Uber Taps AT&T to Boost Connectivity for Urban Air Taxis, Cargo-delivering Drones

WASHINGTON — Uber announced Tuesday that it has tapped AT&T to help it get urban air taxis off the ground. The San Francisco-based tech company will work with Dallas-based AT&T to make aerial ridesharing and cargo-delivering drones safer and more reliable.AT&T will research how to boost connectivity for the urban air taxis and drones, which will operate at low altitudes. It will also explore how that connectivity could improve with 5G. The next-generation network is expected to improve speed and reliability and bring nearly instant response times.AT&T is already working with Uber to test drone delivery in San Diego. It will help with Uber's launch of Uber Copter, a high-end helicopter service that's launching in New York City in July."Ridesharing services were one of the defining mobile applications of the 4G era," AT&T's chief technology officer Andre Fuetsch said in a news release. "Air taxis and other new air vehicles could well eventually become a signature use case for 5G."  Continue reading...