Reliability of UAV Connectivity in Dual-MNO Networks: A Performance Measurement Campaign

Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be controlled in beyond-visual-line-of-sight use cases via today's commercial mobile network operator (MNO) deployments, such as those based on long-term evolution (LTE) technology. In order to improve the reliability of UAV connectivity, especially in more critical use cases, several MNO networks may be utilized simultaneously. To evaluate this option in typical environments, performance measurements were conducted over two public LTE networks in urban, suburban, and rural areas in/near the city of Tampere, Finland, and at various UAV flight altitudes: 1 m, 15-20 m, and 50 m above the ground. The results indicate that there are distinct benefits in utilizing more than one MNO for improved levels of connection reliability.