In this paper, we study the impact of reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs) on the coverage extension of integrated access and backhaul (IAB) networks. Particularly, using a finite stochastic geometry model, with random distributions of user equipments (UEs) in a finite region, and planned hierachical architecture for IAB, we study the service coverage probability defined as the probability of the event that the UEs' minimum rate requirements are satisfied. We present comparisons between different cases including IAB-only, IAB assisted with RIS for backhaul as well as IAB assisted by network controlled repeaters (NCRs). Our investigations focus on wide-area IAB assisted with RIS through the lens of different design architectures and deployments, revealing both conflicts and synergies for minimizing the effect of tree foliage over seasonal changes. Our simulation results reveal both opportunities and challenges towards the implementation of RIS in IAB.
@article{arxiv.2502.12011,
title = {Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces-Assisted Integrated Access and Backhaul},
author = {Charitha Madapatha and Behrooz Makki and Hao Guo and Tommy Svensson},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2502.12011},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
Submitted to 2025 European Conference on Networks and Communications (EuCNC) & 6G Summit, 2025, Poznan, Poland