Vehicular relay nodes for cellular deployment: Downlink channel modeling and analysis

The exponential growth in traffic demand over wireless cellular networks challenges the operators´ business model as it requires significant investments in infrastructure. Multi-layers deployment, i.e., heterogeneous networks (HetNet), is one of the solutions operators are deploying to overcome this “capacity-crunch” phenomena. Yet even by adopting HetNet operators are still required to invest in network planning, sites deployment, maintenance and on-going operational costs. This paper proposes a novel cost-effective HetNet deployment approach based on nomadic vehicular relay nodes (VeRNs). VeRN downlink performance are analyzed in two deployment models, which focus on VeRN impact on the network as a function of its placement. The 2-hop relay link via a VeRN is analyzed compared to the cellular direct-link for the proposed deployment models investigating both link level and spectral efficiency (SE) aspects. The analysis is based on extensive simulations with an indicative proposed figure of merit. The results show significant improvement in link level as well as substantial increase in spectral efficiency when using VeRNs across a set of deployment parameters.