UAV Fleet Dimensioning for Continuous Aerial User-Centric Distributed Massive MIMO Networks

Distributed massive MIMO (D-mMIMO) systems, also known as cell-free networks, provide high and uniform spectral efficiency wireless networks. However, the high density of transmission-reception points (TRPs) in those networks is impractical in certain dynamic and emergency scenarios. This work investigates unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) acting as TRPs in D-mMIMO systems, with a proposed fleet rotation framework for continuous service. It considers UAV mobility and energy consumption and recuperation, minimum battery threshold, flight time to changing station, and collision management based on potential fields. Numerical results show the impact of energy replenishment time on UAV availability and fleet size.