South Korea’s telecom provider KT has been selected as one of the joint research agencies to take on the government’s drone traffic management project.

The Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (KAIA), which operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, plans to develop by 2021 a traffic management system that ensures the safe operation of public and civilian drones flying below 150 meters.

KT, as well as the Korea Institute of Aviation Safety Technology (KIAST), the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) will take part in the 19-billion won project.

Along with the state think tanks, KT will develop a cloud-based traffic management platform, establish infrastructure for test sites and carry out compatibility tests for communication technologies.

The low-altitude drone traffic management platform, if completed, will be used to prevent clashes among drones, as well as privacy invasion and terrorism operations conducted by individuals or groups operating illegal drones.