Directional characteristics of THz outdoor channels - measurement and system performance implications

Next-generation wireless communication systems need to provide extremely high data rates that can enable upcoming applications. To obtain the large contiguous bandwidth required for providing such high data rates, usage of the spectrum above 100 GHz is envisioned. In order to determine the maximum data rate available in these bands, it is necessary to analyze the channels’ capacity. While previous capacity analyses for outdoor THz channels were based on models with simplifying assumptions, in the current paper we present the first capacity analysis using real-world measurement data for frequencies between 145 and 146 GHz collected from our recent double-directional urban channel measurements. The impact of various beamforming methods, including pure analog beamswitching and pure digital beamforming, on the achievable rates in both piconets and device-to-device settings are also investigated. These analyses are important to move towards the eventual realization of THz band communication.