nearlineofsight

Nearlineofsight is a term used in wireless communications to describe propagation conditions that lie between a clear line of sight (LOS) and non-line of sight (NLOS). The expression is informal and not part of formal standards; it appears in academic papers and industry briefs to characterize links where the direct path is partially obstructed but not completely blocked.

In near line of sight, a direct component exists or nearly exists, while additional multipath rays from reflections, diffractions, and scattering contribute significantly. The resulting channel behaves between LOS and NLOS: average path loss is higher than LOS but often lower than typical NLOS, with greater temporal and spatial variability due to the obstruction geometry. The effect is more pronounced at higher frequencies such as millimeter waves, where even small objects can attenuate the clear path.

Applications and implications: for system design, near-LOS conditions motivate robust beamforming, adaptive modulation, and link-budget strategies that tolerate partial blockage. In network planning, models may interpolate between LOS and NLOS to predict coverage in dense urban or cluttered environments. Researchers may use near-LOS as a transitional category when measuring channel characteristics or evaluating performance of MIMO and hybrid analog-digital beamformers.

Status and usage: the term is not standardized and may be used differently across studies. It is most common in technical reports, conference papers, and vendor literature to indicate a regime where the channel content includes a significant direct component but also non-negligible multipath from obstructions.