Samsung Electronics, on Tuesday, conducted a successful presentation of its new antenna alignment measurement solution using an AI-based drone for fourth (4G) and fifth-generation (5G) networks on the company grounds. The automated solution would provide operators an easier way to manage cell sites efficiently. It would also upgrade employee safety and eventually boost network performance.
During the demonstration, an engineer on the ground used a smartphone to control a drone flying over the building’s rooftop. The drone captured photos of antennas on the roof while being viewed by the engineer with the smartphone and immediately sent it to a cloud server.
The AI-based drone solution enabled the engineer to assess the rotation and angle of the antennas quickly. The engineers could verify at once if the antennas were correctly installed.
The demonstration took only a minute to transmit data and process results in real-time through the engineer’s smartphone screen. The complete process would only take about 15 minutes to produce measurement results.
Samsung would further add other modifications to allow the engineers to distantly correct and adjust antennas in their best position from a mobile phone and a PC.
Upgrading Safety for Network Maintenance
Cell sites located at significant heights often require regular maintenance from engineers. The engineers usually carry heavy equipment along to check and measure the antenna configurations, compromising the engineers’ safety. The use of drone-based AI solutions could help boost the security and safety of Samsung’s employees.
The solution would also benefit site audit and maintenance procedures in the US, where safety would be a significant concern. The process usually entails two field workers to carry out the tasks which required advance safety know-how in climbing.
Sohyong Chong, Samsung Electronics’ Vice President and Head of Network Automation, stated that the demand for AI-based solutions for site maintenance increased growing emphasis on operators’ network performance. The solution would offer a cost-effective and safer approach to satisfy market demands as 5G network sites expand.
Samsung pioneered the provision of 5G end-to-end solutions consisting of a chipset, radio and core network, a cloud platform for mmWave (28GHz/39GHz), and mid-band (2.5GHz/3.5GHz) frequencies.
The company actively supported 5G commercial services in leading markets like the US, Korea, and Japan.
