Mobile network transmitters on drones 'improve phone coverage by 40%'

Using drones as mobile network transmitters could improve phone coverage by 40%, according to a new simulation.

With frustrating coverage “blind spots” still affecting networks around the world, even in major cities, researchers at RUDN University in Moscow tested a novel approach to improve connections.

“Drones have become a promising tool for a variety of applications,” said doctor of technical sciences Konstantin Samuylov. “They are of interest as flying access points for cellular network users, and as mobile signal amplifiers.”

Researchers simulated a communication system using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) which took many ‘real life’ factors into consideration, such as random distances between network users and the drones. The team also ran the simulation in three dimensions, an approach which they said improves the accuracy of modelling.

The result, said Samuylov, was a cellular network with about 40% more coverage. The approach would “significantly improve the quality and reliability” of mobile services, the researchers said.

To create seamless networks, areas such as cities are divided into overlapping ‘cells’, each with their own transmitting and receiving base stations. These base stations only emit waves in two dimensions, the researchers said, which causes changes in coverage at different altitudes.

UAV stations can use directional millimetre-wave emissions with wider frequencies and larger energy by two orders of magnitude, the RUDN team said. Such waves are safe for humans and provide an opportunity to significantly increase data transfer speed.  

The research was published in IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology.