Modelling of radiowave propagation in microcells

This paper introduces a simple model for the prediction of the path loss in urban microcells based on the dominant propagation mechanisms. A network of street canyons connected via the street crossings is used as standard geometrical configurations for the identification and calculation of the propagation characteristics. In this microcellular model, simpler and less time consuming algorithms than in models based on ray tracing or ray launching techniques were applied. Moreover, for modelling purposes a limited set of parameters and some empirical simplifications and approximations were used. Despite neglecting various rays, this approach provided useful results for engineering applications, since the comparison between simulation results and measurements carried out for vertical and horizontal polarisations at 465, 943 and 1875 MHz in an urban area of Dresden, Germany, exhibited an acceptable degree of agreement. However, the applicability of this model is confined primarily on dense urban environments where street canyons can be assumed. But it benefits in two ways: (1) it is simple to use for the operator, (2) it is a fast planning tool for microcellular networks, able to carry out a prediction over a limited urban area of 1 square km in less than 1 min on an PC486