Link budget calculation for 5G NR

Link Budget: Calculating MAPL

A link budget calculates the Maximum Allowable Path Loss (MAPL) — the maximum signal attenuation between transmitter and receiver for acceptable service. Both downlink (gNB → UE) and uplink (UE → gNB) budgets must be computed. The DL budget starts with gNB EIRP (Tx power + antenna gain − cable loss), then subtracts margins: shadow fade (8 dB for 95% area probability), building penetration (20 dB for urban concrete at 3.5 GHz), interference margin (3 dB), and body loss (3 dB). For a 64T64R macro on n78, DL MAPL reaches approximately 145 dB.