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See detailEvolution of Non-Terrestrial Networks From 5G to 6G: A Survey
Azari, M. Mahdi; Solanki, Sourabh UL; Chatzinotas, Symeon UL et al

in IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials (2022), 24(4), 2633-2672

Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) traditionally have certain limited applications. However, the recent technological advancements and manufacturing cost reduction opened up myriad applications of NTNs for ... [more ▼]

Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) traditionally have certain limited applications. However, the recent technological advancements and manufacturing cost reduction opened up myriad applications of NTNs for 5G and beyond networks, especially when integrated into terrestrial networks (TNs). This article comprehensively surveys the evolution of NTNs highlighting their relevance to 5G networks and essentially, how it will play a pivotal role in the development of 6G ecosystem. We discuss important features of NTNs integration into TNs and the synergies by delving into the new range of services and use cases, various architectures, technological enablers, and higher layer aspects pertinent to NTNs integration. Moreover, we review the corresponding challenges arising from the technical peculiarities and the new approaches being adopted to develop efficient integrated ground-air-space (GAS) networks. Our survey further includes the major progress and outcomes from academic research as well as industrial efforts representing the main industrial trends, field trials, and prototyping towards the 6G networks. [less ▲]

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See detailA Survey on Non-Geostationary Satellite Systems: The Communication Perspective
Al-Hraishawi, Hayder UL; Chougrani, Houcine UL; Kisseleff, Steven UL et al

in IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials (2022)

The next phase of satellite technology is being characterized by a new evolution in non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellites, which conveys exciting new communication capabilities to provide non ... [more ▼]

The next phase of satellite technology is being characterized by a new evolution in non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellites, which conveys exciting new communication capabilities to provide non-terrestrial connectivity solutions and to support a wide range of digital technologies from various industries. NGSO communication systems are known for a number of key features such as lower propagation delay, smaller size, and lower signal losses in comparison to the conventional geostationary orbit (GSO) satellites, which can potentially enable latency-critical applications to be provided through satellites. NGSO promises a substantial boost in communication speed and energy efficiency, and thus, tackling the main inhibiting factors of commercializing GSO satellites for broader utilization. The promised improvements of NGSO systems have motivated this paper to provide a comprehensive survey of the state-of-the-art NGSO research focusing on the communication prospects, including physical layer and radio access technologies along with the networking aspects and the overall system features and architectures. Beyond this, there are still many NGSO deployment challenges to be addressed to ensure seamless integration not only with GSO systems but also with terrestrial networks. These unprecedented challenges are also discussed in this paper, including coexistence with GSO systems in terms of spectrum access and regulatory issues, satellite constellation and architecture designs, resource management problems, and user equipment requirements. Finally, we outline a set of innovative research directions and new opportunities for future NGSO research. [less ▲]

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See detailWhat Will the Future ofUAV Cellular Communications Be?A Flight from 5G to 6G
Geraci, Giovanni; Garcia-Rodriguez, Adrian; Azari, M. Mahdi et al

in IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials (2022), 24(3), 1304-1335

What will the future of UAV cellular communicationsbe?In this tutorial article, we address such a compelling yetdifficult question by embarking on a journey from 5G to 6Gand expounding a large number of ... [more ▼]

What will the future of UAV cellular communicationsbe?In this tutorial article, we address such a compelling yetdifficult question by embarking on a journey from 5G to 6Gand expounding a large number of case studies supported byoriginal results. We start by overviewing the status quo on UAVcommunications from an industrial standpoint, providing freshupdates from the 3GPP and detailing new 5G NR features insupport of aerial devices. We then dissect the potential andthe limitations of such features. In particular, we demonstratehow sub-6 GHz massive MIMO can successfully tackle cellselection and interference challenges, we showcase encouragingmmWave coverage evaluations in both urban and suburban/ruralsettings, and we examine the peculiarities of direct device-to-device communications in the sky. Moving on, we sneak a peekat next-generation UAV communications, listing some of the usecases envisioned for the 2030s. We identify the most promising6G enablers for UAV communication, those expected to takethe performance and reliability to the next level. For each ofthese disruptive new paradigms (non-terrestrial networks, cell-free architectures, artificial intelligence, reconfigurable intelligentsurfaces, and THz communications), we gauge the prospectivebenefits for UAVs and discuss the main technological hurdles thatstand in the way. All along, we distil our numerous findings intoessential takeaways, and we identify key open problems worthyof further study. [less ▲]

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