TECH NEWS – According to a new patent, Apple aims to enable communication that does not place a burden on 4G and 5G networks.

Although Apple has abandoned its ambitious plans for the Apple Car, the spirit of the project appears to live on in the form of a secret drone project, as suggested by a recent patent application filed by the Cupertino-based tech giant. This patent aims to solve the fundamental problem of network congestion caused by swarms of drones. As their altitude and position change, drones typically transmit a wealth of information to nearby cell towers, including RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power), RSRQ (Reference Signal Received Quality), SINR (Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio), and Beam Reports (precise antenna pointing data).

Since drones upload these massive files to all nearby network towers, the protocol causes a significant signal transmission load, which leads to network congestion. Apple aims to solve this problem in three ways. First, when a simple cellular “event” occurs (e.g., switching from 5G to 4G or vice versa), Apple’s drone will transmit only a Cell ID (the unique identifier of the relevant cell tower) instead of uploading massive RSRP, RSRQ, and SINR data logs.

Apple plans to set a threshold for uploading the full dataset. For example, Apple’s drone could track how many cell towers it connects to over a given period. Full data uploads would only occur when the live tracker detects that the preset threshold for new cell towers has been reached. This threshold could be further refined by assigning a specific frequency to each data log and tracking the expected upload demand. This is similar to using a universal alert for all cellular frequencies instead of creating individual alerts. Once the threshold is reached, the Apple drone will upload a single, comprehensive report, eliminating the need for constant, irregular reports.

This patent outlines a practical method for Apple’s theoretical drone swarms to communicate effectively with cell towers. Although the patent does not suggest an imminent launch of Apple’s drone fleet, it shows that the tech giant is investing time and resources into overcoming the practical challenges of operating drone fleets.

Source: WCCFTech, Twitter