South Korea's second-largest mobile operator, Korea Telecom (KT) Corp. announced on Oct. 26 that it has showcased an unmanned blimp with 5G technology on the sidelines of the ongoing India Mobile Congress (IMC), Yonhap news agency reported.
The Korean telco said the blimp, called Skyship, features 5G customer premises equipment (CPE) manufactured by South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics and an advanced high-resolution camera that can capture pictures and videos in 360 degrees.
During the India Mobile Congress
Korean telco showcases an unmanned blimp with 5G technology
Videos captured by the blimp were transmitted in real time over a 5G network to a large-sized monitor at Samsung Electronics' booth during IMC 2018 in New Delhi.
"Skyship is a unique solution that integrates Korea Telecom's network infrastructure and ICT," said Oh Seong-mok, president of network business at Korea Telecom, "and Korea Telecom intends to expand the application of Skyship to different areas."
The blimp will also scan LTE and 5G mobile signals and synchronize them with the telco's data to provide names, ages and other personal information of rescuers.
KT said it would later add medical records so hospitals and emergency responders can immediately identify the blood type and pre-existing conditions of survivors. Once the blimp picks up a signal from a survivor, the trunk will open up to deploy small drones capable of delivering emergency equipment and supplies, and it will also launch small robots at survivors on the ground.
In June, South Korea's Telecom Corp. used the Skyship, which carries the Emergency Services Network platform, to conduct search-and-rescue operations. Once the skyship captured signals from survivors, the platform sent small drones ahead to deliver emergency kits and supplies before rescuers arrived.
The company will standardize hardware requirements, such as network modules and cameras, to allow for third-party development.KT said it will expand the availability of services that take advantage of its 5G network, which will be commercially available next year.