Measuring coverage quality for femtocell and macrocell broadband data services

Abstract

This paper presents the results of field trials conducted to measure and compare indoor airlink data rates from femtocells to indoor coverage from macrocells and concludes that operators can expect to see significant (3–5x) improvement in average airlink data throughput relative to the existing macrocell network. Tests were conducted in a number of single family and multi-unit residences. The paper concentrates on UMTS/HSDPA measurements and presents the methodology used in tests and offers summary results. It shows that the case for using femtocells for broadband data services is stronger than for voice based services.