Millimeter Waves for Short-Range Multimedia Communication Systems ORESTE ANDRISANO, MEMBER, IEEE, VELIO TRALLI, MEMBER, IEEE, AND ROBERTO VERDONE, MEMBER, IEEE A framework for performance characterization of short-range communications systems is developed with the intention of in- vestigating the feasibility of new multimedia wireless services at millimeter waves (MMW’s). Both narrow- and wide-band systems are considered for mobile and/or fixed users. This paper aims at defining and evaluating proper metrics to characterize the service quality for the user and jointly takes the propagation char- acteristics, the transmission techniques, and the multiple access protocols into account. The definition of service-oriented metrics is emphasized. Three different real scenarios operating at MMW are inves- tigated with a unified perspective: intelligent transport systems, wide-band local-area networks, and local multipoint distribution systems for interactive video services. The role played by the MMW band in the development of these services is discussed. In each scenario, accurate propagation analysis is carried out and suitable countermeasure techniques are pointed out in order to join suitable service-quality levels. The methodology considered is based on both analytical and semianalytical tools for performance evaluation. Keywords— Millimeter waves, multimedia, performance, wire- less. I. INTRODUCTION In the last decade, several efforts have been dedicated to the investigation of wireless communication systems able to provide interactive and multimedia services to users in different contexts, such as, e.g., the mobile (indoor, urban, suburban, highway) environment. Due to spectrum congestion (and other reasons, as will be explained in this paper), the interest of researchers and standardization bodies has indicated the millimeter wave (MMW) band as a candidate for some of the most challenging services to be provided in the next decade (see, e.g., [1]–[18]). Hence, some works have been presented to describe the wireless channel behavior at those frequencies, such as the 60–64-GHz band, where propagation is characterized Manuscript received January 16, 1998. This work was supported by a contract from the Consiglio Nazionale delle Richerche, Bologna, Italy. The authors are with the Centro di Studio per l’Informatica e i Sistemi di Telecomunicazioni—Consiglio Nazionale delle Richerche, University of Bologna, DEIS, Bologna 40136 Italy. Publisher Item Identifier S 0018-9219(98)04239-X. by high levels of attenuation due to rain and oxygen absorption, or the 30- and 40-GHz bands, where some broad-band video services are proposed to be operating in the future [19]–[25]. Some of these works have been developed within the context of various European projects, such as DRIVE, PROMETHEUS, and MBS [2], [26]–[28]. On the other hand, the use of the MMW band (and, particularly, of the 60–64-GHz band) introduces some features that have to be taken into account in system design; these features are mainly related to the short wavelength and to the additional attenuation due to rain and oxygen absorption, when present. The former requires appropriate methods of performance estimation: more precisely, the choice of the performance metrics and, as a consequence, of the quality requirements has to be thoroughly discussed, also in conjunction with the kind of service provided, lead- ing to the definition of service-oriented metrics. Section IV of this paper is devoted to this topic. The topic introduces some effects on interference control and cell planning, as will be shown in Section V. In this paper, a discussion on the design criteria of com- munications systems at MMW’s is given, and performance evaluation is carried out. Three different kinds of systems that are expected to be available in the next few years, probably by making use of the advantages of the MMW band, are introduced and investigated: intelligent transport systems, wireless local-area networks, and local multipoint distribution systems. The aim of this paper is to give a unified description of design methods and criteria and to show how these methods can be applied to the three systems considered. The numerical results will show the main guidelines of the communication systems design at MMW. The structure of this paper is the following. Section II describes the three services considered and gives motivation for the use of MMW band. Section III introduces the struc- ture of the transmission system under a unified approach. In Section IV, the performance characterization criteria are explained; this section represents the core contribution 0018–9219/98$10.00  1998 IEEE PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE, VOL. 86, NO. 7, JULY 1998 1383