Packet-Level Throughput Analysis and Energy Efficiency Optimization for UAV-Assisted IAB Heterogeneous Cellular Networks

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the packet-level throughput and energy efficiency of millimeter-wave unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-assisted integrated access and backhaul (IAB) heterogeneous cellular networks with spatiotemporal traffic. Specifically, we develop a theoretical framework to analyze the mean packet throughput and energy efficiency of the network based on stochastic geometry and queueing theory, whereby the spatial randomness of network deployment and the temporal randomness of network traffic can be appropriately characterized. Different from the traditional network performance metrics emphasizing transmission and resource consumption, the packet-level performance helps to better understand the impact of not only packet transmission but also packet waiting time in a multihop network. Simulation results demonstrate that the assistance of IAB-based UAVs can efficiently relieve the load of terrestrial macro- and small-cell networks, and the appropriate network deployment parameters play pivotal roles in improving both the packet-level throughput and energy efficiency performance. By jointly optimizing the key network parameters, the packet energy efficiency can be significantly improved while ensuring the required mean packet throughput of the network.