Evaluating 60 GHz FWA Deployments for Urban and Rural Environments in Belgium

2023 · Unclear · Insufficient evidence

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UnclearInsufficient evidencePaper 576

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2023

Study typeengineering

Reported directionUnclear

Evidence ratingInsufficient

Abstract

Evaluating 60 GHz FWA Deployments for Urban and Rural Environments in Belgium Castellanos G, De Beelde B, Plets D, Martens L, Joseph W, Deruyck M. Evaluating 60 GHz FWA Deployments for Urban and Rural Environments in Belgium. Sensors (Basel). 2023 Jan 17;23(3):1056. doi: 10.3390/s23031056. Abstract Fixed wireless access (FWA) provides a solution to compete with fiber deployment while offering reduced costs by using the mmWave bands, including the unlicensed 60 GHz one. This paper evaluates the deployment of FWA networks in the 60 GHz band in realistic urban and rural environment in Belgium. We developed a network planning tool that includes novel backhaul based on the IEEE 802.11ay standard with multi-objective capabilities to maximise the user coverage, providing at least 1 Gbps of bit rate while minimising the required network infrastructure. We evaluate diverse serving node locations, called edge nodes (EN), and the impact of environmental factors such as rain and vegetation on the network design. Extensive simulation results show that defining a proper EN's location is essential to achieve viable user coverage higher than 95%, particularly in urban scenarios where street canyons affect propagation. Rural scenarios require nearly 75 ENs per km2 while urban scenarios require four times (300 ENs per km2) this infrastructure. Finally, vegetation can reduce the coverage by 3% or increment infrastructure up to 7%, while heavy rain can reduce coverage by 5% or increment infrastructure by 15%, depending on the node deployment strategy implemented. Open access paper: mdpi.com

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeengineering

Effect directionunclear

PopulationNot supplied

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposuremmWave · 60000 MHz

Evidence strengthInsufficientConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Using simulations for 60 GHz FWA deployments in Belgium, the study reports that edge node (EN) location strongly affects viability, with user coverage >95% achievable particularly when EN placement is properly defined. Rural scenarios required about 75 ENs/km^2, while urban scenarios required about 300 ENs/km^2. Vegetation and heavy rain were reported to reduce coverage (by ~3% and ~5%, respectively) or increase required infrastructure (up to ~7% and ~15%, respectively), depending on deployment strategy.

Outcomes measured

Network coverage (viable user coverage %)
Required network infrastructure density (edge nodes per km^2)
Achievable bit rate (>= 1 Gbps target)
Impact of rain on coverage/infrastructure
Impact of vegetation on coverage/infrastructure
Urban street canyon propagation effects

Limitations

Results are based on simulations (not measurements)
No health outcomes or human exposure metrics (e.g., SAR) are reported in the abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "engineering",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "mmWave",
    "source": "fixed wireless access (FWA) network / IEEE 802.11ay backhaul",
    "frequency_mhz": 60000,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": null,
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Network coverage (viable user coverage %)",
    "Required network infrastructure density (edge nodes per km^2)",
    "Achievable bit rate (>= 1 Gbps target)",
    "Impact of rain on coverage/infrastructure",
    "Impact of vegetation on coverage/infrastructure",
    "Urban street canyon propagation effects"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Using simulations for 60 GHz FWA deployments in Belgium, the study reports that edge node (EN) location strongly affects viability, with user coverage >95% achievable particularly when EN placement is properly defined. Rural scenarios required about 75 ENs/km^2, while urban scenarios required about 300 ENs/km^2. Vegetation and heavy rain were reported to reduce coverage (by ~3% and ~5%, respectively) or increase required infrastructure (up to ~7% and ~15%, respectively), depending on deployment strategy.",
  "effect_direction": "unclear",
  "limitations": [
    "Results are based on simulations (not measurements)",
    "No health outcomes or human exposure metrics (e.g., SAR) are reported in the abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "insufficient",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "60 GHz",
    "mmWave",
    "fixed wireless access",
    "FWA",
    "IEEE 802.11ay",
    "network planning",
    "urban",
    "rural",
    "Belgium",
    "rain attenuation",
    "vegetation attenuation",
    "street canyons",
    "coverage",
    "infrastructure density"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "5g-policy",
      "weight": 0.32,
      "reason": "Evaluates 60 GHz mmWave fixed wireless access deployments, relevant to mmWave/5G-like infrastructure planning."
    }
  ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.3390/s23031056
PubMed: Not supplied

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