Polarization of received signals for wideband wireless communications in a heavy rainfall region

Wireless fixed network access offers many advantages such as scalability and ease of deployment in low population density areas. However, its coverage is greatly affected by rainfall. In this letter, we study the effects of rain attenuation on radio channel in a heavy rainfall region for wideband signals in the 10-40-GHz frequency range. We conclude that although a lower frequency of <10 GHz is more affected by multipath due to a longer wavelength, it is still optimal in a heavy rainfall region due to high losses associated with higher frequency signals. In addition, for a path of over 1.5 km, the difference in horizontal and vertical polarization becomes significant.