BT launches counter drone solution to protect from rogue drones

The majority of drone use provides a great benefit to society, empowering industry and creating new opportunities for businesses and authorities across sectors as varied as insurance, agriculture, and broadcasting.  Yet as they become cheaper and readily available, the number of drone related incidents in the UK has risen, with issues involving civil aircraft alone rising 29% last year, according to UK Airprox Board. 

Powered by multi-sensor detection technology, an enterprise-grade network and a real-time alert system, BT’s counter drone solution will help organisations determine if a drone poses any risk. Providing an operating range of up to 5km and 360-degree detection coverage, the BT system will continuously monitor the surroundings and provide early warnings so security teams are equipped to identify, assess and respond to threats.

Inbuilt tools will gather, process and report information back to the organisation in real-time, providing the necessary evidence that is needed for reporting and for an organisation to build up knowledge about drone activity on its site so that preventative measures can be put in place. Where legal, BT’s counter drone solution also provides a range of countermeasures, such as fixed signal blockers that can jam drones up to 1.5 kilometres away, to portable disruptors that will help to deter and defeat drones.

BT will be delivering its counter drone solution in partnership with DroneShield (ASX:DRO), a world leader in drone detection and disruption technologies. In recent years, DroneShield’s products have been used at a variety of sites and events, including the 2018 Olympic Games in South Korea, and by a number of high-profile defence organisations such as The British Army and the U.S. Department of Defense.

BT will offer a complete end-to-end system of drone detection products and services that will provide a tailored solution for each customer’s security needs. The service will be a fully managed BT solution offering everything from planning and design, installation and commissioning, as well as on-going operational support and maintenance once live.

Simon Wingrove, Director of Strategy and Incubation at BT said “Unwanted drone activity can have a dramatic effect on an organisation’s ability to function effectively and poses a real risk to safety. We believe that this partnership between BT and DroneShield will provide our customers with a best-in-class, integrated and secure drone detection solution.

“With BT’s world leading expertise in communications and networked IT services and DroneShield’s expertise in the counter-drone space, we are able to provide organisations with the security they need to detect and respond to unwanted drones before they become an issue.”

Oleg Vornik, DroneShield’s Chief Executive Officer, commented, “The recent disruptions at Gatwick and Heathrow airports have underscored the importance of counter drone capabilities for the UK’s critical infrastructure, as well as the fact that a range of corporate and public sector operators including security and law enforcement agencies, prisons, venues and events, data centres, VIPs, and many others, are at risk from rogue drone use. We are excited to work with BT to assist this global leader in infrastructure security with delivering solutions based on our experience in the rapidly-developing counter drone industry.”