Propagation measurements and simulations for millimeter-wave mobile access in a busy urban environment

Abstract

The authors have performed 60 GHz wideband channel measurements in Berlin to gain knowledge on millimeter-wave outdoor propagation in dense urban environments. In this paper first results for a street canyon are presented, focusing on path loss analysis of the line-of-sight-dominant small-cell access channel. They reveal that the local area path loss is very close to free-space propagation. Reflected paths do not contribute significantly to the received power as long as the line of sight (LOS) is unobstructed. However, they are usually strong enough to maintain a link if the LOS is blocked. The dominant multipath contributions can also be predicted by ray tracing simulations, though further calibration is needed to accurately determine their strength.