{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}} '''Networked flying platforms (NFPs)''' are unmanned flying platforms of various types including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones, tethered balloon and high-altitude/medium-altitude/low-altitude platforms (HAPs/MAPs/LAPs) carrying RF/mmWave/FSO payload (transceivers) along with an extended battery life capabilities, and are floating or moving<ref>Float or move due to weather conditions, coverage requirements, and even due to some real-time traffic changes/abnormalities in the network.</ref> in the air at a quasi-stationary positions with the ability to move horizontally and vertically to offer 5G and beyond 5G (B5G) cellular networks and network support services.

== Deployment configurations== There are following two possible NFPs deployment configurations:

* '''Deployment configuration 1:''' NFPs are expected to complement the conventional cellular networks to further enhance the wireless capacity, expand the coverage and improve the network reliability for temporary events, where there is a high density of mobile users or small cells in a limited/hard to reach area or in a remote region where infrastructure is not available and expensive to deploy, e.g., sports events and concert gatherings<ref name="vertical">{{cite journal|last1=Alzenad|first1=M.|last2=Shakir|first2=M. Z.|last3=Yanikomeroglu|first3=H.|last4=Alouini|first4=M.-S.|title=FSO-based vertical backhaul/fronthaul framework for 5G+ wireless networks|journal=IEEE Communications|volume=56|number=1|pages=218–224|date=2018|doi=10.1109/MCOM.2017.1600735|arxiv=1607.01472}}</ref><ref>{{cite conference|last1=Shah|first1=S. A. W.|last2=Khattab|first2=T.|last3=Shakir|first3=M. Z.|last4=Hasna|first4=M. O.|title=A distributed approach for networked flying platform association with small cells in 5G+ networks|book-title=Proc. IEEE GLOBECOM|location=Singapore|date=2017|arxiv=1705.03304}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Mozaffari|first1=M.|last2=Saad|first2=W.|last3=Bennis|first3=M.|last4=Debbah|first4=M.|title=Wireless Communication Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs): Optimal Transport Theory for Hover Time Optimization|journal=IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications|volume=16|number=12|pages=8052–8066|date=2017|doi=10.1109/TWC.2017.2756644|doi-access=free|arxiv=1704.04813}}</ref> * '''Deployment configuration 2:''' NFPs can be deployed for unexpected scenarios, such as in emergency situations to support disaster relief activities and to enable communications when conventional cellular networks are either damaged or congested. In addition, owing to their mobility, NFPs are expected to deploy quickly and efficiently to support cellular networks, enhance network quality of service (QoS) and improve network resilience under emergency scenarios<ref>{{cite conference|last1=Kalantari|first1=E.|last2=Shakir|first2=M. Z.|last3=Yanikomeroglu|first3=H.|last4=Yongacoglu|first4=A.|title=Backhaul-aware robust 3D drone placement in 5G+ wireless networks|book-title=Proc. IEEE ICC|location=Paris, France|date=2017|arxiv=1702.08395}}</ref><ref name="dronecell">{{cite journal|last1=Bor-Yaliniz|first1=I.|last2=Yanikomeroglu|first2=H.|title=The new frontier in RAN heterogeneity: Multi-tier drone cells|journal=IEEE Communications|volume=54|number=11|pages=48–55|date=2016|doi=10.1109/MCOM.2016.1600178CM|arxiv=1604.00381}}</ref><ref name="airborne">{{cite conference|first1=H.|last1=Ahmadi|first2=K.|last2=Katzis|first3=M. Z.|last3=Shakir|title=A novel airborne self-organising architecture for 5G+ networks|book-title=Proc. IEEE VTC-Fall|location=Toronto, Canada|date=2017|arxiv=1707.04669}}</ref>

NFPs can be manually (non-autonomously) controlled but mainly designed for autonomous pre-determined flights.<ref name="book">{{cite book|last1=Austin|first1=R|title=Unmanned Aircraft Systems: UAVs Design, Development and Deployment|publisher=John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, England|date=2010|id={{ASIN|0470058196|country=uk}}}}</ref> NFPs can either operate in a single NFP mode where NFPs do not cooperate with other NFPs in the network, if exists or a swarm of NFPs where multiple interconnected NFPs cooperate, collaborate and perform the network mission autonomously with one of the NFPs designated as mother-NFP<ref name="vertical" />

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == * [https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-scotsman/20170911/281719794742723 BT Drone flights to connect Isle of Lewis with mainland] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511113228/https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-scotsman/20170911/281719794742723 |date=11 May 2019 }} * [https://www.qualcomm.com/news/onq/2017/05/03/qualcomm-technologies-releases-lte-drone-trial-results Qualcomm Technologies releases LTE drone trial results] * [https://www.inferse.com/39824/intel-testing-drones-over-att-lte-networks/ Intel testing drones over AT&T LTE Networks, Verizon starts 5G Trials with Samsung] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629172135/http://www.inferse.com/39824/intel-testing-drones-over-att-lte-networks/ |date=29 June 2016 }} * [https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jan/29/project-skybender-google-drone-tests-internet-spaceport-virgin-galactic Project Skybender: Google's secretive 5G internet drone tests revealed] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222222136/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jan/29/project-skybender-google-drone-tests-internet-spaceport-virgin-galactic |date=22 December 2016 }}

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