Propagation modelling in microcellular environments

The authors describe a microcellular model, based on ray tracing techniques. Ray tracing is a stationary phase technique which relies on the quasi-optical properties of radio waves in regions where any obstacles are large in terms of a wavelength. The model described is a very versatile implementation, which can be used to study both indoor and outdoor propagation phenomena for a number of different types of service In its fullest form it requires input data of a sophistication that is not commercially available. However, this allows the model to be used to assess the implications in terms of the achievable accuracy when using commercial building databases. Comparison with measured results has shown that the model is capable of predicting the attenuation around a modern housing estate to within 10 dB