Performance Analysis of Path Loss Models for Wireless Communications at 3.5 GHz and 23 GHz in a Regular Urban Environment

Accurate channel models are required to evaluate the performance of mobile communication systems and optimize coverage for existing and future wireless networks. To improve two of the most widely used empirical path loss models; 3GPP and CI, this paper considered the elevation angle from the receiver to the transmitter to evaluate 5G coverage in real scenarios of a regular urban environment at 3.5 GHz. Measurement campaigns were carried out to evaluate the chosen models' accuracy in the 3.5 GHz environment, while simulation experiments for the environment under consideration at the 23 GHz channel were carried out using an RF planning software tool, Path Loss 5 (PL5). The assessment criteria of Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) were used to test the outcomes of the changes to the path loss prediction models. With a path loss exponent of 3.1, the model comparison showed that, at a 3.5 GHz channel, the enhanced 3GPP and CI models outperformed the conventional models in both scenarios. The 3GPP outperformed admirably on the 23 GHz channel with an MAE of 5.41 dB and 7.32 dB in both scenarios (LoS and NLoS), while the CI model underestimates the path loss. This indicates that the improved models are highly suitable for use in an outdoor regular urban environment.