User influence on the mean effective gain for data mode operation of mobile handsets

The current paper presents statistics on the mean effective gain (MEG) for mobile handsets. The results are based on a large measurement campaign in an urban environment where the propagation channel from two different base stations to seven different handsets were measured in two bands (776 MHz and 2300 MHz). The handsets were of different types (bar, clamshell, smartphone), all had two antennas and were used in data (browsing) mode. All handsets were measured with twelve different users with both one-hand and two-hand grips. The body loss, the mean difference between the MEG in free space and with a user, was found to be up to about 15 dB with typical values below 6 dB. Further results are given in terms of mean values, standard deviations, and analyses for differences due to antenna location and user grip style. Finally, the body loss distribution is modeled and used for estimation of confidence intervals.