SUCOM (cellular protocol for cargo drones)

2023: Creating a cellular protocol for cargo drones

On February 1, 2023, the Fraunhofer Telecommunications Institute in Germany announced the development of a new cellular communication protocol for cargo unmanned aerial vehicles. The technology is called SUCOM.

It is noted that when flying drones over long distances, the use of traditional mobile communications for exchanging data with a control and monitoring point can be fraught with a number of problems. These are connection breaks when switching between different cellular towers, unstable channel capacity, etc.

New cellular protocol for cargo drones developed

Conventional remote control systems are not suitable for long-range operations due to their limited range. At the same time, traditional mobile radio communications cannot guarantee a reliable connection in case of heavy network load or lack of high-quality coverage. However, in order to meet high security requirements, each drone must have an effective communication system for transmitting data about its location, - say the participants in the SUCOM project.

The new protocol allows drones to maintain a connection to an operator through cellular networks, even if the data rate fluctuates. Thus, important information, such as flight direction, altitude, speed and coordinates, is transmitted in GPS real time and without failures to the control room. The proposed communication solution is based on components optimized for the specifics of use. Modern/4x4 4G5G MIMO modems are used. The MAVLink protocol is used, optimized for use in cellular networks.

We equipped the drone with a conventional LTE system and our SUCOM module with new communication protocols. While the connection that used the standard module was cut off, the SUCOM system made it possible to maintain a stable connection, says Tom Piechotta of the Fraunhofer Telecommunications Institute.[1]

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