ITU-T Recommendations

Base station inspection services using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) play a key role in ensuring the continuity and reliability of smart city infrastructure. At the same time, the use of UAVs introduces fundamentally new security risks: an expanded attack surface, the potential for unauthorized access to confidential data, interception of flight control and falsification of inspection results. These threats can disrupt the operation of critical facilities, lead to the leakage of sensitive information, and undermine trust in a city's digital services.
Unlike traditional IoT security systems, the base stations inspection service faces significant and unique security risks. The widespread deployment of unmanned aerial vehicles, especially when operated from remote docking stations, creates a large attack surface and makes the maintenance process vulnerable. Such vulnerability could lead to data theft, including unauthorized access to confidential images of restricted areas, posing substantial security risks.
Recommendation ITU-T Y.4816 specifies the security requirements and capabilities for base station inspection services using unmanned aerial vehicles. It aims to enhance information security protection and prevent security incidents such as unauthorized access, malicious intrusions and data tampering, thereby contributing to the overall security of base stations and maintaining the quality of public services in smart cities.