The development of the low-altitude economy—a mark of strategic emerging industry and new quality productive forces—relies on robust digital infrastructure. Government, industry, academia, research, and application sectors are jointly advancing studies and collaborations in key areas, including the construction of low-altitude intelligent networks, exploration of applications and requirements, equipment and conditions, testing and validation, and standards and ecosystems.

On November 15, 2024, the FuTURE Mobile Communication Forum hosted a special seminar on Digital Technology Empowering the Low-Altitude Economy and the plenary meeting of the Digital Low-Altitude Working Group (DLA WG) at the China Telecom Beijing Information Science and Technology Innovation Park. The event aimed to explore how ICT technology can drive advancements in low-altitude intelligent networks, application scenarios, and the development of relevant standards and ecosystems. The seminar was presided over by Wu Jianjun, Deputy Secretary-General of the FuTURE Mobile Communication Forum. Experts including Bi Qi, Chief Scientist of China Telecom; Shi Jingmin, former Deputy Inspector of the Equipment Department of the MIIT; Zhou Qi, former Deputy Chief Engineer of the Radar Institute of the Air Force Research Institute; Tony Quek, Professor at the Singapore University of Technology and Design and Fellow of the Singapore Academy of Engineering; Yi Jia, an expert from the 15th Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation; and Lu Xiaozhen, Associate Professor at the School of Computer Science and Technology of Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, shared valuable insights. Their presentations covered topics such as new opportunities in the low-altitude economy, relevant policies and regulations, communication network architectures, deployment challenges, low-altitude economy and air traffic control, safety technology frameworks, and industrial innovation applications.

Subsequently, experts from the DLA WG of the FuTURE Mobile Communication Forum engaged in discussions from the perspectives of ICT industry, academia, research, and application. They explored how digital technology can drive the development of the low-altitude economy, focusing on various aspects such as scenarios and requirements, relevant spectrum, network architecture, integrated sensing and communication, safety, intelligent air traffic control, testing and verification, and standards and ecosystems.

During the keynote speech, Bi Qi, Chief Scientist of China Telecom and Chairperson of DLA WG, provided an overview of the group's work. He emphasized that the low-altitude economy is a sector with significant scale potential. The creation of a business closed-loop is crucial for the low-altitude industry's transition into a full-fledged low-altitude economy. However, he noted that current expectations are overly ambitious, and a grounded approach is necessary. UAV traffic is a promising field. From a communication perspective, logistics and inspection are the two primary applications driving the demand for communication. The key task for the information industry is to focus on these core communication scenarios, strictly control costs, and ensure scalable development. Therefore, it is essential to set clear goals and calculate the expected pricing accordingly. Bi Qi pointed out that making decisions based solely on vision can result in costs significantly exceeding expectations. To illustrate this point, Bi Qi presented a quantitative forecast of the logistics revenue potential for operators. Compared to human delivery riders, UAV delivery offers a clear cost advantage per order and provides a higher profit margin. Using a monthly income target of 5000 CNY, UAV delivery could help operators achieve an Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) target of 150 CNY. It is predicted that the food delivery market will reach 500 billion CNY by 2030, representing a huge blue-ocean market for operators.

Shi Jingmin, former Deputy Inspector of the Equipment Department of the MIIT, highlighted that from 2022 to August 31, 2024, a total of 158 policy documents directly related to the low-altitude economy have been issued nationwide. These include 93 implementation plan (action plan) documents, 21 development plan and local regulation documents, and 44 support policy documents. The Green Aviation Manufacturing Development Program (2023-2035) jointly released by MIIT and three other departments in 2023, proposed that by 2025, domestic civil aircraft using sustainable aviation fuel will begin demonstration applications. Additionally, electric general aviation aircraft will enter commercial use, and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft will begin pilot operations. By 2035, new general aviation equipment characterized by unmanned, electric, and intelligent technologies is expected to achieve commercial and large-scale applications. Shi Jingmin concluded that the significant policy appeal of the low-altitude economy will attract more social resources into the sector. She recommended that industry managers, professionals, those planning to enter the industry, as well as investors already involved or preparing to invest in the low-altitude sector, should enhance their awareness of regulations. They should actively familiarize themselves with and thoroughly understand the new national policies, regulations, and standards.

Zhou Qi, former Deputy Chief Engineer of the Radar Institute of the Air Force Research Institute, discussed the safety issues related to the low-altitude economy. His analysis covered several areas, including the over-control safety of UAVs, UAV interference control, UAV positioning and traceability, UAV flight range control, UAV flight services, the interaction between regulatory authorities and UAV pilots, and coordination among UAVs in flight. He emphasized the importance of ensuring safety throughout the entire process. He suggested leveraging the openness and network slicing technology of 5G networks to establish a low-altitude intelligent network architecture for unmanned systems. This architecture would provide a range of services, including weather services, location services, line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight control, warning services, electronic fencing, flight plan approvals, and airspace management. These will offer comprehensive end-to-end communication support and service for all activities related to UAV usage and management.

Tony Quek, Professor at the Singapore University of Technology and Design and Fellow of the Singapore Academy of Engineering, shared insights on the opportunities and challenges of low-altitude economy. He noted that the current infrastructure for low-altitude operations is insufficient to fully support widespread coverage. Firstly, ground base station antennas are often tilted downward, which can create coverage blind spots in the sky. Secondly, there is a need to clarify the definition of the 3D coverage area and the sharing of coverage zones. In the context of low-altitude economy, sharing network infrastructure can significantly reduce deployment costs. However, it's essential to clarify the specific methods of network sharing, including which parts of the network architecture are involved. Professor Quek also highlighted the potential applications of mmWave technology for enhancing coverage. More complex issues, such as safety challenges at night and the uncertainty of weather conditions, are key considerations for ensuring reliable networks in the low-altitude economy. Additionally, he stressed the importance of data management and AI technologies in supporting low-altitude economy.

Low-altitude operations depend heavily on air traffic control, which involves the collection, analysis, and coordination of low-altitude flight data, as well as the reporting and monitoring of dynamic flight data. Yi Jia, an expert from the 15th Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation with years of experience in air traffic control, emphasized the crucial role that communication plays in air traffic management. He described communication as the "lifeblood," "firepower," and "stage" of air traffic control. It not only transmits up-to-date intelligence, industry information, and surveillance data but also ensures the execution of control instructions. These instructions are delivered to aircraft or other units through both wireless and wired systems. Yi Jia also recommended that government agencies lead the infrastructure development for low-altitude economy, emphasizing the need for effective communication and information exchange among government bodies, civil aviation authorities, residents, and other related organizations.

In her speech on Low-Altitude Safety Technology Systems and Innovative Applications, Lu Xiaozhen, Associate Professor at the School of Computer Science and Technology of Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, highlighted the standard system for low-altitude intelligent networks. This system includes standards for data domain services, intelligent connected avionics, and infrastructure, covering cloud, network, and device areas. Lu emphasized the urgent need to establish a safety system for low-altitude intelligent networks to provide robust support for application scenarios such as manned travel, low-altitude logistics, public services, and cultural, sports, and tourism activities. On the device side that involves low-altitude safety in the physical space domain, Lu addressed several safety issues, including unauthorized drone flights, collisions, interference, loss of connection, and crashes, and proposed defenses using technologies like surveillance, identification, evidence collection and enforcement, interference source location, and three-dimensional signal measurement at base stations. On the network and cloud sides that involve low-altitude safety in the network information domain, she discussed defense strategies through trusted access, software, and data. The new integrated sensing and communication function of 5G-A is expected to enhance low-altitude safety monitoring and early warning, particularly for unauthorized drone flights. Given the trends toward high heterogeneity, frequency, density, and complexity in the development of low-altitude operations, low-altitude safety will shift from focusing on individual safety to a system safety approach.

Since its formation in August 2024, the DLA WG of the FuTURE Mobile Communication Forum has brought together experts from the ICT and other sectors. During this conference, the experts shared research ideas and white paper content plans on a wide range of topics, including digital low-altitude scenarios and requirements, spectrum, integrated sensing and communication, network architecture, security and trust, intelligent air traffic control, testing and verification, and standards and ecosystems.