Distinguished Lecture Tour by Nizar Zorba
“Are UAVs needed for wider implementation of Terahertz Communications?”. Wireless backhaul/fronthaul links are proposed as an alternative for massive deployment of small cells because they are more flexible, easy to deploy, and cost effective as compared to the traditional optical fiber links. High frequency millimetre wave (mmWave) and terahertz (THz) links meet the capacity requirements of next generation communication networks. However, mmWave/THz links suffer from susceptibility to weather conditions and require a line-of-sight (LoS) connection, which is the main hurdle in urban regions. The utilization of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as a wireless fronthaul hub point between small cells and the core network is the promising solution. These UAV-hubs acting as networked flying platforms (NFPs) provide a possibility of wireless LoS fronthaul link and thus, enable the implementation of mmWave/THz in commercial systems at a fast pace, and is expected to boom in the next years. In this talk we will start with a literature review on the chronological order for mmWave/THz communications, Intelligent reflecting surface (IRS), UAVs and multihop technology with the objective to introduce the different technologies that will merge to solve the challenges faced by Terahertz communications. Along the whole talk, we will highlight the different technologies that enable the tackled scenario, together with the comparison to the different proposals from the literature/industry to deal with such scenario.