Methods of identifying aerial user equipment in cellular networks

A method, for use in at least one network node of a wireless communication network, for determining whether a first wireless device is aerial, the method comprising:

• monitoring a specified parameter level in at least one cell provided by the at least one network node, the specified parameter level being at least a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) parameter level;
• communicating with the first wireless device to instruct the first wireless device to report at least one metric of wireless device parameters;
• receiving from the first wireless device a report of the at least one metric;
• comparing the reported at least one metric to at least one terrestrial metric and the specified parameter level to a specified parameter level threshold;
• detecting whether the specified parameter level exceeds the specified parameter level threshold within the at least one cell;
• configuring reporting for a plurality of wireless devices, including the first wireless device, served by the at least one cell;
• setting an overload indicator to signal to at least one cell of at least one base station to detect whether the plurality of wireless devices, including the first wireless device, are aerial;
• and
• detecting whether the first wireless device is aerial based at least on:
• the comparing of the reported at least one metric to the at least one terrestrial metric and the specified parameter level to the specified parameter level threshold;
• and
• the setting of the overload indicator.