1 research outputs found
Survey on UAV Cellular Communications: Practical Aspects, Standardization Advancements, Regulation, and Security Challenges
The rapid growth of consumer Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is creating
promising new business opportunities for cellular operators. On the one hand,
UAVs can be connected to cellular networks as new types of user equipment,
therefore generating significant revenues for the operators that can guarantee
their stringent service requirements. On the other hand, UAVs offer the
unprecedented opportunity to realize UAV-mounted flying base stations that can
dynamically reposition themselves to boost coverage, spectral efficiency, and
user quality of experience. Indeed, the standardization bodies are currently
exploring possibilities for serving commercial UAVs with cellular networks.
Industries are beginning to trial early prototypes of flying base stations or
user equipments, while academia is in full swing researching mathematical and
algorithmic solutions to address interesting new problems arising from flying
nodes in cellular networks. In this article, we provide a comprehensive survey
of all of these developments promoting smooth integration of UAVs into cellular
networks. Specifically, we survey (i) the types of consumer UAVs currently
available off-the-shelf, (ii) the interference issues and potential solutions
addressed by standardization bodies for serving aerial users with the existing
terrestrial base stations, (iii) the challenges and opportunities for assisting
cellular communications with UAV-based flying relays and base stations, (iv)
the ongoing prototyping and test bed activities, (v) the new regulations being
developed to manage the commercial use of UAVs, and (vi) the cyber-physical
security of UAV-assisted cellular communications.Comment: Accepted in the JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATIONS SURVEYS AND TUTORIALS, Feb
2019, 26 pages, 9 Tables, 9 Figures Submitted to JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATIONS
SURVEYS AND TUTORIALS, June 2018, 20 pages, 9 Tables, 9 Figure