Maximizing Dense Network Flow through Wireless Multihop Backhauling using UAVs

Abstract

UAV enabled communications promise to provide solutions for many challenges raised by the emerging and future 5G+ networks, especially the ones related to backhauling a network of ultra dense small cells (SC), while maintaining a low cost, low latency, flexible and high capacity backhaul networks. In fact, deploying UAVs as a backhaul hubs triggers multiple issues, such as the placement and association with the SCs. In this paper we address the problem of wireless multi-hop backhauling of SCs using UAV hubs, that provide connectivity between the SCs and the core network. We provide a binary linear optimization program that optimizes the SC-UAV association and the SC-SC hops to maximize the total flow, considering some practical constraints related to backhaul reliability, SC relaying capacity and the number of available links. Numerical simulations with different parameters using the proposed problem formulations, present the performance of the backhauling network. � 2018 IEEE.