Intelligent drone traffic management via radio access network

1. A radio access network node comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

providing network connectivity to a drone,

receiving, from the drone, a flight configuration for the drone, wherein the flight configuration comprises a drone ID and a drone route,

determining whether capacity is available in an airspace associated with the radio access network node based at least on a number of drones operating in the airspace, and

in response to determining that capacity is not available in the airspace associated with the radio access network node:

instructing, by the radio access network node, the drone to proceed to a different radio access network node, and

performing, by the radio access network node, a handover of communications with the drone to the different radio access network node.

2. The radio access network node of claim 1 , wherein the flight configuration is received from the drone when the drone has arrived in the airspace associated with the radio access network node.

3. The radio access network node of claim 1 , wherein the drone route comprises information indicative of a drone origin for providing the flight configuration to the drone, a drone destination for receiving a flight summary associated with the drone route from the drone, and one or more locations en route from the drone origin to the drone destination.

4. The radio access network node of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise adding the drone ID to a queue of drones awaiting use of the airspace associated with the radio access network node when capacity is determined to be available.

5. The radio access network node of claim 4 , wherein the operations further comprise, when the drone ID is next in the queue of drones awaiting use of the airspace associated with the radio access network node, instructing the drone to fly through at least a portion of the airspace in accordance with the drone route.

6. The radio access network node of claim 5 , wherein the flight configuration further comprises a priority flag indicating whether the drone is to be given priority in the queue of drones awaiting use of the airspace associated with the radio access network node, and wherein the operations further comprise, in response to determining that capacity is available in the airspace associated with the radio access network node:

determining whether the drone is priority eligible based upon the priority flag; and

in response to determining that the drone is priority eligible, prioritizing the drone ID in the queue.

7. The radio access network node of claim 4 , wherein the operations further comprise in response to determining the drone ID is not next in the queue, instructing the drone to enter a holding pattern in a designated portion of the airspace associated with the radio access network node.

8. The radio access network node of claim 1 , wherein the radio access network node comprises an eNodeB.

9. A method comprising:

providing, by a radio access network node, connectivity to a drone;

receiving, by the radio access network node from the drone, a flight configuration for the drone, wherein the flight configuration comprises a drone ID and a drone route;

determining, by the radio access network node, whether capacity is available in an airspace associated with the radio access network node based at least on a number of drones operating in the airspace; and

in response to determining that capacity is not available in the airspace associated with the radio access network node:

instructing, by the radio access network node, the drone to proceed to a different radio access network node; and

performing, by the radio access network node, a handover of communications with the drone to the different radio access network node.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising adding the drone ID to a queue of drones awaiting use of the airspace associated with the radio access network node when capacity is determined to be available.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising, when the drone ID is next in the queue of drones awaiting use of the airspace associated with the radio access network node, instructing, by the radio access network node, the drone to fly through at least a portion of the airspace in accordance with the drone route.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the flight configuration further comprises a priority flag indicating whether the drone is to be given priority in the queue of drones awaiting use of the airspace associated with the radio access network node; and further comprising, in response to determining that capacity is available in the airspace associated with the radio access network node:

determining, by the radio access network node, whether the drone is priority eligible based upon the priority flag; and

in response to determining that the drone is priority eligible, prioritizing, by the radio access network node, the drone ID in the queue.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising, in response to determining the drone ID is not next in the queue, instructing, by the radio access network node, the drone to enter a holding pattern in a designated portion of the airspace associated with the radio access network node.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the radio access network node comprises an eNodeB.

15. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor of a radio access network node, causes the radio access network node to perform operations comprising:

providing network connectivity to a drone;

receiving, from the drone, a flight configuration for the drone, wherein the flight configuration comprises a drone ID and a drone route;

determining whether capacity is available in an airspace associated with the radio access network node based at least on a number of drones operating in the airspace; and

in response to determining that capacity is not available in the airspace associated with the radio access network node:

instructing, by the radio access network node, the drone to proceed to a different radio access network node; and

performing, by the radio access network node, a handover of communications with the drone to the different radio access network node.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise adding the drone ID to a queue of drones awaiting use of the airspace associated with the radio access network node when capacity is determined to be available.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the operations further comprise, when the drone ID is next in the queue of drones awaiting use of the airspace associated with the radio access network node, instructing the drone to fly through at least a portion of the airspace in accordance with the drone route.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the flight configuration further comprises a priority flag indicating whether the drone is to be given priority in the queue of drones awaiting use of the airspace associated with the radio access network node, and wherein the operations further comprise, in response to determining that capacity is available in the airspace associated with the radio access network node:

determining whether the drone is priority eligible based upon the priority flag; and

in response to determining that the drone is priority eligible, prioritizing the drone ID in the queue.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the operations further comprise in response to determining the drone ID is not next in the queue, instructing the drone to enter a holding pattern in a designated portion of the airspace associated with the radio access network node.