Promises and Caveats of Uplink IoT Ultra-Dense Networks

In this paper, by means of simulations, we evaluate the uplink (UL) performance of an Internet of Things (IoT) capable ultra-dense network (UDN) in terms of the coverage probability and the density of reliably working user equipments (UEs). From our study, we show the benefits and challenges that UL IoT UDNs will bring about in the future. In more detail, for a low-reliability criterion, such as achieving a UL signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) above 0 dB, the density of reliably working UEs grows quickly with the network densification, showing the potential of UL IoT UDNs. In contrast, for a high-reliability criterion, such as achieving a UL SINR above 10 dB, the density of reliably working UEs remains to be low in UDNs due to excessive inter-cell interference, which should be considered when operating UL IoT UDNs. Moreover, considering the existence of a non-zero antenna height difference between base stations (BSs) and UEs, the density of reliably working UEs could even decrease as we deploy more BSs. This calls for the usage of sophisticated interference management schemes and/or beam steering/shaping technologies in UL IoT UDNs.