Cell Tower Coverage Radius Calculator

Estimate cellular coverage radius using industry-standard propagation models.

Base Station Parameters

Typical: 43-46 dBm per sector

System Parameters

Edge-of-cell threshold
Shadow fading, building penetration, interference margin

Typical Coverage by Band

Band Urban Suburban Rural
700 MHz1-2 km3-5 km10-15 km
1900 MHz0.5-1 km1-3 km5-8 km
2600 MHz0.3-0.5 km0.5-1.5 km2-4 km
3500 MHz0.2-0.4 km0.3-0.8 km1-2 km

Approximate values depend on terrain and deployment parameters

Propagation Models

COST-231 Hata Model

L = 46.3 + 33.9*log(f) - 13.82*log(hb) - a(hm) + (44.9 - 6.55*log(hb))*log(d) + Cm

Extension of Okumura-Hata for frequencies up to 2 GHz. Valid for 1500-2000 MHz, base station heights 30-200m, mobile heights 1-10m, distances 1-20 km.

Key Parameters

  • MAPL: Maximum Allowable Path Loss determines range
  • Shadow margin: Typically 8-10 dB for 90% location probability
  • Building penetration: 10-25 dB depending on construction
  • Body loss: 3-5 dB for handheld devices