3D Channel Model in 3GPP

TL;DR

The paper discusses the development of a 3D channel model by 3GPP that incorporates elevation to improve multi-antenna techniques for mobile communication, especially for users at different heights.

Contribution

It introduces a 3D channel model that extends existing 2D models by including height-dependent parameters and modeling for users on different floors.

Findings

Incorporates user height dependency in channel characteristics.

Models channels for users on different building floors.

Extends WINNERII/WINNER+ framework with elevation parameters.

Abstract

Multi-antenna techniques capable of exploiting the elevation dimension are anticipated to be an important air-interface enhancement targeted to handle the expected growth in mobile traffic. In order to enable the development and evaluation of such multi-antenna techniques, the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) has recently developed a 3-dimensional (3D) channel model. The existing 2-dimensional (2D) channel models do not capture the elevation channel characteristics lending them insufficient for such studies. This article describes the main components of the newly developed 3D channel model and the motivations behind introducing them. One key aspect is the ability to model channels for users located on different floors of a building (at different heights). This is achieved by capturing a user height dependency in modelling some channel characteristics including pathloss, line-of-sight (LOS) probability, etc. In general this 3D channel model follows the framework of WINNERII/WINNER+ while also extending the applicability and the accuracy of the model by introducing some height and distance dependent elevation related parameters.