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6.2 Channel propagation

Millimeter wave bands pose unique challenges for radio communication. Large-scale losses over line-of-sight paths generally follow free space loss values, and
attenuation relative to isotropic radiators increases proportional to the square of operating frequency. It must be pointed out that coupling loss can be kept
independent of frequency if the aperture of transmitting or receiving antennas is kept constant over the variation of frequency; the frequency dependence of
isotropically referred free space loss can be more than compensated with high-gain antenna designs at the transmitter and receiver. Any mobile radio system at
millimeter waves will need beamforming using adaptive antenna arrays or very high order sectorization.
Millimeter wave path losses are affected by a variety of other additional factors, all of which are generally frequency dependent: (a) atmospheric losses due
to gases, notably water vapor and oxygen, (b) rain attenuation, (c) foliage loss, (d) diffraction loss. Below 100 GHz, two atmospheric absorption peaks occur at
24 GHz and 60 GHz, due to water and oxygen. The presence of oxygen in the atmosphere contributes an additional 15 dB/km of specific attenuation. For short
distances, this additional attenuation is not significant. Obstacles in the signal path typically reflect energy, and the effect of foliage is rapid attenuation along the
incident signal path and diffuse scattering from reflectors. Diffraction attenuation increases as the wavelength gets shorter [11].
Small-scale variations can be modeled using site-specific geometric models, statistical models based on general characteristics of propagation, and hybrid
approaches. It is expected that narrow beamforming using high-gain antennas will reduce channel dispersion. Ray tracing is a useful tool in modeling
propagation, with statistical variations provided by the presence of diffuse scatterers in the environment representing objects and non-smooth characteristics of
surfaces, and by the modeling of corner effects due to diffraction. Building materials will differ in the absorption, reflectivity, and transmission characteristics and
will be affected by incident angles to the surface. Unshielded windows can provide ingress to signals, while exterior walls are usually opaque. Wall losses within
a building can be severe and outdoor to indoor connectivity will often need site planning through placement of antennas on all sides of a building, especially at
the higher mmW frequencies. The effect of body loss and attenuation from mobile users or mobile objects is significant.
A detailed discussion on propagation modeling is provided in Chapter 13 of this book. For mmW propagation measurements, see e.g. [12][13].