Current issues and trends in wireless channel modeling and simulation

Wireless communication systems have witnessed tremendous growth over the last decades. However, the efficient and accurate characterization of the propagation channel still remains one of the most challenging and important issues in modern wireless communications. In order to meet the demands of a wide variety of applications, advanced propagation models that incorporate detailed representations of complicated propagation environments with sophisticated and efficient computational techniques are required. Moreover, the development of sophisticated models and methods increases as new applications emerge. This paper reviews current scientific and patent literature and discusses recent trends and future directions in the modeling and simulation of the wireless propagation medium. Within this context, several theoretical advances and underlying technologies used in the modeling and simulation of the radio channel are presented. A brief overview of current research trends in the capture and analysis of channel measurements and their application in channel modeling is also given. © 2009 Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.