Efficient Airborne Network Clustering for 5G Backhauling and Fronthauling

Interests in the exploration and use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for service provision have risen in recent years. However, the use of UAVs to extend or solely provide Fifth Generation (5G) wireless network coverage in rural and low income areas is one application area that is yet to be extensively researched. To this end, this paper proposes a topological design model for building an airborne network to provide coverage in rural areas. The model uses a combination of Low Altitude Platform (LAP) as a base station and a cluster of UAVs as cellular access points to provide wireless access to ground users. A combination of performance metrics including Signal-to-Noise Ratio, communication range and residual energy of UAVs are used as guide for designing a robust airborne network with multiple sink nodes. Topology relaxation techniques are applied to design these meshed airborne networks respectively called Multi-Sink Airborne Network with Inter-Cluster Communication through the LAP (MSLBACK) and Multi-Sink Airborne Network with an Inter-Cluster Connection through UAV Gateways (MS-GBACK). Compared to myopic approaches (that may lead to isolated UAVs), these airborne networks have more economic relevance as they ensure effective utilization of all UAVs in providing 5G connectivity to ground users. Simulation results reveal that MSLBACK and MSGBACK outperform the stateofthe-art algorithms.