Analysis of multipath propagation in urban environment through multidimensional measurements and advanced ray tracing simulation

A multidimensional analysis of multipath propagation in urban micro- and macro-cellular environment has been carried out. Multidimensional measurement data, including path-loss, delay spread and direction-of-arrival are compared with simulations performed with a 3D ray tracing model which takes diffuse scattering into account. The results are analyzed highlighting the dominant propagation mechanisms in the different cases and model performance/shortcomings. In particular, the results show that diffuse scattering plays a key role in urban propagation, with an impact on both narrowband and wideband parameters in most cases. Also, the accuracy and the characteristics of environment representation can have a significant impact on prediction even in simple topologies.