Verification of radio coverage and qos of public radio networks on national sections of motorways

The main purpose of the Project is to verify the radio coverage and quality of service of the public mobile radio networks on the motorway sections managed by Autostrade per l’Italia S.p.A. throughout the country (3,000 linear kilometres in total).

Collecting data on radio coverage and on the QoS of mobile networks provides Autostrade with a snapshot of the current situation of motorway coverage by comparing the performance of different Italian mobile radio operators. The purpose of this activity is to monitor telephony and data services, and to apply corrective measures where particular critical issues are found (portions not covered, insufficient cell capacity size).

The Project envisages collecting data on radio coverage and on the QoS of public mobile radio networks on motorway sections managed by ASPI Spa throughout the country (3,000 linear kilometres in total). The methods of data collection and aggregation are based on industry standards and they are the same as those used in the campaigns carried out by AGCOM. The Project consists of three phases: Phase 1 consists of a test campaign on a single section of the A12 motorway (Genoa-Sestri Levante, approximately 50 km). Phase 2 envisages the implementation of a campaign on all motorway sections in Liguria, in order to measure the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the data service, of the voice service, of the physical level and of the radio channel coverage. Phase 3 concerns the implementation of the measurement campaign for collecting data on KPIs of the data service, of the voice service, of the physical level and of the radio channel relating to mobile radio coverage on all national ASPI Spa routes.
Collecting data on the quality of service for data connections involves carrying out measurements along motorway sections, including tunnels, by testing upload and download data rates, browsing a specific web page, ping and video streaming.
The activity of collecting data on the quality of voice service involves carrying out Call to Any Number type tests, in which the maximum access time of the call, the duration of the individual call and the waiting time between one call and the next one were appropriately set. The parameters for assessing the quality of voice service on mobile networks are the Call Blocked Rate, the Call Drop Rate and the Call Completion Success Rate.
With regard to the coverage verification activity, radio coverage measurements will be carried out in order to identify the levels of radio signal strength available on the sections of motorway. The purpose of measuring coverage is to identify any field values below the minimum reception threshold.
Measurements are carried out with a mobile vehicle equipped with specialised tools.