Channel characteristics for land cellular radio, and their systems implications

Characterization of the channel, in terms that are useful for system design and performance evaluation, is addressed. An attempt is made in the current effort to link physical features of the environment to some deterministic characteristics of the channel, and to a better characterization of the statistical behavior. The predictions are then validated by an extensive measurement campaign, with an impulse channel sounder, covering many major urban areas in the US. Previous results and analysis are then revisited, to further support the findings. The delay profile is found to consist mostly of distinct peaks, shifting in delay as the mobile unit travels, and resulting from reflections from large structures. These are relatively stable compared to the leading peak, which consists of the direct path and signals from a cluster of neighboring scatterers. Signal bandwidth effects and the effectiveness of different diversity means are discussed in terms of the channel characteristics.<>