LRPF: an RF coverage reporting protocol for LTE systems

For the 3GPP Long Term Evolution standard, the 3GPP have proposed a minimization of drive tests (MDT) feature to centrally collect RF environment measurements from end UE terminals and associate them with location coordinates. This article presents a novel implementation of the MDT feature, the LTE RF Performance Reporting Protocol (LRFP). LRFP utilizes RF measurements based on radio resource control protocol signaling, and location intelligence and transport of information based on the LTE Positioning Protocol Annex (LPPa), in addition to intelligent transport and storage mechanisms. In this article, we first provide a detailed overview of the proposed LRPF protocol. We then present our system simulation methodology and evaluate the impact of LRFP on the key requirements for MDT protocols, such as UE terminal power consumption and network signaling overhead, both of which show positive outcomes.