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Optimization of 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) Network Coverage Area in Sub

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Article  in  AIP Conference Proceedings · April 2020

DOI: 10.1063/5.0000732

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Optimization of 4G LTE (long term evolution)
network coverage area in sub urban
Cite as: AIP Conference Proceedings 2217, 030193 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0000732
Published Online: 14 April 2020

Subuh Pramono, Lia Alvionita, Mustofa Danang Ariyanto, and Meiyanto Eko Sulistyo

AIP Conference Proceedings 2217, 030193 (2020); https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0000732 2217, 030193

© 2020 Author(s).
 Optimization of 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) Network
Coverage Area in Sub Urban
Subuh Pramono1,a) Lia Alvionita1,b) Mustofa Danang Ariyanto1,c) Meiyanto Eko
Sulistyo1,d)
1
Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Indonesia

a)
Corresponding author: subuhpramono@gmail.com
b)
liaalvionita@student.uns.ac.id
c)
mustofadanang@student.uns.ac.id
d)
meiyantoekosulistyo@gmail.com

Abstract. Nowadays, 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) telecommunication technology that has spread throughout
Indonesia is growing rapidly. However, the coverage of 4G LTE has not been implemented well in Indonesia, one of them
is in Sragen. So to be able to increase the quality of 4G LTE network, it is necessary to optimize the coverage area of
4G LTE network in Sragen by using the physical tuning method, which is to adjust the antenna tilt, azimuth antenna, power.
Key Performance Indicator is a reference to determine the performance of a network. The measured parameters
are reference signal reception power (RSRP), reference signal reception quality (RSRQ), signal interference noise ratio
(SINR). The results from the optimization are the percentage of RSRP was initial 45.87% to 75.58%, an increase of 29.72%.
While the RSRQ value increased by 20.78%, with an initial value was 27.84% to 48.62%. SINR increased by 5.29% with
an initial percentage was 4.87% to 10.16%.

INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, cellular communication is growing rapidly and made an outstanding development not only voice
communication but also a tremendous increase in data streaming. For this the technology evolved from 1G to 4G [1].
4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) telecommunication technology that has spread throughout Indonesia is also
growing rapidly. The availability of 4G LTE network that has spread throughout Indonesia strived by several cellular
operators by developing the infrastructure of cellular network. One of the important aspect from developing the
infrastructure of 4G LTE is eNodeB or in GSM and CDMA named as base transceiver station (BTS). Coverage of the
eNodeB is essential for the cellular operators to increase the service quality that progressively increasing. Therefore,
the aim of this research is to make a simulation that can optimize the coverage area of 4G LTE technology throughout
the Sragen.
In this research to optimize the coverage of 4G LTE in Sragen is using physical tuning method. The method is
adjust some physical device such as mechanical tilt, electrical tilt, azimuth, power configuration, and antenna height.

PHYSICAL TUNING

Physical Tuning is a method for optimization in telecomunication network. The optimization method is performed
on the antenna device contained in eNodeB by setting the antenna physical device [2]. There are some techniques to
do i.e. [3, 2]:
1. Mechanical Tilting

The 5th International Conference on Industrial, Mechanical, Electrical, and Chemical Engineering 2019 (ICIMECE 2019)
AIP Conf. Proc. 2217, 030193-1–030193-9; https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0000732
Published by AIP Publishing. 978-0-7354-1971-1/$30.00

030193-1
 Mechanical Tilting is setting the antenna direction vertically up or down. Mechanical tilt means physically or
manually downtilting the antenna. The greater the degree of mechanical tilt, the direction of the antenna will be lower
causing the coverage in the main lobe to decrease, while in the side lobe will widen and vice versa [4].

TABLE 1. Some changes based on mechanical tilt

Change Name Initial o Final o
Mechanical Tilt SRA711ML1_GILIREJOML2 0 4
Mechanical Tilt SRA727ML1_BLUEBEROBEDOROML3 0 3
Mechanical Tilt SRA713ML1_JAMBANGANML3 0 3

2. Electrical Tilting
Electrical tilt does not involve any physical movement but changes the phases of the radiation pattern of each
antenna. Electrical tilt can also provide the gain to support concept known as beamforming to extend the coverage.
The greater the value of the electrical tilt, the smaller the coverage output, and vice versa [4].

TABLE 2. Some changes based on electrical tilt

Change Name Initial o Final o
Electrical Tilt C_SRA130MT1_KARANGPELEMDMTMT2 0 1
Electrical Tilt SRA063MT1_NGARGOTIRTODMTMT1 0 1
Electrical Tilt SRA021MT1_GESIMT1 0 1

3. Azimuth
Azimuth is setting the antenna direction that is setting horizontally by changing the position of the antenna clamp
that connected to the ground tower. The horizontal changing limit of this antenna is usually 5o – 100o [5].

TABLE 3. Some changes based on azimuth

Change Name Initial o Final o
Azimuth SRA019ML1_SUMBERLAWANGML1 100 80
Azimuth SRA066MT1_DESAPAGAKDMTMT3 0 20
Azimuth SRA705ML1_COMBATPASARMADE2ML2 180 160

4. Power Configuration
Power configuration is managing the power released by eNodeB so that the power expended can cover the
entire target area of optimization [6]. Power configuration is a powerful strategy for dealing with the capacity and
coverage optimization problem.
The aim of PC is to reduce the amount of interference from neighbor cells while ensuring that enough power
is transmitted to (or received from) User Equipment (UE) to maintain an acceptable link quality [7, 8]

TABLE 4. Some changes based on power

Initial
Final Power
Change Name Power
(dBm)
(dBm)
Power C_SRA003ME1_GEMOLONGME2(0) 43 46
Power C_SRA004MT1_SAMBUNGMACANTSELMT1(0) 46 49
Power C_SRA004MT1_SAMBUNGMACANTSELMT2(0) 43 46

5. Antenna Height
Antenna height adjustment is mainly for high and low EnodeB. If an EnodeB is too high or low place, serious
overshoot coverage or insufficient coverage is caused.

030193-2
 TABLE 5. Some changes based on antenna height
Initial Final
Change Name Height Height
(dBm) (dBm)
Antenna Height SRA113MR1_GIRIMARGOSUMBERLAWANGIBSMR3 59 69
SRA013MT1_JEKAWALDMTMT1;
Antenna Height SRA013MT1_JEKAWALDMTMT2; 71 81
SRA013MT1_JEKAWALDMTMT3
SRA022MT1_JENARMT1; SRA022MT1_JENARMT2;
Antenna Height 70 80
SRA022MT1_JENARMT3

LTE MEASUREMENT

x Reference Signal Reception Power (RSRP)

RSRP is the amount of signal power received by the EU (dBm). The farther the distance between the site and the
EU, the RSRP value received by the EU will be smaller and vice versa. If the user is on the edge area, the RSRP
received will be very weak, then the user will need a handover process. The RSRP value standards set by the Key
Performance Indicator (KPI) standards are as follows:

TABLE 6. Standard RSRP KPI

Range (dBm) Category Color
-80 s.d -44 Excellent
-90 s.d. -80 Good
-100 s.d. -90 Fair
-110 s.d. -100 Poor
-140 s.d. -110 Very poor

x Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)

RSRQ is a measurement of the quality of EU receive signal (dB) power from a cell. RSRQ is defined as the ratio
between the number of RSRP resource blocks to RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator). RSRQ is influenced by
signals, noise and interference received by the EU. The RSRQ value standards set by the Key Performance Indicator
(KPI) standards are as follows:

TABLE 7. Standard RSRQ KPI

Range (dBm) Category Color
-10 s.d -3 Excellent
-12 s.d -10 Good
-14 s.d -12 Fair
-17 s.d -14 Poor
-20 s.d -17 Very poor

x Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio (SINR)

SINR is the ratio of the received signal power to the interference power and noise power received by the user.
SINR is a parameter that shows signal quality, but SINR is a parameter that becomes a reference for network quality.

030193-3
SINR as and indicator for EU in determining the CQI (Channel Quality Indicator) that will be transmitted to eNodeB.
Furthermore eNodeB will determine the use of certain modulation and coding schemes based on CQI information [6,
9]. The RSRQ value standards set by the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) standards are as follows:

TABLE 8. Standard SINR KPI

Range (dBm) Category Color
10 s.d 30 Excellent
3 s.d 10 Good
0 s.d 3 Fair
-20 s.d 0 Poor

COST 231 PROPAGATION MODEL

The COST 231 propagation model was developed by the European Cooperative for Scientific and Technical
Research Committee also called Cost-Hata. This model is a development of the Okumura-Hatta model, which is used
to estimate pathloss in urban areas. The characteristics of the COST 231 propagation model are frequency range:
1500-2000 MHz, the effective height of the transmitting antenna: 30 - 200 m, the effective height of the receiving
antenna 1-10 m, the distance d from the transmitting antenna to the receiving antenna is 1 - 20 km [10]. The following
is the equation of the COST 231 propagation model:
( ) = 46,3 + 33,9 log − 13,82 log ℎ − a( ℎ ) + ( 44,9 − 6,55 log ℎ ) log +
a( ℎ ) For suburban or rural environments this factor is defined as,
a( ℎ ) = 1,1( − 0,7) ℎ − (1,56 − 0,8)
where 1 ≤ ℎ ≤ 10
and, a( ℎ ) for urban environments (i.e. large cities) as,
a( ℎ ) = 8,29( 1,54ℎ ) − 1,1 ≤ 300
a( ℎ ) = 3,2( 11,75ℎ ) − 4,97 ≥ 300
equal ti 0 dB for medium cities and suburban areas and 3 dB for metropolitan areas.

LINK BUDGET

Link budget is a method used to calculate all parameters in signal propagation. Link budget calculation starts
from the gain and losses of the transmitter and receiver through the transmission media. Link budget is calculated
based on the distance between the transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx). The link budget calculation also looks at the
antenna specifications and because of the barrier between the transmitter and receiver Link Budget, calculation has
the goal to be able to calculate or plan cellular system power requirements so that the signal quality at the receiver
meets the desired standard. Link budget calculation can be calculated with the following equation:

= + + − − −

030193-4
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

After optimizing the coverage area of the existing site in Sragen using the physical tuning method, the following
results are obtained.

TABLE 9. Comparison parameter before and after optimization

Objective Initial Final Improvement (%)
LTE RSRP (%) 45.87 75.58 29.72
LTE RSRQ (%) 27.84 48.62 20.78
LTE SINR (%) 4.87 10.16 5.29

x RSRP
The RSRP of 4G LTE network in Sragen initially had an average of -110.45 dBm after being optimized using
physical tuning method, RSRP increase to -104.11 dBm. It can be seen in the figure before optimization of the range
of RSRP values that are most widely distributed in Sragen is -110 to -140 dBm, which is still included in the very
poor category and -100 s.d -110 dBm which is poor category based on KPI standards. Therefore, after optimization,
the results obtained can be seen in the image after optimization and the most widely distributed value is -100 to -110
dBm, which is poor, and -100 s.d -90 dBm, which is fair.

km²

60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

-50
-46
-42
-140
-136
-132

-96.8
-92.8
-89.2
-85.2
-81.2
-77.2
-73.2
-69.6
-65.6
-61.6
-57.6
-53.6
-128.4
-124.4
-120.4
-116.4
-112.4
-108.8
-104.8
-100.8

RSRP Level (DL) (dBm)

(a) (b)

km²

72
66
60
54
48
42
36
30
24
18
12
6
0
-50
-46
-42
-140
-136
-132

-96.8
-92.8
-89.2
-85.2
-81.2
-77.2
-73.2
-69.6
-65.6
-61.6
-57.6
-53.6
-128.4
-124.4
-120.4
-116.4
-112.4
-108.8
-104.8
-100.8

RSRP Level (DL) (dBm)

(c) (d)
FIGURE 1. (a) RSRP Coverage Before Optimization, (b) RSRP Histogram Before Optimization, (c) RSRP Coverage After
Optimization, (d) RSRP Histogram After Optimization, (e) Comparison Coverage of RSRP Before and After Optimization

030193-5
 (e)

FIGURE 1 (continued). (a) RSRP Coverage Before Optimization, (b) RSRP Histogram Before Optimization, (c) RSRP
Coverage After Optimization, (d) RSRP Histogram After Optimization, (e) Comparison Coverage of RSRP Before and After
Optimization

x RSRQ
The RSRQ of 4G LTE network in Sragen initially had an average of -16.74 dB after being optimized using the
RSRQ physical tuning method increase to -15.62 dB. It can be seen in the figure before optimizing that the range of
RSRQ values most widely distributed in Sragen Regency is -20 to -17 dB, which is still categorized as very poor based
on KPI standards. Therefore, after optimization, the results obtained are seen in the image after optimization and the
most widely distributed value is -14 to -12 dB, which is fair.

km²

132
121
110
99
88
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
0
-19.6

-18.4

-17.4

-16.4

-15.4

-14.4

-13.4

-12.2

-11.2

-10.2

-5

-4

-3

-2
-9.2

-8.2

-7.2

-6.2

RSRQ Level (DL) (dB)

(a) (b)
FIGURE 2. (a) RSRQ Coverage Before Optimization, (b) RSRQ Histogram Before Optimization, (c) RSRQ Coverage
After Optimization, (d) RSRQ Histogram After Optimization, (e) Comparison Coverage of RSRQ Before and After
Optimization

030193-6
 km²
182
168
154
140
126
112
98
84
70
56
42
28
14
0

-19.6

-18.4

-17.4

-16.4

-15.4

-14.4

-13.4

-12.2

-11.2

-10.2

-5

-4

-3

-2
-9.2

-8.2

-7.2

-6.2
RSRQ Level (DL) (dB)

(c) (d)

(e)
FIGURE 2 (continued). (a) RSRQ Coverage Before Optimization, (b) RSRQ Histogram Before Optimization, (c) RSRQ
Coverage After Optimization, (d) RSRQ Histogram After Optimization, (e) Comparison Coverage of RSRQ Before and After
Optimization

x SINR
The SINR of 4G LTE network in Sragen initially had an average of 4.23 dB after being optimized using the SINR
physical tuning method to increase to 5.47 dB. It can be seen in the figure before optimization, range values of SINR
improved that can be seen in the histogram before and after optimization. Before the optimization, poor category based
on KPI standards were widespread in Sragen Regency. However, after optimization, the poor categories decrease and
the categories are fair, good, and excellent increasing.
km²
104
96
88
80
72
64
56
48
40
32
24
16
8
0
-20
-18
-16
-13.6
-11.6
-9.6
-7.6
-5.6
-3.2
-1.2
0.8
2.8
4.8
7.2
9.2
11.2
13.2
15.2
17.6
19.6
21.6
23.6
25.6
28
30
32

PDSCH C/(I+N) Level (DL) (dB)

(a) (b)
FIGURE 3. (a) SINR Coverage Before Optimization, (b) SINR Histogram Before Optimization, (c) SINR Coverage
After Optimization, (d) SINR Histogram After Optimization, (e) Comparison Coverage of SINR Before and After
Optimization

030193-7
 km²
84
77
70
63
56
49
42
35
28
21
14
7
0

-20
-18
-16
-13.6
-11.6
-9.6
-7.6
-5.6
-3.2
-1.2
0.8
2.8
4.8
7.2
9.2
11.2
13.2
15.2
17.6
19.6
21.6
23.6
25.6
28
30
32
PDSCH C/(I+N) Level (DL) (dB)

(c) (d)

(e)
FIGURE 3 (continued). (a) SINR Coverage Before Optimization, (b) SINR Histogram Before Optimization, (c) SINR Coverage
After Optimization, (d) SINR Histogram After Optimization, (e) Comparison Coverage of SINR Before and After Optimization

CONCLUSIONS

The method used to optimize the 4G LTE network coverage area in Sragen is physical tuning method, which are
adjustment the electrical tilt, mechanical tilt, azimuth, antenna height, and power configuration. The results of
comparison of RSRP, RSRQ, and SINR parameters have increased after the optimization process done using the
physical tuning method. RSRP value increased by 29.72%, RSRQ increased by 20.78%, and SINR 4.78%. The results
of the pathloss comparison in the simulation of the coverage area optimization using COST-231 propagation model is
not much different from the result of calculations by classification sub urban area.

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