Measurement-Based Wideband Maritime Channel Characterization

Maritime communication is one of the 5G vertical domains and is attracting more attention. Advanced channel models that accurately characterize the wideband maritime propagation channels are essential for the development of modern maritime communication technologies. To this end, we measured the propagation channel at 5.6GHz with a sailing boat, capturing the channel with a bandwidth of 250 MHz, both in the harbor and the open sea. Based on the measurement results, we evaluated the Rician K-factor, coherence bandwidth and path loss. We concluded that in the maritime environment various types of power delay profiles can occur, and that the Rician K-factor and coherence bandwidth can vary significantly within a short period of time.