Integrating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as user equipment (UE) and base-stations (BSs) into an existing LTE-Advanced heterogeneous network (HetNet) can further enhance wireless connectivity and support emerging services. However, this would require effective configuration of system-level design parameters for interference management. This paper provides system-level insights into a three-tier LTE-Advanced air/ground HetNet, wherein the UAVs are deployed both as BSs and UEs, and co-exist with existing terrestrial nodes. Moreover, this HetNet leverages on cell range expansion (CRE), intercell interference coordination (ICIC), 3D beamforming, and enhanced support for UAVs. Through Monte-Carlo simulations, we compare system-wide fifth percentile spectral efficiency (5pSE) and coverage probability for different ICIC techniques, while jointly optimizing the ICIC and CRE parameters. Our results show that reduced power subframes defined in 3GPP Rel-11 can provide considerably better 5pSE and coverage probability than the 3GPP Re1–10 with almost blank subframes.
[1]
Sofie Pollin,et al.
Coexistence of Terrestrial and Aerial Users in Cellular Networks
,
2017,
2017 IEEE Globecom Workshops (GC Wkshps).
[2]
Adem Tuncer,et al.
Exploiting LTE-Advanced HetNets and FeICIC for UAV-Assisted Public Safety Communications
,
2017,
IEEE Access.
[3]
Abhaykumar Kumbhar,et al.
A Survey on Legacy and Emerging Technologies for Public Safety Communications
,
2015,
IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials.
[4]
Mérouane Debbah,et al.
Preliminary Results on 3D Channel Modeling: From Theory to Standardization
,
2013,
IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications.
[5]
Karina Mabell Gomez,et al.
Designing and implementing future aerial communication networks
,
2016,
IEEE Communications Magazine.