Technical Feasibility and Design Challenges of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle based Drive Testing on Cellular Networks

Abstract

Conventional drones are using ISM (Industrial, Scientific, and Medical) frequency bands during operation that can limit the range of the device. Limitations depend on the applied technologies in these frequency bands. With the help of cellular networks, BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) UAV operations can be realized with increased safety. Unfortunately, base stations used in cellular networks target the lower, near-earth layers of air space. In case of drones, coverage in higher layers must be planned. Test procedures used in residential mobile network measurements record the quality parameters of the network measured on foot or by vehicle. Furthermore, the device carrying the measurement setup can cause serious interference with the measurement results. This paper presents current measurement methods and a concept for a solution to apply the measurement devices to an UAV. This new measurement method is correspondingly fit in the conception of IoD conference. We are executed the measurements by our own newly developed UAV system which can be a substitute solution of the walking measurements. Furthermore it provides opportunity to measurement some of that new layers of the air that have not had a chance before. Also, this innovation gives us the opportunity to perform measurements that have been difficult and dangerous so far, much easier and safer than before, without the need for human contact. In addition, measurements with drones have given a new perspective to the world of measurement methods.