Millimeter-Wave and Terahertz Fixed Wireless Link Budget Evaluation for Extreme Weather Conditions

To develop highly reliable fixed wireless links, such as mobile backhaul and fronthaul systems, it is essential to evaluate the link budget under extreme weather conditions. In this paper, we presented a link budget evaluation for fixed wireless links using radio signals at four different carrier frequencies: 75.375, 85.375, 275, and 400 GHz. As examples of extreme weather conditions, we focused on storms which can be defined as the combination of high temperature, violent rain, and strong winds. A theoretical model was proposed to evaluate the attenuation by the wind effect, which was due to mechanical vibration. Using the proposed model, we evaluated the link attenuation with different weather parameters, such as clear weather condition, different rain rates, and strong wind. In addition, the maximum channel capacities were estimated based on the model. According to the calculation results, it can be confirmed that the attenuation caused by heavy rain is the dominant factor to the whole system. Besides, the attenuation due to antenna gain degradation induced by the wind effect is considerable for the wireless link at high frequencies (275 and 400 GHz). This manuscript includes a comprehensive discussion regarding various weather factors including gas, rain, and wind, which impact the fixed wireless links. The obtained results would be useful for designing a high reliability fixed wireless link to operate under different weather conditions.

Automated summary

This paper introduced a link budget evaluation for fixed wireless links under extreme weather conditions, focusing on high temperature, violent rain, and strong winds. A theoretical model was proposed to evaluate attenuation by wind effect, and the results confirmed heavy rain as a dominant factor in attenuation. Additionally, antenna gain degradation due to wind effect was found considerable for high frequency wireless links.