Scattering and Attenuation in 5G Electromagnetic Propagation (5 GHz and 25 GHz) in the Presence of Rainfall: A Numerical Study

Rainfall has always been a concern for wireless communications systems. As 5G technology relies on high-frequency bands, it is fundamental to model and simulate the interaction of such radio waves with rainfall, as the deployment of large-scale infrastructure for 5G is highly expensive. This research presents a reformulation of the Maxwell equations for a bi-dimensional space in a transverse electric propagation mode, for a linear, inhomogeneous, and isotropic propagation medium with its magnetic and electric properties dependent on time. This reformulation was solved using the Finite Differences in Time Domain (FDTD) method with the Convolutional Perfectly Matched Layer (CPML) boundary condition. Two main frequency propagation scenarios were studied: 5 GHz (corresponding to Wi-Fi in the 802.11n standard as well as to the lowest bands of 5G) and 25 GHz (corresponding to 5G), within a 10 m × 3 m rectangular domain in air and with rain. The rainfall was simulated using a parallel Ziggurat algorithm. According to the findings, while 5 GHz waves experience scattering processes, 25 GHz waves experience substantial dispersion and attenuation throughout the domain in low- to moderate-intensity rain.