The Relative Importance of Different Propagation Mechanisms for Radio Coverage and Interference Prediction in Urban Scenarios at 2.4, 5.8, and 28 GHz

Radio coverage and interference in communications systems can be provided by various propagation mechanisms depending on the frequency of the radiowaves and the propagation environment. Key propagation mechanisms include line-of-sight (LOS), diffraction, transmission (or penetration), incoherent scattering, and specular reflections. Knowledge of which propagation mechanisms dominate for coverage and interference calculations is important for cell planning issues. In this communication, we present a novel surface model unifying scatter and Fresnel models and use it to evaluate the relative importance of the different propagation mechanisms in an urban scenario at three frequencies of interest through simulation using an accurate database. The results obtained show that a significant coverage fraction may be provided by reflected paths at low frequencies. At higher frequencies incoherent scattering becomes an increasingly important mechanism and may significantly affect interference predictions