A Vision and Framework for the High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) Networks of the Future

A High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) is a network node that operates in the stratosphere at an of altitude around 20 km and is instrumental for providing communication services. Precipitated by technological innovations in the areas of autonomous avionics, array antennas, solar panel efficiency levels, and battery energy densities, and fueled by flourishing industry ecosystems, the HAPS has emerged as an indispensable component of next-generations of wireless networks. In this article, we provide a vision and framework for the HAPS networks of the future supported by a comprehensive and state-of-the-art literature review. We highlight the unrealized potential of HAPS systems and elaborate on their unique ability to serve metropolitan areas. The latest advancements and promising technologies in the HAPS energy and payload systems are discussed. The integration of the emerging Reconfigurable Smart Surface (RSS) technology in the communications payload of HAPS systems for providing a cost-effective deployment is proposed. A detailed overview of the radio resource management in HAPS systems is presented along with synergistic physical layer techniques, including Faster-Than-Nyquist (FTN) signaling. Numerous aspects of handoff management in HAPS systems are described. The notable contributions of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in HAPS, including machine learning in the design, topology management, handoff, and resource allocation aspects are emphasized. The extensive overview of the literature we provide is crucial for substantiating our vision that depicts the expected deployment opportunities and challenges in the next 10 years (next-generation networks), as well as in the subsequent 10 years (next-next-generation networks).Comment: To appear in IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorial

A review of relay network on UAVS for enhanced connectivity

One of the best evolution in technology breakthroughs is the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). This aerial system is able to perform the mission in an agile environment and can reach the hard areas to perform the tasks autonomously. UAVs can be used in post-disaster situations to estimate damages, to monitor and to respond to the victims. The Ground Control Station can also provide emergency messages and ad-hoc communication to the Mobile Users of the disaster-stricken community using this network. A wireless network can also extend its communication range using UAV as a relay. Major requirements from such networks are robustness, scalability, energy efficiency and reliability. In general, UAVs are easy to deploy, have Line of Sight options and are flexible in nature. However, their 3D mobility, energy constraints, and deployment environment introduce many challenges. This paper provides a discussion of basic UAV based multi-hop relay network architecture and analyses their benefits, applications, and tradeoffs. Key design considerations and challenges are investigated finding fundamental issues and potential research directions to exploit them. Finally, analytical tools and frameworks for performance optimizations are presented