Verizon Communications Inc.’s ambitions for the burgeoning drone market aren’t limited to merely providing operators with access to its wireless network. The carrier also plans to offer value-added tools for easing fleet operations, a plan that was set into motion today following the announcement that it’s acquiring Skyward IO Inc. The Portland-based startup, which has previously received an investment from Verizon’s venture capital arm, sells a platform that aims to help businesses automate the administrative work involved in managing their drones. At the core of Skyward’s software is a specialized record-keeping system that provides a central environment for storing information related to fleet activity. A user can produce a digital log of its drones and upload the relevant documentation for each, including most of everything from regulatory authorizations to insurance policies if a craft is expensive enough to justify buying coverage. Moreover, the system also collects operational data through a built-in flight management tool that constitutes its other major selling point. According to Skyward, operators can plan every stage of their drone trips through a sleek administrative console. The dashboard features an interactive airspace map that flight restrictions, hazards and other points of interest in the designated operating zone. Once the route is charted, the startup’s platform makes it possible to share the relevant information with field crews easily via a mobile app. Today’s acquisition will see Skyward become part of Verizon’s Airborne LTE Operations, an initiative that was launched last year with the goal of making its wireless network more appealing to drone operators. It’s a big market that includes a wide variety of organizations ranging from farms to tech companies such as Amazon.com Inc. and Google looking to explore new business models. The carrier is facing off against AT&T Inc., which launched a similar push a few quarters prior. Both companies are pushing their drone services as part of a broader effort to monetize the billions of new devices set to join the connected universe over the next few years. They’re competing not only with one another but also SigFox S.A., a French startup that recently raised $158 million in funding to build a low-cost wireless network specifically geared toward connected devices. Show your support for our mission with our one-click subscription to our YouTube channel (below). The more subscribers we have, the more YouTube will suggest relevant enterprise and emerging technology content to you. Thanks! Support our mission: >>>>>> SUBSCRIBE NOW >>>>>> to our YouTube channel. … We’d also like to tell you about our mission and how you can help us fulfill it. SiliconANGLE Media Inc.’s business model is based on the intrinsic value of the content, not advertising. Unlike many online publications, we don’t have a paywall or run banner advertising, because we want to keep our journalism open, without influence or the need to chase traffic.The journalism, reporting and commentary on SiliconANGLE — along with live, unscripted video from our Silicon Valley studio and globe-trotting video teams at theCUBE — take a lot of hard work, time and money. Keeping the quality high requires the support of sponsors who are aligned with our vision of ad-free journalism content. If you like the reporting, video interviews and other ad-free content here, please take a moment to check out a sample of the video content supported by our sponsors, tweet your support, and keep coming back to SiliconANGLE.
US telecommunications giant Verizon is to acquire Portland, Oregon-based drone start-up Skyward. The firm sells a platform which helps businesses automate the administrative tasks involved in drone management. In an interview with Reuters, Skyward will become a part of Verizon’s Airborne LTE Operations, an initiative by the telco which aims to make its wireless network attractive to drone operators.