A prototype drone service that can extend airborne 4G and 5G mobile connectivity to mountain areas lacking conventional network coverage is undergoing trials in Snowdonia. The technology, being developed with Virgin Media O2 and the Llanbedr-based Snowdonia Aerospace Centre, is intended to be an aid to safety in the hills, making it easier for those in need of assistance to contact emergency services, and smoothing logistics for rescue teams.

Mountain Rescue services are reliant on receiving 999 calls. However, as any hill-goer knows, mobile connection in hilly terrain may be unreliable or non-existent, making it hard to place an emergency call and affecting the geographical location data that rescuers might ideally use to help pinpoint those in need of help.

The trial aims to solve these challenges by providing a standalone drone-mounted airborne 5G NR (New Radio) network, which will enable the delivery of coverage to not-spots in remote areas and retain geographical location data for calls. Going beyond purely voice calls, the next-gen connectivity will enable picture sharing and video calling that could in some instances help rescuers guide lost parties home without necessarily needing to send personnel to physically attend, potentially saving hard-pressed teams valuable time and resources.

"This trial could transform how emergency services operate and react to life-threatening situations, and make people feel safer while enjoying national parks" said Kirsty Bright, Director of Network Innovation and Transformation at Virgin Media O2.

"We've already run our first successful test flights at the Llanbedr airport with the Snowdonia Aerospace team and look forward to demonstrating how it can support mountain rescue teams across Snowdonia."

With a wingspan of around 7m, the 'Dragon' drone should be able to circle an area for four or five hours, and it's hoped flight time will eventually be pushed to 12 hours or more.

Paul Terry, a Police Sergeant in the North Wales Police Drone Unit and Mountain Rescue volunteer, said: "Mountain Rescue is a volunteer service and there is only so much resource we have available to us. With more and more people visiting Snowdonia each year, a drone with mobile connectivity would be a powerful tool for the search and rescue teams to understand and assess a situation immediately, saving crucial time in life-threatening situations."

Funded to date by the Innovate UK Future Flight Challenge and a Department for Transport Drone Technology Research and Innovation Grant, the project involves Virgin Media O2, Snowdonia Aerospace, SwiftFlight Avionics, Wavemobile, and the Welsh Government.