Exploiting Wind Turbine-Mounted Base Stations to Enhance Rural Connectivity

Abstract: Although global connectivity is one of the main requirements for future generations of wireless networks driven by the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), telecommunication (telecom) providers are economically discouraged from investing in sparsely populated areas, such as rural and remote ones. Novel affordable and sustainable paradigms are thus indispensable to enhance the cellular infrastructure in such areas and bridge the digital divide when compared with urban ones. We investigate the use of wind turbine-mounted base stations (WTBSs) as a cost-effective solution for regions with high wind energy potential, since it could replace or even outperform current solutions requiring additional cell towers (CTs), satellites, or aerial base stations (ABSs). Indeed, conveniently installing base station (BS) equipment on wind generators would allow the transceivers to reach sufficient altitudes and easily establish line-of-sight (LoS) channels within large areas. We also propose insightful simulation results for realistic case studies based on data sets for wind speed and population densities as well as wind turbines' (WTs') and CTs' locations within specific French, Argentine, and Ethiopian exurban regions. By doing this, we hope to prove the feasibility and the effectiveness of this solution and stimulate its implementation.