Traffic management firm Altitude Angel wants to create a drone superhighway that would be the largest and longest network of its kind in the world.
Its Unified Traffic Management (UTM) software has been designed to allow drones to fly safely, without a pilot, over large distances. The deal with BT will accelerate the roll-out of technology which detects and identifies drones to allow them to safely share the airspace with crewed aviation.
It is estimated that the UK’s drone cargo delivery could be worth £45bn by 2030 and enable drones to transform how essential services function – from supporting the emergency services with real-time search and rescue, fast transportation of medical supplies, farming analysis, and architectural planning.
The long-term aim of the project is to connect towns and cities, as well as transport and package delivery hubs across the country using the 165-mile long drone corridor spanning airspace above Reading, Oxford, Milton...