Digital Forensics Consultancy Ltd​

Cell Site Analysis

Cell Site Radio Survey Measurements

​Phone: 03301330203

The Digital Forensics Consultancy Ltd are equipped and experienced at performing Cell Site coverage measurements. Contact us now to find out how this will benefit your case. 

Overview of Cell Site Analysis Surveys

By carefully examining the call record information provided by the network operators, an experienced Cell Site (Cellsite) Analysis expert witness can identify general movement patterns for a mobile telephone.


After establishing general cell site movement patterns, it may be necessary to investigate more detailed location information at specific times (e.g. when an incident occurred). In order to do this it may be necessary to make radio survey measurements in the areas in which significant cells are located. 


These measurements may involve 2G (GSM), 3G (UMTS), 4G (LTE), 5G (NR) or Wi-Fi radio access technologies.  


Cell Site radio measurements can be performed to investigate:


  • whether a specific cell site is operational or not
  • whether a specific cell site could be used from the scene of an incident
  • whether a specific cell site could have been used from an alternative location
  • the total extent of the area in which a specific cell site could have been used for calls or messages
  • which cell sites could be used from a particular location
  • which cell sites could be used along a particular route.

Important Radio Survey Considerations 

In order for Cell Site Analysis radio survey measurements to accurately reflect the conditions experienced by a typical mobile telephone (i.e. to be comparable), a number of important factors need to be considered. 


By way of example, because the radio signals received by a mobile phone are constantly changing (signal strengths naturally increase and decrease over time) the means of transport a suspect used at the time can have a significant impact on the cells their mobile phone used (e.g. was the user in a car, on foot, on a bus, on a train or stationary). If factors such as this are not taken into consideration, any radio survey measurements made may not accurately reflect those experienced by a user, and the results may be misleading. 


Reporting of Radio Survey Results

Once sufficient radio measurement data has been collected for Cell Site Analysis investigations to be performed, the data needs to be carefully processed, significant information extracted, and the survey results presented in such a way that it can be easily understood. As a thorough radio survey may result in hundreds of thousands of measurements being recorded, accurately post-processing this volume of data requires specialist expertise.


With experience in performing radio surveys for forensic purposes since Cell Site Analysis was first used in evidence, and having researched and developed techniques to perform and report on such surveys as efficiently and clearly as possible, experts at the Digital Forensics Consultancy can advise on whether Cell Site Analysis Radio Surveys are appropriate for your case or investigation.