EDMONTON – Alberta drone tech startup AirMarket and Telus today announced a new strategic alliance.
The two companies signed a letter of intent which will see them work together will aim to accelerate development and deployment of unmanned traffic management services for the global drone market, says the press release. Both want to deliver a telecom control framework which can safely integrate drones into Canadian airspace.
“As the use of drones continues to grow in popularity and more applications are developed for their use, it is crucial that UTM (unmanned traffic management) rapidly evolves to address new, complex air traffic situations. While basic systems are available today, such as the utmOSphere solution marketed by AirMarket, which is currently deployed in New Zealand, Italy and Dubai, this alliance between AirMarket and Telus aims to build solutions that will help to shape the future of this burgeoning space,” reads the release.
“Canada is poised to move beyond visual line of sight operations” said Lindsay Mohr, CEO of AirMarket. “There are numerous commercial and industrial opportunities for drone use, and unmanned traffic management systems are key to unlocking this potential.”
“As UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) require a fast and reliable wireless connection, it is vital that telecommunications companies play a major role in developing and implementing UTM systems, so we are excited to be working with AirMarket to address the needs of this growing market,” added Telus CTO Ibrahim Gedeon, in the release.
The two companies are working closely with the Canadian airspace management and regulatory bodies, NAV Canada and Transport Canada, to assist in developing the necessary policies, rules and regulations to ensure that drones can safely fly within Canada’s airspace.
