Building remote networks better with drones

When your nearest equipment depot is a six-hour drive away, you can't afford to get a cable measurement wrong. 

That's why Vocus is using drones and 3D modelling software to improve how we plan, build and maintain networks in some of Australia's most remote locations.

The technology works by capturing thousands of photos of a tower from every angle, then stitching them into an interactive 3D model using a platform provided by Trendspek. 

Engineers can rotate, zoom and annotate the model from their desks — hundreds of kilometres from the physical site. And, importantly they can take absolutely precise measurements from the model, ensuring cable lengths and antenna angles are specified accurately every time. 

The result for customers is faster delivery, safer operations and more precise builds of their private LTE (4G/5G) networks.

Inspections that once took half a day now take under two hours. We can inspect multiple towers in a single trip, cutting the time between a customer requesting a change and the adjustment being made from two weeks to one.

Every tower climb carries risk. By replacing at-height inspections with drone capture during the planning phase, we've removed a category of high-risk work entirely. No riggers climbing. No heavy safety equipment to transport to remote locations.

The 3D models also become a permanent digital record of each site. When a follow-up project comes along years later, our engineers can revisit the model rather than sending another team out. That reduces repeat site visits, avoids rework, and gives construction teams a more predictable workflow.

For customers investing in private wireless infrastructure, this precision translates directly to better capital expenditure outcomes. When measurements are exact and designs are verified before anyone sets foot on site, projects are routinely delivered perfectly on the first engineer visit.

Networks built for places standard coverage can't reach

The networks we build in these locations are mission-critical. Vocus has built 24 private mobile networks in Australia and around the world – dedicated networks built exclusively for single sites that keep autonomous trucks moving, sensors reporting and production systems running.

These include a 4G network for Northern Star Resources' 700-metre deep Kalgoorlie Super Pit gold mine, and Australia's first and largest production underground private mobile network for Gold Fields' Granny Smith mine.

We've also built a new private 4G network for Mineral Resources' Onslow iron ore project in the Pilbara, covering both the vast mine site and a 150-kilometre private haul road to enable 330-tonne autonomous road trains.

Private LTE networks are engineered to provide constant, predictable coverage for mining operations above and below ground, defence bases, hospitals, ports and other critical facilities where standard mobile coverage either doesn't exist or is too variable to be trusted with operational technology.

Every one of those networks depends on towers — and drone-based planning is how we're making sure they're built right the first time.