Evaluation of 4G LTE Network Performance in Abuja Municipal Area Council

The fourth generation long-term evolution network standard forms the backbone of mobile broadband services in Nigeria's urban centers and is the primary platform for data-intensive applications including video streaming, mobile banking, and social media. This study evaluates 4G LTE network performance within the Abuja Municipal Area Council, Federal Capital Territory, examining key performance indicators including download speed, upload speed, signal strength, latency, and network availability. Drive tests were conducted along twelve major road corridors in Abuja over a six-week period using professional network testing equipment and mobile devices connected to MTN and Airtel 4G networks, which hold the highest subscriber share in the FCT. A total of 4,800 measurement samples were collected and analyzed. Mean download speeds recorded were 18.7 Mbps for MTN and 14.2 Mbps for Airtel, representing adequate but inconsistent performance across different zones. The highest performance was recorded in the Central Business District and Wuse zones, while Kubwa, Dutse, and Gwagwa satellite towns consistently recorded weaker 4G signal availability. Handover failures between LTE and 3G networks were frequent in transitional suburban zones. The study recommends LTE coverage expansion toward the municipal council's satellite towns, increase of eNodeB density in high-traffic corridors, and adoption of heterogeneous network architectures to improve suburban coverage continuity. Keywords: 4G LTE, network performance, Abuja, drive test, mobile broadband.