Connecting the Unconnected: A DT Case Study of Nomadic Nodes Deployment in Nepal

TL;DR

This work investigates the deployment of LTE Nomadic Nodes (NNs) at scale in order to enhance network capacity and coverage at scale and demonstrates that NNs significantly improve signal strength and expected user datarates, presenting a viable solution for enhancings urban cellular connectivity.

Abstract

This paper addresses the challenge of robust cellular connectivity in dense, underdeveloped urban environments, specifically focusing on Kathmandu, Nepal. As cities grow, existing cellular infrastructure struggles to meet the demand for reliable, high-throughput, and low-latency communication services. The lack of investment in new technologies and the intricacies of the cities' landscape pose even more difficulties for robust connectivity. This work addresses the above challenges in a cost-effective and flexible way. We investigate the deployment of LTE Nomadic Nodes (NNs) at scale in order to enhance network capacity and coverage. Utilising a Digital Twin (DT), we simulate and optimise NN placement, considering Kathmandu's physical and environmental characteristics. Our approach leverages the DRIVE DT framework, which enables the systemic evaluation of various network configurations and user mobility scenarios. The results demonstrate that NNs significantly improve signal strength and expected user datarates, presenting a viable solution for enhancing urban cellular connectivity.

Figures (10)

• Figure 1: An example of a cropped area from CellMapper and existing BSs.
• Figure 2: Example of the polygon union operation for a given city block and the calculated geometric in-centre.
• Figure 3: Examples of the user distribution for all building types throughout a day.
• Figure 4: An example of "road" users density throughout the day. The colourbar shows the user density per $4\times4m^2$ areas.
• Figure 5: A photo of the hardware setup of the NN.