Finite-state Markov model for Rayleigh fading channels

In this paper we form a finite-state Markov channel model to represent Rayleigh fading channels. We develop and analyze a methodology to partition the received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) into a finite number of states according to the time duration of each state, Each state corresponds to different channel quality indicated by bit-error rate (BER). The number of states and SNR partitions are determined by the fading speed of the channel. Computer simulations are performed to verify the accuracy of the model.