Digital Fences And Airspace Surveillance Via 5G

Drone Safety Digital Fences And Airspace Surveillance Via 5G

2026-03-06 Source: dpa 2 min Reading Time

The EU Commission wants to better protect airports and other critical infrastructure in Europe from incidents involving drones in future.

Airports and other critical infrastructure in Europe are to be better protected against drones.(Picture: © assetseller - stock.adobe.com) — Airports and other critical infrastructure in Europe are to be better protected against drones.
(Picture: © assetseller - stock.adobe.com)

According to the Brussels authority, 5G mobile networks should also be used to monitor airspace. This is the result of an action plan presented in Strasbourg.

According to the EU Commission, mobile networks enable precise real-time tracking of flying objects and should be more closely integrated in view of the threat situation. Some drones use SIM cards, which means they can be detected via mobile networks.

It is also conceivable that 5G antennas could be used as a kind of radar, receiving and evaluating signals reflected from drones. Together with artificial intelligence, 5G networks could detect conspicuous flight paths and alert the authorities. The action plan is intended to complement the military programs and plans in Europe and therefore focuses on civilian measures.

Technical Barriers for Prohibited Zones And Other Measures

The Brussels authority also wants to present a drone safety package before the end of the year. According to high-ranking EU officials, one of the plans is to integrate digital barriers into drones. To this end, all member states are to map their airspace exclusion zones—for example over power plants, military installations or airports—in a standardized and digital manner.

These maps could be stored in the drones, making it technically impossible to fly in restricted airspace.

In order to be able to assign each drone to an owner and thus facilitate the work of investigators, a registration requirement is also to be introduced for drones weighing 3.5 ounces or more.

Many Incidents at Airports Caused By Drones

There were numerous sightings of drones at airports in Europe last year. In some cases, all air traffic had to be suspended as a result—for example in Berlin, Bremen, Hanover, Brussels, Oslo, Copenhagen and Mallorca. Russia is often suspected of being behind the actions.

According to the German government, drone sightings at important facilities in Germany have increased significantly since the start of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. In order to better detect and fend off unauthorized drones in the future, the federal and state governments have set up a Joint Drone Defense Center (GDAZ) in Berlin, Germany.

Subscribe to the newsletter now

Don't Miss out on Our Best Content

Business E-mail

Please enter a valid mailadress.

By clicking on „Subscribe to Newsletter“ I agree to the processing and use of my data according to the consent form (please expand for details) and accept the Terms of Use. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy. The consent declaration relates, among other things, to the sending of editorial newsletters by email and to data matching for marketing purposes with selected advertising partners (e.g., LinkedIn, Google, Meta)

Date: 08.12.2025

Naturally, we always handle your personal data responsibly. Any personal data we receive from you is processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. For detailed information please see our privacy policy.

Consent to the use of data for promotional purposes

I hereby consent to Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG, Max-Planck-Str. 7-9, 97082 Würzburg including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG (hereafter: Vogel Communications Group) using my e-mail address to send editorial newsletters. A list of all affiliated companies can be found here

Newsletter content may include all products and services of any companies mentioned above, including for example specialist journals and books, events and fairs as well as event-related products and services, print and digital media offers and services such as additional (editorial) newsletters, raffles, lead campaigns, market research both online and offline, specialist webportals and e-learning offers. In case my personal telephone number has also been collected, it may be used for offers of aforementioned products, for services of the companies mentioned above, and market research purposes.

Additionally, my consent also includes the processing of my email address and telephone number for data matching for marketing purposes with select advertising partners such as LinkedIn, Google, and Meta. For this, Vogel Communications Group may transmit said data in hashed form to the advertising partners who then use said data to determine whether I am also a member of the mentioned advertising partner portals. Vogel Communications Group uses this feature for the purposes of re-targeting (up-selling, cross-selling, and customer loyalty), generating so-called look-alike audiences for acquisition of new customers, and as basis for exclusion for on-going advertising campaigns. Further information can be found in section “data matching for marketing purposes”.

In case I access protected data on Internet portals of Vogel Communications Group including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG, I need to provide further data in order to register for the access to such content. In return for this free access to editorial content, my data may be used in accordance with this consent for the purposes stated here. This does not apply to data matching for marketing purposes.

Right of revocation

I understand that I can revoke my consent at will. My revocation does not change the lawfulness of data processing that was conducted based on my consent leading up to my revocation. One option to declare my revocation is to use the contact form found at https://contact.vogel.de. In case I no longer wish to receive certain newsletters, I have subscribed to, I can also click on the unsubscribe link included at the end of a newsletter. Further information regarding my right of revocation and the implementation of it as well as the consequences of my revocation can be found in the data protection declaration, section editorial newsletter.