Abstract

While Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are expected to introduce disruptive innovations in our society, it is foreseen that the used communication technology is the key factor that can unlock their potential. To this end, the upcoming generation of mobile networks, 5G-and-beyond, are envisioned to be the communication standards to support diverse UAV applications. This will also enable UAVs to benefit from the limitless progress achieved in mobile systems. To facilitate the support of UAV services in 5G-and-beyond networks, this article introduces a framework that links the mobile telecommunication domain to the UAV domain. The proposed framework reflects an operational view enabling UAV operators to prepare and deploy their applications over different 5G mobile telecommunication networks. Moreover, the framework allows UAV operators to customize mobile systems in accordance with the specifications of their target services and to constantly receive analytical and statistical data on their running applications. Furthermore, in order to ensure network services (dedicated to UAV applications) over heterogeneous mobile systems, this article also discusses the federation of 5G networks.