It is shown that, particularly for terrestrial cellular telephony, the interference-suppression feature of CDMA (code division multiple access) can result in a many-fold increase in capacity over analog and even over competing digital techniques. A single-cell system, such as a hubbed satellite network, is addressed, and the basic expression for capacity is developed. The corresponding expressions for a multiple-cell system are derived. and the distribution on the number of users supportable per cell is determined. It is concluded that properly augmented and power-controlled multiple-cell CDMA promises a quantum increase in current cellular capacity. >

On the capacity of a cellular CDMA system

Low-altitude aerial platforms (LAPs) have recently gained significant popularity as key enablers for rapid deployable relief networks where coverage is provided by onboard radio heads. These platforms are capable of delivering essential wireless communication for public safety agencies in remote areas or during the aftermath of natural disasters. In this letter, we present an analytical approach to optimizing the altitude of such platforms to provide maximum radio coverage on the ground. Our analysis shows that the optimal altitude is a function of the maximum allowed pathloss and of the statistical parameters of the urban environment, as defined by the International Telecommunication Union. Furthermore, we present a closed-form formula for predicting the probability of the geometrical line of sight between a LAP and a ground receiver.

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Optimal LAP Altitude for Maximum Coverage

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is growing rapidly across many civil application domains, including real-time monitoring, providing wireless coverage, remote sensing, search and rescue, delivery of goods, security and surveillance, precision agriculture, and civil infrastructure inspection. Smart UAVs are the next big revolution in the UAV technology promising to provide new opportunities in different applications, especially in civil infrastructure in terms of reduced risks and lower cost. Civil infrastructure is expected to dominate more than $45 Billion market value of UAV usage. In this paper, we present UAV civil applications and their challenges. We also discuss the current research trends and provide future insights for potential UAV uses. Furthermore, we present the key challenges for UAV civil applications, including charging challenges, collision avoidance and swarming challenges, and networking and security-related challenges. Based on our review of the recent literature, we discuss open research challenges and draw high-level insights on how these challenges might be approached.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: A Survey on Civil Applications and Key Research Challenges

The reliable prediction of coverage footprint resulting from an airborne wireless radio base station, is at utmost importance, when it comes to the new emerging applications of air-to-ground wireless services. These applications include the rapid recovery of damaged terrestrial wireless infrastructure due to a natural disaster, as well as the fulfillment of sudden wireless traffic overload in certain spots due to massive movement of crowds. In this paper, we propose a statistical propagation model for predicting the air-to-ground path loss between a low altitude platform and a terrestrial terminal. The prediction is based on the urban environment properties, and is dependent on the elevation angle between the terminal and the platform. The model shows that air-to-ground path loss is following two main propagation groups, characterized by two different path loss profiles. In this paper we illustrate the methodology of which the model was deduced, as well as we present the different path loss profiles including the occurrence probability of each.

Modeling air-to-ground path loss for low altitude platforms in urban environments

From the Publisher:
Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) is a method of digital modulation in which a signal is split into several narrowband channels at different frequencies.
CDMA is a form of multiplexing, which allows numerous signals to occupy a single transmission channel, optimising the use of available bandwidth. Multiplexing is sending multiple signals or streams of information on a carrier at the same time in the form of a single, complex signal and then recovering the separate signals at the receiving end.
Multi-Carrier (MC) CDMA is a combined technique of Direct Sequence (DS) CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) and OFDM techniques. It applies spreading sequences in the frequency domain.
Wireless communications has witnessed a tremendous growth during the past decade and further spectacular enabling technology advances are expected in an effort to render ubiquitous wireless connectivity a reality.
This technical in-depth book is unique in its detailed exposure of OFDM, MIMO-OFDM and MC-CDMA. A further attraction of the joint treatment of these topics is that it allows the reader to view their design trade-offs in a comparative context.
Divided into three main parts:
Part I provides a detailed exposure of OFDM designed for employment in various applications
Part II is another design alternative applicable in the context of OFDM systems where the channel quality fluctuations observed are averaged out with the aid of frequency-domain spreading codes, which leads to the concept of MC-CDMA
Part III discusses how to employ multiple antennas at the base station for the sake of supporting multiple users in the uplink
Portrays theentire body of knowledge currently available on OFDMProvides the first complete treatment of OFDM, MIMO(Multiple Input Multiple Output)-OFDM and MC-CDMAConsiders the benefits of channel coding and space time coding in the context of various application examples and features numerous complete system design examplesConverts the lessons of Shannon's information theory into design principles applicable to practical wireless systemsCombines the benefits of a textbook with a research monograph where the depth of discussions progressively increase throughout the book

This all-encompassing self-contained treatment will appeal to researchers, postgraduate students and academics, practising research and development engineers working for wireless communications and computer networking companies and senior undergraduate students and technical managers.

OFDM and MC-CDMA for Broadband Multi-User Communications, WLANs and Broadcasting

The demand for high-capacity wireless services is bringing increasing challenges, especially for delivery of the “last mile”. Terrestrially, the need for line-of-sight propagation paths represents a constraint unless very large numbers of base-station masts are deployed, while satellite systems have capacity limitations. An emerging solution is offered by high-altitude platforms (HAPs) operating in the stratosphere at altitudes of up to 22 km to provide communication facilities that can exploit the best features of both terrestrial and satellite schemes. This paper outlines the application and features of HAPs, and some specific development programmes. Particular consideration is given to the use of HAPs for delivery of future broadband wireless communications.

High-altitude platforms for wireless communications

In the present climate of growth in bandwidth-hungry telecommunication applications, wireless infrastructure providers are under continuous pressure to exploit the limited radio spectrum as efficiently as possible. In this context, high-altitude platforms (HAPs) are increasingly being cited as having an important role to play in future systems and applications. They have the potential to exploit many of the best aspects of terrestrial and satellite-based systems, while offering advantageous propagation characteristics. Such platforms may be airships or aircraft and for environmental considerations would ideally be solar powered. This paper reviews some of the studies under the European HeliNet programme-a consortium-led project to develop a pilotless solar-powered aircraft from which broadband communication services could be supported. Millimetre wave antennas and propagation characteristics are discussed in particular.

Broadband communications from a high-altitude platform: the European HeliNet programme

In a wireless communications network served by a high altitude platform (HAP) the cochannel interference is a function of the antenna beamwidth, angular separation and sidelobe level. At the millimeter wave frequencies proposed for HAPs, an array of aperture type antennas on the platform is a practicable solution for serving the cells. We present a method for predicting cochannel interference based on curve-fit approximations for radiation patterns of elliptic beams which illuminate cell edges with optimum power, and a means of estimating optimum beamwidths for each cell of a regular hexagonal layout. The method is then applied to a 121 cell architecture. Where sidelobes are modeled as a flat floor at 40-dB below peak directivity, a cell cluster size of four yields carrier-to-interference ratios (CIRs), which vary from 15 dB at cell edges to 27 dB at cell centers. On adopting a cluster size of seven, these figures increase, respectively, to 19 and 30 dB. On reducing the sidelobe level, the improvement in CIR can be quantified. The method also readily allows for regions of overlapping channel coverage to be shown.

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Optimizing an array of antennas for cellular coverage from a high altitude platform

Many iterative techniques are available to solve normal equations appearing in the linear least-squares (LS) problem However, because of multiplications and divisions they cannot be effectively implemented in real time A novel multiplication-free and division-free iterative technique, the dichotomous co-ordinate descent algorithm, which guarantees convergence to the true solution under realistic assumptions, is proposed

Multiplication-free iterative algorithm for LS problem

A new simple frequency estimator is presented which performs FFT-based coarse and DFT-based dichotomous fine searching of the periodogram peak. The proposed estimator is shown to have a frequency error close to that of the maximum likelihood (ML) estimator and a lower complexity than that of known estimators.

T.C. Tozer

Papers

High-altitude platforms for wireless communications

Broadband communications from a high-altitude platform: the European HeliNet programme

Optimizing an array of antennas for cellular coverage from a high altitude platform

Multiplication-free iterative algorithm for LS problem

Frequency estimator with dichotomous search of periodogram peak