Implementation of a model for deploying 6th generation mobile networks using drones

D O I: 10.31673/2412-9070.2022.062127

Abstract

In this article, options will be considered for implementing a network based on 6G mobile communication technology, which is currently under development. But, due to the fact that at the moment, drones do not have a significant energy reserve in their batteries, which limits productivity, and therefore, drones will have to go down to the ground to recharge. Therefore, it will be proposed to implement the use of tethered UAVs, hereinafter referred to as tUAVs, in order not to leave the area covered by tUAS without a signal. Thus, a system is propose that will be connected to a ground station, hereinafter referred to as the GS, using a cable through which power and data will be supplied to the UAV, which can provide flight for up to several days. A comparison between the tethered UAV and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will also be described. In addition, potential applications will be described, with a Monte Carlo example looking at the performance between a tUAV and a uUAV, considering coverage where the tUAV is available 70% of the time and 30% is unavailable due to maintenance/repair. Here, the modelling results show that a tethered UAV with a 120 m tether length can provide up to a 30% increase in coverage probability compared to a UAV. Finally, challenges, design considerations, and future research directions for implementing the proposed model are described.

Keywords: unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV); unmanned untethered vehicle (uUAV); tethered unmanned aerial vehicle; base stations; ground station; nternet of Things; line-of-sight propagation; macro base stations; air-to-ground; free space optical communication; capital cost; operating cost; Poisson point process.

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