Network-Connected UAV Communications: Potentials and Challenges

This article explores the use of network-connected unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) communications as a compelling solution to achieve high-rate information transmission and support ultra-reliable UAV remote command and control. We first discuss the use cases of UAVs and the resulting communication requirements, accompanied with a flexible architecture for network-connected UAV communications. Then, the signal transmission and interference characteristics are theoretically analyzed, and subsequently we highlight the design and optimization considerations, including antenna design, non-orthogonal multiple access communications, as well as network selection and association optimization. Finally, case studies are provided to show the feasibility of network-connected UAV communications.