AT&T uses drones for cell tower inspections

At any point in time, there are installations, repairs and inspections going on with one of AT&T’s 65,000 cell towers. The operator already has contracted with vendors who conduct drone inspections of towers.

Now, the video analytics team at AT&T Labs has joined forces with our National Drone Team to bring automated cell tower inspections a step closer to reality. With automation in the mix, we can do the job faster, better and more efficiently. With regulatory changes and further research, we hope that automated inspections will be possible.

Imagine in the future a drone stationed by a cell tower. It fully charges itself. It then inspects and communicates the condition of the tower – and potentially repairs it.