Affordably Scale Drone Infrastructure: A2Z Drone Delivery’s DNaaS Subscription Model
For large-scale drone services to truly scale, the industry needs a reliable and affordable drone infrastructure for the skies. Drones need to be able to reach farther and do so autonomously to reduce the manpower necessary to execute increasingly complex service missions. To fill this need, we’ve developed our new A2Z AirDock portfolio. Like our roadways, a network of AirDocks is able to be shared amongst multiple stakeholders, conducting varied missions with multiple drones, to help mitigate the upfront investment in this shared infrastructure.
Our series of AirDocks pair with our new Longtail Air Dock Edition drone to automate drone charging and enable nonstop drone missions with endless range. The Longtail’s payload bay can be fully customized to serve just about any use case from last mile delivery, drones as first responders (DFR), routine patrol, inter-site transport, medical delivery, and more. Our AirDock portfolio includes ground docks like the AirDock Portable for travel deployment, and AirDock Shelter to store the drone for extended periods. The portfolio also includes elevated options like the AirDock Dual and AirDock Quad that service multiple Longtails simultaneously while keeping drones far from people, property and obstructions on the ground.
Customers can deploy a single AirDock to take advantage of its automatic charging that eliminates the manpower needed to swap batteries, or build a comprehensive AirDock network with multiple Longtail drones conducting diverse missions simultaneously. With the Longtail able to hop from dock to dock to top off batteries, service range can be extended indefinitely, and drone-borne assets can always be at the ready for rapid response or ongoing repeatable missions.
While large scale enterprise customers may choose to purchase and operate their own AirDock network and Longtail fleet, we also recognize the need for drone service providers and budget-conscious government entities to take advantage of expanding drone services. So, for these customers, we’ve created a new business model, the Drone-Network-as-a-Service, or DNaaS.
This blog post will explore our new DNaaS subscription model, its unique advantages and cost savings, and help you understand how you can more easily get started operating on your own AirDock drone network.
What is DNaaS?
DNaaS, or Drone-Network-as-a-Service, is a subscription-based model we have created for customers to more affordably deploy our A2Z AirDock systems while receiving all the necessary regulatory, technical and operational support from our team. Our DNaaS model provides businesses, government entities and enterprise customers the opportunity to deploy a comprehensive drone infrastructure system without the need for significant upfront investment in UAV or AirDock hardware. Instead of purchasing and maintaining a fleet of drones, customers can invest a minimal upfront deposit and pay a monthly subscription fee to easily deploy our state-of-the-art, customizable Longtail drones on a fully managed drone network maintained by A2Z Drone Delivery. The DNaaS subscription, like the use of the AirDock network, can be shared between multiple stakeholders to minimize the financial cost of deploying mixed use drone services. For example, a municipal government can deploy drones across the entire breadth of a county to support police rapid response, streamline collection of water quality data, and conduct routine aerial inspection of public infrastructure, and minimize the financial investment by sharing the cost between police, water department and public works budgets.
How are Drone Services Implemented Under the DNaaS Model?
Under the DNaaS subscription, A2Z Drone Delivery owns and maintains the entirety of the AirDock network and its companion fleet of customized Longtail drones. We also provide comprehensive regulatory support to help navigate your local permitting or certification process. You are then free to manage the day-to-day missions operating across the network. Autonomous missions are planned on our A2Z ground control station software, where operators can design pre-planned mission routes to conduct non-stop dock-to-dock missions. Operators can also commandeer manual control of a drone in flight to respond to real-time events throughout the reach of the AirDock network. Separate from the pilot interface, we have also developed a new web-based interface for end customers to request services like pickups or deliveries, monitor patrol missions, view live patrol footage, and more.
Customer Benefits of a DNaaS Subscription
Our DNaaS subscription model offers some unique benefits to our customers, including:
Cost Efficiency: The DNaaS model greatly reduces the upfront capital investment in a drone fleet and AirDock infrastructure. Instead, customers pay a program deposit followed by a consistent monthly subscription fee, which is more budget manageable and scalable to their unique needs.
Scalability: As customers’ need for drone services grow, they can easily adjust their subscription plan to add to the reach of their AirDock network and the Longtail fleet to support new use cases.
Enhanced Customer Experience: With A2Z Drone Delivery maintaining the network of AirDocks and its companion fleet of Longtail drones, and providing necessary regulatory support, customers are able to quickly and seamlessly establish their drone service infrastructure.
Sustainability and Financial Offsets: Drone services offer an eco-friendly alternative to many traditional service paradigms from streamlining logistics to eliminating the hands-on nature of inspections, data collection, etc. DNaaS customers can more readily take advantage of this emissions reduction, while also offsetting labor and fuel costs for many operations traditionally conducted with ground vehicles.
Key Features of the DNaaS Subscription Model
Our DNaaS model is customized to meet your unique drone service needs. Some of its key features include:
Flexible Subscription Plans: The customization of your DNaaS subscription starts with planning your drone infrastructure network. Once we determine the scope of the AirDock network and which AirDocks models will best suit your needs, we’ll build out your Longtail drone fleet to fit your variety of service applications. The initial program deposit and monthly subscription fee will be commensurate with the overall scope of your hardware needs.
Comprehensive Fleet and Dock Management: With A2Z Drone Delivery owning and maintaining the entirety of your drone network and drone fleet you are able to maintain focus on the day-to-day missions being conducted across the network. Our AirDocks leverage an innovative “solid state” design that eliminates the moving parts seen in most drone docks. This design ensures minimal maintenance is needed to keep the AirDock network fully operational and always at the ready. With A2Z Drone Delivery vigilantly maintaining your fleet of customized Longtail drones, we minimize operational downtime and keep your fleet on the job.
Regulatory Compliance Assistance: The local regulatory landscape for conducting drone operations varies from country to country, and state to state. With our team supporting your regulatory permissions and certifications, we’ll help reduce the regulatory burden on your company or departments while helping you ensure that your AirDock network and Longtail fleet operate safely and legally.
Seamless Integration: The DNaaS model gives you the flexibility to ramp up drone services on your AirDock network to seamlessly transition to drone-borne services that enhance your operational efficiency without disrupting existing workflows.
AirDock Acquisition Cost v. DNaaS Deployment
As mentioned previously, the DNaaS model is designed to streamline deployment of drone services while offering a more cost-efficient path to deployment. So, how does the outright purchase cost for an AirDock network compare to taking advantage of the DNaaS subscription?
While every AirDock network and Longtail fleet will be unique to each customers’ needs, the initial entry point could be as simple as a single AirDock Portable. With a single AirDock, customers can take advantage of the system’s automatic charging, and operate a small multi-drone fleet from a single location. A single AirDock Portable can be acquired outright for $9,000 and then customers can adopt as many Longtail AirDock Edition drones as desired. The Longtail AirDock Edition starts at $32,000 in our CArgo configuration and varies depending on the customized payload for your particular use case. Alternatively, under our DNaaS subscription model, a single AirDock Portable with a single Longtail in our Cargo configuration (which includes the A2Z RDS2 commercial drone winch) can be deployed with a $15,000 deposit and then a $2,500 per month subscription fee.
Get Started with a DNaaS Subscription
Launching an AirDock network will streamline many tasks for many customers. From quicker deliveries, to always-ready eyes in the sky, to labor and cost savings compared to many routine applications, the innovative AirDock will bring your operations into the future. To learn more about the comprehensive process for launching an AirDock network under our DNaaS subscription model, you can visit: https://www.a2zdronedelivery.com/airdock-options.
If the easily scalable AirDock infrastructure sounds ideal for you and your operations, please reach out to our team today!