On the Performance of a UAV-Aided Wireless Network Based on NB-IoT

Abstract

In recent years, interest in Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) as a means to provide wireless connectivity has substantially increased thanks to their easy, fast and flexible deployment. Among the several possible applications of UAV networks explored by the current literature, they can be efficiently employed to collect Internet-of-Things (IoT) data because the non-stringent latency and small-size traffic type is particularly suited for UAVs’ inherent characteristics. However, the implications coming from the implementation of existing technology in such kinds of nodes are not straightforward. In this article, we consider a Narrow Band IoT (NB-IoT) network served by a UAV base station. Because of the many configurations possible within the NB-IoT standard, such as the access structure and numerology, we thoroughly review the technical aspects that have to be implemented and may be affected by the proposed UAV-aided IoT network. For proper remarks, we investigate the network performance jointly in terms of the number of successful transmissions, access rate, latency, throughput and energy consumption. Then, we compare the obtained results on different and known trajectories in the research community and study the impact of varying UAV parameters such as speed and height. Moreover, the numerical assessment allows us to extend the discussion to the potential implications of this model in different scenarios. Thus, this article summarizes all the main aspects that must be considered in planning NB-IoT networks with UAVs.

A Deep-Learning Approach to a Volumetric Radio Environment Map Construction for UAV-Assisted Networks

“…Creating REMs based on measurement data such as environment-specifc real terrain maps or signal characteristics parameters such as received signal strength (RSS) ofers high accuracy as it captures real conditions and potential signal variations. However, it can be resourceintensive, demanding both time and cost, making it suitable for specifc applications where precision is paramount [18][19][20]. On the other hand, REMs solely based on data from simulation employ computational models to predict radio wave behaviors across the area of interest.…”

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“…To calculate the distance between UAV and UE for NB-IoT, one needs to know the terms Advance (TA), where Т А (0, 1, 2 … 1282) s is indexed, which are a time shift for the N TA _×0001_ radio frame receiver path and for each time interval we used (6):…”