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Amazon, other industry giants back drone traffic network

U.S. e-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc. is among the companies backing an initiative to develop a privately funded and operated air-traffic control network for drones, The Wall Street Journal reported March 9.

The report said Amazon, together with General Electric Co., Boeing Co. and Google of Alphabet Inc., are supporting the commercial drone industry's efforts to launch the network, which is aimed at enabling widespread drone operations at low altitudes.

The Journal said the plans were laid out at a conference this week, where experts told the audience that limited deployment would take at least two years, possibly longer if engineering and policy obstacles arise.

The companies are hoping to use automated cellular web applications to keep track of the unmanned aircraft and avoid collisions. Gur Kimchi, vice president of Amazon Prime Air, said at the event that company representatives will have to observe and oversee the network but if everything works as planned, then "they don't have to do anything" to resolve conflicts in flight paths. He said sensors used for automated vehicles could help drone operators in preventing midair collisions.

Amazon made its first delivery by drone in 2016.