Tut4: Drone Cellular Communications: From Theory to Real Networks

Virtual Program Link: https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/2336316/B41637AA833776F057D3F164955553DF

Instructor: Giovanni Geraci, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain

Abstract: As we head towards a pervasive digital transformation aiming at more efficient, automated, and flexible processes, a growing number of tasks are being delegated to machines. Drones—a.k.a. UAVs—, the most mobile of them all, are the logical candidates to take over many such missions.
What will it take for drones—and the whole associated ecosystem—to take off? Arguably, infallible command and control channels for safe and autonomous flying, and high-throughput links for multi-purpose live video streaming. Meeting these aspirations may entail a full cellular support, provided through 5G-and-beyond hardware and software upgrades by both operators and UAV manufacturers.
Will current cellular networks suffice to meet the demanding UAV communication link requirements? Or should the operators, primarily catering to ground users, implement substantial upgrades? In this one-of-a-kind industrial tutorial, well founded answers to such—and many other—key questions will unfold as we discuss:
• Outside the classroom: a fresh look at the 3GPP standardization status, field measurements, and exciting videos of UAVs connected to existing cellular networks.
• Enabling 5G-and-beyond network-connected UAVs through massive MIMO, cell-free, and ultra-dense small cell deployments: lessons learnt and essential guidelines.
• UAV-to-UAV communications in the sky, what will it take?

Keynote Speakers:

Adrian Garcia-Rodriguez, Nokia Bell Labs, Ireland, Mahdi Azari, KU Leuven, Belgium, Lorenzo Galati Giordano, Nokia Bell Labs, Ireland

Speakers Biographies

Adrian Garcia-Rodriguez
Bio: Adrian Garcia-Rodriguez is a Research Scientist in Nokia Bell Labs (Ireland), where he focuses on the design of UAV communications and next-generation 802.11 technologies. He joined Bell Labs in 2016, after receiving the Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from University College London (U.K.). Adrian is co-inventor of fifteen filed patent families and co-author of 40+ technical publications on wireless communications and networking. On these topics, he frequently delivers technical tutorials, organizes workshops and special sessions, and participates in industrial seminars in top venues including IEEE ICC or IEEE Globecom. He was the recipient of the Best Paper Award in PIMRC’19 for his work on “Cellular UAV-to-UAV Communications”. Adrian was named an Exemplary Reviewer for IEEE Commun. Letters in 2016, and both IEEE Trans. on Wireless Commun. and IEEE Trans. on Commun. in 2017.

Mahdi Azari
Bio: M. Mahdi Azari received a Ph.D. degree in 2019 from KU Leuven (Belgium), where he is currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate. Previously, he received B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Tehran (Iran) respectively in 2008 and 2013, gained industrial experience at Huawei in 2014, and was a visiting researcher at UPF Barcelona (Spain) in 2018-2019. He has co-authored fifteen scientific articles, a tutorial paper, and an invited book chapter on UAV communications, all in recognized venues, and has been delivering talks targeting academia and the industry. He is a silver medalist of Iran’s National Mathematical Olympiad and received the Iran’s National Elites Foundation Award. For his recent work on “Cellular UAV-to-UAV Communications”, he received the Best Paper Award at IEEE PIMRC’19.

Lorenzo Galati Giordano
Bio: Lorenzo Galati Giordano is a Member of Technical Staff at Nokia Bell Labs (Ireland) since 2015. He received the Ph.D. degree in Communication Systems from Politecnico di Milano (Italy) in 2010 and the master’s degree in Innovation Management from “IlSole24Ore” Business School (Italy) in 2014. He was a Marie-Curie Short Term Fellow at University of Bedfordshire (U.K.) in 2008, a researcher associate with the Italian National Research Council in 2010, and an R&D Engineer for AzcomTechnology, an Italian SME, in 2010-2014. Lorenzo was part of the team who developed Nokia F-Cell, an innovative self-powered, auto-connected, and drone-deployed small cell served by a massive MIMO wireless backhaul, which won the CTIA Emerging Technology Award 2016. Lorenzo was also one of the organizers of the industrial tutorial “Drone Base Stations: Opportunities and Challenges Towards a Truly ‘Wireless’ Wireless Network”, winner of the Most Attended Industry Program award at IEEE Globecom’17.

Instructor Biography

Giovanni Geraci
Bio: Giovanni Geraci is an Assistant Professor at UPF Barcelona (Spain), where he leads a research project on drone communications. He earned a Ph.D. from the UNSW Sydney (Australia) in 2014 and was a Research Scientist at Nokia Bell Labs (Ireland) in 2016-2018. He has co-authored 50+ IEEE publications with 1300+ citations, is co-inventor of a dozen pending patents, and is co-editing the book “UAV Communications for 5G and Beyond” for Wiley. He has been an Editor for IEEE Trans. on Wireless Comm. and IEEE Comm. Letters, and a Workshop Co-Chair at IEEE Globecom’17, Asilomar’18, IEEE ICC’19, and IEEE ICC’20. He has been delivering a workshop keynote at IEEE PIMRC’18, an industry seminar at IEEE ICC’19, and tutorials at IEEE WCNC’18, IEEE ICC’18, IEEE Globecom’18, and IEEE PIMRC’19. He received the Best Paper Award at IEEE PIMRC’19 and the IEEE ComSoc Outstanding Young Researcher Award for EMEA Region 2018.