The Sky Is Not the Limit: LTE for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

TL;DR

This paper explores LTE connectivity for low-altitude UAVs, analyzing propagation conditions, feasibility, and potential enhancements to support beyond visual line-of-sight operations.

Contribution

It provides empirical analysis of LTE performance for UAVs, including measurement, ray tracing, and simulation results, along with ideas for future improvements.

Findings

UAVs experience different propagation conditions than ground mobiles.

LTE connectivity is feasible for low-altitude UAVs with certain enhancements.

Potential improvements can significantly enhance UAV LTE communication performance.

Abstract

Many use cases of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) require beyond visual line-of-sight (LOS) communications. Mobile networks offer wide area, high speed, and secure wireless connectivity, which can enhance control and safety of UAV operations and enable beyond visual LOS use cases. In this article, we share some of our experience in Long-Term Evolution (LTE) connectivity for low altitude small UAVs. We first identify the typical airborne connectivity requirements and characteristics, highlight the different propagation conditions for UAVs and mobiles on the ground with measurement and ray tracing results, and present simulation results to shed light on the feasibility of providing LTE connectivity for UAVs. We also present several ideas on potential enhancements for improving LTE connectivity performance and identify fruitful avenues for future research.