Comparative Analysis of Signal Latency on 4G Network in Karu Site Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Despite the advantages of 4G network the challenges of dynamic nature of wireless channels, interference from other users and devices, high latency, and ever-increasing demand for higher data rates and seamless connectivity are still common. This study carried out a comparative analysis of network latency on 4G network in Karu site Abuja, Nigeria. Using the speed test ooakla application the latency and jitter across the residential, commercial, and educational zones were recorded every 2 hours from 6am to 8pm for complete one month (April 2025) at each zones within Karu site FCT Abuja. The round-trip time (RTT) for data packets sent to and from a server was analyzed. Result shows significant variability of network latency across zones. The mean latency for the residential zone was 41.4ms, while that of commercial zone was 40.8ms and that of educational zone was 55.9ms. Standard deviation of 6.4 for residential and commercial zones and 7.5 for educational zone. This implies heightened network congestion due to high user density and under-optimized infrastructure at the educational and residential areas. Therefore, it is important for network engineers and service providers to focus on dynamic resource allocation in high-density user environments, infrastructural efficiency, bandwidth allocation and user dynamics to address congestion and temporal demand fluctuations for improving 4G network quality and user experience.