SK Telecom has entered an agreement with Chinese drone technology company DJI to jointly develop a drone-based live video streaming solution using the mobile network.
The companies have agreed to conduct R&D on a drone-based live video control solution, and to cooperate on global sales and marketing plans for this solution.
SK Telecom will provide a high-performance live video streaming encoder, mobile application and server software using its T live caster streaming technology. This will enable live streaming of HD footage on DJI drones and hand-held gimbal products.
According to the operator, the solution will expand the uses for drones across industries including agriculture, logistics, exploration, public safety, as well as the broadcast and online media and entertainment sector.
The solution will be first deployed in South Korea, the US and Japan before gradually expanding to countries around the world. The companies plan to enable video transmission over 5G once the technology is commercialized enabling streaming of 4K or even 8K drone videos.
As part of the partnership SK Telecom will also evaluate integrating DJI's drone flight control application into SK Telecom's streaming application T live caster Smart.
Other potential areas of cooperation include integrating SK Telecom’s video reception and control server with DJI's drone operations management solution to allow enterprises to more efficiently manage drone operations in the field.