Before 5G has even been launched, it’s projected that hot, sunny weather could degrade cellular transmissions by more than 15 percent, which is troublesome in climates with consistently scorching weather. According to Phys Org, an engineer at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University says research will provide solutions to this predicted challenge.
Ahmed Sulyman, associate professor in Embry-Riddle’s Prescott, Department of Computer, Electrical, & Software Engineering, teamed up with colleagues in Saudi Arabia to publish the first comprehensive analysis of solar radio emissions on land-based wireless communications systems to determine how solar radiation can affect 5G. Sulyman and colleagues looked at how solar radio emissions would affect 60 GHz communication, at two sunny outdoor locations in Saudi Arabia – a hilly region with high-rise buildings and vegetation, and similar terrain with very little vegetation. The results showed that the integrity of transmissions was negatively affected by strong sunshine.
According to Sulyman, “…There could be more dropped calls and lost data transmission, and the data rate could be lower during the day compared to nighttime.”
He added, “Engineers can always work around problems if they understand them properly. Once we understand the exact nature of solar radio interference on 5G networks, we can plan for it by optimizing links for day-time and night-time operations.”
December 4, 2017
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