A certification award for a drone service offered by a Middle Eastern mobile telecommunications company could boost opportunities for drone-based communications and inspection services in the region.
Zain Group, a mobile communications company active in eight markets across the Middle East and Africa, has announced that its Zain Drone subsidiary has become the first drone services provider in the region to receive the internationally recognized ISO 9001:2015 certification with respect to its quality management system (QMS).
ISO 9001 specifies requirements for a QMS standard reached by organizations to demonstrate the ability to consistently provide services that meet customer and regulatory requirements, and to create operational efficiencies by aligning and streamlining processes throughout the organization.
The certification is seen as the next step in Zain establishing itself as a leading drone-as-a-service provider in the Middle East region. This is a potentially important new business area for telecommunications providers as, among other opportunities, it could allow them to help organizations to benefit from the Internet of Things (IoT) and, by extension, to leverage 5G rollout for their drone services.
The multiple uses of drones include gathering and assessment of image data, automated stock-taking, and replacing physical inspections with digital inspections, thus reducing human error and, in the case of drone-based oil rig inspections for example, reducing the chance of human injury.
With drone-as-a-service solutions set to change the way businesses operate across a number of key sectors and industries, it will be interesting to see whether other telecommunications service providers follow Zain’s example.
