Validation of Mobility Simulations via Measurement Drive Tests in an Operational Network

Simulations play a key role in validating new concepts in cellular networks, since most of the features proposed and introduced into the standards are typically first studied by means of simulations. In order to increase the trustworthiness of the simulation results, proper models and settings must be provided as inputs to the simulators. It is therefore crucial to perform a thorough validation process of the models used for generating results. The objective of this paper is to compare real and simulated mobility performance results with the purpose of understanding whether simulation models are close to reality. The presented study is based on drive tests measurements and explicit simulations of an operator network in the city of Aalborg (Denmark) – modelling a real 3D environment and using a commonly accepted dynamic system level simulation methodology. In short, the presented results show that simulated handover rate, location of handovers, radio link failures, and signal/interference level statistics match well with measurements, giving confidence that the simulations produce realistic performance results.