Muftahu Suleiman
Department of Physics, Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State 821001, Nigeria.
Department of Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Katsina State Institute of Technology and Management, Katsina, Katsina State 821101, Nigeria.
Akinsanmi Akinbolati
Department of Physics, Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State 821001, Nigeria.
Ibrahim Bashir
Department of Physics, Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State 821001, Nigeria.
Nehemiah Akamba
Department of Physics, Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State 821001, Nigeria.
This study evaluates the accuracy of empirical path loss models and examines the influence of atmospheric parameters on 2G and 3G GSM channels for MTN and 9-Mobile networks in Zaria City, Nigeria. The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) values of four models COST-231, ECC-33, Plane Earth, and Ericsson were analyzed to determine model effectiveness in predicting path loss. Findings reveal that the Ericsson model is most accurate for 2G networks, making it ideal for network planning and optimization, while the COST-231 model performs best for 3G networks, underscoring the importance of selecting models suited to the specific network generation. In addition, the study investigates correlations between path loss and environmental factors, including Line of Sight (LOS), Received Signal Strength (RSS), temperature, humidity, elevation, and pressure. Results indicate a strong negative correlation between path loss and both RSS and pressure, and a strong positive correlation between path loss and both LOS and temperature, while humidity and elevation show moderate and weaker correlations with path loss, respectively. These findings emphasize the significant role of environmental parameters in signal propagation and highlight their critical importance in accurate path loss prediction and effective network planning in urban areas like Zaria City. This study provides a comprehensive reference for future network optimization efforts, offering insights into model selection and environmental considerations essential for enhancing GSM network performance in similar urban environments.
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Copyright © 2024 Muftahu Suleiman
This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.
