Error analysis on the use of point rainfall statistics to predict path attenuation statistics

Abstract

Following the deregulation of the telecommunication industry, more and more telecommunication providers are exploring new technologies to broaden their service. This is also augmented with a massive growth in demand for wide bandwidth. As a result, the industry is showing a great interest in the use of the radiowave spectrum at microwave and millimeter wavelengths to provide broadband radio access via fixed links and wireless local loops. This is illustrated with the deployment of 22 and 38 GHz for PCN in mobile communications. Moreover, the ongoing ACTS Project CRABS (Cellular Radio Access for Broadband Services) is researching into the use of 42 GHz for the Local Multipoint Distribution Service (LMDS). In this paper, a theoretical analysis of error in the use of point rainfall statistics to predict the path attenuation statistics has been performed. In particular, we focus on the errors in the path reduction factor due to different frequency, path length and time availability. Additionally, we discuss its impact on frequency scaling technique for predicting the path attenuation statistics.