Matthew BoyleCitymesh is rapidly expanding its €10 million 5G drone network in Belgium, known as the Safety Drone Shield. This Drone Network for Public Safety (drone network-as-a-service) provides critical support to public safety and emergency services across 35 rescue zones. Partnering with Nokia, Citymesh currently operates 16 drone platforms with plans to scale up to 70 drones, supported by five rural operations centers and 40 pilots. These drones, which are deployed in under 90 seconds, help fire, police, and security services make more informed decisions through live-streamed footage, infrared and standard cameras, and 5G connectivity. Backed by a €3.6 million investment from the Belgian Federal Public Service (FPS), this initiative aims to increase safety response efficiency across the nation. Collaborations with Cegeka and Skeydrone support the network, while Citymesh’s Safety Drone Shield service is already being used for emergency training and evaluations. Launched in 2018, this system has been integrated into fire and police services in several Belgian regions, including Kortrijk and Brussels Airport. With plans for 24/7 availability and ongoing infrastructure upgrades, Citymesh is set to revolutionize emergency response and public safety through drone technology.
Citymesh Expands €10M 5G Drone Network for Public Safety Across Belgium
Citymesh is expanding its €10 million 5G drone network in Belgium, with 16 drone platforms, three rural operations centres, and about 10 pilots currently in place. The firm wants to increase these numbers to 70 drones, five centres, and about 40 pilots, RCR Wireless understands. The project, dubbed, Safety Drone Shield, presents a national drone-network as-a-service to Belgium’s public safety and emergency services, available now, and densifying quickly, across 35′ rescue zones’.
The Belgian-based exclusive mobile and commercial connectivity specialist works with Nokia on the project, which involves the supply of 5G equipment and drones, and is a follow-on of Swisscom’s larger-than-usable drone rollout in Switzerland. Citymesh, who is also developing a third public wireless network in Belgium with Digi, has updated the project via a press release about the new locations and an interview with the French business newspaper De Tijd.
When RCR Wireless last spoke with Citymesh about the project a year before, it only had two drone platforms available to provide surveillance in the 35 rescue zones that encompass the entire nation. The firm has since acquired Belgian-based Drone Vision ( June, 2023 ), giving it a customer inspection platform and “in-house knowledge of inspection methods”, and continued to expand its own drone division.
Citymesh’s Safety Drone Shield: 16 Drone Systems Deployed, Rapid Response in Under 4 Minutes
This week, Citymesh said at the Provincial Institute for Training and Education ( PIVO ) in Belgium that its Safety Drone Shield service now comprises 16 drones systems ( drones, plus launch / charging platforms ), managed by 10 pilots in three remote operations centres, in Hasselt, Oostkamp, and Marche-en-Famenne. Since the start of the project, the company has a reported target of 70 drones in place, according to De Tijd, who the company has already reported having 40 pilots, which is a good false target number.
( Swisscom’s 5G drone project with Nokia, which uses the Citymesh template, is targeting 300 drones, ultimately. ) According to Citymesh, the total investment fee for the Belgian rollout is$ 10 million, of which 3.6 million is provided by the Federal Public Service ( FPS) Economy of Belgium ( FPS). Citymesh said its service usually launches a drone within 90 seconds, in response to calls from fire, police, and security services, to arrive at the appropriate location within four minutes.
Belgium based IT provider Cegeka – recently majority owner of Citymesh, then sister-company, with the same shareholders – helped to develop the associated SENSE app, which allows the police to physically summon drones to assist in interventions, the process is completely automated for firefighters, said Citymesh, without explaining more. Emergency services can rewind and watch life images and video on a computer.
Imec and Skeydrone Back Citymesh’s 5G Drone Service for Emergency Response Training and Operations
Research center Imec and the drone company Skeydrone, which Air Traffic Controller Skeyes and Cegeka founded next year, support Citymesh’s drone department. According to PIVO, Safety Drone Shield is also being used for training by firefighters and police, with the exercises being recorded for later review and evaluation. The service is now accessible from 8am to 8pm, but it intends to continue offering it 24/7, according to the statement.
It stated:” This drone streams live footage to emergency services, allowing them to make more efficient and better-informed decisions. The drone has a five-kilometre range, operates on a 5G network, and is equipped with both infrared and standard cameras. The temperature and battery of the drone-in-a-box are immediately regulated for maximum performance”.
The project was trialled in 2018 with services in the Fluvia fire brigade in Kortrijk, in West Flanders, as well as with the Brussels Airport Company ( BAC ) at Brussels Airport, and port authority at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges. The second “full integration” was completed for fire and police services in Genk in mid-2022.
