UAV-based Air-to-Ground Channel Modeling for Diverse Environments

Abstract

In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been deployed in a range of new applications such as remote surveillance, package delivery and relief operations. The existing scenario of next-generation communications systems envisions the use of UAVs as low altitude platforms (LAPs) as one of the enabling technologies of next-gen networks. Telecom operators have been exploring low-altitude UAV-based communications solutions for on-demand deployment. The emerging possibilities of UAVs in air-to-ground (AG) communication necessitate accurate channel models in order to facilitate the design and implementation of such AG links. However, the propagation channels of Pakistan and in general the South Asian region have not been as of yet widely investigated. In this paper, a comprehensive study is presented on the air-to-ground channel parameters along with details of measurement campaigns as well as the limitations of this work and future research directions.