Large-scale characterization of an underground mining environment for the 60 GHz frequency band

In order to improve the mining communication applications such as video with high data rates, a characterization of the underground mining channel was done. The use of the IEEE.802.15.3c standard with an OFDM modulation scheme for the 60 GHz can allowobtaining a data rate range from 31.5 Mbps to 5.67 Gbps. This paper provides the propagation characteristics of the mine, which is a complex electromagnetic environment, necessary to the deployment of networks in the IEEE.802.15.3c or the IEEE.802.11ad standard. The experimental results were obtained during an extensive measurement campaign over a frequency range of 61 GHz to 63 GHz in an underground mining environment. These results allow the extracting of the large scale parameters such as the path loss exponent which help to design wireless communication systems. The line of sight (LOS) measurements were performed in the middle of the gallery. Finally, a comparison of the results obtained in a mining environment and in a laboratory is done. The path loss exponents are less than 2 in both scenarios as the environments have dense concentration of scatterers.