RSRP

RSRP, or Reference Signal Received Power, is a metric used in cellular communications to quantify the strength of the downlink signal from a single cell as measured by the user equipment (UE). It is defined as the average power of the reference signals transmitted by that cell across the downlink bandwidth, measured at the UE and expressed in dBm. RSRP focuses on the power of the reference signals used for channel estimation and excludes most interference and noise, making it a more direct indicator of usable signal strength than broad measures such as RSSI.

In LTE and similar networks, RSRP is used by the UE for cell selection and reselection, handover decisions, and mobility management. The network relies on RSRP, often alongside RSRQ (signal quality) and RSSI, to assess link performance and to optimize coverage and capacity. UEs periodically report RSRP measurements to the network to assist these decisions.

Typical values of RSRP vary with network and environment. In general, values around -80 to -60 dBm indicate strong signal conditions, while -90 to -100 dBm can be adequate but weak, and below about -110 dBm tends toward poor coverage. Higher (less negative) values denote stronger signals. RSRP is influenced by path loss, shadowing, and interference, and it is not a direct predictor of data rate; throughput also depends on bandwidth, modulation, coding, and SINR.

In 5G New Radio, a similar concept exists, with RSRP representing the downlink signal strength measured on reference signals, typically CSI-RS, to support cell selection and handover alongside other metrics.