Performance Study of Multipath Effect in 5G Millimeter-Wave Channel

Abstract

5G has been essentially a buzzword for several years, but according to the experts, from 2022 onward, there will be an inflection point between network maturity and the availability of 5G. To make 5G a reality, we must minimize all propagation losses. One of the possible factors that reduces the performance of 5G transmission is the multipath effect. In this paper, we investigate the severity of the multipath effect in the 5G millimeter-wave (mmWave) channel and mitigate the multipath effect using adaptive equalization based on the least mean square (LMS) algorithm to improve the performance of 5G wireless signal transmission. A mmWave channel simulator, NYUSIM, provides complete data for all resolvable multipaths in a specific channel configuration. An analysis of bit-error-rate (BER) based on the minimum BER (MBER) and minimum mean square error (MMSE) optimization criterion is performed to measure the improved performance of a 5G data channel simulated under line-of-sight (LOS) and non-LOS (NLOS) paths. A good overall performance of BER based on the MBER and MMSE criteria is attained using the LMS equalization method in a micro-urban area at a maximum data rate of 50 Mbps. For both LOS and NLOS conditions, the increase in data rate to 55.56 Mbps and 62.5 Mbps causes a significant decrease in BER performance. In conclusion, the primary factor affecting the BER performance is the data rate, not the frequency or transmitter-to-receiver distance.