Home / BVLOS over 5G

BVLOS · 5G

Flying beyond sight

BVLOS lets one operator supervise many drones, reach the length of a pipeline or a delivery route, and get to an emergency before the patrol car. The question is whether the drone has a link you can trust.

Telem5G
100–300 mscommand round trip over 5G/4G
200–500 msvideo glass-to-glass
<5 slink back after a drop
2–5 kmrange, 50–100 sorties flown on 5G
Layered link: 5G and 4G to DroneAI C2 alongside the RC radio
A 5G/4G link to DroneAI C2 runs alongside the pilot's RC radio — no single point of failure.

The BVLOS problems

  • Single point of failure — if the only link drops, the drone returns home or flies on without control.
  • Line-of-sight dependence — buildings, trees, hills and the drone's own banking block the radio.
  • Ground-facing towers — up high, drones get weak side-lobe signal and interference from many towers.
  • Security — a drone that accepts internet connections can be attacked.
  • No shared picture — every drone has its own pilot and screen, and flight records go missing.

The 5G answer — five layers of link

  • 5G primary — video, telemetry and commands over existing networks below ~100 m.
  • Automatic 4G fallback — the session stays up when 5G fades.
  • Second operator — a second modem on a second network covers the gaps.
  • 2.4 GHz RC radio — kept as an independent backup.
  • Pre-set failsafe — continue, loiter then return home, or return home.

All traffic is authenticated and encrypted, and drones only make outbound connections.

8 use cases you can deploy today

Telem5G · Cube5G · EdgeAI5G · C2

Smart policing & drone first response

Drones launch from the station and stream video before the patrol car arrives; the district control room sees every flight, recorded for evidence.

Telem5G Duo · C2

Drone delivery & logistics

One operations room runs many routes, planned on coverage maps, with dual SIMs for long routes and live video to confirm each drop.

Telem5G · C2

Mining on private 5G

At the Amlohri coal mine (C-DAC private 5G), drones and trucks shared one network and one dashboard — pits and shadow zones covered, data kept on site.

Telem5G · C2

Live LiDAR mapping

Point clouds stream live, so gaps are spotted and re-flown on the spot — stockpiles, corridors, construction and disaster zones.

EdgeAI5G · Telem5G Duo · C2

Border & perimeter security

Patrols along long fences and borders beyond visual range, with geo-tagged AI alerts and a dual-operator link across coverage gaps.

Telem5G · EdgeAI5G · C2

Critical infrastructure patrols

Scheduled BVLOS patrols of pipelines, power lines, solar parks and plants — every patrol recorded and comparable over time.

Telem5G · EdgeAI5G · C2

Disaster response

After floods or earthquakes, drones search wide areas and feed the command centre live, with AI flagging people who need rescue.

Telem5G · Cube5G · EdgeAI5G · C2

Mixed fleets

Drones, rovers and trucks on one network and one map — the same link and the same operating picture.

Why DroneAI

Upgrade what you fly — don't replace it

The kit mounts beside the autopilot on one cable. Nothing is removed and nothing is retrained: the pilot keeps the radio, and the commander gets AI alerts and live video over 5G.

Keeps your fleetAny MAVLink drone (ArduPilot, PX4); closed commercial drones via EdgeAI at the ground station.
Non-Chinese, NDAA-compliant5G modem on n78 (3.3–3.8 GHz), separate from your 2.4/5.8 GHz RC bands.
Your data, your serversEncrypted tunnel, outbound connections only; host C2 and AI training on-prem.
Works when the link dropsAI keeps running on board; detections go through as small packets and the RC link stays as backup.

How we start

From a demo flight to a deployed unit

Start small on your own drones, prove it in your sector, then roll it out.

Step 1

5G flight demo

We fly a DroneAI-equipped drone over 5G with live video, AI detections and C2 on screen.

Step 2

Fit your drones

The kit goes on drones you already operate — telemetry, Ethernet, 5 V power and a SIM.

Step 3

Train on your targets

DroneAI Studio adds the classes your sector needs, from your own footage, on your servers.

Step 4

Deploy across units

Pilot, commander and headquarters on one C2 picture, with replay and reports for every sortie.

Proven in the field

Flown with defence, research and industry

Indian Army

Unit perimeter and ISR

Edge AI detection of persons and vehicles with geo-tagged alerts to the command post; every sortie saved and searchable.

C-DAC · private 5G

Amlohri coal mine

Drones and dumper trucks on one private 5G network and one dashboard — aerial video, LiDAR and truck telemetry together.

Events

IMC, GITEX, Drone Manthan

Live 5G flights and AI demos for forces, telecom operators and industry. See the events

Questions buyers ask

Before you decide

How fast is control over 5G?

Command round trip is 100–300 ms and video glass-to-glass is 200–500 ms. After a drop the link is back in under 5 seconds.

What range have you flown?

2–5 km, across 50–100 sorties flown on 5G.

What if there is no 5G where we fly?

The link falls back to 4G, a second modem on a second operator covers gaps (Telem5G Duo), and the RC radio stays as backup. Below ~100 m, where most security drones fly, existing 4G/5G networks give good coverage — or use private 5G.

Can someone hijack the drone over the network?

Drones accept no inbound connections: they only connect out, over an encrypted, authenticated tunnel to DroneAI C2.

Do we lose the pilot's radio?

No. The 2.4 GHz RC link stays with the pilot as an independent backup; 5G is added alongside it.

How do we start?

With a 5G flight demo, then a field trial on your own drones. Use the contact page or call +91 98866 91115.

Ready to make your fleet intelligent?

Tell us about your platform and mission — we'll show you the fastest path from prototype to deployment.