Mobile-Network Connected Drones: Field Trials, Simulations, and Design Insights

TL;DR

This paper investigates cellular connectivity for low altitude drones through field trials and simulations, providing insights into network performance and design considerations for safe drone operation.

Contribution

It offers new empirical data and simulation analysis on LTE network performance for drone connectivity, aiding future network design for aerial vehicle support.

Findings

LTE network can support low altitude drones with adequate performance

Simulations reveal capacity limits and coverage challenges for drone connectivity

Design insights improve understanding of cellular support for drone operations

Abstract

Drones are becoming increasingly used in a wide variety of industries and services and are delivering profound socioeconomic benefits. Technology needs to be in place to ensure safe operation and management of the growing fleet of drones. Mobile networks have connected tens of billions of devices on the ground in the past decades and are now ready to connect the drones flying in the sky. In this article, we share some of our findings in cellular connectivity for low altitude drones. We first present and analyze field measurement data collected during drone flights in a commercial Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network. We then present simulation results to shed light on the performance of a network when it is serving many drones simultaneously over a wide area. The results, analysis, and design insights presented in this article help enhance the understanding of the applicability and performance of providing mobile connectivity to low altitude drones.