Comparative Path Loss Measurements in Multiple Frequency Bands Between 0.8-37 GHz

This paper describes a comprehensive set of path loss measurements that cover a wide range of frequencies in three different scenarios. It was found that the excess loss beyond free space path loss increases monotonically with frequency but at different rates in the three scenarios. The negligible increase of excess path loss with increasing frequency in the urban macrocell and urban microcell scenarios matches well with established channel models. However, in the suburban macrocell scenario the excess loss was found to increase more strongly with frequency up to 10 GHz but remained constant for frequencies above 10 GHz. This behavior may be due to frequency-dependent diffraction mechanisms playing a more pronounced role at lower frequencies in this scenario, while reflections and diffuse scattering with weak or no frequency dependence becoming the prominent propagation mechanism above 10 GHz. The scenarios are representative of how current mobile radio networks are deployed, therefore the results are of use for understanding how potential new frequency bands can be utilized in present 5G or future 6G radio networks.