A Survey on mmWave Channel Attenuation and mMIMO Beamforming for Future Wireless Networks
Abstract
Millimeter-wave (mmWave) communication and massive multiple-input multiple-output (mMIMO) are widely used in 5G and are expected to remain important for future wireless systems. mmWave provides large bandwidth and can deliver very high data rates. mMIMO relies on large antenna arrays to increase array gain and to serve multiple users through beamforming and spatial multiplexing. These advantages come with practical limits. mmWave links are sensitive to propagation effects such as free-space loss, atmospheric absorption, blockage, rain, vegetation, and penetration through common materials. mMIMO also raises hardware and energy constraints because it needs more radio-frequency components and feasible array and beamforming designs. This paper reviews the main mmWave attenuation mechanisms, with focus on rain modeling and the role of raindrop size distribution at high frequencies, and on ITU-based vegetation loss including seasonal and tree-type effects. It also summarizes mMIMO beamforming architectures and antenna configurations, and outlines how mmWave and mMIMO can be combined with other techniques to improve link reliability in future networks.
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