Telecommunication networks

• US 20120129517A1
• Filed: 07/05/2011
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vodafone IP Licensing Limited (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: Vodafone IP Licensing Limited (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Inventors: Fox, David Andrew, Chami, Youssef, Holmes, Neil, Allen, Steve, Cheng, Matthew, Gallego-Lopez, Marina, Beck, Roger, Tait, Mark, McCracken, John
• Granted Patent: US 9,654,357 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/425
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03987 Equalisation for sparse channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5025 by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/091 Measuring contribution of individual network components to actual service level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1425 Traffic logging, e.g. anomaly detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/128 Anti-malware arrangements, e.g. protection against SMS fraud or mobile malware
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/00 Network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices

Abstract

A mobile telecommunications network includes a core and a radio access network having a radio for wireless communication with mobile terminals registered with the network. The radio access network includes a controller operable to control the use of network resources by the mobile terminals. The controller may include an application programming interface, API, which provides a consistent interface to a multiplicity of applications hosted on the control mean. The controller may be provided at an access node site and/or a gateway site.

Claims

1. A mobile telecommunications network, comprising:

a core; and

a radio access network having a radio for wireless communication with mobile terminals registered with the network, wherein the radio access network includes a controller that controls the use of network resources by the mobile terminals, and wherein the controller detects the likely malfunctioning of at least one of the mobile terminals and takes action to reduce the affect of the malfunctioning on the network.

2. The network of claim 1, wherein the controller is provided by at least one of:

an access node site and a gateway site.

3. The network of claim 1, wherein the controller detects a likely malfunctioning of at least one of the mobile terminals that potentially impacts at least one of:

an ability of the network to control the mobile terminals and an ability of the network to allow user data to be transmitted using the mobile terminals.

4. The network of claim 1, wherein the controller compares measured characteristics relating to at least one of:

the mobile terminals with reference characteristics to detect a likely malfunctioning and abnormal behaviour of at least one of the mobile terminals.

5. The network of claim 4, wherein the controller obtains the reference characteristics using one of:

calculations based on previously measured characteristics and previously measured characteristics obtained from one of;

the core and a third party.

6. The network of claim 4, wherein the measured characteristics and/or the reference characteristics relate to a specific one of the terminals, a specific terminal type of a particular application run by one or more of the devices.

7. The network of claim 1, wherein, in response to detection of likely malfunctioning of at least one of the mobile terminals, the controller triggers a management event to reduce an impact on the network.

8. A method of operating a mobile telecommunications network, comprising:

providing a core and a radio access network having a radio for wireless communication with mobile terminals registered with the network, wherein the radio access network includes a controller that controls use of network resources by the mobile terminals; and

operating the controller to detect at least one of;

likely malfunctioning and abnormal behaviour of at least one of the mobile terminals and to take action to reduce an effect thereof on the network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the controller is provided by at least one of:

an access node site and a gateway site.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the controller detects at lease one of:

malfunctioning and abnormal behaviour of at least one of the mobile terminals that impacts at least one of;

an ability of the network to control the mobile terminals and an ability of the network to allow user data to be transmitted using the mobile terminals.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the controller compares measured characteristics relating to the at least one of the mobile terminals with reference characteristics to detect a likely malfunctioning of the at least one of the mobile terminals.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the controller obtains the reference characteristics by one of:

calculating based on previously measured characteristics and receiving previously measured characteristics from one of;

the core and a third party.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein one of:

the measured characteristics and the reference characteristics relate to a specific one of the terminals, a specific terminal type of a particular application run by one or more of the devices.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein, in response to detection of likely malfunctioning of at least one of the mobile terminals, the controller triggers a management event to reduce an impact on the network.

15. A mobile telecommunications network, comprising:

a core; and

a radio access network having a radio for wireless communication with terminals using the network, wherein the radio access network includes a control that controls the use of network resources by the terminals, wherein the controller monitors data received from the terminals to identify interruption of the radio access network.

16. A mobile telecommunications network, comprising:

a core; and

a radio access network having a radio for wireless communication with mobile terminals registered with the network, the radio including a plurality of radio frequency parts and a plurality of baseband parts, and wherein the network includes a controller that controls the use of the baseband parts.

17. A mobile telecommunications network, comprising:

a core; and

a radio access network having a radio for wireless communication with mobile terminals registered with the network, wherein the radio access network includes a controller that controls the use of network resources by the mobile terminals, wherein the controller collects information relating to the mobile terminals and controls operation of an external resource in dependence on the information.

18. A mobile telecommunications network, comprising:

a core; and

a radio access network having a radio for wireless communication with terminals registered with the network, wherein the radio access network includes a controller that controls the use of network resources by the terminals, wherein the terminals include at least one application, and wherein the controller controls the application and controls transmission of data.

19. A mobile telecommunications network, comprising:

a core; and

a radio access network having a radio for wireless communication with mobile terminals registered with the network, the radio including access points that connect to the core via an IP link and macro base stations, wherein the radio access network includes a controller that controls the use of network resources by the mobile terminals, and wherein the controller provides services to one of the mobile terminals independent of whether the mobile terminal communicates via one of the macro base stations or one of the access points.