Comparison of empirical propagation path loss models for fixed wireless access systems

Empirical propagation models have found favour in both research and industrial communities owing to their speed of execution and their limited reliance on detailed knowledge of the terrain. Although the study of empirical propagation models for mobile channels has been exhaustive, their applicability for FWA systems is yet to be properly validated. Among the contenders, the ECC-33 model, the Stanford University Interim (SUI) models, and the COST-231 Hata model show the most promise. In this paper, a comprehensive set of propagation measurements taken at 3.5 GHz in Cambridge, UK is used to validate the applicability of the three models mentioned previously for rural, suburban and urban environments. The results show that in general the SUI and the COST-231 Hata model over-predict the path loss in all environments. The ECC-33 models shows the best results, especially in urban environments.