Tethered Balloon Communication Technology Provides Mobile Communication Network Coverage for Complex Terrain Environments

Abstract

In the mobile communication system, site selection and network deployment methods affect the coverage quality of wireless networks, and traditional network construction methods cannot meet the requirements of fully connected communication in extremely complex terrain environments. In order to solve the problem of high-quality network coverage in mountainous areas with complex terrain and rich vegetation, this paper focuses on an extreme terrain tourist area which is located in Gaoligong Mountain, Yunnan, China, explores the use of tethered balloons to deploy wireless networks and evaluates its system parameters to meet specific communication requirements. Using the Longley-Rice model and combining the finely divided three-dimensional digital elevation model (DEM) data, we obtained the coverage and network system parameters for applying the tethered balloon (TB) communication scheme to the area through simulation. For such extremely complex terrain environments, the use of tethered balloons to achieve network coverage has the advantages of lower cost, more flexible network construction, and wider coverage, which provides a scientific basis for network planning and network optimization in this environment in the future.