Antenna array configurations for terrestrial backhaul links at Ka-band frequencies

The paper considers a backhaul network for Ka-band. In this band, antenna arrays must employ large number of elements with appropriate beamforming techniques to combat the severe path loss. The goal of this paper is to analyze massive antenna arrays under realistic considerations for the use in terrestrial backhaul links. This analysis addresses practical issues from the implementation point of view such as 3D array geometry, the minimum number of radiating elements needed to fulfill link budget requirements in backhaul links, distribution of radiating elements in a 3D array geometry and influence of realistic antenna patterns on beamforming capabilities of such arrays. The results indicate that a realistic backhaul scenario may require antenna arrays containing thousands of radiating elements. Selected simulation examples show that polarimetric beamforming is required in realistic scenarios especially when radiating elements do not have good cross polarization discrimination.