Deutsche Telekom is implementing a campus network in the port of Hamburg so HHLA Sky can control and monitor a fleet of industrial drones from a single control centre.

The flying robots inspect container gantry cranes and asphalt surfaces to increase safety on the port site. This saves time compared with previous inspection procedures. In addition, the drones transmit sensor and flight data via the campus network.

“At the port of Hamburg, we are demonstrating how well the internet of things harmonises with the most advanced logistics,” said Hagen Rickmann, responsible for business customers at Deutsche Telekom. “In HHLA Sky we have found a partner with whom we are jointly developing our product. Smooth logistics are of particular importance right now. With our innovations, we are making an important contribution to this.”

With the joint project, the partners are pursuing the goal of learning more about the special requirements of automated flying robots for mobile communications. The drones climb to heights of up to 100m and cover long distances.

As part of a development partnership, a technical team wants to conduct research at a second HHLA Sky site in North Rhine-Westphalia. For this purpose, Deutsche Telekom has expanded the campus network in Hamburg to include this additional site.

The industrial drones are automated on the move. They fly through several container terminals in the port. HHLA Sky uses them for various applications, including inspection flights, which replace time-consuming tours and deployments of industrial climbers, reducing long waiting times. The flight area covers more than three square kilometres. It is crisscrossed by several waterways, wind turbines and a motorway bridge.

“With the campus network, we can control almost any number of drones even more safely through a sensitive area,” said Matthias Gronstedt, managing director of HHLA Sky. “In addition, together with Telekom, we can develop the entire system, that is drone and control centre, much faster. Controlling a fleet of industrial drones is demanding. For this we need continuous network coverage, high availability, guaranteed bandwidth and low latency. The campus network, soon with 5G, forms the basis for this.”

The drones transmit all data packets using LTE. The mobile communications standard 5G will offer even more advantages in the future, such as greater bandwidths and higher network capacity. This requires space-saving radio modules for the drones, which Deutsche Telekom is developing.

With the help of the drones, technicians assess the condition of cranes, loading machines and traffic areas from a distance. During the flight, the drones need a constant, encrypted data connection. For example, they transmit a live video image in HD quality. In addition, drones and the control centre exchange control signals. HHLA Sky thus monitors all the drones’ movements simultaneously and centrally.

For a safe flight, it is necessary that the control centre always tracks the device status of the drones. This applies to temperature, charging status or motor data. This results in a requirement that the network technology must be reliable for flight operations beyond the pilot’s line of sight.

Deutsche Telekom’s campus networks are available in different levels. Each level enables services adapted to customers. An M campus network uses the existing public network supply of a company site. If required, DT installs additional antennas. A data stream-specific prioritisation in the radio network ensures the reliable transmission of data at higher network use.

HHLA Sky offers a platform for the fleet operation of unmanned aerial systems. The company can control up to 100 drones from a single control centre. It also uses its drones to monitor infrastructure. The aircraft are also used in intra-logistics with additional sensors, for example infra-red cameras for thermal analyses. And the drones are suitable for transporting small packages or documents.

HHLA Sky is a subsidiary of Hamburger Hafen & Logistik. HHLA operates three container terminals and other handling facilities in Hamburg. Hamburg has the third largest container port in Europe. It is considered one of the most important hubs for freight transport.