Special events module for self-organizing networks

• US 10,499,259 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2014
• Issued: 12/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Tapia, Pablo, Algundgi, Amarnath Vishvanath
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor, Nicholas R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Li, Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/278,271
• Publication Number:
  US 20140247750A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,028 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/20 Network management software packages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Described herein are one or more self-organizing network (SON) tools configured to receive indicia that an event affecting usage of telecommunication service will occur at a specific location and at a specific time. Based at least in part on information about the event, the one or more SON tools determine one or more configuration changes to apply to telecommunication infrastructure. The one or more SON tools then apply the one or more configuration changes to the telecommunication infrastructure at the specific location and at the specific time.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by one or more self-organizing network (SON) tools executing via a SON automation engine on one or more computing devices remote from cell site infrastructure of a telecommunication network, indicia from one or more web feeds or from a web crawler about a real-world event scheduled in the future, the indicia including information about the real-world event indicating that the real-world event will occur at a specific location and a specific time;

determining, by the one or more SON tools, an expected number of attendees of the real-world event based on at least one of expected attendance information included in the indicia or historical information about similar real-world events held in the past at the specific location;

determining, by the one or more SON tools, an expected impact of the real-world event on usage of the cell site infrastructure due to an expected presence of the expected number of attendees at the specific location at the specific time;

determining, by the one or more SON tools, one or more configuration changes for the cell site infrastructure that will adjust capacity of the cell site infrastructure for connections to user devices at the specific location and the specific time based on the expected number of attendees;

applying, by the one or more SON tools via an application programming interface (API) exposed to the one or more SON tools by the SON automation engine, the one or more configuration changes to the cell site infrastructure at the specific location and at the specific time; and

sending, by the one or more SON tools via the API to an application server of the telecommunication network that is separate and distinct from the cell site infrastructure and is separate and distinct from the one or more computing devices, a notification of the one or more configuration changes to the cell site infrastructure, to enable the application server to manage the behavior of the user devices within a wireless connection range of the cell site infrastructure by providing policy updates to the user devices that change how the user devices connect to the cell site infrastructure based on the one or more configuration changes to the cell site infrastructure,

wherein the one or more configuration changes to the cell site infrastructure include at least one of shutting down a cell site, turning on a cell site, adjusting power, adjusting a load balance threshold, adjusting a maximum bit rate, adjusting a tilt of an antenna at a cell site, or reconfiguring handovers between connection types supported by a cell site.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving historical usage patterns associated with the specific location.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the one or more configuration changes comprises applying one or more thresholds or models to the information about the real-world event and selecting the one or more configuration changes based on associations of those one or more configuration changes with the one or more thresholds or models.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the one or more configuration changes comprises selecting a configuration change template from a plurality of configuration change templates based on a type of the real-world event and/or the information associated with the real-world event.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the one or more configuration changes includes adjusting the tilt of the antenna of the cell site, and wherein the tilt is adjusted to a first tilt when the information about the real-world event meets a first threshold of the one or more thresholds or models and is adjusted to a second tilt when the information about the real-world event meets a second threshold of the one or more thresholds or models.

5. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon a plurality of computer-executable instructions configured to cause one or more self-organizing network (SON) tools executing via a SON automation engine on one or more computing devices remote from cell site infrastructure of a telecommunication network to perform operations comprising:

receiving indicia from one or more web feeds or from a web crawler about a real-world event scheduled in the future, the indicia including information about the real-world event indicating that the real-world event will occur at a specific location and a specific time;

determining an expected number of attendees of the real-world event based on at least one of expected attendance information included in the indicia or historical information about similar real-world events held in the past at the specific location;

determining an expected impact of the real-world event on usage of the cell site infrastructure due to an expected presence of the expected number of attendees at the specific location at the specific time;

determining one or more configuration changes for the cell site infrastructure that will adjust capacity of the cell site infrastructure for connections to user devices at the specific location and the specific time based on the expected number of attendees;

applying, via an application programming interface (API) exposed to the one or more SON tools by the SON automation engine, the one or more configuration changes to the cell site infrastructure at the specific location and at the specific time; and

sending, via the API to an application server of the telecommunication network that is separate and distinct from the cell site infrastructure and is separate and distinct from the one or more computing devices, a notification of the one or more configuration changes to the cell site infrastructure to enable the application server to manage the behavior of the user devices within a wireless connection range of the cell site infrastructure by providing policy updates to the user devices that change how the user devices connect to the cell site infrastructure based on the one or more configuration changes to the cell site infrastructure,

wherein the one or more configuration changes to the cell site infrastructure include at least one of shutting down a cell site, turning on a cell site, adjusting power, adjusting a load balance threshold, adjusting a maximum bit rate, adjusting a tilt of an antenna at a cell site, or reconfiguring handovers between connection types supported by a cell site.

6. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise receiving historical usage patterns associated with the specific location.

7. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein determining the one or more configuration changes comprises applying one or more thresholds or models to the information about the real-world event and selecting the one or more configuration changes based on associations of those one or more configuration changes with the one or more thresholds or models.

8. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein determining the one or more configuration changes comprises selecting a configuration change template from a plurality of configuration change templates based on a type of the real-world event and/or the information about the real-world event.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein the one or more configuration changes includes adjusting the tilt of the antenna of the cell site, and wherein the tilt is adjusted to a first tilt when the information about the real-world event meets a first threshold of the one or more thresholds or models and is adjusted to a second tilt when the information about the real-world event meets a second threshold of the one or more thresholds or models.

9. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a self organizing network (SON) automation engine configured to be operated by the one or more processors remotely from cell site infrastructure of a telecommunication network to execute one or more SON tools to perform operations including;

receiving indicia from one or more web feeds or from a web crawler about a real-world event scheduled in the future, the indicia including information about the real-world event indicating that the real-world event will occur at a specific location and a specific time;

determining an expected number of attendees of the real-world event based on at least one of expected attendance information included in the indicia or historical information about similar real-world events held in the past at the specific location;

determining an expected impact of the real-world event on the cell site infrastructure due to an expected presence of the expected number of attendees at the specific location at the specific time;

determining one or more configuration changes for the cell site infrastructure that will adjust capacity of the cell site infrastructure for connections to user devices at the specific location and the specific time based on the expected number of attendees;

applying, via an application programming interface (API) exposed to the one or more SON tools by the SON automation engine, the one or more configuration changes to the cell site infrastructure at the specific location and at the specific time; and

sending, to an application server that is separate and distinct from the cell site infrastructure and is separate and distinct from the system, a notification of the configuration changes to the cell site infrastructure to enable the application server to manage the behavior of the user devices within a wireless connection range of the cell site infrastructure by providing policy updates to the user devices that change how the user devices connect to the cell site infrastructure based on the one or more configuration changes to the cell site infrastructure,

wherein the one or more configuration changes to the cell site infrastructure include at least one of shutting down a cell site, turning on a cell site, adjusting power, adjusting a load balance threshold, adjusting a maximum bit rate, adjusting a tilt of an antenna at a cell site, or reconfiguring handovers between connection types supported by a cell site.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise receiving historical usage patterns associated with the specific location.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein determining the one or more configuration changes comprises applying one or more thresholds or models to the information about the real-world event and selecting the one or more configuration changes based on associations of those one or more configuration changes with the one or more thresholds or models.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein determining the one or more configuration changes comprises selecting a configuration change template from a plurality of configuration change templates based on a type of the real-world event and/or the information about the real-world event.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more configuration changes includes adjusting the tilt of the antenna of the cell site, wherein the tilt is adjusted to a first tilt when the information about the real-world event meets a first threshold of the one or more thresholds or models and is adjusted to a second tilt when the information about the real-world event meets a second threshold of the one or more thresholds or models.