Received Signal Strength Measurement: Suboptimal Handing-over

Reception of good quality GSM signal in any area depends on a number of factors-Received Signal Strength (RSSI), the number of TRXs in the cell sites, the quality and type of hand-overs, the call traffic in a cell etc. The impact of these factors has a direct effect on the user experience, the image and patronage of the operator, penalties from regulator etc. In many parts of the world where GSM services are operated, some of the most annoying phenomena include call setup blocking, call drops, inability to initiate calls, low signal level on the user’s mobile. In this paper, Received Signal Strength (RSSI) levels of BTS cells from different Network Operators are measured to determine the level and quality of Received Signals, the ‘dead’ spots around Covenant University environment, to determine the signal strength distribution, and perform a side by side comparison of the signal strength (quality) from these Operators. There are many methods for measuring Received signal strength of GSM/LTE networks, and this include the use of Ericsson TEMS suite software and phone, using signal meters, using Spectrum Analyzers- all these methods have their draw-backs and advantages. In this paper, we have chosen to measure the Received Signal Strength using a Smart Android phone with installed software (KAI BIT Software) for measuring the Received Signal Strength from cell sites and their locations, Cell IDs and Location Area Code (LAC