Unmanned helicopter conducted remote monitoring of the A1 energy-efficient base station

A1 used an unmanned helicopter to monitor a base station remotely. The data transmitted from the drone via A1's mobile network helped to create a detailed 3D model of the facility to assess the condition of the radio equipment installed on it and the structure itself. In the future, the company plans to make such studies a permanent part of monitoring the technical condition of its network.

The pilot project involved a Heli-E unmanned helicopter of aOrion (Alpha Orion company) with an ultra-high-definition video camera. All images were transmitted online to the engineers.

The base station, for the survey of which the drone was used, is located in the village of Podygrushye, Smolevichi district. The drone itself was launched from the outskirts of the town of Smolevichi. It covered a distance of about 7 km and rose to an altitude of 39 m to make a detailed model of the station and transmit the data to the experts of A1 technical unit. The maximum distance that such a helicopter can fly in one go is about 80 km.

Due to detailed interactive survey A1 specialists were able to conduct a visual inspection of the installed equipment, metal constructions, foundation piers, fencing, site territory as well as to estimate the parameters of the antenna-feeder path – antennas and radio relay lines, including their inclination, direction of radiation, etc. without visiting the site.

It is expected that in the near future the use of unmanned helicopters for remote monitoring of the technical condition of infrastructure facilities will become part of the company's daily practice. The data obtained will help detect deviations in the operation of base stations in a timely manner and make prompt decisions on the need for their maintenance to maintain high-quality operation of the A1 network.

The use of unmanned devices is particularly effective for monitoring the condition of facilities located in hard-to-reach or remote areas. A1 engineers will no longer have to travel by car to visually inspect such stations, as this work will be undertaken by a drone controlled via a mobile network. This will allow the company not only to save time and money, but also to achieve a reduced carbon footprint in its operations.

We remind you that previously, for this purpose, the company implemented a large-scale project to replace the technologically obsolete power supply installations of base stations with more modern analogs with low power consumption. In conjunction with other solutions (such as shutting down elements of network equipment during periods of minimum load and optimizing the mode of operation of air conditioning systems in base station equipment containers) this makes it possible to achieve an energy-efficient mode of operation of the A1 network without compromising customer service.