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Coverage enhancement of UAV-enabled 6G networks via intelligent reflecting surfaces: towards optimal SINR

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Abstract

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have appeared as one of the key role players to bypass obstacles for improved wireless connectivity. Intelligent reflective surfaces (IRSs) can reconfigure the electromagnetic properties of the signal in real-time to offer an enhanced wireless communication experience by modifying environments. Research is ongoing to embed IRS with UAV to further improve the wireless propagation scenarios. The objective of the work is to enhance the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) coverage probability in UAV-assisted 6 G multi-tier wireless networks, i.e., to assure optimal SINR coverage. Therefore, the work analyzed and compared the coverage probability of conventional and IRS-assisted UAV communications models employing the corresponding equations in the MATLAB-simulation approach. The research obtained that the deployment of IRS in UAV-assisted wireless networks enhances the SINR coverage probability significantly. Moreover, the installment of IRS in UAV networks reduces the energy consumption of the network.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, New York University (NYU) Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

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MM- Conceptualization, develop, analysis, writing. RMS - Validation, Review, Finalize

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Correspondence to Mobasshir Mahbub.

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Mahbub, M., Shubair, R.M. Coverage enhancement of UAV-enabled 6G networks via intelligent reflecting surfaces: towards optimal SINR. Telecommun Syst 83, 147–157 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11235-023-00999-2

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