A Survey of New Mid-Band/FR3 for 6G: Channel Measurement, Characterization and Modeling in Outdoor Environment

The new mid-band (6-24 GHz) has attracted significant attention from both academia and industry, which is the spectrum with continuous bandwidth that combines the coverage benefits of low frequency with the capacity advantages of high frequency. Since outdoor environments represent the primary application scenario for mobile communications, this paper presents the first comprehensive review and summary of multi-scenario and multi-frequency channel characteristics based on extensive outdoor new mid-band channel measurement data, including UMa, UMi, and O2I. Specifically, a survey of the progress of the channel characteristics is presented, such as path loss, delay spread, angular spread, channel sparsity, capacity and near-field spatial non-stationary characteristics. Then, considering that satellite communication will be an important component of future communication systems, we examine the impact of clutter loss in air-ground communications. Our analysis of the frequency dependence of mid-band clutter loss suggests that its impact is not significant. Additionally, given that penetration loss is frequency-dependent, we summarize its variation within the FR3 band. Based on experimental results, comparisons with the standard model reveal that while the 3GPP TR 38.901 model remains a useful reference for penetration loss in wood and glass, it shows significant deviations for concrete and glass, indicating the need for further refinement. In summary, the findings of this survey provide both empirical data and theoretical support for the deployment of mid-band in future communication systems, as well as guidance for optimizing mid-band base station deployment in the outdoor environment. This survey offers the reference for improving standard models and advancing channel modeling.