Glossary  >  Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)

Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ)

Noun

Definition of Reference Signal Received Quality: Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) is a metric, measured in decibels, that's used to indicate the quality of the reference signal received from your carrier’s nearest cell tower (base station).

The reference signal is a type of signal sent out by a cell tower to help your phone maintain a strong connection. RSRQ essentially measures how much interference there is in the reference signal.

RSRQ values range from 0 dB (no interference), indicating a high-quality signal, to -20 dB (high interference), indicating a poor-quality signal.

RSRQ Figure Cellular Signal Quality
>-9 dB Amazing quality
-9 to -12 dB Good quality
<-12 dB Fair to poor quality

From the table, we can deduce that the closer you are to 0 dB, the better the signal quality. A poor RSRQ rating is also a good indicator that you may need to invest in a cell phone signal booster.

A signal booster will help amplify the reference signal, improving your RSRQ value and signal quality.

Improve Your Cell Phone Signal Strength and Quality

Expert Tip: Mobile phone users on Android can measure signal quality through apps like Network Cell Info and LTE Discovery. iPhone users can find their RSRQ measurements through Field Test Mode.

Example of Reference Signal Received Quality in a sentence

"Reference signal received quality is one of the key metrics that help determine the performance of a signal."

Related Terms for Reference Signal Received Quality