Comparative Analysis of Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) Network in Ikot Ekpene Local Government of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria Using GSM Network Analyzer

Abstract

As the erratic nature of the services of cellular networks become  increasingly  worrisome, the signal strengths  and qualities of four  available cellular networks operating  in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State Nigeria are compared to ascertain the network with a better signal strength. Measurement of signal strength (SS) and quality of signal (QoS) at particular time intervals were made for the four networks. The global system for mobile communication (GSM) analyzer is slotted with the subscriber identification module (SIM) card of each service provider of the telecommunication outfit.  Results show that the network with the highest values of signal strength has the best quality of service, the average mean signal strengths for the four networks obtained were -86.25dBm, -86.33dBm,-86.71dBm and -86.71dBm and -86.42dBm for MTN Nigeria, Airtel, Globacom and 9 Mobile respectively. Also, the average mean quality of signal for four networks obtained were  43.38%, 43.38%, 43.38%, and 43.25%, for MTN Nigeria, Airtel, Globacom  and 9 Mobile Respectively. The study shows that the type of network technology used does not influence the signal strength and quality. Network congestion is not influenced by signal strength but only influenced by number of users and bandwidth.