Ultra long range LTE ocean coverage solution

Conventional LTE coverage is limited by the radio propagation loss between eNode-B and User Equipment (UE) in space. It is also limited by the allowable round trip delay time specified by preamble formats. The limitation in space domain and time domain results LTE coverage up to 100 km. This paper proposes a cost-efficient solution for LTE coverage expansion beyond 100 km by using a maximal combining with high gain antennas and timing advance for the random access response. The feasibility of this solution has been verified by actual ocean environment. This solution can be used for LTE coverage expansion in ocean area in a cost-efficient way.