uAvionix bags FAA contract to ensure conflict-free BVLOS drone comms

Montana-based avionics solutions provider uAvionix says it has been awarded a contract by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to scale C-Band frequency management for regional drone communications. The initiative will enable multiple drones from different manufacturers to operate near each other while maintaining reliable and deconflicted command and control (C2) within the limited range of spectrum available for low-altitude operations.

Right now, when drones want to use certain radio frequencies for controlling their flight (like the C-Band), they usually need special permission from both the FAA and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Because it’s so tough to get this permission, many drone flights just use radio frequencies that don’t need permission (called unlicensed spectrum), especially those in the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band. But this can cause problems because there are often a lot of other signals in those bands that can mess up the drone’s signals, making it harder to control and less reliable.

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The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 asked the FAA and FCC to look at different ways to use radio frequencies for controlling drones. They decided it was a good idea to use a specific range of frequencies called the C-Band. But, they need to manage this limited range carefully to make sure it’s shared fairly among all the drones flying in the same area.

“With the potential of hundreds, if not thousands, of drones being employed in a region for everything from medical delivery and first response to consumer services, it is critical that the communications links with each aircraft are reliable and do not suffer performance issues because of interference or congestion,” says Cyriel Kronenburg of uAvionix. “Unlicensed spectrum has high levels of interference, so licensed spectrum is the answer, but licensed spectrum is limited and today we control its use by assigning it to aircraft through a lengthy, manual process and that simply won’t scale.”

uAvionix has already demonstrated to the FAA how its Dynamic Frequency Management System (DFMS) for drones can leverage the protected C-Band spectrum. The new contract will see the company showcase how DFMS can be used on a broader level, especially beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), to manage drone frequencies in a way that follows the rules and promotes companies building communication systems for drones.

The demo will show how companies can share frequencies in a special part of the airwaves called the C-Band among multiple drones flying close to each other. They’ll use the SkyLine Platform to do this. By doing so, they’ll make sure that each drone gets its own clear frequency at the right time, which will keep their communication smooth and reliable during every flight.

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