A Novel LOS Assessment for 5G/6G Radio Network Planning Using LiDAR Point Cloud

Abstract

<p>Starting with 5G-NR standard and moving towards</p> <p>6G, the mmW communication technology (in 6−300 GHz frequency range) fulfills the demand for high throughput in various parts of a radio access network. The weak propagation characteristics of mmW signals compel a more meticulous radio network planning, even in the initial phases. Previously used in backhaul networks, the quality of mmW radio links significantly relies on the Line-</p> <p>of-Sight (LOS) signal paths between the communicating radios. LiDAR point cloud is a popular source of high-resolution aerial survey data suitable for accurate LOS assessments. In this work we consider a comprehensive LOS assessment problem incorporating the radio mounting height, a key practical consideration in planning cellular networks. Then we proposed a method empowered by a novel topologically-sorted polar digital elevation model (DEM) and a new query-based algorithm to execute large-scale LOS assessments more efficiently and accurately than the existing methods. The post deployment measurement reports indicate that using the proposed DEM leads to 50% reduction in the prediction errors compared to the other common methods. The proposed method is designed to process LOS assessment</p> <p>queries in constant-time, O(1), and achieves O(log N) speed-up over a widely known visibility algorithm when performing LOS assessments for the entire planning area (viewshed). The numerical results from our software implementation also confirm significant reduction in the viewshed computation time.</p>