While drones buzzed through the airspace outside AT&T Stadium during a recent event, the wireless network and new sensor technology were watching.

AT&T and Ericsson, based in Sweden with U.S. headquarters in Plano, partnered in a test of a drone detection system in authorized airspace outside the Arlington stadium during a major sporting event.

Using Ericsson technology and Dallas-based AT&T network expertise, the system detected and tracked multiple drones, showing how wireless infrastructure could help protect major venues, critical infrastructure and key locations. It highlighted the capability to ramp up 5G technology as the industry begins to transition to 6G systems.

“As networks evolve, the opportunity is not just to prepare for 6G someday, but to begin introducing important building blocks now,” Dyon Agnew, senior vice president and head of customer unit AT&T, Ericsson Americas, said in a statement. “This demonstration with AT&T shows a product roadmap in action: using advanced 5G capabilities today to explore how sensing and connectivity can work together, then evolving those capabilities over time as the path to 6G becomes clearer.”

How it works

Integrated Sensing and Communication (ISAC) technology is the key, Ericsson said. The demo showcased how current systems can support new levels of low-altitude threat detection and tracking around major venues, public spaces and other complex environments.

Earlier this year, Ericsson debuted the ISAC drone detection system in a demo at its U.S. headquarters in Plano. That proof-of-concept test represented a major step forward in the evolution of networks that both connect and sense the world around them, the company said.

In the recent Arlington test, Ericsson used existing cellular towers to deploy its Massive MIMO radios in multiple locations. MIMO, which stands for multiple input multiple output, indicates numerous antennas on both the sending and receiving ends of a wireless connection. Instead of four or eight antennas on a 4G tower, a Massive MIMO tower may use 32, 64, 128 or more.

All those antennas power sensing-enabled radio transmissions with advanced signal processing and AI-enabled sensing algorithms to detect, locate and track drones in real time, Ericsson said. The network uses radio signals typically used for communications to deliver real-time environmental sensing at a reasonable cost.

Real-time drone tracking

 In the demonstration outside AT&T Stadium, multiple drones flying at altitudes between 300 and 400 feet within the coverage area were successfully detected, localized and continuously tracked by the sensing technology. By combining observations from multiple synchronized sensing locations, the system provided improved detection, more accurate positioning and robust target tracking.

The sensing technology generated real-time target metrics, including the drone’s location, velocity and elevation, enabling precise tracking and monitoring throughout the flight path, the company said.

The demonstration highlighted how existing network infrastructure can evolve into an advanced distributed sensing platform, enabling advanced applications such as drone detection without requiring additional standalone sensing technology, AT&T and Ericsson said.

Leveraging existing networks as ‘low-altitude economy’ develops

The stadium test goes beyond a single technical milestone, the partners said, showing that some of the advanced capabilities expected with 6G can begin operating now through software, advanced radios and continued growth of 5G.

AT&T and Ericsson said they plan to continue to advance ISAC technology through research and future demos, helping improve safety at major events.

“Integrated sensing is an important part of the road to 6G, and this work helps show how we can start bringing that future to life right now,” said AT&T SVP and Network CTO Yigal Elbaz. “By working with Ericsson, we are exploring how advanced wireless networks can add sensing capabilities to connectivity in ways that could support safer operations, smarter venues and stronger customer experiences, while creating a path to evolve these capabilities responsibly over time.”

Other potential uses for Ericsson’s technology at large-scale events include tracking how vehicles move through the event location to improve planning and staffing and enhancing coordination with real-time environmental information.

The company added that ISAC could support a drone awareness system for public-sector stakeholders as “the low-altitude economy” develops in urban areas and help shape the future of 5G and 6G capabilities for large venues, enterprises, governments and public-sector environments.

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