Analysis of 38 GHz mmWave Propagation Characteristics of Urban Scenarios

The 38 GHz mm-wave frequency band is a strong candidate for the future deployment of wireless systems. Compared to lower frequency bands, propagation in the 38 GHz band is relatively unexplored for access networks in urban scenarios. This paper presents a detailed measurement-based analysis of urban outdoor and outdoor-to-indoor propagation characteristics at 38 GHz. Different sets of measurements were performed in order to understand, quantify and model the behavior of the different underlying propagation mechanisms. The study considers line-of-sight propagation, reflection, scattering, diffraction, transmission, as well as polarization effects. The measurement results confirm that, at this particular frequency, propagation in urban scenarios is mainly driven by line-of-sight and reflection. The proposed models are practical for implementation in system level simulators or ray-tracing tools. The different observations presented along the paper are useful for future radio network planning considerations.