In 2015, the Chinese drone market saw sales of nearly 100,000 units, with a market size of around 300 million yuan. By 2016, the number had jumped to 390,000, and by 2019, it was expected to surpass 3 million. While the rapid growth of the UAV industry has created new opportunities, it has also brought challenges, particularly due to the lack of effective regulatory frameworks. This has led to an awkward situation where innovation is hindered by oversight issues.
Recently, the first “Low-Altitude Digital Application Innovation Base†was launched in Shanghai, a collaboration between China Mobile’s 5G Joint Innovation Center, the Shanghai General Aviation Industry Alliance, and Huawei WirelessXLabs. This initiative aims to accelerate the exploration of drone regulation and application innovation, providing a strong platform for future development.
According to Huang Yuhong, vice president of China Mobile Research Institute, connecting drones to low-altitude mobile networks can enable better supervision, standardized flight paths, and improved efficiency. This will help optimize airspace usage and unlock significant economic value. He emphasized that drone access to cellular networks not only enhances control but also accelerates the development of new applications.
Looking ahead, consumer drones are expected to reach 16 million units by 2020, creating a global network of tens of millions of drones. These unmanned systems will provide continuous services for aerial photography, delivery, surveying, and more, forming a dynamic "Network Sky."
The challenge of drone regulation remains urgent. The Civil Aviation Administration of China and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology have started classifying drones based on their size and implementing different regulatory requirements. For instance, drones over 1.5 kg must connect to one of four designated cloud service providers, allowing tracking of flight paths and ensuring compliance with safety standards.
Chen Guangcheng from the Civil Aviation Administration highlighted that a one-size-fits-all approach to drone restrictions isn’t effective. Instead, the government is focusing on top-level design through the “Low-Altitude Digital Application Innovation Base,†which explores how drones can integrate with the cellular internet of things. This base, located near Pudong Airport, provides a real-world environment to test how low-altitude flights can coexist safely with commercial aviation.
Wang Yufeng from Huawei WirelessXLabs noted that if this base demonstrates the harmony between drones and traditional aircraft, it could serve as a model for future drone integration. He stressed that while security concerns remain, practical demonstrations are essential to proving that these challenges can be addressed.
The innovation base is building a 4G+5G network to support advanced digital applications at low altitudes. Transitioning from 4G to 5G brings improvements in bandwidth and latency, enabling more precise drone control. As Huang Yuhong explained, drones are not just flying devices—they carry a wide range of applications, from AR/VR experiences to wildfire detection and snow monitoring.
Wang Yufeng added that the real potential of 5G lies in its ability to evolve from 4G. Just as smartphones transformed with 3G, 5G will unlock new possibilities for drones. Companies like Yihang Intelligent and Youyun showcased various innovations during the base’s launch, including logistics delivery, thermal imaging, laser mapping, and solar-powered drones.
The long-term vision of the innovation base is to digitize low-altitude airspace globally, enabling ultra-wideband connections, precision control, spatial positioning, and high-precision timing. This will allow seamless coordination among flying robots, transforming the way we manage airspace.
In the short term, the base aims to help the drone industry achieve faster networking and gain new capabilities. Enterprises can leverage this platform to create a virtuous cycle of innovation. Wang Yufeng described a future where drones are connected to AI and cloud platforms, enabling efficient management of the physical world. With proper planning and automation, the skies will become a more accessible and intelligent space.
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