Effect of the Spatial Distribution of Rain on mmWave Link Attenuation

Millimeter-wave wireless links are being investigated for applications such as front/backhauling in future 6G networks, due to the large spectrum available especially in the D-band (130–174 GHz). This study reports the preliminary results gathered from a rare experimental setup featuring an array of disdrom-eters deployed along the 800 m propagation path of two E-band and D-band links. The disdrometers capture the microphysics and the spatial distribution of rainfall over the path and allow an accurate prediction of rainfall attenuation, which has a huge impact on the link budget of these systems. First results indicate that the measured attenuation at both E-band (73 GHz) and D-band can be significantly higher than the predicted attenuation, the difference increasing with rainfall intensity.