As much as $1.5bn opportunity awaits the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) telecom operators venturing into drones, according to Strategy&, a global consultant that is part of PricewaterhouseCoopers group.
Much of the $1.5bn market (by 2022) would come from oil and gas, and utilities, which respectively are projected to constitute 43% and 32% of the market, it said in a report.
“By leveraging their capabilities and resources, these companies can play a central role in the development of the regional drone industry, said the consultancy firm.
Originally created for military purposes, the usage of drones in the commercial space has increased significantly in recent years, it said while being beneficial to a variety of sectors, telecom operators are uniquely placed to capitalise on the development of the drone industry in the GCC.
“Telecom operators can leverage their existing capabilities and resources to offer advanced drone solutions to other sectors. For example, with their extensive tower networks, they are able to provide constant connectivity which is crucial for data transfer,” said Jad Hajj, partner with Strategy& Middle East.
Highlighting that the drones have access to advanced cloud technologies which can be used for data storage and are equipped with world-class data processing systems to analyse information collected by the drones, he said “as the drone industry grows, it is an obvious choice for telecom operators to seize this opportunity, given its potential.” Most importantly, as telecom operators reinvent themselves as digitisation players, they are further developing solid capabilities in Internet of Things, big data, and analytics, according to him.
They can offer drone-powered solutions to other industries by building partnerships in areas related to drone procurement (physical device), drone operations (piloting the drone), data processing (analysing the collected aerial data by using qualified experts) and data delivery (using extensive cloud platform capabilities to store, manage, and deliver data to clients).
Another opportunity for telecom operators involves establishing a drone traffic control centre (DTCC) for governments, Strategy& said.
“Airspace regulators are aware of the growth of drone technology, and are searching for balance between public safety and economic efficiency” said Ramzi Khoury, principal with Strategy& Middle East.
“Progress of drone legislation and regulation in the GCC is uneven, and therefore the main purpose of the drone traffic control centre is to serve as a centralised authority to manage drone traffic and ensure regulation is followed,” he said.
Hajj and Khoury: Constant connectivity.
