Stochastic Geometry-Based Analysis of Aerial-Aided Vehicular Communications

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) will require improved communications, especially for critical scenarios. The improvement of these communications will be more crucial in dense urban environments where urban air mobility (UAM) is expected to witness significant growth during the next decade. We propose the use of networked tethered flying platforms (NTFPs) to enhance VANET communications. NTFPs are unmanned aerial platforms that are secured to the ground via a tether that supplies the platform with continuous power and data. To improve the spectral efficiency of communications, we implement non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) scheme. Additionally, to increase the bandwidth and data rates of communications, we use millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequencies. In UAM, NTFPs will coexist with other flying platforms, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Hence, we study the performance of vehicular communications in the presence of interfering UAVs/eVTOLs and other road vehicles, and we compare the use of NTFPs with traditional terrestrial roadside units (RSUs).