The two companies are developing an air traffic control system for drones and aerial taxis. EHang, a Chinese autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV) technology platform company, is developing an air traffic control system for drones and aerial taxis.

In a statement the company said said Vodafone will supply EHang with sim cards to connect its electric one or two seat drones to its network in Germany first, with further ambitions to then go Europe-wide.

Through the Vodafone network, individual passenger and logistics AAVs will be able to communicate with the command-and-control centers that regulate their operations as well as with each other, enabling safer and more efficient transportation through urban air space.

Once the regulatory framework approves, EHang and Vodafone also intend to collaborate on AAV test flights.

They will also further work together on mobility platform services that provide digital and streaming content to AAV passengers while in-vehicle, enable payments, and support identity verification.

EHang founder, chairman, and chief executive Hu Huazhi said 5G is a key infrastructure component for the “commercial deployment of AAVs, since it enables take-offs and landings that are precisely controlled within centimetres.”

The EHang deal has been signed with Vodafone Germany, based in Düsseldorf.