Telefonica Tech and electric aerial vehicle specialist EHang unveiled a collaboration targeted at elevating the urban air mobility market in Europe and Latin America.

EHang provides unmanned aerial vehicle systems to a range of industries alongside passenger carrying craft.

Telefonica described its partner as the “world’s leading company” for electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOL).

As part of the deal, the operator will provide 5G and private network connectivity for EHang vehicles in the regions, with the pair intending to implement various use cases around air mobility, smart city management and what they describe as aerial media solutions.

Potential sectors to be targeted are passenger transport, logistics, healthcare and emergency response. The two will also provide the facilities for drone light shows for the entertainment space.

Telefonica claimed the properties of 5G allowed real-time monitoring of aircraft while continuity of operation for unmanned vehicles is aided by SIM encryption.

It added as part of the deal the pair would “set out to develop connectivity solutions based on mobile networks for the safe and efficient integration of drones and eVTOL aircraft with digital unmanned air traffic management systems”.

Telefonica plans to discuss further details of the tie-up and related projects at MWC Barcelona 2024 later this month, where flying transport systems look to be one of the top future-focused themes.