Low-Altitude Wireless Networks: The Next Horizon of Wireless Infrastructure
For researchers and engineers in wireless communications and aerial networks, this paper provides a conceptual framework and identifies fundamental challenges for the evolution of low-altitude wireless infrastructure.
This paper introduces the concept of Low-Altitude Wireless Networks (LAWN), a paradigm shift from ground-based communication to a 3D multifunctional network integrating communication, sensing, and control. It analyzes driving forces, architecture, and limiting factors, establishing the coupling between airspace capacity and wireless channel capacity to reveal intrinsic limits and challenges.
Low-altitude airspace, roughly defined as the region up to 3000 meters above ground level, is envisioned as a new spatial domain for daily human and machine activities. This article introduces the concept of the Low-Altitude Wireless Network (LAWN), which represents a paradigm shift from the current ground-based communication-only network to a three-dimensional (3D) multifunctional network. We analyze the key driving forces, network architecture, and limiting factors of LAWN, with a particular focus on the tight integration of communication, sensing, and control in highly dynamic airspace environments. By establishing the coupling between airspace capacity and wireless channel capacity, we reveal the intrinsic limits of airspace management and identify the fundamental challenges and opportunities associated with its evolution.