A Radio-Propagation-Measurement-Based Study of the Capacity of Multi-User Distributed-MIMO Indoor Channels at 18 and 28 GHz

This thesis had the objective of determining whether indoor SHF wireless systems can provide the same or greater system capacities as current 2 GHz systems. In the interest of avoiding obstruction losses, the focus was on the use of directive antennas at frequencies above 2 GHz to receive radio signals from reflectors and scatterers that could be stronger than those received over direct Tx-to-Rx antenna paths. Models for indirect path transmission loss, spatial variations, shadowing, and temporal fading were derived from propagation measurements conducted in the 2-30 GHz bands.As a final step, models derived from the propagation measurements were used in multi-user conventional and distributed MIMO system capacity simulations. It was shown that with currently achievable transmit powers and antenna gains and beamwidths, narrow band systems at 18 and 28 GHz can be designed to offer the same or greater capacity as those operating in the 2 GHz band.