Assessing the Necessity of Modeling Non-Planar Wavefronts for Large Arrays with Ray-Tracing Simulation

This paper utilizes a ray-tracing based channel model simulation tool to quantify wave curvature at the base station (BS) in representative Urban Macro (UMa) scenarios, to determine the necessity of integrating non-planar wavefront channel modeling into the 3GPP channel model. The study aims to evaluate the impact of non-planar wave-fronts on system performance, and analyze the importance of non-planar wavefront channel modeling in wireless communication systems. The analysis of power distribution between planar and non-planar wave-fronts in different scenarios reveals that the power contribution of non-planar wave-fronts is insignificant, indicating that it may not have a substantial impact on current communication systems. These findings underscore that the current demand for non-planar wavefront modeling in communication systems may not be urgent.