ZTE’s Integrated Sensing and Communication Solution Helps Low-altitude Economy Take Off

Introduction to Low-altitude Economy

Low-altitude airspace typically refers to the airspace within 1,000 meters from the ground, and it may extend to 3,000 meters based on different regional characteristics and actual needs. Low-altitude airspace has gradually transformed from a natural resource into an economic resource. In the past, although low-altitude airspace was accessible, human entry was infrequent due to many restrictions, and conventional methods to mark, measure, and plan physical space were not applicable. With the rapid development of sensing, communication, positioning, digital and intelligence technologies, low-altitude airspace can now be fully digitized into computable airspace. Under the framework of computable airspace, intelligent machines can quickly process complex data, making large-scale low-altitude activities possible, thereby creating huge low-altitude economic value.

The development and expansion of low-altitude airspace has not only significantly reduced the ground traffic pressure, but also created a new industrial space with broader applications and prospects. The low-altitude economy, driven by urban air transportation, drone distribution and logistics, urban drone applications, and consumer and industrial drone applications, has witnessed rapid growth, and is poised to foster a variety of innovative applications on a scale comparable to, or even exceeding, that of the traditional transport industry. This will redefine the paradigm of work and life, creating a new low-altitude industry ecosystem that includes low-altitude manufacturing, low-altitude operation, low-altitude protection and comprehensive services.

Bolstered by the market and policies, China's low-altitude economy has developed rapidly. Notably, China secures a leading position in the global civilian drone market, accounting for 70% of the global market. The low-altitude economy is predicted to  contribute 3–5 trillion yuan to China’s economy by 2025. It is becoming a new economic growth opportunity for both China and the world.

ZTE’s Integrated Sensing and Communication Solution

Despite its broad prospects, the low-altitude economy faces the challenge of insufficient support capabilities in low-altitude communication, sensing, navigation, making effective control and flight services difficult.

For low-altitude communications, given the enhanced intelligence of low-altitude aircraft, there is a need for higher bandwidth communication to support a wider range of flight data.

For low-altitude sensing, the signal quality of satellite navigation (such as Beidou Satellite and GPS) is unstable due to the obstruction of buildings in urban environments. Traditional ground radar has high deployment costs and lacks the networking capability. Communication base stations or other auxiliary facilities are needed to improve the accuracy of perception and positioning.

For low-altitude navigation, high-frequency and high-density low-altitude activities require a more digital and refined aircraft navigation mode. This requires not only the support of communication facilities, but also the exploration and use of new technical means, such as computer vision, for positioning and navigation.

5G-Advanced will continue to enhance network performance in terms of coverage, capacity, and user experience. More importantly, it will enhance the business value of 5G networks. ZTE's integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) solution extends the business scope of the 5G network from communication into sensing. As one of the important innovative technologies for monetizing the 5G network, it enables the 5G base station to serve as the digital infrastructure of the low-altitude economy, providing capabilities such as real-time broadband communications, precise sensing, positioning and sensing data calculation.

• First, ZTE achieves network coverage in low-altitude areas by using technologies such as large-scale antenna arrays. Leveraging the networking characteristics of base stations, ZTE provides high-speed and reliable communication networks with stable, continuous, seamless coverage for low-altitude areas.
• Second, ZTE leads the industry with the implementation of the monostatic sensing mode AAU. Compared with the bistatic sensing mode, monostatic sensing mode is more flexible and convenient for base station networking. The introduction of ISAC enables 5G base stations to detect the position, speed, trajectory of low-altitude drones, thereby enabling the 5G network to provide capabilities such as positioning, navigation, and trajectory tracking alongside low-altitude communications.
• Moreover, the computing power provided by the industry's unique NodeEngine computing power base station can realize sensing data calculation, encompassing sensing calculation, target recognition, trajectory prediction, monitoring control and video processing. Through capability openness, sensory data can be shared with a low-altitude management platform.

Ultimately, the communication, navigation, sensing (CNS) requirements of low-altitude applications can be met.

ZTE’s Efforts in Verifying Integrated Sensing and Communication

ZTE has been actively exploring and applying ISAC.

• In May 2023, ZTE completed the industry's first 5G “integrated sensing, computation, control and communication" low-altitude drone route verification  in Shenzhen with the industry's first monostatic mode ISAC AAU prototype. The system can detect drones with an area as small as 0.01 square meters, and achieve a sub-meter sensing accuracy, a sensing distance of more than 1 km, and a detection accuracy of more than 99%.
• In September 2023, in order to facilitate low-altitude security inspection during the 19th Asian Games held in Hangzhou, ZTE carried out the application verification of a single ISAC AAU device to achieve low-altitude drone control in the Asian Games Village. The AAU can sense the flight trajectory of a drone in real time and alert when the drone approaches a warning area, thereby greatly ensuring the low-altitude safety of the Asian Games.
• In October 2023, ZTE completed the industry's first 5G-A ISAC networking verification test, marking a transition from single-point technical verification to multi-station regional networking applications. This represents a critical step in exploring low-altitude security assurance and expanding the capacity of communicating networks.

Moving forward, ZTE will continue to work with industry partners to explore the potential capabilities of “communication+perception+N technology”, conduct system experiments, build end-to-end capabilities, and enhance the integration of multiple 5G-A technologies and the maturity of related industry chains, creating unlimited possibilities for social development and industry upgrading.