Millimeter-Wave Propagation Modeling for Wireless Communication Systems
Summary
Millimetre-wave (mmWave) bands, spanning roughly 30–300 GHz, offer vast unused spectrum critical to meeting burgeoning demands for high data rates, ultra‐low latency and massive device connectivity in fifth-generation (5G) and emerging sixth-generation (6G) networks. Propagation modelling at these frequencies must account for unique phenomena such as pronounced free-space path loss, atmospheric absorption, diffuse and specular scattering, and sensitivity to blockage by vegetation, buildings and human bodies. Both deterministic approaches, exemplified by three-dimensional ray tracing, and stochastic or hybrid models based on extensive measurement campaigns, have matured to characterise large-scale path loss, small-scale fading, delay and angular spreads. These models underpin link-budget analysis, antenna and beamforming design, network planning and dynamic resource allocation. Recent advances have focused on integrating real-world measurement data into open-source simulators, refining parameterised statistical distributions across indoor, urban microcell and macrocell environments, and developing frameworks that bridge mmWave and sub-terahertz regimes for 6G and beyond.
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Millimeter-Wave Propagation Modeling for Wireless Communication Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in millimeter-wave propagation modeling for wireless communication systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Line-of-sight (LOS): A propagation path with a direct unobstructed view between transmitter and receiver.
Non-line-of-sight (NLOS): A propagation scenario where obstacles block the direct path, inducing reflections and scattering.
Path loss: The reduction in signal power over distance due to free-space attenuation and environmental effects.
Ray tracing: A deterministic modelling technique that simulates propagation by tracing paths of individual rays accounting for reflection, diffraction and scattering.
Beamforming: A signal processing method using phased antenna arrays to direct transmitted or received energy along desired paths.
Channel simulator: A software tool that generates synthetic channel impulse responses based on statistical or measurement-based models.
References
- A Tutorial on NYUSIM: Sub-Terahertz and Millimeter-Wave Channel Simulator for 5G, 6G, and Beyond. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials (2023).
- Cellular Wireless Networks in the Upper Mid-Band. IEEE Open Journal of the Communications Society (2024).
- Millimeter-Wave Communications: Physical Channel Models, Design Considerations, Antenna Constructions, and Link-Budget. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials (2017).
- Millimeter Wave and Sub-Terahertz Spatial Statistical Channel Model for an Indoor Office Building. IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications (2021).
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