On the Placement and Sustainability of Drone FSO Backhaul Relays

Abstract: We consider free-space optical (FSO) communication links for the backhaul connectivity of small cells (SCs) where a UAV with an FSO apparatus can serve as a backhaul relay node. We demonstrate how such drone relay stations (DRSs) can be deployed in a high-rise urban area in order to provide FSO line-of-sight (LOS) links that are unobstructed by buildings. Also, in our solution we consider the case where solar panels are mounted on DRSs such that placing the DRS in a sunny location is prioritized, and we show the gain in terms of number of required trips to recharge the UAV.