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Tilt-Angle Tuning in mmWave Base Stations and Non-terrestrial IAB for Mission-Critical Communications
Ullah, Inam El-Sayed, Hesham Dowhuszko, Alexis Khan, Manzoor Ahmed Hamalainen, Jyri
Ullah, Inam
El-Sayed, Hesham
Dowhuszko, Alexis
Khan, Manzoor Ahmed
Hamalainen, Jyri
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Computer Science
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Journal article
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English
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Abstract
The rollout of Fifth-Generation (5G) technologies has highlighted the need for robust, high-reliability communications to support mission-critical applications. This new kind of service requires that future mobile networks ensure seamless connectivity, high bandwidth, and stringent quality of service, particularly in emergency-response scenarios. To meet these stringent demands, the use of Integrated-Access-and-Backhaul (IAB) nodes mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles offers a promising solution by not only enhancing data rates via improved line-of-sight propagation conditions to the donor Base Station (BS) via backhaul link, but also enabling on-demand coverage in mission-critical scenarios requiring temporary cellular coverage. This paper investigates the performance gain that is feasible in a Millimeter Wave (mmWave) terrestrial network that uses non-terrestrial IAB nodes to enhance coverage in mission-critical applications, with a focus on optimizing the antenna down-tilt angles of both donor BS and IAB node to maximize the End-to-End (E2E) spectral efficiency (SE) for ground mobile users. The proposed framework aims to improve the backhaul link quality and ensure reliable, high E2E SE connectivity in urban environments characterized by non-line-of-sight conditions when donor BSs and mobile users are placed on different streets. Simulation results show that the joint optimization of donor BS and non-terrestrial IAB node antenna down-tilt angles, combined with best path selection, enhanced the E2E SE of mobile users by 105% at IAB down-tilt angles of −45° (3.9 bps/Hz), compared to the baseline −90° configuration (1.9 bps/Hz).
Citation
I. Ullah, H. El-Sayed, A. Dowhuszko, M.A. Khan, J. Hamalainen, "Tilt-Angle Tuning in mmWave Base Stations and Non-terrestrial IAB for Mission-Critical Communications," IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society, vol. PP, no. 99, pp. 1-1, 2026, https://doi.org/10.1109/ojcoms.2026.3681768.
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IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society
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40 Engineering, 4006 Communications Engineering
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IEEE