Towards a Predictive Analysis of UAV-Based Flying Base Station Decisions

Abstract

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as a communication platform is of great practical significance in the wireless communications field. This paper studies the activity scheduling of unmanned aerial vehicles acting as aerial base stations in an area of interest for a specific period. Specifically, competition among multiple UAVs is explored, and a game model for the competition is developed. The Nash equilibrium of the game model is then analyzed. Based on the analysis, an algorithm for Nash equilibrium computation is proposed. Then, a game model with fairness concern is established, and its equilibrium price is also analyzed. In addition, numerical examples are conducted to determine the factors that affect the strategies (price, quality of service, and beaconing duration) of the UAV and to show how the expected profits of UAVs change with that fairness concern point. The authors believe that this research paper will shed light on the application of UAV as a flying base station.