A study on Satellite-to-Ground Propagation in Urban Environment

Non-Terrestrial Networks are going to play an important role in future 6G wireless networks to enhance global connectivity a performance in cooperation with terrestrial networks. In order to properly design and deploy non-terrestrial networks, the satellite-to-ground channel must be properly characterized, with particular focus on the urban environment. This paper uses a Ray-Tracing simulation tool to analyze the primary propagation mechanisms and the behaviour of the Rician K-factor as a function of satellite position in a reference urban environment. Non-specular reflection due to surface irregularities emerges as a primary propagation mechanism in non-line-of-sight cases. Additionally, the Rician K-factor shows a slightly increasing trend with elevation angle, in contrast to previous studies.