PORTLAND, Ore. Skyward, a Verizon company, and UPS Flight Forward today announced joint efforts to deliver retail products with drones connected to Verizon 4G LTE, as well as 5G testing and integration before delivery. The companies aim to deliver retail products via connected drones at The Villages in Florida.
“We need the ability to manage and support multiple drones, flying simultaneously, shipped from a central location, operating in a safe and secure environment. To do this on a large scale, we need the power of 5G in addition to Verizon and Skyward, ”said Carol B. Tomé, CEO of UPS.
“We are only now starting to see how the power of 5G Ultra Wideband will change the way businesses operate,” said Rima Qureshi, Chief Strategy Officer at Verizon. “By partnering with UPS and other innovative companies, we can learn from each other’s expertise and work together to create solutions that move the world forward.”
In 2020, Verizon, UPS Flight Forward and Skyward began testing 4G LTE in delivery drones to demonstrate cellular reliability and performance at altitude.
“The low latency of 5G and edge computing is ideal for monitoring air traffic in and out of a busy logistics hub, especially those with mixed fleets of autonomous vehicles such as drones, trucks and airplanes,” said Mariah Scott, Skyward President. “This year, we will further develop our partnership with UPS by testing 5G Ultra Wideband integrations to connect the sky.”
UPS has conducted more than 3,800 successful drone delivery flights since the establishment of UPS Flight Forward, its drone delivery company, certified by the Federal Aviation Administration in 2019. But in 2020, drone delivery emerged as much more than fast delivery of essential health items – During the global pandemic, it provided high-risk seniors with a quick and contactless delivery option to stay healthy at home.
“With Verizon’s 5G and Skyward, we can transform the delivery experience – more personalized, more on-demand, and with the same security, efficiency and reliability that our customers trust today.” said Bala Ganesh, vice president, Advanced Technology Group at UPS.