5G Autonomous Drones
This project showcases the use of 5G drones both indoors (warehouse stock management) and outdoors (surveillance). It is a real life scenario for demonstrating the benefits of 5G, such as low latency communication across fleets of drones and high bandwidth data transfers in the form of real-time video and AI/analytics.

Telefónica

Unmanned Life
Overview
The project consists of deploying Unmanned Life’s orchestration platform for autonomous devices (AGV, drones, robots) via drone demo kits on the MobiledgeX Telco Edge Cloud platform deployed at Telefónica in Spain.
Unmanned Life offers a software platform for integration and orchestration of different types of robots, enabling them as autonomous work forces across different use cases such as: Logistics, Industrial Surveillance, Smart Factories, Inspections & Maintenance, Surveillance, Emergency Response Operations, Public Infrastructure Inspection, Urban Traffic and Crowd Monitoring.
The project demonstrates value-add through higher quality, round-the clock inspections, as well as cost savings in equipment and menial labour hours in both use cases, and the flexibility of the solution allows a global reach across all of industry 4.0 and smart city sectors, as once the setup is applied, it is easily transferrable across any area via a simple, central interface.
Stage 1: Indoor Scenario (Warehouse Stock Management)
Most warehouses perform inventory and stock management twice a year. Generally, it involves several employees occupied for quite some time, with some level of safety concerns and it can be quite costly. Introducing autonomous vehicles, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in this specific example, help to overcome those issues.
Stage 2: Outdoor Scenario (Surveillance)
For any organisation with property and land, drones could soon become essential tools. Equipped with video cameras, drones can quickly and efficiently perform a wide range of tasks, such as inspecting damage and checking for security breaches.
Project News
The GSMA Foundry: a unique environment where new opportunities are created across the mobile industry
Monday 21 March, 2022 | 5G Autonomous Drones | 5G Transformation Hub | AONS | News | TEC Trials
The GSMA Foundry is all about solving the most pressing challenges of the day in connected technology – a forum where organisations of all sizes can come together to pioneer new approaches and make lasting contributions to the industry. At MWC Barcelona 2022 I was ...
The GSMA Foundry and 5G Autonomous Drones: efficient inventory management and surveillance inspections
Thursday 3 February, 2022 | 5G Autonomous Drones | News
The GSMA Foundry is an exciting new forum for pioneers, thought leaders and problem solvers in the mobile industry – using the GSMA’s global reach and convening power to unify the ecosystem and shape the future of connectivity, through the sharing of expertise and the ...
Project Resources
GSMA Foundry Partner Spotlight – Unmanned Life
Wednesday 5 Apr 2023 | 5G Autonomous Drones | Interview | Video |
At MWC Barcelona 2023 we caught up with GSMA Foundry partners Unmanned Life to find out how 2023 is going for them, and what’s next!
GSMA Foundry Innovator Spotlight: Jorge Muñoz, Unmanned Life
Tuesday 28 Mar 2023 | 5G Autonomous Drones | Innovator Spotlight | Interview |
We caught up with Jorge Muñoz, VP Business and Marketing at Unmanned Life to hear all about their innovative GSMA Foundry Project 5G Autonomous Drones delivered in partnership with Telefonica.
GSMA Foundry Testimonial: Kim Clement, CTO, Unmanned Life
Monday 12 Dec 2022 | 5G Autonomous Drones | Interview | Video |
At MWC Barcelona 2022, Kim Clement, CTO, Unmanned Life tells us about the 5G Autonomous Drones project his company is working on with Telefonica, the importance of collaboration on these types of projects, and the role of the GSMA Foundry.
Digital Eyes in the Sky
Tuesday 24 May 2022 | 5G Autonomous Drones | Case Study |
Telefónica and Unmanned Life are demonstrating how swarms of 5G-connected drones can transform surveillance.
GSMA Foundry Experts at MWC Barcelona 2022
Thursday 12 May 2022 | 5G Autonomous Drones | 5G Transformation Hub | Always-on Network Service | Interview | Video |
At MWC Barcelona 2022 we interviewed experts from three of the latest Foundry projects to tell you about their experiences.
Rising to the Connectivity Challenge
Monday 7 Mar 2022 | 5G Autonomous Drones | Case Study |
This trial by Telefónica and Unmanned Life, (part of the 5G Autonomous Drones Foundry Project), shows how 5G can enable autonomous drones to operate safely and efficiently.