# Drone Small Cells in the Clouds: Design, Deployment and Performance Analysis

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1509.01655 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1509.01655/

## Key facts

- Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 5 Sep 2015.

## Built on by (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [Optimizing UAV Aerial Base Station Flights Using DRL-based Proximal Policy Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.03961/) (2025)
- [UAV Base Station Trajectory Optimization Based on Reinforcement Learning in Post-disaster Search and Rescue Operations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2202.10338/) (2022)
- [Altitude Optimization of UAV Base Stations from Satellite Images Using Deep Neural Network](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2112.14551/) (2021)
- [Maximizing UAV Fog Deployment Efficiency for Critical Rescue Operations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.16052/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The use of drone small cells (DSCs) which are aerial wireless base stations that can be mounted on flying devices such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), is emerging as an effective technique for providing wireless services to ground users in a variety of scenarios. The efficient deployment of such DSCs while optimizing the covered area is one of the key design challenges. In this paper, considering the low altitude platform (LAP), the downlink coverage performance of DSCs is investigated. The optimal DSC altitude which leads to a maximum ground coverage and minimum required transmit power for a single DSC is derived. Furthermore, the problem of providing a maximum coverage for a certain geographical area using two DSCs is investigated in two scenarios; interference free and full interference between DSCs. The impact of the distance between DSCs on the coverage area is studied and the optimal distance between DSCs resulting in maximum coverage is derived. Numerical results verify our analytical results on the existence of optimal DSCs altitude/separation distance and provide insights on the optimal deployment of DSCs to supplement wireless network coverage.