Analysis and optimization of 4G / LTE network pathloss using Particles Swarm Optimization algorithm

Abstract

This paper aims to optimize the pathloss in 4G/LTE networks obtained by empirical Radio Frequency (RF) propagation models to enhance user access quality. The radio wave propagation models are mainly used to predict the pathloss which are necessary for planning and optimizing wireless communication systems. In this paper, we propose a parametric optimization for loss estimation in a 4G/LTE network leveraging the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm to enhance the performances of this type of networks and decrease their complexity. For this sake, comparison and performance analysis were conducted using different environments such as urban, sub-urban and rural areas. First, we provide an analysis of radio propagation models, namely: Okumura-Hata, Stanford University Interim (SUI) and Ericsson 9999 models that would be used for outdoor propagation in LTE. Then, we optimize these empirical models using the PSO algorithm to make them more appropriate to the desired coverage area. This is achieved by minimizing the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) between the optimized predicted data and the measured data in the field. Specifically, the measurements are taken in an urban region, as a case study, the city of Tebessa located in Algeria was selected. The proposed PSO pathloss optimization method showed better prediction performance with lower RMSE values than the analytical method based on empirical pathloss models.