Use Case: Private 5G Drone Connectivity for Public Safety

Mission Challenge

In modern public safety operations, situational awareness can be the difference between stabilising an incident quickly and facing an escalated risk. Traditional airborne assets – primarily helicopters and manned aircraft – provide valuable overhead visibility, but they are costly, limited in availability and constrained by crew requirements. At the same time, RF-based video downlinks or standard cellular connections may not offer the reach, latency or deterministic performance required for some operational environments.

For many tactical situations, such as coordinated search and rescue, dynamic response to civil unrest, or real-time monitoring of critical infrastructure, public safety agencies need live aerial video that is both reliable and secure, but independent of public network congestion and traditional RF limitations.

The challenge isn’t just capturing video; it is delivering it reliably and in real time to command and operational units across a dynamic, unpredictable environment where every second counts.

Drones can provide valuable video intelligence to support public safety operations

Solution Overview

To address this need, agencies are deploying private 5G network-enabled drones using bonded cellular video systems. A single-SIM Dragonfly unit installed on an unmanned aerial system (UAV) connects to a dedicated private 5G network, either purpose-built for the incident area or established through rapid-deployment network hardware.

This approach provides:

• Secure, predictable connectivity: By operating on a private 5G network with reserved spectrum and priority bandwidth, agencies avoid the variability of public cellular networks

• Low-latency video delivery: High throughput and minimal delay support real-time decision-making for tactical teams and commanders

• Resilient operational link: The bonded nature of the system aggregates available spectrum to maintain steady video even as signal conditions change during flight

Private 5G drone connectivity allows live video streams to be transmitted directly into command and control centres, mobile command vehicles and situational awareness displays, seamlessly integrated with other video sources such as fixed cameras or other UAVs.

Operational Impact

By adopting private 5G drone connectivity, public safety teams realise measurable improvements in mission effectiveness:

Real-Time Situational Awareness; Drones operating with private 5G uplinks deliver video with minimal delay, allowing responders to see live imagery of an unfolding scene, including movement of people, vehicles or hazards, in near real time.

Example Scenarios:

• Search and rescue in remote or complex terrain where ground teams have limited visibility
• Rapid threat assessment in dynamic public safety incidents (for example crowd control or hazmat events)
• Infrastructure inspection around critical assets requiring fast visual confirmation

Extended Reach and Reliability

Unlike RF systems with limited line-of-sight range, a private 5G backbone extends drone video reach across broad operational areas, unencumbered by physical RF constraints.

Example Scenarios:

• Wide-area disaster assessment where multiple drone sorties need simultaneous uplinks
• Perimeter surveillance in dynamically shifting operating environments
• Operations in environments where public cellular coverage is weak or congested

Reduced Cognitive and Technical Burden

Private 5G drone connectivity simplifies integration with existing command networks and video management platforms. Video arrives in an interoperable format that can be aggregated with other feeds, reducing the manual workload for operators.

Example Scenarios:

• Multi-agency operations requiring shared video feeds across jurisdictional boundaries
• High-tempo incidents where teams must switch quickly between multiple video sources
• Integration into structured video workflows such as LinkMatrix, ensuring video is routed to relevant decision-makers without manual intervention

Conclusion

Private 5G drone connectivity is transforming how public safety agencies leverage unmanned systems for mission-critical video delivery. By combining modern network agility with bonded video uplinks, teams gain a reliable, low-latency visual feed that supports informed decision-making in high-stakes operations. This capability expands operational reach, increases reliability over complex terrain, and integrates smoothly with structured video management workflows that deliver the right video to the right people at the right time.