Amazon is seeking approval in the US to carry out wireless technology tests that could be related to drone delivery.
The company has filed an application with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to assess prototype equipment and associated software which is designed to support innovative communications capabilities and functionalities.
Amazon is requesting a five-month authorisation to support research scheduled for early next year.
Initially, the company has proposed to operate a limited number of low power, temporary fixed base transmitters and associated mobile units indoors at and near its facilities in Seattle, Washington.
Further tests are planned to be conducted outside at the company’s rural facilities in Kennewick,Washington.
Amazon noted in the filing that there would be three transmitters and 10 mobile units in each location.
The tests would be carried out under FCC’s experimental authority and use a variety of frequencies.
The temporary base stations will transmit for just 5 minutes per hour per day, and the tests will be limited to a 5 kilometer radius.
Amazon noted that it has specified a 120 km radius of operation for the Kennewick location to offer it flexibility in selecting a location within that area to meet its criteria for assessing the functionality and reliability of prototype equipment.
The maximum ERP of the operations at the Seattle location will be 20 mW and the maximum ERP of the operations near Kennewick will be limited to 300 mW.
All power levels will comply with the limits set forth in the FCC’s rules, including those relating to human exposure to radiation.
It was revealed recently that Amazon filed a patent for flying warehouses that could deploy Amazon drones for delivering parcels to customers.
