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StatusOngoing
The Connectivity for Remote Orkney Future Transport (CROFT) project aims to test and demonstrate how 5G technologies can enable rural drone operations to improve connectivity in Orkney, one of the most isolated and remote parts of the UK.
The 22-month project will focus on the development of Sky5, a 5G-enabled drone service. This solution will allow for the low-latency, high-density communication and coverage that is required by uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). The project will also define the functional and performance requirements needed to develop scalable, 5G drone deliveries in harsh, rural environments. CROFT will highlight how innovation-led services can bring tangible, positive benefits to remote, isolated communities like those found in Orkney.
The project brings together Skyports Drone Services Skyports, Satellite Applications Catapult, Stratospheric Platforms (UK) Limited, and Cranfield University.
One of the most pressing challenges facing remote, rural, and island communities is the lack of reliable connectivity. These areas often suffer from limited or non-existent access to high-speed mobile networks due to the high cost and complexity of deploying traditional infrastructure. This digital divide impacts everything from postal and healthcare services to emergency response and everyday communications. The Sky5 service aims to address:
- Poor connectivity in remote areas: Remote, island, and rural communities often lack reliable 4G/5G networks due to high infrastructure costs and difficult terrain.
- Limited access to services: Poor connectivity affects postal deliveries, healthcare logistics, and emergency services in underserved areas.
- Need for reliable drone communication: UAVs require constant, low-latency communication for safe operation, which current networks in remote areas can’t guarantee.
- Lack of real-time situational awareness: Without strong connectivity, it's difficult to relay live video, telemetry, and environmental data needed for safe drone flights.
- No resilience in current network setups: A single network failure (e.g. 5G or 4G) can cause full connectivity loss. Sky5 addresses this with multi-network redundancy (5G, 4G, SATCOM)
- Dependence on fibre backhaul: Many remote locations may not have access fibre networks. The Sky5 assesses the uses space-enabled tech and High Altitude Platforms (HAPs) to provide backhaul alternatives.
The aim of the project is to design, develop, and verify a 5G-enabled, space-supported uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) delivery service called Sky5. This service aims to operate safely, securely, and reliably in remote, rural, and island communities. The project seeks to address service challenges in these hard-to-reach areas by establishing a resilient, high-performance connectivity infrastructure using a combination of 5G, satellite communications, and future technologies like high-altitude platforms (HAPs).
The 5G-enabled delivery solution also known as the Sky5 service will be developed in a way that it can be re-used as part of a large-scale service deployment and rollout and can be readily re-purposed for other use cases such as medical deliveries between healthcare settings or as part of an emergency response delivering long-term value.
The overarching solution is comprised of:
- Unscrewed Aerial Vehicle: an airframe sourced for the project to allow an everyday drone delivery service
- 5G-enabled remote operations centre (ROC): a centralised operational centre where the UAV is monitored and controlled enabling safe and secure drone operations
- 5G satellite backhaul: to provide IP-based seamless 5G connectivity with a focus on low latency delivery
- Standalone 5G network: a provision of private 5G core as port of a multi-tenant platform
- Multi-access edge compute: supports low-latency, local data processing by assessing the benefits of edge deployment within the space-enabled 5G-connected solution to improve performance and responsiveness of the situational awareness platform.
- High-altitude platform station (HAPS) enabled 5G: a case study examining the operation of a Stratomast High Altitude Platform to provide a Stratospheric Network of Network creating wide area 5G coverage
The project lifecycle consists of five major milestones, each with its associated deliverables:
- Development of a user needs matrix, service and performance requirements, and system functional specifications.
- Completion of a UAV feasibility study.
- Design of the UAV drone delivery service, including high-level system architecture.
- Execution of an industrialised end-to-end system integration in Orkney, alongside a technology exploitation plan.
- Delivery of an installation and commissioning report, along with a flight trials and service operations report.
The consortium simulated scenarios to determine optimal areas to deploy the 5G masts within Stromness, Graemsay, and Hoy. SAC has determined Hoy to be the preferred scenario based on approved landowner permissions. Skyports has been engaged in ongoing discussions with Royal Mail to establish a seamless logistics network, including training Royal Mail staff as hub operators and visual observers.
