The week's pick
Random Articles
Reseach Article
Performance Evaluation of National Mobile Broadband Networks in a High-Mobility Suburban Environment
| International Journal of Computer Applications |
| Foundation of Computer Science (FCS), NY, USA |
| Volume 185 - Number 4 |
| Year of Publication: 2023 |
| Authors: J.N. Dike, A.G. Imoke |
10.5120/ijca2023922695
|
J.N. Dike, A.G. Imoke . Performance Evaluation of National Mobile Broadband Networks in a High-Mobility Suburban Environment. International Journal of Computer Applications. 185, 4 ( Apr 2023), 31-36. DOI=10.5120/ijca2023922695
Abstract
The fact that the liberalization of the Nigerian telecommunications sector and the deployment of broadband technologies have brought tremendous socio-economic growth opportunities cannot be over emphasized. It has been reported in 2020 that 78% and 45% coverage have been achieved for 3G and 4G services respectively. Though 4G coverage is available to 37% of the population, download speeds in the country have been noted to be generally uncompetitive with other countries in the same income bracket. Despite the huge investments, achievements and projections in mobile broadband infrastructure as well as the increased subscription, network performance evaluation reports are not readily available and accessible to subscribers and other stakeholders. Nigerian mobile subscribers still complain of poor network connections, even after paying so much for Internet services. This work therefore, presents a user-centric performance evaluation of National mobile broadband networks in a high-mobility suburban environment. Static test approach was adopted in measuring the mobile broadband performance obtainable from the four major mobile network operators (MNOs) in Choba, Rivers State, Nigeria. Measurements were carried out during the morning, afternoon and evening hours within the study coverage area for one week. Three quality of service (QoS) metrics, download speed, upload speed and latency of 3G and 4G networks were measured. The data obtained were aggregated and analyzed using Microsoft Excel. The results show that there is no dominant MNO for both 3G and 4G services in the coverage area in terms of the measured performance metrics. The findings provide the necessary insight to guide the mobile network operators towards achieving the benchmarks set by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Hence, the work presents additional information into the existing body of knowledge in the Nigerian telecommunication industry as well as references to assist subscribers, researchers and network operators to achieve better: success, quality of service, quality of experience, service penetration/acceptability and revenue in their activities/operations.
References
- Ogbe, A. D. and Dike, J. N. 2017. A Critical Review of Fiber-Optics Technology Development and Deployment in the Nigerian Telecommunications Industry. In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Electro-Technology for National Development. DOI: 10.1109/NIGERCON.2017.8281889.
- Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), 2020. 2020 Subscriber/Network Data Report. [Online]. Available: https://ncc.gov.ng/docman-main/industry-statistics/policies-reports/1021-2020-year-end-subscriber-network-data-report/file
- Presidential Committee on Broadband. 2020. Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020 – 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.ncc.gov.ng/documents/880-nigerian-national-broadband-plan-2020-2025/file
- Osuagwu, O. E., Okide, S., Edebatu, D., and Eze, U. “Low and Expensive Bandwidth Remains Key Bottleneck for Nigeria’s Internet Diffusion: A Proposal for a Solution Model”, West African Journal of Industrial and Academic Research, 2013.
- Agbaje, M. O., Bukola, O., Ahmed, J. and Mathias, M. “Brief Overview of Nigeria Telecommunication Network. Research and Reviews”, Journal of Engineering and Technology, 2022.
- Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). 2020. Industry Statistics. [Online]. Available: https://www.ncc.gov.ng/statistics-reports/industryoverview#view-graphs-tables-7
- Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), 2021. 2021 Subscriber/Network Data Annual Report. [Online]. Available: [Online]. Available: https://ncc.gov.ng/docman-main/industry-statistics/policies-reports/1075-2021-year-end-subscriber-network-data-report-1/file
- Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Media Team. 2022. Broadband Penetration hits 44.5% as NCC Reviews Short Code Services. [Online]. Available: https://www.ncc.gov.ng/media-centre/news-headlines/1248-broadband-penetration-hits-44-5-as-ncc-reviews-short-code-services
- Dziugas, B., Ahmed, E. and Amund, K. 2014. Measuring the Reliability of Mobile Broadband Networks. In Proceedings of the Internet Measurement Conference.
- Dahunsi, F. M. and Akinlabi, A. A. “Measuring Mobile Broadband Performance in Nigeria: 2G and 3G”, Nigerian Journal of Technology, 2019.
- Bauer, S. and Lehr, W. 2018. Measuring Mobile Broadband Performance. In Proceedings of the 29th European Regional Conference of the International Telecommunications Society (ITS): "Towards a Digital Future: Turning Technology into Markets?".
- Miyim, A. M. and Wakili, A. 2019. Performance Evaluation of LTE Networks. In Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Electronics Computer and Computation.
- Ekeocha A., Elechi P. and Nosiri O. C. “Performance Analysis of KPIs of a 4G Network in a Selected Area of Port Harcourt”, Nigeria. International Journal of Communication, 2021.
- Akinlabi, A. A. and Dahunsi, F. M. “Mobile Broadband Quality of Service Analysis using Host-based Performance Measurements”, African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, 2021.
- Anabi, H. K., Uyi, A. S., Matthew, S., Okoyeigbo, O., Aligbe, A. and Atayero, A. A. “The Quality of Service of the Deployed LTE Technology by Mobile Network Operators in Abuja, Nigeria”, International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2021.
- Umoh, V. B., Ukommi, U. S. and Ekpe, U. M. “A Comparative Study of User Experienced Mobile Broadband Performance”, Nigerian Journal of Technology, 2022.
- Jembre, Y.Z., Jung, W.-y., Attique, M., Paul, R. and Kim, B. “Mobile Broadband Performance Evaluation: Analysis of National Reports”, Electronics, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11030485
- Bauer, S., Clark, D. D. and Lehr, W. 2010. Understanding Broadband Speed Measurements. In Proceedings of the 38th Research Conference on Communication, Information and Internet Policy.
- Dike, J. N. and Ani, C. I. “Design and Analysis of Voice and Critical Data Priority Queue (VCDPQ) Scheduler for Constrained-Bandwidth VoIP Networks”, American Journal of Engineering Research, 2018.
- Dike, J. N. and Ani, C. I. “Design and Simulation of Voice and Critical Data Priority Queue (VCDPQ) Scheduler for Constrained-Bandwidth VoIP Networks”, International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research, 2018.
- Dike, J. and Ani, C. “Validation of Critical Data and Voice Hybrid Scheduler (CDVHS) for Cyber-Physical Computer Systems (CPCS) in Constrained-Bandwidth VoIP Networks”, International Journal of Mechatronics, Electrical and Computer Technology, 2020.
- Dike, J. N. and Ani, C. I. “Performance Evaluation of an Optimized Hybrid Packet Scheduler for Bandwidth-Constrained Voice over Internet Protocol Networks”, Uniport Journal of Engineering and Scientific Research, 2020.
- Dike, J. N. and Ani, C. I. “Comparative Performance Evaluation of Voice Coding Schemes in Bandwidth-Constrained VoIP Networks”, International Journal of Mechatronics, Electrical and Computer Technology (IJMEC), 2021.
Index Terms
Keywords