UAV-assisted 5G Networks for Optimised Coverage Under Dynamic Traffic Load

Abstract

Cellular communication researchers and engineers are both interested in the potential use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as aerial base stations. In comparison to terrestrial communications or systems based on high-altitude networks, on-demand wireless systems using low-altitude UAVs can be deployed faster, can be reconfigured more easily, and will likely have better communication channels due to short-range line of sight links. The goal of this paper is to evaluate the use of UAVs in next-generation wireless networks, specifically as a flying base station. Ray-tracing simulations are used to simulate the coverage of a UAV-aided base station (UAV-BS) in a scenario with a fixed base station at the University of Glasgow, UK. The results imply that the UAV-BS will be of tremendous benefit to 5G network communication, such as capacity expansion in metropolitan regions, better coverage in rural areas, and network densification.