The primary concern with integrating unmanned traffic management (UTM) and air traffic management (ATM) is safety and ensuring manned aviation, as well as individuals and property on the ground are not negatively impacted.
The key to solving this challenge is to enable timely and high-quality information sharing between ATM and UTM, and the ability to communicate real-time, addressing the challenge of integrating drones in the vicinity of an airport. Frequentis believes that by considering existing ATM systems already widely deployed by Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) around the world and using established standards, the transition risks for ANSPs will be minimised. This will also allow service providers to leverage existing assets and maintain control of their airspace using ATM-grade systems for the management of both manned and unmanned traffic.
Frequentis offers solutions and services which combine its UTM and ATM portfolios. This approach enables the integration of the UTM solution with existing components already tested and proven in ATM.
ATM/UTM Tower Integration
Unmanned aircraft are capable of operating in all types of airspace and at all altitudes/levels. The greatest density of unmanned aircraft operations is expected to be at low altitudes. Considering UAV operations within or close to aerodrome control zones (CTR) UAVs can cause an impact to aircraft landing or taking off or crossing the CTR.
A key factor in safely integrating unmanned technology, especially in the vicinity of an airport is the ability to plan and visualise UAV operations along with reliable communication between ATC and the UAV operators. This assures safe, orderly and expeditious flow of manned and unmanned aircraft. The Frequentis UTM service integration framework is designed to be compatible with the existing ATM data requirements and requires little to no changes in ATC operations. To enable safe and reliable communication, the UTM interface architecture assures the bi-directional communication between the ATCO and the UAV operator via an existing ATM-grade voice switch and/or predefined messages exchanged within an ATS Message Handling Systems (AMHS). It can be fully integrated with Frequentis’ flagship automation product smartSTRIPS.
The primary concern with integrating unmanned traffic management (UTM) and air traffic management (ATM) is safety and ensuring manned aviation, as well as individuals and property on the ground are not negatively impacted.
The key to solving this challenge is to enable timely and high-quality information sharing between ATM and UTM, and the ability to communicate real-time, addressing the challenge of integrating drones in the vicinity of an airport. Frequentis believes that by considering existing ATM systems already widely deployed by Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) around the world and using established standards, the transition risks for ANSPs will be minimised. This will also allow service providers to leverage existing assets and maintain control of their airspace using ATM-grade systems for the management of both manned and unmanned traffic.
Frequentis offers solutions and services which combine its UTM and ATM portfolios. This approach enables the integration of the UTM solution with existing components already tested and proven in ATM.

Digital ATM/UTM integration platform
Air Navigation Services Providers (ANSPs) require full interoperability with available UTM components and ATM systems. As a result, proprietary UTM data must be converted, unified and forwarded in aviation standards and protocols to be processed in existing ATM infrastructure components.
Designed with a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), MosaiX SWIM is the integral component of the ATM/UTM integration framework to enable key benefits including low vendor lock-in, a comprehensive security solution, centralised API Management and a built-in service registry.
Digital transformation in the Aviation industry and the fast evolving UTM market are additional drivers for the demand of harmonised data to be monetised by new services (i.e. for UAV operators and airlines). Aiding additional service provision, MosaiX SWIM includes data analytics and billing tools which enable the visualization of valuable information with dashboards and the billing of the consumer of services using various schemes such as pay-per-time or pay-per-hit.
ATC voice integration with UAS-C
While the majority of UAVs are predicted to fly in low level uncontrolled airspace, there will also be a significant amount of UAVs operating in controlled airspace. This means that they will share airspace with manned aircraft, where voice communication is used for air traffic control and also to provide situational awareness amongst all airspace users.
Weight considerations will not allow that UAVs are equipped with heavy and redundant ATC communications equipment such as VHF or UHF radios, hence a different solution is required to enable voice communication between the pilot in command (PIC) at the drone ground control station (GCS) and the air traffic controller in the ATC control centre.
Frequentis partnered with Sunhillo, Inc. to develop the UAS-Connector (UAS-C), addressing three major challenges associated with flying UAS in shared airspace: UAS-tracking, ATC voice communications, and situational awareness. The UAS-C is designed to connect directly to a UAS Ground Control Station (GCS) to obtain the positional data used for tracking, voice Communications and situational Awareness.” It is built using the same safety levels as used for regular ATC communication systems.