1

High Altitude Platform Station based Super Macro

Base Station (HAPS-SMBS) Constellations
Md Sahabul Alam, Gunes Karabulut Kurt, Halim Yanikomeroglu, Peiying Zhu, and Ngo.c Dũng Ðào

Abstract—High altitude platform station (HAPS) systems have

recently attracted renewed attention. While terrestrial and satel-
lite technologies are well-established for providing connectivity
services, they face certain shortcomings and challenges, which
arXiv:2007.08747v1 [eess.SP] 17 Jul 2020

could be addressed by complementing them with HAPS systems.

In this paper, we envision a HAPS as a super macro base station,
which we refer to as HAPS-SMBS, to provide connectivity in
a plethora of applications. Unlike a conventional HAPS, which
targets remote areas or disaster recovery, we envision next-
generation HAPS-SMBS to have the necessary capabilities to
address the high capacity, broad coverage, low latency, and com-
puting requirements especially for highly populated metropolitan
areas. This article focuses mainly on the potential opportunities,
target use cases, and challenges that we expect to be associated
with the design and implementation of the HAPS-SMBS based
future wireless access architecture.

I NTRODUCTION
It is widely acknowledged that flexible and agile solu-
tions for wireless connectivity will play a key role in future
wireless communication systems. Currently, the connectivity
requirements in terrestrial networks are addressed mainly by
the densification of network infrastructures [1]. However,
densification solutions do not appear to be sufficient to address
Fig. 1: Promises and target use cases of HAPS-SMBS net-
the ever-increasing user demands which are getting more and
works.
more unpredictable in space and time. In other words, no
matter how dense most parts of the network is (with small
base stations (BSs) in addition to macro BSs), a demanding
application (such as immersed reality) can temporary arise at a quasi-stationary network elements. The International Telecom-
locality in which the network infrastructure may be relatively munication Union (ITU) has defined a HAPS in Article 1.66A
sparse. In light of this, the seamless integration of terrestrial as “A station on an object at an altitude of 20 to 50 km
and aerial networks, known as vertical heterogeneous networks and at a specified, nominal, fixed point relative to the Earth".
(VHetNets), has emerged as a promising architecture [2]. Most current deployment plans target an altitude range of 18
In the current state-of-the-art, the emergence of low earth to 21 km. We believe that this HAPS sub-layer will provide
orbit (LEO) satellite constellations have been identified as a important functions both in terms of capacity and coverage
promising solution for enhancing network coverage [3]. How- improvements by enabling the best features of both terrestrial
ever, we note that LEO constellations have two major short- and satellite communications. Motivated by these advantages,
comings: a) direct LEO to user equipment (UE) connection this paper discusses the significant role that HAPS systems
is difficult with the current technology due to high path loss, can play in the future wireless access networks.
and b) frequent handoffs will be encountered due to the high HAPS research dates back to the late 1990s [5]. Despite
mobility of LEO nodes. Hence, a potential complementary many advantages that HAPS deployment promised, their im-
solution to the wireless capacity and coverage enhancement plementation was very limited at that time. In recent years,
lies in aerial platforms. The utilization of aerial platforms there has been a substantial increase in research efforts and
for 5G wireless communication systems have already been commercial application plans for different HAPS technologies
considered in 3GPP Release 17 [4]. [6]. These developments have made HAPS systems more vi-
The envisioned aerial network is composed of two inter- able network element thanks also to the evolution of communi-
acting sub-layers which offer agile network functionalities. cation networks and advances in solar panel efficiency, battery
The first sub-layer includes moving unmanned aerial vehicle energy density, lightweight composite materials, autonomous
(UAV) nodes, whereas the second sub-layer is composed of avionics, and antennas. With these advancements, in practice,
high altitude platform station (HAPS) systems, which are the the potential applications of a HAPS can be substantially
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TABLE I: Summary of the features of a HAPS compared to a UAV and a VLEO & LEO satellite
Parameters UAV HAPS VLEO LEO
Operational altitude 100 − 400 m 20 − 50 km 250 − 500 km 400 − 2000 km
Cost Low Medium Medium High
Round-trip propagation delay 0.66 − 2.66 µs 0.13 − 0.33 ms 1.66 − 3.33 ms 2.66 − 13.33 ms
Communication endurance Short Long Long Long
Resource limitation High Low (empowered by solar battery charging) High High
Mobility Varying speeds Quasi-stationary Fast Fast
Coverage area Small Wider Wider Wider
Path loss Low Low Medium High

broader than the conventional scenarios targeting remote and UAV Base Stations: The coverage and capacity improve-
disaster applications. ments offered through the use of UAV mounted aerial BSs is
In this article, we envision HAPS as a super macro BS, a well-studied topic in the literature [7], [8]. This concept is
which we refer to as HAPS-SMBS, to cover a large metropoli- being actively investigated by 3GPP [4]. The 5G system should
tan area in line with the smart city paradigm. The urgency of be able to support UxNB (the 3GPP term for a UAV-BS) to
increasing traffic volume in complex urban scenarios as well as provide enhanced and more flexible radio coverage.
the problems of deploying terrestrial BSs and LEOs motivate UAV as User Equipment: The use of UAVs as UE, such
us to consider the deployment of HAPS-SMBS. For example, as drones is already supported through existing terrestrial
in order to provide coverage for such a metropolitan area, a networks. In particular, the use of UAVs as UE is currently
large number of ground BSs, as well as a backhaul network, being promoted by mega-retailers who would like to use the
may be needed. This high cost of infrastructure would be a drones to carry courier packages.
major concern compared to a HAPS-SMBS. By contrast, a To this end, an overview of how to make use of UAVs in
HAPS-SMBS is an excellent interface to mask both high path wireless networks is provided. In the following sections, we
loss and the high mobility effects of LEO constellations. To investigate the latent opportunities and challenges of HAPS in
solve the first problem, the UE can connect to a HAPS-SMBS future wireless access networks.
with radio and a HAPS-SMBS to an LEO with free space
optics (FSO). Since HAPS are almost geostationary, there are HAPS A DVANTAGES
no mobility management related problems. The envisioned
HAPS-SMBS can provide wireless services and assist the The promise of HAPS as a main component of wireless
terrestrial network with the provision of distinct features, network architecture can be listed as follows.
such as data acquisition, computing, caching, and processing. Favorable channel conditions: HAPS are expected to be
Fig. 1 summarizes the promises and novel target use cases only 20 km away with line-of-sight (LoS) links. This distance,
of a HAPS-SMBS as a main component of wireless access combined with the high probability of LoS channels provides
architecture. This is detailed in the subsequent sections. a relatively low channel attenuation. Hence, a direct link with
ground UE is possible. At a low altitude, when compared to
LEO satellites located 400 km to 2000 km away, this provides
A ERIAL N ETWORKS
a much more favorable link budget. In terms of downlink,
Nowadays, aerial networks have received growing interest the corresponding favorable channel conditions provide a high
for their potential to improve network design both in terms of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for the downlink and a coverage
capacity and coverage. Aerial networks consist of two network advantage, including for highly populated areas.
components: HAPS and UAV nodes. (Almost) Geostationary positions: The position of a HAPS
is relatively stationary. This means capacity is not wasted by
High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) Systems orbiting over unpopulated areas (e.g., oceans), at all times
HAPS was a popular research topic in the late 1990s connectivity from the same location can be enabled. The
and early 2000s with many distinct areas of investigation stationary status of a HAPS avoids the introduction of a
[5]. However, all these earlier visions as well as the current significant Doppler shift. Furthermore, no tracking of the
Google Loon project aim to bring remote parts of the globe devices are needed. The stationarity of a HAPS also provides
online and for disaster applications. In contrast, we envision a a basis for a main mobility management node, which can
HAPS-SMBS as another type of BS in a multi-tier VHetNet contribute towards the handoff management.
architecture to be deployed particularly in dense urban areas. Smaller footprint compared to satellite nodes: The
Table I summarizes the features of a HAPS compared to a smaller footprint due to lower altitudes, when compared to
UAV and a very low earth orbit (VLEO) & LEO satellite. satellite nodes, provides a higher area throughput, and im-
proved resource utilization capability.
Large platform: A HAPS can be larger than a big building,
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and according to the recommendations of the ITU standard,
Unlike HAPS with their quasi-stationary positions, UAVs its position should be maintained in a cylinder with a radius
are networking elements with relatively high mobility. The of 400 m and height of ±700 m [9]. Hence it is suitable for
UAVs can be of two functions: multiple input multiple output (MIMO) and massive-MIMO
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(M-MIMO). Compounded by millimeter-wave (mmWave), areas of design will certainly create a HAPS-SMBS platform
very narrow beams are possible that improve the signal-to- with higher energy efficiency.
interference-and-noise ratio (SINR) for all users. For example, Future HAPS-SMBS wireless network architecture can sup-
using a HAPS to cover even a temporary hot spot at the ground port data acquisition, computing, caching, and processing in a
is possible. In addition, due to the large size of a HAPS, it plethora of application domains. Some of them are shown in
can be equipped with wide solar panels and energy storage Fig. 2, as detailed below.
systems to sustain it with the energy it requires. HAPS-SMBS for IoT applications: It is expected that
Even lower latency: The relatively low altitude of a HAPS in future 5G/B5G networks, HAPS-SMBS will play a key
also provide a 40 km to 100 km round-trip distance, which role in different applications including the internet of things
corresponds to a round-trip delay of 0.13 ms to 0.33 ms. (IoT). In the past, there have been several research projects
Hence, HAPS based connectivity does not suffer from the on HAPS; however, they are limited to civil applications, such
high-latency problems of satellite networks, which makes a as disaster monitoring or earth observation. IoT networks are
HAPS suitable for low-latency applications. characterized by an enormous number of devices each with
Hybrid connectivity: ITU has already dedicated 600 MHz low-rate links which are ideal for a single base station with
of spectrum for HAPS [10]. In addition to the dedicated band a wide footprint. Due to its larger coverage, HAPS-SMBS
and terrestrial cellular bands, FSO is a promising alternative in future 5G/B5G can support improved coverage for the
for providing multi-connectivity to robust and/or high data rate realization of diverse outdoor IoT applications in a seamless,
communication systems. One leading solution is to generalize efficient, and cost-effective manner.
the multi-band radio frequency (RF) links with hybrid RF- HAPS-SMBS for backhauling outdoor small cell BSs:
FSO connections. This approach will trigger a change of Although the concept of a small cell base station has been
the classical radio access architecture to a more generalized widely acknowledged and studied for extremely high data rate
wireless access architecture paradigm. coverage in 4G LTE wireless framework and is still perceived
as a 5G key enabler, this concept cannot be realized in a
straightforward manner mainly due to the difficulty and cost
HAPS S UPER M ACRO BASE S TATIONS
of backhauling a high number of small cell base stations.
A macro BS is a fundamental element in any HetNet wire- Motivated by the recent advances in HAPS and FSO research,
less infrastructure for providing coverage and support capacity. backhauling outdoor small cell BSs can be realized through
Due to the inherent characteristics of quasi-stationarity, the FSO and HAPS-SMBS [12], i.e., by placing the outdoor small
larger footprint compared to UAVs, and the LoS channels, cell BSs wherever appropriate without much concern about
the envisioned HAPS mounted super macro BS can serve as a backhaul, and then focusing the laser on the HAPS-SMBS for
powerful platform to enhance coverage and capacity, as shown the backhaul connectivity.
in Fig. 2. HAPS-SMBS improve the flexibility of the network For illustration, Fig. 3 shows the achievable data rate of
design. The presence of HAPS-SMBS reduces the need for an FSO link where it is assumed that the terrestrial small
communication network over-engineering, which is done to cell BSs are connected to a HAPS-SMBS through this link.
match the requirements of peak demands. Therefore, the The achievable data rate of a given FSO link is calculated
terrestrial network can be designed to satisfy the average user according to [12, Eqn. (3)] where the parameters listed in
demands, and the rapidly changing (and often unpredictable) [12, Table 2] are used to obtain the numerical results. To take
high demands can be simply addressed through a HAPS- into account the impact of different weather conditions on the
SMBS. It should be emphasized that we refer to this BS as performance, we adopt the approaches developed in [12] and
a super macro BS because of its large coverage area with M- [13] for fog, rain, and cloud attenuation. From Fig. 3, it can be
MIMO and the provision of supporting distinct features, such observed that the data rates in the range of multi Gb/s can be
as data acquisition, computing, caching, and processing. achieved in clear weather conditions. It can also be observed
However, with increasing the interest in HAPS-SMBS, it is that the achievable data rate is mostly affected by the rain. So
imperative to access the feasibility of its deployment mainly the system may use FSO when there are clear skies or foggy
considering the energy consumption constraint. In this vein, conditions, and it can switch to RF during rainy conditions.
there has been a successful deployment of aircraft-based solar- HAPS-SMBS to cover temporary unpredictable events:
powered HAPS [11]. Energy management of HAPS-SMBS re- The proposed HAPS-SMBS based wireless network architec-
quires the investigation of how much energy will be consumed ture can provide additional coverage in case of temporary
and how much solar energy can be harvested. For example, events which are hard to predict. For example, a HAPS-SMBS
the authors in [6] estimated a HAPS BS power consumption can provide additional beams to support the instantaneous
for a service area radius of 60 km. It was shown that the total capacity requirements in densely populated areas. Such flash
energy required for 24 hours of continuous HAPS mounted events normally happen in cities, particularly when there are
macro BS operation at full capacity was approximately 70 large gatherings, which leads to network congestion.
kWh. By contrast, the available solar energy provisioning HAPS-SMBS to support agile computational off-
using a 35 m wingspan HAPS platform is approximately 80 loading: The main idea of computational off-loading is to do
kWh. Hence, a solar power based HAPS-SMBS with extended the computations at the network edge near the end user in order
coverage is potentially feasible in the near future. Additionally, to reduce response time and enable real-time applications.
significant developments in aeronautics, wingspan, and other In the future, as many applications (e.g., augmented reality)
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Fig. 2: Representation of target use cases of HAPS-SMBS networks.

HAPS-SMBS have more computational power than UE (e.g.,

aerial UE) and can provide better coverage with LoS links
due to their high position which avoids the possibility of
disconnection while offloading data.
HAPS-SMBS as a flying data center: HAPS-SMBS will
also enable the possibility of flying data centers. These data
centers can provide a back-up computational facility, that can
also be functional in case of emergency scenarios where the
ground infrastructure fails to function.
HAPS-SMBS for coverage holes: HAPS-SMBS can as-
sist existing terrestrial networks by providing coverage holes
through a cost-effective manner. This problem happens when
the terrestrial UE received signal strength in an area falls
Fig. 3: Data rate vs transmit power of a vertical FSO link for below a predetermined level that is required for robust ra-
different weather conditions. It is assumed that a HAPS-SMBS dio performance due to physical obstructions. For this, a
is placed at a distance of 18 km. HAPS-SMBS needs to steer a beam in a specific direction.
Through their physical advantages, HAPS-SMBS can perform
3D beamforming that enables the creation of separate beams in
will require high computational capabilities, it is expected the three-dimensional space at the same time for different users
that enabling efficient computational offloading will be a as shown in Fig. 2. At present, it is widely seen that existing
necessity. HAPS-SMBS will play a significant role in provid- terrestrial networks fail to overcome the coverage holes even
ing computational services as part of the integrated network. in a modern metropolitan area without having a viable access
 5

Fig. 4: HAPS-SMBS constellation to support ITS applications.

point to which to connect.

HAPS-SMBS for ubiquitous coverage for intelligent
transportation systems: HAPS-SMBS can play a key role for Fig. 5: A HAPS-SMBS for providing coverage to a massive
the ubiquitous coverage of intelligent transportation systems number of aerial UE’s.
(ITS)/connected and autonomous vehicle (CAV) paradigms
shown in Fig. 4. Recent advances in sensors and the introduc-
tion of in-car wireless communication capabilities have paved HAPS-SMBS can be equipped with powerful processors that
the way for CAVs that enables unprecedented scenarios for can provide computational support for limited-resources aerial
road transportation. Nevertheless, huge data fusion and pro- network elements. Besides, due to their quasi-stationary posi-
cessing are necessary for many ITS applications. As vehicles tions and large coverage areas, HAPS-SMBS can collect data
are limited in processing capabilities, they may offload the data from large portions of the aerial network and use such data
to cloud or fog computing nodes for delay-tolerant applications as a real-time input for machine learning (ML) algorithms.
require large computation power. However, due to the high In this way, a HAPS-SMBS can dynamically learn about the
mobility of vehicles, data offloading will be interrupted by network status, resources and topology, and with a minimum
frequent handovers. In addition, the data processing outcome dependence on terrestrial-based control, a HAPS-SMBS can
needs to be delivered through the BS, which is accessible by control and manage the aerial network intelligently.
the vehicle. Fortunately, a HAPS-SMBS can provide both the HAPS-SMBS as an interface to provide seamless com-
large area coverage and computational capabilities with low munication to LEO satellites: LEO satellites move at a very
communication delays. Thus, a HAPS-SMBS can eliminate high speed resulting in frequent disconnections and handovers
the effect of frequent handovers in vehicular networks. In at the terrestrial gateways. Compared to terrestrial gateways, a
addition, HAPS-SMBS can be used as a sidelink for vehicle- HAPS-SMBS has a wide upper footprint that can cover many
to-vehicle communications where the terrestrial BS fails to LEO satellites simultaneously. Therefore, it is envisioned that
provide enough coverage. Moreover, a HAPS-SMBS can have a HAPS-SMBS can act as an interface of the satellite network
a wide view of a vehicular network which is essential for and provide seamless satellite communication to the aerial and
coordinating vehicle-to-everything communications, especially terrestrial networks. In this scenario, HAPS-SMBS will handle
for areas with limited infrastructure. the frequent handover of LEO satellites, and if user devices can
HAPS-SMBS to cover a massive amount of aerial UE: communicate with a HAPS-SMBS directly then users do not
Using HAPS-SMBS for coverage can also provide an essential have to use special devices or ground stations to communicate
tool for cargo drones that will likely disrupt the retail industry with satellites. In this regard, supervised ML can be utilized by
in the near future. As the retail industry is evolving with the HAPS-SMBS to learn the mobility patterns of the satellites
the possibility of using cargo drones, 3D highways can be in order to predict their handover then establish a connection to
expected to serve the cargo package distributions of platooning an approaching satellite before losing the current connection.
autonomous drones. Considering 1 delivery/home/day for 1
million homes will require 12 drone launches per second O PEN C HALLENGES AND F UTURE R ESEARCH
which is the equivalent of approximately 10,000 drones in
the air at any given time. To enable reliable connectivity for Distributed RRM
such a high amount of aerial UEs, a single HAPS-SMBS can The HAPS-SMBS based wireless access architecture we
be used to cover a city as shown in Fig. 5. envision has many distinct and even critical characteristics
HAPS-SMBS as an intelligent aerial network enabler: compared to terrestrial networks. The distinct characteristics
 6

may make it inefficient to apply the standards, protocols, and cover a massive number of aerial UE; however, the success-
design methodologies that are optimized for radio resource ful operation of NOMA in HAPS-SMBS requires numerous
management (RRM) in terrestrial wireless networks in the associated challenges to be addressed, including the power
design of HAPS-SMBS aided VHetNets directly. The RRM coefficient determination in regard to the channel uncertainty
algorithms can be operated either in a centralized or distributed of HAPS-SMBS to UE.
fashion. In conventional terrestrial networks, the RRM prob- Extension to mmWave bands: Extending the spectrum
lems are typically addressed through a centralized approach. to extremely high frequencies, such as mmWave bands, can
However, this may not be a feasible choice for HAPS-SMBS be regarded as the most efficient proposal for improving
based VHetNets due to issues related to network heterogene- transfer rates in HAPS-SMBS. In addition to the bands already
ity, computational complexity, cost, spectrum overhead for dedicated for HAPS usage, for example, 47.2 – 47.5 GHz
channel state information (CSI) transmission, and scalability. and 47.9 – 48.2 GHz, ITU during the World Radiocommu-
Although each technology has distinct advantages and draw- nication Conference 2019 (WRC-19) congress discussed that
backs, distributed RRM technology may help provide HAPS- the frequency bands 21.4 - 22 GHz and 24.25 - 27.5 GHz
SMBS aided VHetNets with improved agility and resilience. can be used by HAPS [15]. The application of mmWave
In addition, a distributed radio access network (RAN) techniques may offer many advantages for HAPS-SMBS, such
should be coupled with distributed RRM technology to maxi- as higher bandwidth, higher Tx/Rx antenna gain, beamforming
mize its full potential. In fact, the concepts of advanced RAN and spatial multiplexing gain, placement of a large number of
and advanced RRM are inseparable. Besides, distributed RRM antennas in small dimensions, etc. However, many challenges
should have enough cognition (cognitive radio) to decide when have to be addressed for HAPS-SMBS mmWave communica-
to transmit and which subcarriers to transmit with. Further- tion networks, including the large coverage with mmWave.
more, the potential of ML should be explored in developing
distributed RRM algorithms. Network Management/Control
The need for the joint communication, control, comput-
Capacity Improvement ing, and caching in a HAPS-SMBS to meet the intrinsic
There are several ways to improve the capacity of commu- requirements of envisioned applications raises unprecedented
nication networks. Some of them are as follows: challenges in the network management.
Spectral efficiency improvement: MIMO is one of the There have been gradual developments to make commu-
most promising techniques for improving spectrum efficiency nication networks more autonomous, self-organizing, self-
in HAPS networks. However, many challenges have to be configuring, and self-sustaining. To support these develop-
addressed for implementing MIMO in HAPS-SMBS. Despite ments, potential solutions have been introduced in the liter-
the challenges, there are a considerable number of studies ature; network slicing (NS), software-defined network (SDN),
that have investigated the use of MIMO techniques in HAPS network function virtualization (NFV), are among them. The
communications [14]. In addition, research needs to be un- VHetNets architecture is highly dynamic and heterogeneous.
dertaken in aerial distributed massive MIMO, where antennas The exploitation of NS, SDN, and NFV in the presence
are coordinated from geographically distributed HAPS for of a HAPS-SMBS should be explored to facilitate network
improving spectrum efficiency. In particular, 3D MIMO, also reconfiguration and improve network agility and resilience.
known as full dimension MIMO, can yield higher overall For example, the HAPS NS should consider dynamic spectrum
system throughput. slicing to avoid underutilization or overutilization. Further-
Beamforming is also believed to have an important role more, the application of machine learning techniques to derive
in addressing the capacity demands of aerial networks at a an in-network solution in HAPS-SMBS systems is a promising
reduced power level. Beamforming at HAPS-SMBS is more research topic. The ability of having in-network solution will
challenging than beamforming at ground BSs, where both the eliminate the need for direct human intervention on many
location and target coverage are generally fixed. Some possible operation levels and allow HAPS systems to make intelligent
directions for research on beamforming at HAPS-SMBS are decisions in a collaborative manner.
the following:
• 3D beamforming at HAPS-SMBS for coverage holes and Interference Management/Control
unpredictable hot spots on the ground. HAPS were previously deployed in isolation, so there was
• 3D beamforming at HAPS-SMBS for aerial-UEs (such no or few problems of interference. In metropolitan areas,
as cargo drones). one of the key challenges of deploying HAPS is interference
Accurate beam-steering/alignment can be a challenge in mov- management. In this case, owing to the simultaneous data
ing networks; nevertheless, the quasi-stationarity of a HAPS- transmission from HAPS-SMBS with other segments of the
SMBS will help in this regard. integrated network, more interference will be generated which
NOMA: Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) has re- may result in a higher link outage probability. To access the
cently been introduced as an effective approach that can impact of the aggregated interference produced by HAPS-
potentially provide spectral efficiency, presenting a promising SMBS on the integrated VHetNet architecture, proper inter-
candidate solution for future radio systems. NOMA can also ference analysis and management of interference is required.
be exploited to improve spectral efficiency at HAPS-SMBS to Furthermore, intelligent interference management is necessary,
 7

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C ONCLUSION
In this article, we shed light on the potential opportunities
and target use cases of HAPS-SMBS aided wireless access MD SAHABUL ALAM ([email protected]) received the Ph.D.
architecture. We pointed out that, while research on HAPS degree in electrical engineering from ETS, Montreal, QC, Canada. Currently,
he is working as a Postdoctoral fellow in systems and communications
goes back to the late 1990s, the concept has attracted new engineering department of Carleton University with prestigious FRQNT PDF
attention in recent years, both in academia and industry, as a fellowship. In Ph.D., Dr. Alam awarded the Governor General of Canada
promising solution in future wireless networks. This momen- Gold Medal. His research interests include non-terrestrial communications
and smart grid communications.
tum is fueled by the ever-increasing demand from wireless
networks and also by advances in solar panel efficiency, battery
GUNES KARABULUT KURT ([email protected]) received the Ph.D. degree
energy density, lightweight composite materials, autonomous in electrical engineering from the University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada,
avionics, and antennas. We illustrated that the proposed VHet- in 2006. Since 2010, she has been with ITU. She is also an Adjunct Research
Nets architecture empowered by HAPS-SMBS nodes will Professor at Carleton University. She is serving as an Associate Technical
Editor of IEEE Communications Magazine.
enable the network to increase the overall throughput, improve
coverage, and also to provide a platform to perform the
HALIM YANIKOMEROGLU [F] ([email protected]) is a full profes-
near-user computation to significantly reduce the end-to-end sor in the Department of Systems and Computer Engineering at Carleton
delays. Furthermore, HAPS-SMBS nodes will also enable the University, Ottawa, Canada. His research interests cover many aspects of
network to address unpredictable congestion instances as well 5G/5G+ wireless networks. His collaborative research with industry has
resulted in 38 granted patents. He is a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of
as coverage holes in populated areas. Canada and he is a Distinguished Speaker for IEEE Communications Society
and IEEE Vehicular Technology Society.
R EFERENCES
[1] N. Bhushan, J. Li, D. Malladi, R. Gilmore, D. Brenner, A. Damnjanovic, PEIYING ZHU [F] ([email protected]) is a Huawei Fellow. She is
R. T. Sukhavasi, C. Patel, and S. Geirhofer, “Network densification: The currently leading 5G wireless system research in Huawei. The focus of her
dominant theme for wireless evolution into 5G,” IEEE Commun. Mag., research is advanced wireless access technologies with more than 150 granted
vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 82–89, Feb. 2014. patents. In recent years she organized and chaired various 5G workshops. She
[2] M. Alzenad and H. Yanikomeroglu, “Coverage and rate analysis for is a frequent keynote speaker in major IEEE conferences.
vertical heterogeneous networks (VHetNets),” IEEE Trans. Wireless
Commun., vol. 18, no. 12, pp. 5643–5657, Dec. 2019. NGO
[3] H. Zhou, L. Liu, and H. Ma, “Coverage and capacity analysis of LEO . C DŨNG ÐÁO ([email protected]) is a principle engineer of
Huawei Technologies Canada. His research interest covers several aspects
satellite network supporting internet of things,” in Proc. Int. Conf. of 5G and beyond 5G mobile networks, including architecture design, data
Commun. (ICC). IEEE, 2019, pp. 1–6. analytics, and vertical applications. He is a technical editor of IEEE Com-
[4] 3GPP, “Unmanned Aerial Systems over 5G,” 3rd Gen- munications Magazine, associate editor of IEEE Communications Surveys &
eration Partnership Project (3GPP), Tech. Rep., Nov. Tutorials, and editor of IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technologies.
2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.3gpp.org/technologies/
keywords-acronyms/2090-unmanned-aerial-systems-over-5g