Ericsson says mobile networks can track drones, trials set for 2027

Ericsson is working on technology that would let telecoms networks spot and follow drones by reading radio reflections, according to TechRadar. The company plans limited commercial trials of the system in 2027, then wider availability to more customers in 2028.

The approach is called Integrated Sensing and Communication, or ISAC. It examines radio waves that bounce off objects in flight, using cellular sites that already exist rather than dedicated surveillance gear.

Equipment at several cell sites transmits signals. When those signals strike a drone, part of the energy travels back to receiving stations, and the network studies the returning reflections. By pooling readings from different locations, the system can work out roughly where an object is and track how it moves.

Ericsson argues this could help with small, fast aircraft flying near the ground, a zone where conventional monitoring tools sometimes struggle. Ian Fogg, research director at CCS Insight, told TechRadar that mobile antennas already cover low elevations where drones tend to fly, unlike traditional radar, and that new spectrum expected with 6G should make sensing easier on wide channels.

The system is not a simple software switch. It needs specialised radio hardware, computing capacity and software, including Massive MIMO antennas that use many transmit and receive elements to handle complex signals.

Trials have already taken place. AT&T tested the technology around Arlington, Texas, and Finland's Erillisverkot ran similar exercises. Ericsson says both identified several drones and followed their paths using network-based sensing.

The work arrives as unauthorised drone flights cause disruption. Flights at Jersey Airport in the Channel Islands were affected over Halloween weekend after repeated sightings raised safety worries. Military sites have also reported more incidents, and in Britain service personnel now have legal power to disable unauthorised drones near certain installations.

Guarding large areas with purpose-built detection equipment can be costly. Ericsson contends that cellular infrastructure could add sensing coverage without authorities building separate monitoring networks.

The company frames the system as a supplement to radar rather than a replacement. It still has to show how well detection holds up when buildings, terrain and competing signals interfere, and the planned deployments should provide opportunities to assess that.