An Investigation of 5G, LTE, LTE-M and NB-IoT Coverage for Drone Communication Above 450 Feet

Abstract

Cellular coverage measurements for 5th generation mobile networks (5G), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), Narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT), and LTE for Machine Type Communication (LTEM) have been carried out above 450 feet in the airspace OD 1 near Hans Christian Andersen (HCA) Airport, Denmark, and the results for Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) and Signal to Interference & Noise Ratio (SINR) is presented. The main objective of this empirical work is to investigate the reachability of cellular technology for drone communication and navigation. The results conclude that 5G has good signal strength and acceptable communication signal quality compared to LTE, LTE-M, and NB-IoT.