Element outage monitoring in a wireless telecommunication system

• US 20040203428A1
• Filed: 08/30/2002
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vance, Charles Terry
• Granted Patent: US 7,151,928 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

A method that provides improved element outage monitoring in a wireless telecommunication system comprises obtaining data indicating a state of the element in the wireless telecommunication system and outputting a status to a display if the state comprises a first condition. The first condition may comprise at least one sector of a base transceiver station (BTS) being non-operational. In addition, the display may be located in a Network Operation Center (NOC) or a Customer Service Center (CSC) placed on a wall in plain view of a network operator or a customer service representative.

Claims

1. An improved method for providing element outage monitoring in a wireless telecommunication system, comprising:

obtaining data indicating a state of the element in the wireless telecommunication system; and

outputting a status to a display if the state comprises a first condition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the element comprises a base transceiver station (BTS) in the wireless telecommunication system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first condition comprises at least one sector of the BTS being non-operational.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the status indicates which sectors of the BTS are non-operational.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein if the state comprises all sectors of the BTS being non-operational, the status indicates that the BTS in non-operational.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the display comprises at least one of a panel display unit (PDU), a variable message display unit (VMDU), a message display unit (MDU), and a micro message display unit (MMDU).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the display is located in at least one of a Network Operation Center (NOC) and a Customer Service Center (CSC).

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the display is placed on a wall in plain view of at least one of a network operator and a customer service representative.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the data further comprises:

querying a first database for first data; and

cross-referencing the first data with a second database to obtain second data,

wherein the data indicating the state of the element in the wireless telecommunication system comprises the first data and the second data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein querying the first database further comprises polling the first database.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising updating the first database with the first data.

12. An improved system for providing element outage monitoring in a wireless telecommunication system, comprising:

a component for obtaining data indicating a state of the element in the wireless telecommunication system; and

a display connected to the component for obtaining data, the display configured for outputting a status if the state comprises a first condition.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the element comprises a base transceiver station (BTS) in the wireless telecommunication system.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first condition comprises at least one sector of the BTS being non-operational.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the status indicates which sectors of the BTS are non-operational.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein if the state comprises all sectors of the BTS being non-operational, the status indicates that the BTS in non-operational.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the display comprises at least one of a panel display unit (PDU), a variable message display unit,(VMDU), a message display unit (MDU), and a micro message display unit (MMDU).

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the display is located in at least one of a Network Operation Center (NOC) and a Customer Service Center (CSC).

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the display is placed on a wall in plain view of at least one of a network operator and a customer service representative.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the component for obtaining the data comprises a server configured for:

querying a first database for first data, and cross-referencing the first data with a second database to obtain second data,

wherein the data indicating the state of the element in the wireless telecommunication system comprises the first data and the second data.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the component for obtaining the data is further configured for polling the first database.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising a component for updating the first database with the first data.

23. A computer-readable medium on which is stored a set of instructions for providing improved element outage monitoring in a wireless telecommunication system, which when executed perform stages comprising:

obtaining data indicating a state of the element in the wireless telecommunication system; and

outputting a status to a display if the state comprises a first condition.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the element comprises a base transceiver station (BTS) in the wireless telecommunication system.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the first condition comprises at least one sector of the BTS being non-operational.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the status indicates which sectors of the BTS are non-operational.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein if the state comprises all sectors of the BTS being non-operational, the status indicates that the BTS in non-operational.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the display comprises at least one of a panel display unit (PDU), a variable message display unit (VMDU), a message display unit (MDU), and a micro message display unit (MMDU).

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the display is located in at least one of a Network Operation Center (NOC) and a Customer Service Center (CSC).

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the display is placed on a wall in plain view of at least one of a network operator and a customer service representative.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein obtaining the data further comprises:

querying a first database for first data; and

cross-referencing the first data with a second database to obtain second data,

wherein the data indicating the state of the element in the wireless telecommunication system comprises the first data and the second data.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein querying the first database further comprises polling the first database.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 31, further comprising updating the first database with the first.