Channel Capacity of Millimeter-Wave Communication System Using Drone Relay Stations

Recently, microwave and millimeter-wave bands have been considered for outdoor applications to cope with the emerging increase in communication traffic. However, as the frequency increases, the propagation loss increases in non line-of-sight (NLoS) environments with many obstacles such as urban areas. Consequently, a system that uses UAVs (e.g., drones) as relay stations to communicate in a line-of-sight (LoS) environment has been studied. By using a drone as a relay station, it is possible to avoid obstacles such as buildings and to communicate in a LoS environment, thus reducing propagation loss. In this paper, we confirm the effectiveness of drone relay stations in millimeter wave communications by comparing channel capacity with and without the use of drones as relay stations.