Micrometer and Millimeter Wave P-to-P Links Under Dust Storm Effects in Arid Climates

Z A Shamsan,A M Al-Hetar,M Alammar,A Aldahmash,K A Al-Snaie,A Alharthy

doi:10.48084/etasr.2972

Z A Shamsan, A M Al-Hetar + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.2972

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Abstract

A dust storm is the main attenuation factor that can disturb receiving radio signals in arid climate condition as in Saudi Arabia. This paper presents a study on the effect of dust storms on the received radio frequency power in a homogenous environment in the city of Riyadh. A number of micrometer and millimeter wave links have been considered along with several measured dust storm data to investigate the dust storm effects. The results showed that dust storm can critically influence the communication link and this effect grows up as the physical distance between the transmitter and the receiver increases. The negative effect of the dust storm apparently appears at high-frequency bands allocated for the next communication generation (5G) which imposes finding solutions to mitigate the effects of this phenomenon.

Highlights

In the fifth generation (5G) wireless networks, which are expected to be introduced around 2020, there will be some changes, including dramatic changes in the design of different layers for the generation communication systems
The wireless point to point (P-to-P) link is proposed to be within an urban area in Riyadh city
The transmitter is placed in Al-Washm at a level of 603.6m above sea level (ASL) while the International King Khalid Airport (IKKA) at 623.7m (ASL) has been considered to be the receiver point, see Figure 1

Summary

Introduction

In the fifth generation (5G) wireless networks, which are expected to be introduced around 2020, there will be some changes, including dramatic changes in the design of different layers for the generation communication systems. Regardless of the high data rate possibly offered by mmWave, quite a lot of practical difficulties in its use in mobile networks are evident. These difficulties include large path loss, low penetration capability, narrow beam width, fading phenomena due to rain and sand storms, or fading loss due to diffraction, etc. The mechanics of the emergence of a dust storm can be explained as follows: When convection currents are created due to the heating of the earth surface, the air above the earth surface becomes warm and rises up as convection currents. A significant concern in this matter is the fading or signal attenuation caused by the sand storms

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