Flexible Beamforming in B5G for Improving Tethered UAV Coverage over Smart Environments

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are being used for wireless communications in smart environments. However, the need for mobility, scalability of data transmission over wide areas, and the required coverage area make UAV beamforming essential for better coverage and user experience. To this end, we propose a flexible beamforming approach to improve tethered UAV coverage quality and maximize the number of users experiencing the minimum required rate in any target environment. Our solution demonstrates a significant achievement in flexible beamforming in smart environments, including urban, suburban, dense, and high-rise urban. Furthermore, the beamforming gain is mainly concentrated in the target to improve the coverage area based on various scenarios. Simulation results show that the proposed approach can achieve a significantly received flexible power beam that focuses the transmitted signal towards the receiver and improves received power by reducing signal power spread. In the case of no beamforming, signal power spreads out as distance increases, reducing the signal strength. Furthermore, our proposed solution is suitable for improving UAV coverage and reliability in smart and harsh environments.