Comparative Study of Path Loss Models of WiMAX at 2.5 GHz Frequency Band

Correct prediction of path loss is a pivotal step of WiMAX network planning to estimate external interference level and cell radius accurately. In this paper, different path loss models are compared depending on various parameters like frequency, height of receiver antenna, distance between transmitter and receiver etc. For comparative analysis, COST 231 Hata model, COST 231 Walfisch-Ikegami model, Stanford University Interim (SUI) model, Ericsson model, ECC-33 model and Free Space Path Loss models are used in three different environments (Urban, Suburban and Rural environments). After analyzing the results, it is found that no single model is suited or recommended for all types of propagation environments at 2.5 GHz frequency band.