QoS-based performance analysis of mmWave UAV-assisted 5G hybrid heterogeneous network

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provide us with the ability for rapid, on demand, and infrastructure-less deployment. This capability can be exploited to meet the rising demands of future fifth generation (5G) and Internet of things (IoT) networks. In this study, we consider a downlink scenario in a multi-tier heterogeneous network (HetNet), with sub-6GHz and millimeter wave (mmWave) UAVs coexisting as aerial base stations (ABSs), to meet the network quality-of- service (QoS) requirements. The considered QoS metrics are network coverage and data rates. The network area has no pre-existing communication infrastructure. We study the impact of various network configurations, by varying ratio of mmWave UAVs to total UAVs in the HetNet, number of users, and bias factor for mmWave tier. Our results validate that sub-6GHz and mmWave UAVs can be deployed together to complement each other in a multi-tier HetNet where the sub-6GHz tier will enhance the coverage and the mmWave tier will improve the data rates. Through extensive simulations, we propose and implement a methodology to configure the HetNet for an efficient coverage-rate trade off, while meeting the desired QoS metrics at the same time.