Radio propagation measurements and prediction using three-dimensional ray tracing in urban environments at 908 MHz and 1.9 GHz

There is an explosive growth in the market of wireless communications services in urban areas. New regulatory environments as well as competition in the communications industry require that these systems be deployed quickly and at low cost. Computer-based radio propagation prediction tools are strong candidates for this goal. We introduce an outdoor radio propagation prediction tool using a ray tracing technique in two dimensions (2-D) and three dimensions (3-D). We have compared the predicted and measured results in various propagation environments. Comparisons indicate that 2-D is adequate for a low transmitter while 3-D is recommended for a high transmitter whose height is comparable with or higher than surrounding buildings. In most locations, the computer tool predicts the correct propagation loss with a mean error of less than 7 dB and a standard deviation of less than 8 dB.