ABSTRACT

Optimal performance of wireless signal in mobile networks is the concern of many researchers in the field of mobile communication. To this end, empirical models have been used to predict path loss in classified environments. Prediction of signal strength received in certain locations in wetland and dryland areas is of paramount importance in the determination of the performance of any wireless design. First, received signal strength and path losses in a specific radio access network (ran) within wetland and dryland propagation environment were obtained through drive test measurement approach. The study was implemented using Glo 4g lte network that supports band 28 operating at 700mhz. A software to determine propagation in wetland and dryland environment known as soup (software for outdoor propagation) was developed as an alternative method for determining path loss for wetland and dryland terrains. The need for a simple and cost-effective path loss determination fuelled this development. this methodology was tested using Lagos wetland and dryland terrains as case study for certain 4g lte networks within the south-west Nigerian environment where data were compiled using at least two criteria to determine the path loss. The data collected was transformed to parameters for the input for the software, after adequate mathematical manipulations, and it was discovered that the soup software produce the results expected with superior performance. The measurements for this study were collected in a typical rural, suburban and urban areas of Lagos State for the period investigated a minimum of 880 calls per month were initiated with a total of 10,560 calls per year for both wetland and dryland areas in the study, for rural dryland, the average path loss varied from 92.84db to 149.72 db. For suburban dryland, it varied from 95.8db to 152.57db, while for urban dryland the path loss reduced to 88.94db and varied through to 149.28db. Again, for rural wetland, the average path loss varied from 94.30db to 147.68db, for suburban wetland environment, the average path loss varied from 96.18db to 146.56db while for urban wetland environment, the average path loss varied from 90.74db to 144.74db revealing a drop of between 3% and 5%. in this study, the path loss exponent for rural dryland between June 2017 and may 2018 varied from 3.45db to 6.98 db. The suburban dryland path loss exponent from June 2017 to May 2018 varied from 5.17db to 7.12db. Again, the urban dryland path loss exponent for the same period varied from 6.37 db to 7.25 db. However, pathloss exponent for rural wetland for the same period varied from 5.05 db to 6.69 db. the path loss exponent for suburban wetland environment for the same period varied from 5.43 db to 7.06 db, while for urban wetland environment for the same period, the path loss exponent varied from 5.93 db to 7.38 db. results show that the standard deviation for rural dryland, rural wetland, suburban dryland, suburban wetland, urban dryland and urban wetland are 17.46 db, 19.66 db, 17.47 db, 17.61 db, 19.66 db and 18.18 db respectively. Also, the mape for the investigated areas are 4.80%, 6.75%, 5.76%, 4.59%, 10.70% and 4.87% respectively. The standard error of mean deviation for the various terrains are 3.90 db, 4.40 db, 3.91 db, 3.94 db, 4.40 db and 4.06 db respectively.