Glossary  >  Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP)

Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP)

Noun

Definition of Reference Signal Received Power: When connected to your carrier's cell tower, your phone will send and receive signals to communicate with the tower. Part of this exchange is a reference signal broadcast by the tower that your phone will use to establish the quality of the connection.

Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) is a performance metric that indicates the power of the reference signal your phone receives from the cell tower. This is why RSRP is also called the average received power of a single reference signal.

RSRP is measured in decibel-milliwatts (dBm), with values ranging from -140 to -44 dBm. Higher values indicate a stronger signal. Conversely, lower values (less than -90 dBm) are associated with dropped calls, slow internet speeds, and other connectivity issues.

If you find yourself experiencing poor signal strength, a cell phone signal booster can help amplify the reference signal, improving your RSRP value and, consequently, your phone’s connectivity.

Note: While RSRP measures the power of the reference signal, it does not provide information about the quality of the signal. For that, you would need to refer to the Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ).

Example of Reference Signal Received Power in a sentence

"Reference signal received power only shows a signal's power but does not indicate the signal quality."

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