Logo
ScienceStack
Table of Contents
Fetching ...
Sign In

Structured Satellite-UAV-Terrestrial Networks for 6G Internet of Things

Wei Feng, Yanmin Wang, Yunfei Chen, Ning Ge, Cheng-Xiang Wang

TL;DR

The paper addresses the need for universal 6G IoT coverage by integrating satellites, UAVs, and terrestrial networks. It introduces a systematic, hierarchical design inspired by human body synergies to decompose the complex space-air-ground network into four basic structures and a process-oriented on-demand coverage approach that operates at a mesoscopic scale using location-based large-scale CSI. The work highlights use cases such as eMBB-A, mMTC-A, and uRLLC-A, and discusses the tradeoffs, heterogeneity, and dynamic topology that accompany non-cellular hybrid networks. It also outlines open issues, including new performance metrics, knowledge-driven network frameworks, data integrity, privacy, and blockchain-assisted spectrum sharing, aiming to enable agile, intelligent 6G networks for global IoT coverage across diverse environments.

Abstract

The upcoming sixth generation (6G) wireless communication network is envisioned to cover space, air, and maritime areas, in addition to urban-centered terrestrial coverage by the fifth generation (5G) network, to support intelligent Internet of Things (IoT). Towards this end, we investigate structured integration of satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and terrestrial networks, aiming to serve future universal IoT possibly with a massive number of devices in the coverage holes of current 5G. The hybrid satellite-UAV-terrestrial network usually leads to high system complexity, due to the heterogeneity and dynamics of space/air/ground links. With a systematic thinking, we propose to create and exploit hierarchies for the integrated network. Four basic structures are discussed by learning from the synergies in our human body. To orchestrate multiple heterogeneous basic structures, we further propose a process-oriented on-demand coverage method, which characterizes the system behavior as a series of events over time and is able to tackle the system complexity elaborately. We also outline open issues for promoting the agility and intelligence of structured satellite-UAV-terrestrial networks in the making.

Structured Satellite-UAV-Terrestrial Networks for 6G Internet of Things

TL;DR

The paper addresses the need for universal 6G IoT coverage by integrating satellites, UAVs, and terrestrial networks. It introduces a systematic, hierarchical design inspired by human body synergies to decompose the complex space-air-ground network into four basic structures and a process-oriented on-demand coverage approach that operates at a mesoscopic scale using location-based large-scale CSI. The work highlights use cases such as eMBB-A, mMTC-A, and uRLLC-A, and discusses the tradeoffs, heterogeneity, and dynamic topology that accompany non-cellular hybrid networks. It also outlines open issues, including new performance metrics, knowledge-driven network frameworks, data integrity, privacy, and blockchain-assisted spectrum sharing, aiming to enable agile, intelligent 6G networks for global IoT coverage across diverse environments.

Abstract

The upcoming sixth generation (6G) wireless communication network is envisioned to cover space, air, and maritime areas, in addition to urban-centered terrestrial coverage by the fifth generation (5G) network, to support intelligent Internet of Things (IoT). Towards this end, we investigate structured integration of satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and terrestrial networks, aiming to serve future universal IoT possibly with a massive number of devices in the coverage holes of current 5G. The hybrid satellite-UAV-terrestrial network usually leads to high system complexity, due to the heterogeneity and dynamics of space/air/ground links. With a systematic thinking, we propose to create and exploit hierarchies for the integrated network. Four basic structures are discussed by learning from the synergies in our human body. To orchestrate multiple heterogeneous basic structures, we further propose a process-oriented on-demand coverage method, which characterizes the system behavior as a series of events over time and is able to tackle the system complexity elaborately. We also outline open issues for promoting the agility and intelligence of structured satellite-UAV-terrestrial networks in the making.
Paper Structure (10 sections, 6 figures)

This paper contains 10 sections, 6 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Use Cases and Challenges for Satellite-UAV-Terrestrial Networks
  3. Use Cases
  4. Challenges
  5. Thinking in Systems and Structured Perspective
  6. Creating and Exploiting Hierarchies
  7. Learning from the Synergies in Our Human Body
  8. Process-Oriented On-Demand Coverage
  9. Open Issues
  10. Conclusions

Figures (6)

  • Figure 1: Illustration of use cases of 5G and 6G Internet of Things.
  • Figure 2: Illustration of the tradeoff between coverage and transmission performance: a maritime scenario example.
  • Figure 3: Illustration of hierarchical coordination behaviors of our human body: examples of a goalkeeper in playing football.
  • Figure 4: Illustration of four basic structures from a satellite-terrestrial integration perspective.
  • Figure 5: Illustration of the process-oriented on-demand coverage, where the purple dashed lines with arrow denote either the shipping lane of vessels or the trajectory of UAVs.
  • ...and 1 more figures