, the company said it is launching the trial phase of their “national drone program” this week.

Many cellular companies already provide additional LTE service at packed venues and large events with trucks sporting signal boosters. But the advantage of drones is that they can be deployed quickly and reach areas not accessible to ground vehicles, The Verge reports.

Besides providing additional LTE coverage, the cell service provider is also planning on utilizing drones to “perform aerial inspections of our cell towers” — which it says it will demo at the SHAPE Tech Expo in San Francisco later this week.

Although drone inspectors could be a quicker and safer method of inspecting cell service towers, actual human beings would still be required to perform repairs, according to The Verge.

The trial phase is being led by AT&T’s National Mobility Director Art Pregler, who has “extensive experience” in the US Air Force, according to the company.

Additionally, Donovan wrote that drones could be used for other purposes, such as sending significant amounts of LTE data in real-time.

“We’re moving toward the future by pushing the envelope on what’s technologically possible for drones,” Donovan wrote.