Log Distance Path Loss Model: Application and Improvement for Sub 5 GHz Rural Fixed Wireless Networks

The study of radio signal propagation path loss (PL) is important for planning, designing and evaluating the performance of radio communication networks. However, the state-of-the-art in PL modelling for fixed wireless networks in rural environments is still ill-equipped for making accurate predictions. This paper explores the application of the log distance PL model to heterogeneous fixed wireless networks in harsh rural propagation conditions. This model is then extended and optimized to improve its accuracy. In particular, the dataset is classified according to many criteria, radio links are split into many intervals according to their distances, antenna heights and elevations are integrated into its formula and long-term extreme seasonal variations are considered. Our study uses a wide set of measurements from the fixed wireless networks of a wireless internet service provider in rural regions of Canada. The proposed modifications improve the accuracy by 7 to 15 dB in terms of the root mean squared error.