Microwave vs. Millimeter-Wave Propagation Channels: Key Differences and Impact on 5G Cellular Systems

Mansoor Shafi; Jianhua  Zhang; Harsh Tataria; Andreas F.  Molisch; Shu  Sun; Theodore S.  Rappaport; Fredrik  Tufvesson; Shangbin Wu; Koshiro Kitao

doi:10.1109/MCOM.2018.1800255

Microwave vs. Millimeter-Wave Propagation Channels: Key Differences and Impact on 5G Cellular Systems

Mansoor Shafi, Jianhua Zhang, Harsh Tataria, Andreas F. Molisch, Shu Sun, Theodore S. Rappaport, Fredrik Tufvesson, Shangbin Wu, Koshiro Kitao

School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

186 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Fifth-generation (5G) cellular systems will be deployed in the microwave and millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequency bands, i.e., between 0.5-100 GHz. Propagation characteristics at these bands have a fundamental impact on each aspect of the cellular architecture, ranging from equipment design to real–time performance in the field. While we have a reasonable understanding of the propagation characteristics at microwave (<6 GHz) frequencies, the same cannot be said for mmWave. This article explains key differences in the propagation characteristics between the microwave and mmWave bands, and further gives examples on how these differences impact 5G system design.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	14-20
Number of pages	7
Journal	IEEE Communications Magazine
Volume	56
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/MCOM.2018.1800255
Publication status	Published - 07 Dec 2018

Keywords

5G cellular
massive MIMO
microwave
millimeter-wave (mmWave)
propagation channels

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abstract = "Fifth-generation (5G) cellular systems will be deployed in the microwave and millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequency bands, i.e., between 0.5-100 GHz. Propagation characteristics at these bands have a fundamental impact on each aspect of the cellular architecture, ranging from equipment design to real–time performance in the field. While we have a reasonable understanding of the propagation characteristics at microwave (<6 GHz) frequencies, the same cannot be said for mmWave. This article explains key differences in the propagation characteristics between the microwave and mmWave bands, and further gives examples on how these differences impact 5G system design.",

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AU - Sun, Shu

AU - Rappaport, Theodore S.

AU - Tufvesson, Fredrik

AU - Wu, Shangbin

AU - Kitao, Koshiro

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Microwave vs. Millimeter-Wave Propagation Channels: Key Differences and Impact on 5G Cellular Systems

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Keywords

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