Smart Grid Communications: LTE outdoor field trials at 450 MHz

Future energy networks based on smart grid and smart metering applications will be highly decentralized. Cellular wireless is one promising technology to interconnect novel energy grids. Although industrial wireless standards are seen as one of the new study items for 5G radio systems, 3G/4G-based technology may cover this field until tailored standards become available. Due to the beneficial propagation conditions below 500 MHz, cellular radio systems operating at these frequencies are getting more attention, especially in the case of rural and suburban deployments. In this paper, we investigate the propagation characteristics at 450 MHz in a suburban to rural environment using cellular radio technology. Extensive measurements were done in a test pilot installation using latest LTE technology. The results are based on pilot symbols collected during the campaign. They show the coverage in the chosen environment and highlight channel characteristics at 450 MHz. Delay spreads (DS) and shadow fading (SF) coefficients are detailed and a generalized pathloss model is derived. The results can be used for propagation modeling in similar environments as well as to complement and verify channel models for similar frequencies.