Bell Canada is testing devices which can provide mobile phone coverage when infrastructure is down , such as after a natural disaster . Capable of 384 simultaneous calls and a forty - five minute flight time when airborne , the drones can be attached , via power leads , to ground - based generators , such as the company 's " cell on wheels " mobile station , to make multiple calls at once and have an indefinite flight time . Where cell tower coverage is constricted by the gravity of the Earth , the drones have a larger coverage radius due to their 100 m altitude capabilities .
Telstra Labs is testing drones which can provide mobile phone coverage when infrastructure is down, such as after a natural disaster. Capable of 384 simultaneous calls and a forty-five minute flight time when airborne, the drones can be attached, via power leads, to ground-based generators, such as the company's "cell on wheels" mobile station, to handle 4000 calls at once and have an indefinite flight time. Where cell tower coverage is constricted by the curvature of the Earth, the drones have a larger coverage radius due to their 100m altitude capabilities.