Experimental Investigation of Land Mobile Prediction Methods and Modeling of Radio Planning Tool Parameters along Indian Rail Road Rural Zones

Abstract

Mobile communication networks in rural zones were not given enough importance and emphasis unlike their urban counter parts due to the unattractive revenues and economic considerations for the cellular operators. In order to identify the suitable prediction methods for Indian rail road rural zones, train-based measurements were conducted in the northern and western rural zones along rail roads. These were carried out by recording the carriers emitted by the trackside base stations inside the moving train. The observed signal levels converted into path losses were compared initially with various conventional prediction methods. The observed results were also compared with the predicted results of radio planning tool utilizing digital terrain data. The constants of the model incorporated in the radio planning tool were tuned separately for north Indian and west Indian base stations based on the observed results. The suitability of the models has been evaluated in terms of standard statistical parameters.