On the Spectral Efficiency of UAVs-assisted D2D Cooperative Communications Using NOMA

The tomorrow's 6G wireless networks require high spectral efficiency to accommodate a massive number of devices over the limited available frequency spectrum. This paper aims to investigate a Device-to-Device (D2D) cooperative system for maximizing the spectrum efficiency in disaster management scenario, wherein multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) act as relays to facilitate seamless communication between D2D transceivers. In this perspective, we integrate non-orthogonal-multiple-access (NOMA) technology to further enhance the transmission efficiency of the system. Simulation results demonstrate the superiority of the UAVs-assisted D2D cooperative solution when using NOMA in terms of spectral efficiency.