In his doctoral dissertation, Balaji Kirubakaran investigates how aerial-terrestrial integrated networks using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and high-altitude platforms (HAPs) can be deployed and managed more efficiently to maintain wireless connectivity in disaster situations, densely populated areas and rapidly changing network conditions. The study presents new strategies for emergency network restoration, demand-driven UAV deployment and resource coordination. The results show that well-managed aerial networks can reduce energy consumption, improve coverage continuity and increase user satisfaction while requiring fewer aerial resources. The findings support the development of resilient and sustainable communication networks for future 5G and beyond systems.
The doctoral dissertation titled Energy and Resource Efficiency Enhancements in On-Demand Aerial-Terrestrial Integrated Networks by Balaji Kirubakaran will be publicly examined at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, Brno University of Technology on 19 November 2026. The dissertation is in the field of wireless communications. Kirubakaran is completing a double-degree doctoral programme at Tampere University and the Brno University of Technology.
The Opponent will be Professor Gunes Karabulut Kurt from Polytechnique Montréal, Canada. The Custos will be Professor Sergey Andreev from Tampere University, Finland and Associate Professor Jiří Hošek from the Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic.