Radio Propagation Model Adjusted to Mountainous Topography for TVWS Coverage Study

The Internet brings significant technological innovations, but not all sectors of the population have access to this service, especially in rural areas due to the digital divide. This necessitates the deployment of emerging technologies like TV White Space (TVWS) to help rural communities enter the digital age. Nevertheless, accurate radio propagation models are required to effectively plan their implementation. Currently, adjustments to these models are being developed for specific areas to improve their performance in targeted applications. However, there has been limited development of these models for mountainous terrains, mainly due to the focus on cellular networks in urban areas, leaving less attention for case studies in rural zones. This paper proposes an enhanced radiopropagation model through parameter adjustment, based on data obtained from a measurement campaign conducted in a mountainous rural area, focusing on TVWS characteristics. The model is validated by simulating the coverage of a TVWS base station, achieving a root mean square error of 6 dB when comparing measured and simulated data. Furthermore, it demonstrates greater accuracy compared to other models used with the same approach. This suggests that the proposed model is suitable for predicting propagation losses in irregular terrains, thus facilitating the optimal deployment of TVWS technology.