ASX-listed drone connectivity solutions provider Elsight has unveiled a worldwide version of its Halo drone communications system, which, it claims, will allow operators to fly anywhere in the world without the need for equipment changes to accommodate different cellular systems.
Elsight CEO Yoav Amitai said the release of the universal Halo communications modem would advance the drone industry, improve efficiency, and cut costs, with operators now able to fly in different jurisdictions without having to change modems.
Amitai said prior to the launch, several of the company’s customers who work throughout various continents “brought this need to our attention.”
The worldwide version will see customers “not having to replace the Halo modems each time they have flights over areas using different cellular communication providers,” saving time and investment.
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Elsight also gives drone operators the option of using a universal SIM card rather than country-specific SIM cards.
This will allow Australian drone companies to operate in Asia, Europe, or the US and fly drones in these jurisdictions using the same modems.
Elsight said the increased demand for universal SIM cards will benefit its supply chains and reduce production costs.
“Our Halo’s value is gaining significant traction in many vertical markets around the world. One recent example occurred during the widespread outage by Australian service provider Optus, when the Sphere Drones empowered by our Halo’s connectivity maintained their flight path continuously,” Amitai said.
Amitai is referring to the connection capabilities of Halo, which powered Sphere Drones’ Curo HubX (HubX) platform, enabling them to remain in the air despite the 8 November Optus outage.
CommsWire reported that the drones leveraged Elsight’s technology to switch carriers when Optus’ services failed, outsmarting the outage.
Halo works by aggregating all possible IP links including four cellular SIM cards, and others including satellite links where necessary, to one bonded link. It provides operational certainty because of its connectivity redundancies, the report said.
Amitai said the new worldwide Halo would retain its low weight, power and size for optimised SWaP and portability.
Elsight’s Halo creates a single bonded tunnel of the available multi-links from LTE, 5G, SatCom and RF links to assure continuous uptime and connection between a drone (UAV or UAS) and the ground control stations.
In stationary, portable, or mobile positions, the Halo can hold up to 4LTE/5G modems and optionally RF and SAT links via an ETH/UART port.
The launch of the worldwide version has prompted a significant increase in Halo orders, Elsight said.
In December, Elsight reported that it had received more than US$350,000 ($533,000) in orders for Halo units from new and existing Design-Win partners, including DroneUp, a drone company based in the United States, which conducts deliveries for retail giant Walmart.
This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 19 January 2024.