The Big Questions: Drones, Defence & Telco: Where the Worlds Meet

If you're watching the news, you've noticed: Drones are no longer a niche topic.

Drone attacks here. Drone interception there. An Apache chasing a drone inside a city.

The world has changed.

Let's simplify the picture:

1. Recreational drones — Low altitude, short range, centralised control. Not a big issue—until someone uses them to film targets or "test" a small bomb.

2. High-end military platforms — Think almost F-35 level of sophistication, satellite-managed, high altitude. Leave those to state-level players.

3. The dangerous middle: low-altitude, weaponisable drones — These are used

by amateurs or professionals to cause real damage. Often controlled via:

• SIM-based links

• Low-band radio controllers

• Or "mother drones" at higher altitude, guiding smaller drones below

This is where defence and telco start to intersect.

The Tech spaghetti

With the reach of telecom infrastructure, you can:

• Use real-time SIM / multi-SIM traffic profiling

• Combine it with interference patterns on antennas

• Blend with real-time geospatial profiling

Imagine a system where:

• Traffic profiles show a VIP convoy moving

• Interference patterns reveal a slow, unusual flying object heading toward the same area

That's where operators and tech players can play a huge role.

This is no longer just a telco network. It's part of the national sensing and protection fabric.

The question isn't "Can we help?" It's "Do we have the courage, governance, and collaboration models to do it right?"