While social media has become more and more of an integrated part of the music festival experience, mobile reception is never plentiful but that may all be about to change thanks to our friend, the trusty drone.
As Stoney Roads reports, AT&T are working on a new technology called COWs (cell on wings) which will provide “enhanced LTE wireless coverage” at large events such as music festivals.
“Imagine you’re at a concert watching your favorite band, and out of the corner of your eye you notice a tethered drone hovering nearby,” AT&T wrote in a blog post.
“But this drone isn’t taking photos or videos of the band. It’s temporarily providing enhanced LTE wireless coverage at the packed venue so you, along with thousands of others in attendance, can simultaneously send photos and videos to share the moment.”
AT&T are only trialling the technology right now so it might be a little while before you’re able to Snapchat and tweet at festivals until your heart is content. But, if you’re going to Splendour this year and are faced with the daunting sign of zero phone reception, know that people are working on it and your kids will probably never have to face the same thing.
The technology is not all about music festival though.
“A Flying COW may even be able to provide coverage when a vehicle is unable to drive to a designated area,” they wrote which would make it incredibly helpful for “rapid disaster response”.
Watch: A Bird’s Eye View of AT&T’s Drone Inspection Program
