Interference by Drones to 5G Ground Users: A Simulation Study

Abstract

This work studies the issue of inter-cell interference that arises when drones are integrated into cellular networks. Using the Vienna 5G System Level Simulator, augmented with a drone-specific 3GPP path loss model, we demonstrate that uplink transmissions from regular ground users may experience significant degradation of signal-to-interference ratio and achievable throughput. Transmit power control in drones could alleviate this degradation while maintaining an acceptable link quality for the drones themselves.