What is the RSRP level of LTE?
Let me explain to you what RSRP level means in LTE, and why it’s important when you’re trying to understand the quality of a mobile signal. RSRP stands for Reference Signal Received Power, and it’s a key measurement used to assess the strength of the LTE signal that your device is receiving from the nearest cell tower.
Now, as you and I go through this, keep in mind that unlike general signal bars you see on your phone, RSRP gives you a more technical and accurate view of how strong the signal is. It measures the power of reference signals transmitted by the eNodeB (base station) over the LTE downlink. These reference signals are used by your phone for tasks like channel estimation and cell selection.
Let’s look at a typical range of RSRP values and what they indicate:
| RSRP (in dBm) | Signal Strength | What It Means for You |
|---|---|---|
| -80 dBm or higher | Excellent | You should experience fast and stable data performance. |
| -80 to -90 dBm | Good | Still reliable, good for calls and decent data rates. |
| -90 to -100 dBm | Fair | You might notice slower speeds, but things will still work. |
| -100 to -110 dBm | Poor | You could face dropped calls or weak data signals. |
| Below -110 dBm | Very Poor | Likely unusable. You’ll need to move closer to a tower. |
So when I talk about the RSRP level in LTE, I’m helping you understand how well your phone is connected to the LTE network. You can think of RSRP as the foundation of your signal – if it’s weak, no matter how good the network infrastructure is, your experience will be affected.
In some of our earlier articles, we discussed SINR and RSRQ. Those also play a role in understanding the quality of an LTE connection. But RSRP is focused purely on signal strength, which is why it’s often used in coverage planning and troubleshooting.
To sum it up simply: if your RSRP is close to -80 dBm, you’re in a great spot. If it’s closer to -110 dBm or worse, you’ll likely face issues. And as someone trying to improve or analyze LTE performance, keeping an eye on RSRP helps a lot in knowing whether the issue is coverage-related or something else like interference or congestion.