15 GHz propagation properties assessed with 5G radio access prototype

This paper presents coverage and penetration loss measurements in an urban environment at 15 GHz to provide insight into the design and deployment of future 5G systems in higher frequency bands. The measurements are performed using a 5G radio access prototype including two transmission points (TPs) and a mobile terminal over a 200 MHz bandwidth. The TPs and the mobile terminal each consists of multiple antennas, enabling spatial multiplexing of multiple data streams. Coverage measurements are performed for both outdoor and outdoor-to-indoor scenarios. Penetration losses are measured for human body, normal and coated windows, a metallic white board, and a concrete pillar. Outdoor microcellular coverage in line-of-sight (LOS) and lightly shadowed areas is shown to be possible with similar antenna directivities as in the existing cellular networks. Transitions into non-line-of-sight (NLOS) bring additional losses in the order of 20 dB, thereby making the NLOS coverage challenging. Outdoor-to-indoor coverage seems to be limited to areas that are in almost LOS with the outdoor TP. Moreover, the penetration loss of indoor blocking objects seems to further restrict the indoor coverage. Potentials of beamforming as a means to improve the coverage are also evaluated via simulations.