Verizon Uses UAS to Monitor Cell Sites in Carolinas After Hurricane Matthew
Verizon used a quadcopter UAS to monitor the status of cell sites in North Carolina and South Carolina after Hurricane Matthew hit both states.
The quadcopter, which was operated by Measure UAS Inc., was able to provide updates on cell sites, and gave Verizon the opportunity to send members of its Network team out to refuel a generator that went down near Elm City, North Carolina.
“We understand how vital wireless communication is to connect with loved ones, reach out for help and start the long process of recovery during and after an event like Hurricane Matthew,” said Nicki Palmer, chief network officer, via a company issued press release. “While we were able to access most sites quickly to assess damage, some sites were not accessible to us due to extreme flooding.”
This wasn’t the first time that Verizon has enlisted UAS to help monitor sites. Earlier this year, it used an unmanned system to conduct trial inspections of cell sites in New Jersey. Last week, Verizon conducted the first trial of its Airborne LTE Operations during an emergency management and disaster recovery exercise in Cape May, New Jersey.
For Palmer, having this technology at Verizon’s disposal will help keep the company, and its customers, satisfied even when difficult scenarios arise.
“We are very pleased that we now have this new tool to add to our already extensive list of preparatory and recovery efforts to help inspect our network assets and expedite recovery time,” she said.
Video footage from the inspection can be seen here.
