Streaming from the Air: Enabling High Data-rate 5G Cellular Links for Drone Streaming Applications (original) (raw)

Multi-Tier Drone Architecture for 5G/B5G Cellular Networks: Challenges, Trends, and Prospects

IEEE Communications Magazine, 2018

Drones (or unmanned aerial vehicles [UAVs]) are expected to be an important component of fifth generation (5G)/beyond 5G (B5G) cellular architectures that can potentially facilitate wireless broadcast or point-to-multipoint transmissions. The distinct features of various drones such as the maximum operational altitude, communication, coverage, computation, and endurance impel the use of a multi-tier architecture for future drone-cell networks. In this context, this article focuses on investigating the feasibility of multi-tier drone network architecture over traditional single-tier drone networks and identifying the scenarios in which drone networks can potentially complement the traditional RF-based terrestrial networks. We first identify the challenges associated with multi-tier drone networks as well as drone-assisted cellular networks. We then review the existing state-of-the-art innovations in drone networks and drone-assisted cellular networks. We then investigate the performance of a multitier drone network in terms of spectral efficiency of downlink transmission while illustrating the optimal intensity and altitude of drones in different tiers numerically. Our results demonstrate the specific network load conditions (i.e., ratio of user intensity and base station intensity) where deployment of drones can be beneficial (in terms of spectral efficiency of downlink transmission) for conventional terrestrial cellular networks.

5G Wings: Investigating 5G-Connected Drones Performance in Non-Urban Areas

arXiv (Cornell University), 2023

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become extremely popular for both military and civilian applications due to their ease of deployment, cost-effectiveness, high maneuverability, and availability. Both applications, however, need reliable communication for command and control (C2) and/or data transmission. Utilizing commercial cellular networks for drone communication can enable beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operation, high data rate transmission, and secure communication. However, deployment of cellular-connected drones over commercial LTE/5G networks still presents various challenges such as sparse coverage outside urban areas, and interference caused to the network as the UAV is visible to many towers. Commercial 5G networks can offer various features for aerial user equipment (UE) far beyond what LTE could provide by taking advantage of mmWave, flexible numerology, slicing, and the capability of applying AI-based solutions. Limited experimental data is available to investigate the operation of aerial UEs over current, without any modification, commercial 5G networks, particularly in suburban and NON-URBAN areas. In this paper, we perform a comprehensive study of drone communications over the existing low-band and mid-band 5G networks in a suburban area for different velocities and elevations, comparing the performance against that of LTE. It is important to acknowledge that the network examined in this research is primarily designed and optimized to meet the requirements of terrestrial users, and may not adequately address the needs of aerial users. This paper not only reports the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) compared among all combinations of the test cases but also provides recommendations for aerial users to enhance their communication quality by controlling their trajectory.

First Experiments with a 5G-Connected Drone

2020

We perform experiments on the wireless communication between a drone flying at different heights and a commercial 5G base station. An Android-based tool deployed on a 5G test platform is used to record radio link parameters in the up- and downlink. In the downlink, measurements show a throughput of 600 Mbit/s on average with peaks above 700 Mbit/s. The uplink has a much lower throughput, comparable to 4G, with a few tens of Mbit/s.

Drones in B5G/6G Networks as Flying Base Stations

Drones, 2022

Advances in the fields of networking, broadband communications and demand for high-fidelity low-latency last-mile communications have rendered as-efficient-as-possible relaying methods more necessary than ever. This paper investigates the possibility of the utilization of cellular-enabled drones as aerial base stations in next-generation cellular networks. Flying ad hoc networks (FANETs) acting as clusters of deployable relays for the on-demand extension of broadband connectivity constitute a promising scenario in the domain of next-generation high-availability communications. Matters of mobility, handover efficiency, energy availability, optimal positioning and node localization as well as respective multi-objective optimizations are discussed in detail, with their core ideas defining the structure of the work at hand. This paper examines improvements to the existing cellular network core to support novel use-cases and lower the operation costs of diverse ad hoc deployments.

IMPLEMENTATION OF UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES AS FLYING BASE STATIONS TO ASSIST 5G NETWORKS

Current wireless communication networks are not able to accommodate the increase in broadband data and are currently encountering fundamental challenges like higher data rate and Quality of Service (QoS) requirements, energy efficiency and excellent end-to-end performance and user coverage in overcrowded areas and hotspots whilst maintaining extremely low latency and high bandwidth. The deployment of 5G networks aims to address such challenges by introducing multiple advancements to the network and implementing new technologies to evolve new radio networks. This will primarily be done by introducing the 5G New Radio, which is the radio technology that is being developed to support the 5G technologies that will solve the problems mentioned previously. With the New Radio implementation, the next generation networks will accommodate the growing data rates. The networks are expected to attain a mobile data volume per unit area that is 1,000 times higher than current networks. Over 10-100 times the number of current connected devices is expected to be accommodated by 5G networks. Coverage is primarily the crucial problem with 5G networks, requiring the densification of urban areas with heterogeneous networks and the deployment of more closely packed terrestrial MBSs. However, this is not cost-effective and can be more complex as terrestrial network replanning will be required. The issue can be overcome by integrating UAVs into the network infrastructure as FBSs.

What Will the Future of UAV Cellular Communications Be? A Flight From 5G to 6G

IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials

What will the future of UAV cellular communications be? In this tutorial article, we address such a compelling yet difficult question by embarking on a journey from 5G to 6G and expounding a large number of case studies supported by original results. We start by overviewing the status quo on UAV communications from an industrial standpoint, providing fresh updates from the 3GPP and detailing new 5G NR features in support of aerial devices. We then dissect the potential and the limitations of such features. In particular, we demonstrate how sub-6 GHz massive MIMO can successfully tackle cell selection and interference challenges, we showcase encouraging mmWave coverage evaluations in both urban and suburban/rural settings, and we examine the peculiarities of direct device-to-device communications in the sky. Moving on, we sneak a peek at next-generation UAV communications, listing some of the use cases envisioned for the 2030s.

Mobile Network-Connected Drones: Field Trials, Simulations, and Design Insights

IEEE Vehicular Technology Magazine, 2019

Drones are becoming increasingly used in a wide variety of industries and services and are delivering profound socioeconomic benefits. Technology needs to be in place to ensure safe operation and management of the growing fleet of drones. Mobile networks have connected tens of billions of devices on the ground in the past decades and are now ready to connect the drones flying in the sky. In this article, we share some of our findings in cellular connectivity for low altitude drones. We first present and analyze field measurement data collected during drone flights in a commercial Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network. We then present simulation results to shed light on the performance of a network when it is serving many drones simultaneously over a wide area. The results, analysis, and design insights presented in this article help enhance the understanding of the applicability and performance of providing mobile connectivity to low altitude drones.

Supporting UAV Services in 5G Networks: New High-Level Architecture integrating 5G with U-space

2020

To provide efficient, safe, and secure access to the airspace, the European Union has launched a set of new services called U-space, allowing supporting Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) management and conflict preventing of flights in the airspace. These services are based on communication technology, where it is foreseen that it will be the key enabler to unlock the underlying potentials of UAVs’ operations. In this regard, the upcoming generation of mobile networks “5G” is envisioned to be the communication standard to support diverse UAV operations and applications. In this paper, we propose a novel architecture that integrates 5G systems with U-space. The main aim of this architecture consists in providing a reference design that demonstrates how 5G can support U-space services and shows the interactions between different stakeholders. Furthermore, we introduce the 5G!Drones project that relies on the proposed architecture to trial UAV use-cases scenarios on top of 5G infrastruct...

UAV Based 5G Network: A Practical Survey Study

arXiv (Cornell University), 2022

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are anticipated to significantly contribute to the development of new wireless networks that could handle high-speed transmissions and enable wireless broadcasts. When compared to communications that rely on permanent infrastructure, UAVs offer a number of advantages, including flexible deployment, dependable line-of-sight (LoS) connection links, and more design degrees of freedom because of controlled mobility. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) combined with 5G networks and Internet of Things (IoT) components have the potential to completely transform a variety of industries. UAVs may transfer massive volumes of data in real-time by utilizing the lowlatency and high-speed abilities of 5G networks, opening up a variety of applications like remote sensing, precision farming, and disaster response. The collection of processing of data from multiple sensors is made possible by the incorporation of IoT devices in UAVs, enabling more precise and effective decision-making. In conclusion, by enabling new degrees of automation and connectivity, the integration of UAVs and 5G technology with IoT devices have the ability to fundamentally alter how we work and live. This study of UAV communication with regard to 5G/B5G WLANs is presented in this research. The three UAV-assisted MEC network scenarios also include the specifics for the allocation of resources and optimization. We also concentrate on the case where a UAV does task computation in addition to serving as a MEC server to examine wind farm turbines. This paper covers the key implementation difficulties of UAV-assisted MEC, such as optimum UAV deployment, wind models, and coupled trajectory-computation performance optimization, in order to promote widespread implementations of UAV-assisted MEC in practice. The primary problem for 5G and beyond 5G (B5G) is delivering broadband access to various device kinds. Prior to discussing associated research issues faced by the developing integrated network design, we first provide a brief overview of the background information as well as the networks that integrate space, aviation, and land.

A UAV-based moving 5G RAN for massive connectivity of mobile users and IoT devices

Vehicular Communications, 2020

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