REGULATION OF SERVICE IN RESTRICTED TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICE AREA

• US 20110086614A1
• Filed: 10/09/2009
• Published: 04/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Morrison, Patrick, Brisebois, Arthur
• Granted Patent: US 8,224,233 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/16 for telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/18 for wireless local area networks or WLAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/42 characterized by the control of the jamming frequency or wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/86 related to preventing deceptive jamming or unauthorized interrogation or access, e.g. WLAN access or RFID reading record carriers with integrated circuit chips including means for preventing undesired reading or writing from or to record carriers by hindering electromagnetic reading or writing G06K19/07318; arrangements for sensing record carriers including arrangements for protecting the interrogation against piracy attacks G06K7/10257
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/245 taking into account received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/325 Power control of control or pilot channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

System(s) and method(s) are provided to regulate telecommunication service in a confined area in which telecommunication is restricted. Regulation includes control of wireless resources and access thereto, and monitoring wireless activity and locating sources thereof within the confined area. Regulation can be accomplished through networked femtocell access points and distributed antenna systems. Control of wireless resources is accomplished through selective jamming within the confined area; selective jamming can be updated based on performance metrics of telecommunication service. Configurable lists that authorize mobile device(s) to consume wireless service within the confined area control access to wireless resources. Access can be granted or denied statically or dynamically. Monitoring of wireless activity within the confined area includes tracking and recordation of signaling or traffic activity. The monitoring of signaling activity can enable location of a source of wireless activity, while monitoring of traffic can lead to identification of a user thereof.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a set of indoor-based access points (APs) that serve a restricted telecommunication service area, an access point in the set of indoor-based APs selectively blocks a wireless resource;

a set of transmission points distributed in the restricted telecommunication service area, a transmission point in the set of transmission points receives and delivers wireless signal(s), wherein nearest-neighboring transmission points in the set of transmission points radiate disparate pilot codes that control attachment signaling of a mobile device in the vicinity of the transmission point toward one or more APs in the set of indoor-based APs; and

an administration component that functionally couples the access point and the transmission point and controls traffic and signaling transported in the wireless signal(s).

2. The system of claim 1, to select the wireless resource, the access point scans wireless signal(s) transported in a set of electromagnetic radiation frequency bands in accordance with one or more radio technology protocols.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless resource is a control channel delivered by a base station that serves a region external to the restricted telecommunication service area.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the access point schedules one or more frequency carriers that spectrally overlap the control channel, and transmits the one or more frequency carriers at power level(s) that block reception of the control channel by a mobile device within the restricted telecommunication service area.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the access point controls access to service based at least in part on an access control list (ACL) that comprises a field attribute that identifies a mobile device allowed to receive service in the restricted telecommunication service area, the ACL further comprises a set of attributes that regulate features of the service.

6. The system of claim 1, to control traffic and signaling transported in the wireless signal(s), the administration component includes a control component that monitors at least part of a least one of the traffic or the signaling transported in the wireless signal(s).

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the control component aggregates monitored traffic and signaling, aggregation includes at least one of generation of statistics of attachment signaling including rejection thereof;

extraction of patterns of attachment signaling or traffic;

or compilation of traffic and signaling associated with at least one of a specific period, or destination of call session(s) or duration thereof.

8. The system of claim 1, the administration component includes a control component comprising:

a component that generates an access control list (ACL) at substantially a time an indoor-based access point in the set of indoor-based APs is provisioned; and

an ACL management component that updates the ACL based at least in part on at least one of control criteria or interactive request(s).

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the administration component requests identification credential(s) of a subscriber linked to an unauthorized mobile device within the restricted telecommunication area, and provisions the mobile device if monitoring consent is received.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the control component locates a mobile device that generates at least a portion of at least one of the traffic or the signaling transported in the wireless signal(s).

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the indoor-based access point locates a mobile device that generates at least a portion of the wireless signal(s).

12. The system of claim 6, wherein the control component initiates a protocol that enables selection of the wireless resource, the protocol comprising a scan of wireless signal transported in a set of electromagnetic radiation frequency bands in accordance with one or more radio technology protocols.

13. A method, comprising:

employing one or more processors to execute code instructions retained in a memory, the code instructions when executed by the processor perform the following acts;

blocking a first set of wireless resources within a confined area;

allowing access to a second set of wireless resources to provide telecommunication service, the second set of wireless resources excludes the first set of wireless resources;

based at least in part on control criteria, monitoring at least one of signaling or traffic associated with the telecommunication service provided through the second set of wireless resources; and

based at least in part on the control criteria, locating a mobile device that generates at least a portion of at least one of the signaling or the traffic associated with the telecommunication service.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein allowing access to a second set of wireless resources to provide telecommunication service includes supplying an access control list (ACL) that administers access to the telecommunication service, wherein the ACL includes a set of attributes that regulate access to telecommunication service and features thereof, at least one of the attributes identifies a mobile device authorized to receive telecommunication service.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein supplying the access control list includes:

generating the ACL;

provisioning a set of criteria to manipulate the ACL; and

updating the ACL in accordance with the provisioned set of criteria.

16. The method of claim 13, allowing access to a second set of wireless resources to provide telecommunication service further comprising:

receiving a notification of unauthorized attachment signaling;

requesting credential(s) of a subscriber linked to a mobile device that effects the unauthorized attachment signaling;

receiving at least part of the requested credential(s); and

provisioning the mobile device if the received requested credential(s) convey consent to monitor wireless activity generated by mobile device.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein allowing access to a second set of wireless resources to provide telecommunication service further includes:

receiving attachment signaling;

validating a mobile device that generates the attachment signaling against an ACL;

if validation fails, rejecting the attachment signaling and notifying unauthorized attachment signaling; and

if validation succeeds, accepting the attachment signaling and enabling access to telecommunication service for the mobile device according to attributes of the ACL.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein blocking a first set of wireless resources within a confined area includes:

scanning wireless signal(s) in the confined area;

identifying within the scanned wireless signal(s) one or more control channels conveyed by a source of wireless signal(s) external to the confined area;

scheduling a set of frequency carriers that spectrally overlap the one or more identified control channels; and

transmitting the set of scheduled frequency carriers.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein monitoring at least one of signaling or traffic associated with the telecommunication service includes:

receiving an indication of unauthorized attachment signaling;

recording the indication of unauthorized attachment signaling;

based on recorded indication of unauthorized attachment signaling, extracting a pattern of unauthorized attachment signaling within a specific period; and

generating a report of unauthorized attachment signaling in the specific period for a mobile device identified in the unauthorized attachment signaling.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein monitoring at least one of signaling or traffic associated with the telecommunication service includes:

delivering a directive to include an attribute that identifies a mobile device in a list that regulates access to telecommunication service;

receiving data on call session(s) established by the mobile device identified in the list; and

based on the received data, generating intelligence on the call session(s) to track, at least in part, an originator of the call session(s) or related associate(s).

21. The method of claim 13, wherein locating a mobile device that generates at least a portion of the traffic associated with the telecommunication service includes:

identifying unauthorized attachment signaling;

modulating transmit power of a set of distributed antennas linked to an indoor-based access point that provides telecommunication service in the confined area;

monitoring reiteration of the unauthorized attachment signaling due to the modulation of transmit power;

identifying an antenna in the set of distributed antennas associated with the reiteration of the unauthorized attachment signaling due to the modulation of transmit power; and

conveying the identity of the antenna.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein locating a mobile device that generates at least a portion of the traffic associated with the telecommunication service includes:

collecting unauthorized attachment signaling during implementation of a transmit power modulation sequence;

determining correlation of the collected unauthorized attachment signaling;

identifying an antenna associated with a specific correlation of unauthorized attachment signaling; and

supplying the identity of the antenna.

23. A system, comprising:

means for blocking a first set of wireless resources available for telecommunication within a confined area;

means for allowing access to a second set of wireless resources to provide telecommunication service within the confined area, the second set of wireless resources excludes the first set of wireless resources;

means for monitoring at least one of signaling or traffic associated with the telecommunication service provided through the second set of wireless resources; and

means for locating a mobile device that generates at least a portion of at least one of the signaling or the traffic associated with the telecommunication service.