UAV-Based Coverage Measurement Method for 5G

The ability to perform systematic, automatized, and repeatable measurements over large areas is essential for analyzing the spatiotemporal properties of key performance indicators in cellular mobile networks. A systematic spatiotemporal analysis is required to verify 3D channel models and antenna patterns (e.g., massive MIMO or 3D beamforming in 5G). To this end, using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for measurements opens new possibilities for developers to perform measurements more efficiently, especially now that UAVs have become increasingly available and commercialized. Currently, researchers employing UAVs to investigate mobile network parameters rely on manual UAV control, which cannot perform repeatable flight routes. In this paper, we introduce our measurement setup using a hexacopter, and then present the initial results of our autonomous measurements. The stock drones, available on the market, do not fully match the requirements for repeatable measurements; thus we upgraded the drone with additional sensors. We give an overview of the different hardware and software components that we used in our experiment. Accordingly, our results will help other researchers to determine which UAV solutions will be useful in measuring KPIs and to identify the limitations of using this method.