QUALIFYING LOCATIONS FOR FIXED WIRELESS SERVICES

• US 20120040664A1
• Filed: 08/11/2011
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: KAMDAR, Kamlesh S., AGUIRRE, Sergio, KOTECHA, Lalit R., TOWNLEY, Scott Anthony, KAMEL, Raafat Edward
• Granted Patent: US 9,485,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/425
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0226 based on location or mobility handoff or reselection H04W36/00; mobile application services making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A device receives an address from a computer terminal; determines a location associated with the address; and determines a current signal quality at the location by referencing a file that represents an area that includes the location. The device further determines whether the location qualifies for a fixed wireless service based on the current signal quality. The device also transmits information to the computer terminal. The information indicates whether the location qualifies for the fixed wireless service.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a device, a signal quality at a location;

determining, by the device, whether the location qualifies for a fixed wireless service based on the signal quality;

transmitting, by the device, a notification that indicates that the location does not qualify for the fixed wireless service when the location does not qualify for the fixed wireless service; and

transmitting, by the device, information associated with the fixed wireless service when the location qualifies for the fixed wireless service.

2. The method of claim 1, where determining the signal quality at the location comprises:

receiving an address of the location from a device associated with a customer or at a point of sale of a provider of the fixed wireless service,

determining latitude and longitude information for the location based on the address, and

determining the signal quality based on the latitude and longitude information and a file that specifies signal quality at different geographic points.

3. The method of claim 1, where the signal quality comprises a current signal quality at the location, and where the method further comprises:

determining a predicted future signal quality at the location,

where determining whether the location qualifies for the fixed wireless service is further based on the predicted future signal quality.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a tier of service for the location, when the location qualifies for the fixed wireless service, based on the signal quality,

where the information associated with the fixed wireless service comprises information associated with the tier of service.

5. The method of claim 4, where the information associated with the tier of service comprises one or more of:

types of fixed wireless services that are available at the location,

packages of fixed wireless services that are available at the location, or

prices associated with the types of fixed wireless services or the packages of fixed wireless services.

6. The method of claim 1, where determining whether the location qualifies for the fixed wireless service comprises:

determining premises information associated with a premises at the location, and

determining whether the location qualifies for the fixed wireless service further based on the premises information.

7. The method of claim 6, where the premises information comprises one or more of:

a type of distance between the location and a nearest cell unit,

a type of terrain associated with the location, or

a height of an installation area of the premises to be used for equipment for the fixed wireless service.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving radio frequency (RF) information associated with cell units within an area that includes the location, where the RF information comprises one or more of;

a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR),

a received signal strength indication (RSSI),

a reference signal received power (RSRP),

a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), or

path loss; and

generating, based on the RF information associated with the cell units, a file that specifies signal quality at different points within the area,

where determining the signal quality at the location comprises;

referencing the file to determine the signal quality at the location.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving interference information associated with the area,

where the interference information comprises one or more of;

information about obstructions in the area, or

information about undesired signals from other cell units, and

where generating the file is further based on the interference information.

10. A device comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor to execute one or more of the instructions to;

generate a first file that specifies current signal quality at different points within an area,

generate, based on the first file, a second file that specifies predicted future signal quality at the different points within the area,

determine a first signal quality at a location based on the first file,

determine a second signal quality at the location based on the second file,

select a tier of service, of fixed wireless services, for the location based on the first signal quality and the second signal quality.

transmit information associated with the tier of service to a computer terminal.

11. The device of claim 10, where, when selecting the tier of service, the processor is to:

select a first tier of service, as the tier of service, when the first signal quality is greater than a first value and the second signal quality is greater than or equal to the first value, and

select a second tier of service, as the tier of service, when the first signal quality or the second signal quality is less than the first value and greater than a second value.

12. The device of claim 10, where the information associated with the tier of service comprises:

types of the fixed wireless services that are available at the location and prices associated with the types of the fixed wireless services, or

information specifying that an actual signal quality needs to be determined at the location to determine which one or more of the types of the fixed wireless services are available at the location.

13. The device of claim 12, where the prices associated with the types of fixed wireless services are higher when the tier of service is a first tier of service than when the tier of service is a second tier of service.

14. The device of claim 10, where the processor is further to:

determine premises information associated with a premises of the location; and

adjust, based on the premises information, at least one of the first signal quality and the second signal quality before selecting the tier of service.

15. The device of claim 10, where, when generating the second file, the processor is to:

determine at least one of network loading information or network reconfiguration information,

where the network loading information comprises information about predicted growth of traffic in a portion of a cellular network associated with the area, and

where the network reconfiguration information comprises information about plans to add new cell units to the portion of the cellular network, and

generate the second file further based on at least one of the network loading information or the network reconfiguration information

16. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions executable by one or more processors of a computing device to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving an address from a device;

determining a location associated with the address;

determining a current signal quality at the location by referencing a file that represents an area that includes the location;

determining whether the location qualifies for a fixed wireless service based on the current signal quality; and

transmitting information to the device, where the information indicates whether the location qualifies for the fixed wireless service.

17. The media of claim 16,

where the location qualifies for the fixed wireless service when the signal quality is greater than a threshold, and

where the information comprises information associated with a tier of service of the fixed wireless service when the location qualifies for the fixed wireless service.

18. The media of claim 16, where the method further comprises:

receiving information associated with cell units within the area; and

generating the file based on the information associated with the cell units.

19. The media of claim 18,

where the information associated with the cell units comprises one or more of:

one or more types of antennas used by the cell units,

heights of the antennas,

transmitter power associated with the cell units,

terrain characteristics associated with locations of the cell units,

traffic loads associated with the cell units, or

radio frequency (RF) parameters associated with the cell units, and

where the RF parameters comprise one or more of;

a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR),

a received signal strength indication (RSSI),

a reference signal received power (RSRP),

a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), or

path loss.

20. The media of claim 16, where the method further comprises:

determining a predicted future signal quality at the location by referencing a different file that represents the area, and

where determining whether the location qualifies for the fixed wireless service is further based on the predicted future signal quality.