EFFECT OF THICK VEGETATION COVER, BUILDING OBSTRUCTIONS, AND EARTH TERRAIN ON THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE GSM SIGNAL AT THE FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC ADO-EKITI

Abstract

Wireless communication system performance is fundamentally constrained by the mobile radio channels such as the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM). The transmission path between the base transceiver station and the mobile station can range from line-of-sight to substantially obstructed environmental situations such as buildings, earth undulation valleys, and thick vegetation being the primary cause of poor network performance in and around the school perimeter. Mobile radio channels are incredibly unpredictable and do not provide simple analysis, in contrast to stationary and reliable wired channels. This research work, therefore, investigates the effect of thick vegetation cover, building obstructions, and earth terrain on the quality and performance of the GSM signal at the Federal Polytechnic Ado-Ekiti environs. A model for path loss (attenuation) is developed according to the Longley-Rice propagation model that forecasts the long-term median transmission loss over uneven terrain in comparison to the free-space transmission loss. The model was created for frequencies in the 20 MHz to 40 GHz range and path lengths in the 1 to 2,000 km range. The analysis of the results obtained shows that the path loss (attenuation) produced due to the effect of vegetation, building obstructions, and the earth undulation structures are quite significant. The solution of cell creation as a primary way of improving the quality of the GSM signal reception in the school perimeter without necessarily destroying the natural environment or demolishing any existing building is proposed.