Intelligent reflective surfaces in 5G and beyond: optimizing uplink satellite connectivity for IoT

In the evolving landscape of communication technologies, the integration of intelligent reflective surfaces (IRS) into uplink satellite communication for Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems presents a promising solution to overcome traditional communication challenges. The purpose of this study is t...

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Main Authors: Callistus Odinaka Obidiozor, Adeeb Sait, Tawfik Al-Hadhrami, Eman H. Alkhammash, Faisal Saeed
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PeerJ Inc. 2025-06-01
Series:PeerJ Computer Science
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Online Access:https://peerj.com/articles/cs-2726.pdf
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author Callistus Odinaka Obidiozor
Adeeb Sait
Tawfik Al-Hadhrami
Eman H. Alkhammash
Faisal Saeed
author_facet Callistus Odinaka Obidiozor
Adeeb Sait
Tawfik Al-Hadhrami
Eman H. Alkhammash
Faisal Saeed
author_sort Callistus Odinaka Obidiozor
collection DOAJ
description In the evolving landscape of communication technologies, the integration of intelligent reflective surfaces (IRS) into uplink satellite communication for Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems presents a promising solution to overcome traditional communication challenges. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of IRS on enhancing signal quality and communication efficiency in satellite-supported IoT environments. This article adopts a simulation-based approach, using MATLAB and Simulink to model the uplink transmission of IoT devices to satellites with and without IRS assistance. The methodology focuses on analysing key performance metrics, including signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), spectral efficiency, signal strength, and interference mitigation. A reinforcement learning algorithm was employed to optimise IRS phase shifts and beamforming to maximise communication performance. The findings reveal that the integration of IRS leads to significant improvements in SNR, spectral efficiency, and overall signal quality, with a 2 dB increase in SNR and enhanced data transmission rates compared to non-IRS systems. IRS also mitigates interference and extends the coverage area of satellite networks. These results demonstrate the practical implications of IRS technology, which can be applied in scenarios such as smart cities, remote sensing, and disaster recovery, where reliable satellite communication is crucial. The study highlights the strategic importance of IRS in revolutionising IoT-satellite communication systems and sets the foundation for future work on scaling IRS technology for broader applications.
format Article
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institution Kabale University
issn 2376-5992
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher PeerJ Inc.
record_format Article
series PeerJ Computer Science
spelling doaj-art-273b796dc74644c883ef1815698b60cd2025-08-20T03:27:56ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ Computer Science2376-59922025-06-0111e272610.7717/peerj-cs.2726Intelligent reflective surfaces in 5G and beyond: optimizing uplink satellite connectivity for IoTCallistus Odinaka Obidiozor0Adeeb Sait1Tawfik Al-Hadhrami2Eman H. Alkhammash3Faisal Saeed4Computer Science Department, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United KingdomComputer Science Department, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United KingdomComputer Science Department, School of Science and Technology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, United KingdomDepartment of Computer Science, College of Computer and Information Technology, Taif University, Taif, Saudi ArabiaCollege of Computing and Digital Technology, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, United KingdomIn the evolving landscape of communication technologies, the integration of intelligent reflective surfaces (IRS) into uplink satellite communication for Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystems presents a promising solution to overcome traditional communication challenges. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of IRS on enhancing signal quality and communication efficiency in satellite-supported IoT environments. This article adopts a simulation-based approach, using MATLAB and Simulink to model the uplink transmission of IoT devices to satellites with and without IRS assistance. The methodology focuses on analysing key performance metrics, including signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), spectral efficiency, signal strength, and interference mitigation. A reinforcement learning algorithm was employed to optimise IRS phase shifts and beamforming to maximise communication performance. The findings reveal that the integration of IRS leads to significant improvements in SNR, spectral efficiency, and overall signal quality, with a 2 dB increase in SNR and enhanced data transmission rates compared to non-IRS systems. IRS also mitigates interference and extends the coverage area of satellite networks. These results demonstrate the practical implications of IRS technology, which can be applied in scenarios such as smart cities, remote sensing, and disaster recovery, where reliable satellite communication is crucial. The study highlights the strategic importance of IRS in revolutionising IoT-satellite communication systems and sets the foundation for future work on scaling IRS technology for broader applications.https://peerj.com/articles/cs-2726.pdfIntelligent reflective surfaces5G networksSatellite uplink communicationSmart IoT integrationSignal phase optimisationBeamforming
spellingShingle Callistus Odinaka Obidiozor
Adeeb Sait
Tawfik Al-Hadhrami
Eman H. Alkhammash
Faisal Saeed
Intelligent reflective surfaces in 5G and beyond: optimizing uplink satellite connectivity for IoT
PeerJ Computer Science
Intelligent reflective surfaces
5G networks
Satellite uplink communication
Smart IoT integration
Signal phase optimisation
Beamforming
title Intelligent reflective surfaces in 5G and beyond: optimizing uplink satellite connectivity for IoT
title_full Intelligent reflective surfaces in 5G and beyond: optimizing uplink satellite connectivity for IoT
title_fullStr Intelligent reflective surfaces in 5G and beyond: optimizing uplink satellite connectivity for IoT
title_full_unstemmed Intelligent reflective surfaces in 5G and beyond: optimizing uplink satellite connectivity for IoT
title_short Intelligent reflective surfaces in 5G and beyond: optimizing uplink satellite connectivity for IoT
title_sort intelligent reflective surfaces in 5g and beyond optimizing uplink satellite connectivity for iot
topic Intelligent reflective surfaces
5G networks
Satellite uplink communication
Smart IoT integration
Signal phase optimisation
Beamforming
url https://peerj.com/articles/cs-2726.pdf
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