KDDI Smart Drone

What KDDI Smart Drone does

KDDI Smart Drone Inc. is a Japanese drone solutions provider and wholly-owned subsidiary of KDDI Corporation, founded in 2022 and headquartered in Tokyo. The company integrates KDDI's nationwide 4G LTE/5G cellular network with industrial drone hardware (Skydio, DJI, Liberaware) to enable remote autonomous and BVLOS drone operations - leveraging connectivity where Wi-Fi fails and bundling satellite backhaul (Starlink) for communication-dead-zone environments. Its product portfolio spans drone airframes and docks (Skydio X10, DJI Matrice 400/4E/4T, DJI Dock 3, FlyCart 30, Liberaware IBIS2), recurring connectivity plans (¥49,800/month or ¥480,000/year unlimited LTE), and end-to-end managed services including remote autonomous operations, surveying, inspection, logistics/delivery, and drone shows.

The company monetizes across five revenue streams: one-time hardware sales, subscription connectivity, professional inspection/surveying/logistics services, managed remote operations outsourcing, and the KDDI Smart Drone Academy training business (21 nationwide schools, ¥50,000-¥1,150,000 per course). Its go-to-market combines direct enterprise/government sales with a partner channel of 114 companies, supported by the KSD CONNECT annual conference and MLIT training organization designations (No. 0174). Primary customer segments are electric power and energy operators, construction/civil engineering firms, and municipal/national government agencies for disaster preparedness and infrastructure inspection; secondary segments include real estate/facility management and railway/transportation. Notable enterprise customers include Shikoku Electric Power, Obayashi, JR East, Mitsui Fudosan, Akita Offshore Wind Power, Mutsu Ogawara Oil Stockpiling, and the prefectures of Mie, Ishikawa, and Tokyo.

Name

KDDI Smart Drone

Legal name

KDDIスマートドローン株式会社

Website

https://kddi.smartdrone.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

KDDI Smart Drone is a Japanese drone solutions provider and KDDI subsidiary offering cellular-connected autonomous drones, remote operation services, drone hardware sales, and pilot training across enterprise and government customers in power, construction, and public safety sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. ドローン機体販売: Sale of industrial drone airframes including Skydio X10, DJI Matrice series, DJI FlyCart series, IBIS2, and drone ports (Skydio Dock for X10, DJI Dock 3). Revenue from one-time hardware purchases with additional service packages.
2. 上空電波（4G LTE）通信サービス: Monthly or annual subscriptions for 4G LTE SIM cards and airtime packages for drone aerial communications. Provides unlimited data plans and usage-based billing models.
3. KDDIスマートドローンアカデミー（ドローンスクール）: Drone pilot training and certification courses including national license preparation courses, specialized domain courses, and operator training. Revenue from course fees ranging from ¥50,000 to ¥1,150,000 per course.
4. 遠隔運航サービス: Comprehensive outsourced drone operations including drone ownership/maintenance, pilot staffing, flight approvals, daily operations, and data analysis/provision. Covers regular scheduled operations and spot operations.
5. ドローン点検・巡視・測量サービス: Professional services for infrastructure inspection, monitoring, surveying, and logistics using drone technology. Includes PoC support, implementation assistance, and data processing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KDDI Smart Drone provides comprehensive industrial drone solutions including the sale of Skydio, DJI, and Liberaware drone airframes and autonomous docks; cellular (4G LTE) and satellite (Starlink) connectivity packages for BVLOS operations; outsourced remote drone operation services covering inspection, surveying, logistics, and monitoring for enterprise and government customers; and pilot training through 21 nationwide drone academy locations. The offering combines KDDI's nationwide mobile network infrastructure with autonomous drone technology to deliver end-to-end drone adoption services.

Product overview

KDDI Smart Drone is a comprehensive drone solutions provider offering a multi-product portfolio combining hardware (Skydio and DJI drones with automated charging docks), proprietary 4G LTE aerial communication packages, satellite connectivity (Starlink), and full-service operations (remote autonomous operations, surveying packages). The company operates KDDI Smart Drone Academy with 21 nationwide locations providing national pilot certification and specialized training courses. Services span infrastructure inspection, surveying, logistics/delivery, and monitoring across power, construction, plants, roads, railways, and government sectors. The product lineup includes Skydio X10 and Skydio Dock for X10, DJI Dock 3 and DJI Matrice series drones, Liberaware IBIS2 for confined-space inspection,上空電波(4G LTE) communication packages, Starlink Business satellite connectivity, and comprehensive 遠隔運航サービス (remote autonomous operation services) that handles everything from drone ownership and maintenance to pilot arrangement, flight permits, and data analysis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KDDI Smart Drone Academy: Drone school operation offering national certification courses and specialized domain courses for drone pilot training across 21 locations in Japan.

Products and services

• Skydio X10 Industrial drone (airframe sales) for enterprise customers performing infrastructure inspection, surveillance, and dark-environment operations. Equipped with AI-powered autonomous flight capabilities.
• Skydio Dock for X10 Automated drone dock that enables autonomous takeoff, landing, and charging of the Skydio X10 for 24/7 unmanned remote drone operations, sold to enterprise customers running remote inspection and monitoring programs.
• DJI Dock 3 Automated drone dock for DJI Matrice series drones, sold to enterprise customers requiring remote autonomous operations in harsh environments.
• DJI Matrice 400 Industrial-grade DJI drone for security and surveillance operations, sold to enterprise customers.
• DJI Matrice 4E/4T Industrial drone with thermal imaging (4T variant) for security, inspection, and infrastructure monitoring applications, sold to enterprise customers.
• DJI FlyCart 30 Cargo delivery drone with 30kg payload for logistics and disaster relief, sold to enterprise and government customers.
• IBIS2 (Liberaware Narrow-Space Inspection Drone) Compact narrow-space inspection drone for confined-space indoor inspection (underground tanks, HVAC ducts, ceiling cavities, electrical rooms), sold to enterprise customers.
• Aerial Mobile Communication Package (\u4e0a\u7a7a\u96fb\u6ce2\u30d1\u30c3\u30b1\u30fc\u30b8 / 4G LTE) Cellular 4G LTE connectivity package (monthly/annual subscriptions and usage-based plans) for drone operations, enabling long-distance BVLOS flight and real-time video transmission beyond Wi-Fi limits. Sold to enterprise and government drone operators.
• Starlink Business Satellite Connectivity Satellite broadband internet (Starlink Business) bundled with drone ports for drone operations in communication-dead zones such as mountains, islands, and offshore locations. Sold to enterprise customers.
• Remote Operation Service (\u9060\u9694\u904b\u822a\u30b5\u30fc\u30d3\u30b9) Comprehensive outsourced drone operation service covering drone ownership, maintenance, pilot arrangement, flight permit applications, daily operations, and data analysis. Includes scheduled 24/7 regular operations, spot operations, and surveying packages. Sold to enterprise and government customers.
• Infrastructure Inspection & Monitoring Service (\u70b9\u691c\u30fb\u5de1\u8996\u30b5\u30fc\u30d3\u30b9) Drone-based infrastructure inspection and patrol service automating and improving inspection workflows across power, construction, plants, roads, railways, security, government, and police/fire departments. Sold to enterprise and government customers.
• Surveying Service (\u6e2c\u91cf\u30b5\u30fc\u30d3\u30b9) Drone surveying service compliant with i-Construction standards, including photo surveying, forest resource surveys, disaster assessment, point cloud generation, and volumetric calculations. Sold to construction and infrastructure customers.
• Logistics & Disaster Prevention Delivery Service (\u7269\u6d41\u30fb\u9632\u707d\u30b5\u30fc\u30d3\u30b9) Drone logistics service for emergency supply delivery during disasters, regular delivery to mountainous/remote areas, inter-island long-distance delivery, and urban logistics with Level 4 autonomous flight support. Sold to government, healthcare, and enterprise customers.
• KDDI Smart Drone Academy National drone pilot certification training across 21 school locations. Courses include first-class and second-class unmanned aircraft pilot licenses, specialized domain training (photography, surveying, tower inspection, logistics), Skydio certification, and the JAMOA BASIC introductory course. Sold to individuals and corporate teams.
• Drone Show (\u30c9\u30ed\u30fc\u30f3\u30b7\u30e7\u30fc) Drone light show service for events and promotional displays using coordinated swarms of lit drones to create visual performances.

Quantifiable outcome

• Point cloud generation time reduced from 5 hours to ~1 hour using automated pipeline
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability15 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 株式会社LiberawarecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2026Co-development partnership for Level 3.5 BVLOS drone operations combining Liberaware's spatial iPaaS platform LAPIS with KDDI Smart Drone's autonomous drone dock technology. Jointly developed automated point cloud generation pipeline that reduced data processing time from 5 hours to ~1 hour. Partner in Sagami Dam project demonstrating construction site inspection automation.
• Liberaware株式会社 (IBIS2 Assist)coreTechnology or Integration · 7 June 2026Exclusive partnership for IBIS2 Assist narrow-space drone distribution, training, and operational support in Japan. KDDI Smart Drone won the IBIS2 Master Cup drone race for 2 consecutive years (2025-2026) demonstrating expertise in Liberaware's confined-space inspection drone.
• 三井不動産株式会社minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2026Partnership for office building equipment inspection using IBIS2 narrow-space drones. Conducted demonstration at Iidabashi Gran Bloom building covering underground water tanks, HVAC ducts, ceiling cavities, and high-voltage electrical rooms. Previous partnership included rooftop drone dock deployment at high-rise building for disaster response.
• 秋田洋上風力発電株式会社coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 March 2026Partnership for offshore wind power blade inspection using vehicle-mounted drone ports. Successfully demonstrated remote autonomous inspection of wind turbine blades at rotating/slow-speed without full power shutdown, achieving inspection of 1 turbine in 30 minutes to 1 hour per unit.
• Google CloudminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 January 2026Strategic partnership announced at MWC26. KDDI showcased AI data centers powered by Google Cloud at Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona, featuring smart cities, retail intelligence, connected mobility, and AI drone demonstrations including live remote drone operation from Spain targeting a device in Japan.
• KDDIスマートドローンパートナーズ（全国114社）coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 20 November 2025Network of 114 partner companies across Japan (Phase 2 completed November 2025). Partners provide local sales, solution support, and customer implementation using KDDI Smart Drone's products and services. Phase 1 had 58 companies; Phase 2 added 56 new partners.
• いなべ市・南伊勢町minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 19 November 2025Local government partnership for disaster drone logistics demonstrations. Conducted simulated material transport flights (fuel and food supplies) as part of Mie Prefecture's Nankai Trough earthquake preparedness program.
• 四国電力送配電株式会社minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 September 2025Partnership for substation automated patrol inspection using Skydio Dock for X10. Demonstrated autonomous inspection of transformer and circuit breaker equipment at Sanuki substation complex in Kagawa Prefecture.
• KDDI株式会社coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2025Parent-subsidiary partnership. KDDI provides cellular communication infrastructure (mobile networks) enabling KDDI Smart Drone's remote drone operations. Joint award at MM Research Institute 2026 for drone port social infrastructure. KDDI targeting 1,000 drone port deployments nationwide.
• 株式会社大林組coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 June 2025Long-standing construction partnership. Collaboration on Level 3.5 BVLOS drone operations at Sagami Dam renewal project. Previous work includes 1-year autonomous drone dock deployment for remote surveying at Wajima city road reconstruction and nationwide first continuous autonomous surveying at construction site.
• Skydio合同会社 (Skydio)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2024Capital and business partnership (2024). KDDI Smart Drone is the only Skydio Primary Partner in Japan, offering Skydio X10, Skydio Dock for X10 airframe sales, certified training, insurance, and 4G LTE integration. Collaboration to advance AI drone adoption in inspection, monitoring, and disaster response.
• 日本航空株式会社（JAL）minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 December 2023Consortium partner for Level 4 pharmaceutical drone delivery demonstrations in Tokyo. JAL contributed aviation expertise to the drone logistics platform project including medical supply delivery from clinics to nursing homes using ACSL PF2-CAT3 drones.
• 東日本旅客鉄道株式会社（JR東日本）minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 December 2023Consortium partner for pharmaceutical drone delivery project. JR East contributed railway corridor management expertise to drone logistics platform development in Tokyo's rural areas.
• メディセオminorOthers · 14 December 2023Pharmaceutical supply chain partner in drone delivery consortium. Provided medical/pharmaceutical logistics expertise for drone delivery demonstrations from clinics to nursing homes.
• 飛島建設株式会社minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 May 2023Partnership for construction site drone monitoring using Skydio Dock and Starlink satellite communications. Demonstrated remote inspection and patrol in communication dead zones at mountain construction sites.
• 株式会社ゼンリンminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 January 2023Partnership for regional drone logistics and delivery services. Jointly implemented regular drone delivery of supplies to isolated communities in Chichibu City following landslide that blocked road access. Used Starlink for communication in areas with no cellular coverage.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Terra Drone Corporation: Japanese drone services and solutions provider offering inspection, surveying and UTM capabilities to infrastructure and industrial customers. Comparable because both operate as full-stack drone service platforms in Japan targeting power, construction and oil and gas inspection.
• Skydio: US-based autonomous drone manufacturer that is KDDI Smart Drone's primary hardware partner and equity ally. Comparable because Skydio's Dock/X10 platform underpins much of KDDI Smart Drone's managed-service offering, and both target the same enterprise inspection and public-safety use cases in adjacent markets.
• ACSL Ltd. Japanese industrial drone maker that supplied the ACSL PF2-CAT3 used in KDDI Smart Drone's Level 4 pharmaceutical delivery demonstration. Comparable as a domestic drone platform competing for the same Japanese enterprise, government and logistics customers and pursuing Level 4 certification.
• Liberaware: Japanese maker of the IBIS2 narrow-space inspection drone and LAPIS spatial iPaaS platform, which KDDI Smart Drone distributes and co-deploys. Comparable because Liberaware is both a partner and a competing narrow-space inspection specialist chasing the same indoor infrastructure opportunity.
• SENKEN Corporation: Japanese drone integrator and service partner collaborating with KDDI Smart Drone on regional delivery and logistics initiatives. Comparable as a domestic Japanese drone service peer with overlapping logistics, inspection and government customer relationships.

Broad incumbents

• DJI Enterprise: Global market leader in commercial and industrial drones whose Matrice series, FlyCart and Dock 3 are sold through KDDI Smart Drone. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose product roadmap sets the pace for hardware-driven inspection, surveying and logistics services in this market.
• NTT e-Drone Technology: Drone services subsidiary of NTT Group, Japan's other major telecom, offering inspection, surveying and disaster-response drone solutions. Comparable because it combines telecom backing with nationwide drone services in Japan, directly competing with KDDI Smart Drone for telecom-aligned enterprise and government contracts.

Regional players

• Aerodyne Group: Malaysia-headquartered drone-based enterprise solutions provider with strong presence in Asia-Pacific infrastructure inspection and surveying. Comparable as an international peer pursuing the same asset-management, power-line and oil-and-gas drone-service use cases, primarily outside Japan.

Emerging players

• PrecisionHawk: US drone data and analytics platform serving utilities, construction and agriculture with aerial inspection and analytics. Comparable as a data-and-services layer on top of third-party drones targeting similar enterprise verticals (utilities, infrastructure, surveying).
• DroneDeploy: Drone mapping and data platform for construction, inspection and surveying workflows. Comparable because it sits at the same point cloud and site-intelligence layer that KDDI Smart Drone is building through LAPIS and MODE BizStack integrations.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@kddismartdrone

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KDDI Smart Drone