Using Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Mobile Network Verifications

Heikkilä, Matti; Koskela, Marjut; Kippola, Tero; Kocak, Mahmut; Erkkila, Juha; Tervonen, Jouni

doi:10.1109/pimrc.2018.8580883

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 9 publications

(13 reference statements)

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“…Today, the use of UAVs is rapidly gaining popularity as an efficient approach for site survey and in-situ antenna measurements and analysis [4]- [7] as well as for radio interference measurements (e.g., for national regulatory agencies [8]) and signal monitoring under real-life network conditions [9]. Further, MNOs already deploy UAVs to inspect their base station (BS) towers, which confirms the benefits of employing drones for outdoor interference measurements.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

UAV-Aided Interference Assessment for Private 5G NR Deployments: Challenges and Solutions

Urama¹,

Wiren²,

Galinina³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Industrial automation has created a high demand for private 5G networks, the deployment of which calls for an efficient and reliable solution to ensure strict compliance with the regulatory emission limits. While traditional methods for measuring outdoor interference include collecting real-world data by walking or driving, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offers an attractive alternative due to their flexible mobility and adaptive altitude. As UAVs perform measurements quickly and semiautomatically, they can potentially assist in near realtime adjustments of the network configuration and fine-tuning its parameters, such as antenna settings and transmit power, as well as help improve indoor connectivity while respecting outdoor emission constraints. This article offers a firsthand tutorial on using aerial 5G emission assessment for interference management in nonpublic networks (NPNs) by reviewing the key challenges of UAV-mounted radio-scanner measurements. Particularly, we (i) outline the challenges of practical assessment of the outdoor interference originating from a local indoor 5G network while discussing regulatory and other related constraints and (ii) address practical methods and tools while summarizing the recent results of our measurement campaign. The reported proof of concept confirms that UAV-based systems represent a promising tool for capturing outdoor interference from private 5G systems.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

UAV-Aided Interference Assessment for Private 5G NR Deployments: Challenges and Solutions

Urama¹,

Wiren²,

Galinina³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…The UAS‐based analysis provides above ground level view of coverage and makes it possible to obtain measurements in areas without roads. The UAV‐based measurements enable 3D analysis of the network 26 . We have also collected information and gained feedback with interviews from the Finnish public safety communications ecosystem—from authorities and technology providers—and present a synthesis of results.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Field trial with tactical bubbles for mission critical communications

Heikkilä

Koskela

Suomalainen

et al. 2021

Trans Emerging Tel Tech

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Main research and development interest of 5G and beyond systems are focusing on solution for populated and hot spot areas, but public safety authorities need reliable communication solutions in rural and remote areas. Tactical bubbles—ad hoc‐type nonpublic communications networks built with the 3rd Generation Partnership Project‐based mobile technologies—offer mission critical communications services for public safety authorities in areas with bad mobile network coverage while also providing additional capacity in hot spot areas. In this experimental study, three interconnected bubbles acting on three different frequency bands—2.3 GHz (40), 2.6 GHz (7), and 3.5 GHz (n78)—are trialed. This article provides the analysis of different factors related to performance and user experience of tactical bubbles. Both ground‐level and aerial trial measurements, as well as simulations, were utilized to verify our configuration for the tactical bubbles and their fulfillment of the quality requirements. The performance and coverage of the tactical bubbles are evaluated in a trial, which represents authorities' search operations in a rural environment with hills, forests, and swamps. The achieved coverage range of the bubbles is more than 1000 m with the unmanned aerial system‐based measurements, whereas by car, the coverage is less than 600 m. The effect of obstacles (ie, buildings and hills) on the coverage area and performance of bubbles is significant, especially on car‐based measurements on the ground level.

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