Realistic UE Antennas for 6G in the 3GPP Channel Model
Published: Sep 12, 2025
Last Updated: Sep 15, 2025
Authors:Simon Svendsen, Dimitri Gold, Christian Rom, Volker Pauli, Vuokko Nurmela
Abstract
The transition to 6G has driven significant updates to the 3GPP channel model, particularly in modeling UE antennas and user-induced blockage for handheld devices. The 3GPP Rel.19 revision of TR 38.901 introduces a more realistic framework that captures directive antenna patterns, practical antenna placements, polarization effects, and element-specific blockage. These updates are based on high-fidelity simulations and measurements of a reference smartphone across multiple frequency ranges. By aligning link- and system-level simulations with real-world device behavior, the new model enables more accurate evaluation of 6G technologies and supports consistent performance assessment across industry and research.