Millimeter-Wave Urban Cellular Channel Characterization and Recipe for High-Precision Site-Specific Channel Simulation

Abstract

To design a reliable communication system leveraging millimeter-wave (mm-wave) technology-gaining popularity for its capacity to deliver multi-gigabit-per-second data rates-it is essential to consider the site-specific nature of mm-wave propagation. Conventional site-general stochastic channel models often fail to reproduce channel responses in specific usage scenarios or environments accurately. To enable high-precision channel simulation that captures site-specific characteristics, this paper proposes a channel modeling framework leveraging the widely accepted 3GPP map-based hybrid channel modeling approach and provides a detailed methodology for applying it to real-world scenarios with practical examples. First, an extensive measurement campaign was conducted in typical urban macro and micro cellular environments using an in-house dual-band (24/60 GHz) double-directional channel sounder. The mm-wave channel behavior was then characterized, with a focus on differences between the two frequencies. Following this, site-specific large-scale and small-scale channel properties were parameterized. As a critical component for enhancing prediction accuracy, this paper introduces an exponential decay model for the power-delay characteristics of non-line-of-sight clusters, which are often significantly overestimated by deterministic prediction tools. Finally, using the in-house channel model simulator (CPSQDSIM) developed for grid-wise channel data (PathGridData) generation, a marked improvement in prediction accuracy over the existing 3GPP map-based channel model was demonstrated.