METHODOLOGY TO ANALYZE SECTOR CAPACITY IN DATA-ONLY MOBILE-WIRELESS NETWORK

• US 20110149782A1
• Filed: 02/25/2011
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Bao, Derek Hongwei, TOWNLEY, Scott Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 8,369,792 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/147 for predicting network behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/149 for prediction of maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/22 Traffic simulation tools or models
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

Infrastructure network service measurements of time needed to complete data transfers are used to determine the capacity of a technology sector of a wireless packet data communication base station, such as a 1xEV-DO sector, using infrastructure network service measurements. The process, for example, may predict when the radio-frequency link between wireless data subscribers and a wireless base station becomes sufficiently congested that each user experiences reduced data speeds. The determination of capacity can be made down to the sector-carrier (a single carrier within a base station sector) level. The prediction can be cast in terms of time, which allows network service providers to plan the growth of their base stations to meet subscriber needs.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method of time-trending analysis of capacity of an air-link resource of a base station in a data-only mobile wireless communication network, the base station serving one or more wireless mobile stations, the method comprising steps of:

collecting data regarding transmission of data over of the air-link resource of the base station for the one or more mobile stations during a plurality of time intervals, the collected data including at least two of;

(i) total transmitted data for each interval,

(ii) a measure of total time taken during each interval to transmit the data, and

(iii) average number of users being sent data over the air-link resource during each interval; and

processing at least some of the collected data to;

(a) determine a growth characteristic with respect to the air-link resource, and

(b) determine number of users at which average throughput per user for data transmission on the air-link resource falls to a selected value of minimum acceptable data throughput per user.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the processing to determine the growth characteristic comprises steps of:

performing a linear regression on data points relating to the logarithm of the total transmitted data for each interval versus the logarithm of the measure of total time taken during each interval to transmit data, for the plurality of time intervals;

determining an average throughput for data transmission using the air-link resource from the slope of the linear regression;

determining a maximum number of users the air-link resource can support from the average throughput;

determining a current number of users supported by the air-link resource; and

determining a growth factor based on the maximum number of users and the current number of users.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of determining the maximum number of users the air-link resource can support comprises dividing the value of throughput by a value of minimum acceptable data throughput per user.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the value of minimum acceptable data throughput per user is a minimum threshold value.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the value of minimum acceptable data throughput per user comprises at least one probability bound on current and forecast user throughput determined using variance of the data points of the regression.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein:

the step of determining the average throughput comprises determining the average throughput for the data transmission using the air-link resource from the slope of the linear regression; and

the step of determining the current number of users comprises identifying an average number of users being sent data over the air-link resource during a busy one of the intervals.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of determining the growth factor comprises dividing the maximum number of users by the current number of users.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the processing to determine the number of users at which average throughput per user for data transmission on the air-link resource falls to the selected value of minimum acceptable data throughput per user comprises steps of:

performing a linear regression on data points relating to the logarithm of the average number of users versus the logarithm of the measure of total time taken during each interval to transmit the data, for the plurality of time intervals; and

extrapolating from the linear regression to determine the number of users expected to be able to receive data transmission on the air-link resource, when the throughput per user falls to the selected value of minimum acceptable data throughput per user.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein the air-link resource of the base station is a radio frequency carrier used for transmission of data to the mobile stations via a sector of the base station.

30. The method of claim 21, further comprising a step of, based on a rate at which number of users is increasing or expected to increase over time, planning to deploy additional resources before number of users will reach the determined number of users at which average throughput per user for data transmission on the air-link resource falls to the selected value of minimum acceptable data throughput per user.

31. A product comprising a non-transitory machine readable medium and executable program embodied in the medium, wherein when executed by a programmable computer, the program causes a computer to perform functions for providing a time-trending analysis of capacity of an air-link resource of a base station in a data-only mobile wireless communication network, the base station serving one or more wireless mobile stations, the functions comprising functions to:

collect data regarding transmission of data over of the air-link resource of the base station for the one or more mobile stations during a plurality of time intervals, the collected data including at least two of;

(i) total transmitted data for each interval,

(ii) a measure of total time taken during each interval to transmit the data, and

(iii) average number of users being sent data over the air-link resource during each interval; and

process at least some of the collected data to;

(a) determine a growth characteristic with respect to the air-link resource, and

(b) determine number of users at which average throughput per user for data transmission on the air-link resource falls to a selected value of minimum acceptable data throughput per user.

32. The product of claim 31, wherein the function to process collected data to determine the growth characteristic comprises functions to:

perform a linear regression on data points relating to the logarithm of the total transmitted data for each interval versus the logarithm of the measure of total time taken during each interval to transmit data, for the plurality of time intervals;

determine an average throughput for data transmission using the air-link resource from the slope of the linear regression;

determine a maximum number of users the air-link resource can support from the average throughput;

determine a current number of users supported by the air-link resource; and

determine a growth factor based on the maximum number of users and the current number of users.

33. The product of claim 32, wherein the function to determine the maximum number of users the air-link resource can support comprises dividing the value of throughput by a value of minimum acceptable data throughput per user.

34. The product of claim 33, wherein the value of minimum acceptable data throughput per user is a minimum threshold value.

35. The product of claim 33, wherein the value of minimum acceptable data throughput per user comprises at least one probability bound on current and forecast user throughput determined using variance of the data points of the regression.

36. The product of claim 32, wherein:

the function to determine the average throughput comprises determining the average throughput for the data transmission using the air-link resource from the slope of the linear regression; and

the function to determine the current number of users comprises identifying an average number of users being sent data over the air-link resource during a busy one of the intervals.

37. The product of claim 32, wherein the function to determine the growth factor comprises dividing the maximum number of users by the current number of users.

38. The product of claim 31, wherein the function to process collected data to determine the number of users at which average throughput per user for data transmission on the air-link resource falls to the selected value of minimum acceptable data throughput per user comprises functions to:

perform a linear regression on data points relating to the logarithm of the average number of users versus the logarithm of the measure of total time taken during each interval to transmit the data, for the plurality of time intervals; and

extrapolate from the linear regression to determine the number of users expected to be able to receive data transmission on the air-link resource, when the throughput per user falls to the selected value of minimum acceptable data throughput per user.

39. The product of claim 31, wherein the air-link resource of the base station is a radio frequency carrier used for transmission of data to the mobile stations via a sector of the base station.

40. A machine comprising:

a programmable processor;

a storage medium coupled to the processor; and

an executable program stored by the medium, wherein execution of the program by the processor causes the processor to implement functions for providing a time-trending analysis of capacity of an air-link resource of a base station in a data-only mobile wireless communication network, the base station serving one or more wireless mobile stations, the functions comprising functions to;

collect data regarding transmission of data over of the air-link resource of the base station for the one or more mobile stations during a plurality of time intervals, the collected data including at least two of;

(i) total transmitted data for each interval,

(ii) a measure of total time taken during each interval to transmit the data, and

(iii) average number of users being sent data over the air-link resource during each interval; and

process at least some of the collected data to;

(a) determine a growth characteristic with respect to the air-link resource, and

(b) determine number of users at which average throughput per user for data transmission on the air-link resource falls to a selected value of minimum acceptable data throughput per user.