DT answers calls to protect football fans from drones

Deutsche Telekom is reportedly in the midst of creating a defence system which can be used to combat the rise of drones in the skies.

The German telco is answering calls from various customers including car manufacturers and a football team to create a proposition which can prevent drones from entering into no-fly zones or restricted airspace. For the moment it is monitoring the market, though it has confirmed to Telecoms.com it hopes to present a business solution later this year.

The last few years have seen the number of drones in the sky increase quickly, a trend which is only going to get more prominent as the technology becomes more affordable. There have already been a number of incidents and near-misses around airports and other sensitive areas leading calls for a solution.

In the example of a football match, safety concerns for the fans would be the number one concern, though this is not the first time these fears have been aired. During the Euro 2016 championship, organizers deployed an anti-drone technology at stadiums which would be used to combat any hostile drone threats detected during the tournament.

The technology used in France allowed the security forces to take-over control of the drone and steer it towards an isolated area. Any new technology put into the market would also have to include capabilities to tackle potential security features on the drone designed to prevent control being taken by someone else.

While safety of fans would be the top priority, there are also commercial interests to protect also. TV and broadcasting rights are a major source of revenue for clubs, which could be impacted should drones with video equipment make it into the stadiums.

Obviously these concerns would be considered a distant second when measured against the safety of the fans, though surveillance with the assistance of drones could lead to a new means of corporate espionage. This would appear to be the concern of the car manufacturers who often test new models behind closed doors.

Deutsche Telekom has not (at the time of writing) confirmed whether the proposition would be available to the consumer industry once perfected, but it looks like those crafty Germans could yet be the saviours of nude sun-bathers the world over.