Effects of Rain Attenuation in 6G Communication

Abstract

In 6G communication the use of higher frequencies above 7 GHz to up to 10 THz is considered. Above the 10 GHz frequency range the atmospheric propagation effects such as rainfall can produce considerable attenuation in the received signal. The aim of this work is to demonstrate the effects of rain attenuation in high frequencies. The radar rain data from Chilbolton Facility for Atmospheric and Radio Research (CFARR) facility at Chilbolton, UK is utilized to analyze the magnitude of attenuation caused by rain attenuation. The results indicate that at an operating frequency of 56.5 GHz, the predicted specific rain attenuation leads to a total path attenuation of approximately 48 dB for 0.01% of the annual time. This exceedance probability corresponds to high-intensity rainfall events and represents a critical availability threshold for millimeter-wave communication systems. Due to the short wavelength at 56.5 GHz, electromagnetic wave propagation is highly susceptible to scattering and absorption by raindrops, resulting in pronounced signal degradation.