Take a look at AT&T's 'Flying COWs' - drones that returned cell service to Hurricane Ida-hit Louisiana

AT&T Flying COWAT&T

• AT&T's Flying COW, which stands for Cell-on-Wings, is a new technology aimed at providing wireless coverage during natural disasters and big events.
• The device is a cell site situated on a drone engineered to beam wireless LTE coverage across an area of up to 40 square miles.
• The weather-resistant drone can withstand extreme conditions, and its thermal imaging can help search and rescue teams find people in buildings, tree cover, and thick smoke.

AT&T is revolutionizing LTE coverage with the Flying COW, an innovative wireless network made of a cell site situated on a drone. It is engineered to beam widespread satellite coverage to large crowds of people on the ground during natural disasters and large events.

AT&T Flying COW      AT&T

The drone has the potential to hover over 300 feet and is connected by a tether attached to the ground. When someone texts, calls, or uses data, the signal is sent to the drone and transferred through the tether to a router. The router pushes information through a satellite, into the cloud, and finally into the AT&T network.

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The tether also provides constant power to the Flying COW via a fiber, giving the drone unlimited flight time.

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Its flying capabilities allow it to soar 500% higher than a terrestrial COW mast, expanding how far the signal reaches, though more drones can be added to widen the coverage area.

AT&T Flying COW      AT&T

The drone is small and versatile, making it easy to set up, deploy, and move during rapidly changing conditions, like firefighters chasing a wildfire.

AT&T Flying COW      AT&T

Operated and monitored by experienced drone pilots, Flying COWs are essential in AT&T's Network Disaster Recovery program, which helps communities get wireless connectivity after a hurricane, wildfire, earthquake, or another natural disaster.

AT&T Flying COW      AT&T

For example, the tech can be used after a hurricane leaves residents without power or wireless service. AT&Ts drones have been used in devastating storms like Maria, Michael, and Ida.

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An earlier version of the Flying COW was deployed to help Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria hit in 2017. The drone hovered at 200 feet via a tether and covered 40 square miles.

AT&T Flying COW      AT&T

It was the first of its kind to successfully deploy to a disaster site and provide coverage to a community, handling dozens of gigabytes of data and transporting thousands of texts and calls.

AT&T Flying COW      AT&T

In 2018, the company updated the tech to make it weather-resistant. The new and improved version is built to withstand high winds, rain, snow, and smoke.

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The "extreme-weather" device is designed with reinforced hardware and enhanced features to operate in tropical storm conditions with gusts up to 50 miles per hour.

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The weather-proof drone was deployed in 2018 to serve communities that were impacted by Hurricane Michael. It was tethered at 200 feet above Mexico Beach, Florida, and provided LTE coverage to residents and first responders across multiple affected counties.

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This week, Hurricane Ida devastated much of the southeast and AT&T's Flying COW was able to help keep friends and family in contact amidst the power outages.

AT&T Flying COW      AT&T

The highly durable drone can also handle extremely high and low temperatures, from freezing cold to blistering hot.

AT&T Flying COW      AT&T

The Flying COW's ability to operate in tough conditions ensures first responders stay connected in the most remote and rugged terrain.

AT&T Flying COW      AT&T

The tech also comes with disaster-fighting features, like thermal imaging allowing it to find lost hikers under tree cover, locate survivors in fallen buildings, navigate in thick smoke, or "see" through some roofs and identify collapsing beams in a fire.

AT&T Flying COW      AT&T

The imaging capability of the Flying COW adds another layer of performance for the drone, making it an essential, life-saving asset for police officers, firefighters, and search and rescue.

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In addition to natural disasters, the tech is used to provide coverage at major events, like music festivals or football games.

AT&T Flying COW      AT&T