Experimental Assessment of Cellular Mobile Performance along the Railway Corridor

Abstract

With the ongoing rehabilitation of the railway transportation sector in Nigeria, improvement in the quality and reliability of the services deliverable becomes crucial. Reliable railway communication infrastructure guarantees effective operation and also ensures connectivity for security, safety, maintenance and passenger communication. This work describes today’s network scenario by assessing current cellular performance as it affects a passenger’s experience along the railway corridor. A drive test was conducted on the 6th of July, 2014 between 12:58pm and 07:14pm along the railroad linking Oshogbo and Lagos, Nigeria. The measurement setup consists of four TEMS Mobile Sony Ericsson W995 phones, a Personal Computer, a GPS receiver, and a power bank. The measurement was useful in the assessment of coverage, capacity and Quality of Service (QoS) of four mobile radio networks namely: Airtel, Globacom, Etisalat and MTN in the GSM 900 MHz and 1800 bands. Results reveal that no single mobile network service operator consistently serviced the train throughout the 6-hour trip. Also, the results obtained from the drive test represents a true picture of mobile network condition and can be useful in decision making in several areas - from planning and design through optimization and maintenance of the system, with the goal of maximizing quality, capacity and coverage for all mobile networks for improved service delivery on our railway infrastructure.