APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR EVALUATING VOICE QUALITY IN A MOBILE NETWORK

• US 20130143602A1
• Filed: 08/13/2010
• Published: 06/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Demostenes Zegarra, Sousa, Jackson Maia, Pivaro, Gabriel Fernando
• Granted Patent: US 9,078,143 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.5
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/182 wireless circuit-switched
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2236 Quality of speech transmission monitoring
• 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 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

An example apparatus is provided that receives a first message following conclusion of a voice call between a first apparatus and a second apparatus over a network. And in response to the first message, the apparatus obtains a geographic location of at least the first apparatus, and prepares a second message for transmission to the first apparatus. The second message includes a telephone number of a quality server to enable the first apparatus to initiate a voice call to the telephone number to participate in a voice quality test with the quality server, where the voice quality test includes calculation of a score reflecting a quality of the voice call. The apparatus receives the score, and correlates the score with the geographic location of at least the first apparatus and other network parameters obtained during the test to facilitate tuning the network based on the score and the geographic location.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least;

receive a first message following conclusion of a voice call between a first apparatus and a second apparatus over a network; and

in response thereto,

obtain a geographic location of at least the first apparatus;

prepare a second message for transmission to the first apparatus, the second message including a telephone number of a quality server to enable the first apparatus to initiate a voice call to the telephone number to participate in a voice quality test with the quality server, the voice quality test including calculation of a score reflecting a quality of the voice call;

receive the score; and

correlate the score with the geographic location of at least the first apparatus to facilitate tuning the network based on the score and the geographic location.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further:

obtain an identifier of one of a plurality of cells of the network within which the first apparatus is located; and

identify one of a plurality of quality servers based on the identifier of the respective cell of the network,

wherein the second message includes the telephone number of the identified quality server and enables the first apparatus to initiate the voice call to participate in a voice quality test with the identified quality server.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second message includes a telephone number of a first quality server local to the first apparatus, and a telephone number of a second quality server local to the second apparatus, to enable the first apparatus to initiate a voice call to the telephone number of each of the first quality server and second quality server, and participate in a voice quality test of the voice call with each of the first quality server and second quality server.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the voice quality test includes an uplink test in which the quality server calculates an uplink score reflecting a quality of the voice call at the quality server, and a downlink test in which the apparatus calculates a downlink score reflecting a quality of the voice call at the apparatus,

wherein being configured to cause the apparatus to receive the score includes being configured to cause the apparatus to receive the uplink score and downlink score, and

wherein being configured to cause the apparatus to correlate the score includes being configured to cause the apparatus to correlate the uplink score and downlink score with the geographic location of at least the first apparatus.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein being configured to cause the apparatus to obtain a geographic location includes being configured to cause the apparatus to obtain a geographic location of each of the first apparatus and second apparatus,

wherein being configured to cause the apparatus to prepare a second message for transmission includes being configured to cause the apparatus to prepare a second message for transmission to each of the first apparatus and second apparatus,

wherein the second message to the first apparatus includes a telephone number of a first quality server to enable the first apparatus to initiate a voice call to the respective telephone number to participate in a voice quality test with the first quality server, the respective voice quality test including calculation of a first score,

wherein the second message to the second apparatus includes a telephone number of a second quality server to enable the second apparatus to initiate a voice call to the respective telephone number to participate in a voice quality test with the second quality server, the respective voice quality test including calculation of a second score,

wherein being configured to cause the apparatus to receive the score includes being configured to cause the apparatus to receive the first score and second score, and

wherein being configured to cause the apparatus to correlate the score includes being configured to cause the apparatus to correlate the first score and second score with the geographic locations of the first apparatus and second apparatus.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the second message to the first apparatus further includes the telephone number of the second quality server to enable the first apparatus to further initiate a voice call to the respective telephone number to participate in a voice quality test with the second quality server, the respective voice quality test including calculation of a third score,

wherein being configured to cause the apparatus to receive the score includes being configured to cause the apparatus to receive the first score, second score and third score, and

wherein being configured to cause the apparatus to correlate the score includes being configured to cause the apparatus to correlate the first score, second score and third score with the geographic locations of the first apparatus and second apparatus.

7. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least;

prepare a first message for transmission from an apparatus following conclusion of a voice call between the apparatus and another apparatus over a network; and

in response thereto,

receive a second message including a telephone number of a quality server;

initiate a voice call to the telephone number of the quality server; and

participate in a voice quality test of the voice call with the quality server, the voice quality test including calculation of a score reflecting a quality of the voice call,

wherein transmission of the first message enables obtainment of a geographic location of at least the first apparatus, and participation in a voice quality test enables correlation of the score with the geographic location to facilitate tuning the network based on the score and geographic location.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to further:

receive at the apparatus from a user of the apparatus, a subjective assessment of a quality of the first call,

wherein being configured to cause the apparatus to prepare a first message for transmission includes being configured to cause the apparatus to prepare a first message for transmission in response to receipt of the subjective assessment.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein being configured to cause the apparatus to prepare a first message for transmission includes being configured to cause the apparatus to prepare a first message for transmission in an instance in which the subjective assessment is below a predetermined threshold.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the second message includes a telephone number of a first quality server local to the apparatus, and a telephone number of a second quality server local to the other apparatus,

wherein being configured to cause the apparatus to initiate a voice call and participate in a voice quality test includes being configured to cause the apparatus to initiate a voice call to the telephone number of each of the first quality server and second quality server, and participate in a voice quality test of the voice call with each of the first quality server and second first quality server.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein being configured to cause the apparatus to participate in a voice quality test includes being configured to cause the apparatus to participate in an uplink test in which the quality server calculates an uplink score reflecting a quality of the voice call at the quality server, and a downlink test in which the apparatus calculates a downlink score reflecting a quality of the voice call at the apparatus, and

wherein being configured to cause the apparatus to participate in a voice quality test enables correlation of the uplink score and downlink score with the geographic location.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein being configured to cause the apparatus to participate in a voice quality test includes being configured to cause the apparatus to participate in a voice quality test conducted in accordance with the perceptual evaluation of a speech quality algorithm.

13. A method comprising:

receiving a first message following conclusion of a voice call between a first apparatus and a second apparatus over a network; and

in response thereto,

obtaining a geographic location of at least the first apparatus;

preparing a second message for transmission to the first apparatus, the second message including a telephone number of a quality server to enable the first apparatus to initiate a voice call to the telephone number to participate in a voice quality test with the quality server, the voice quality test including calculation of a score reflecting a quality of the voice call;

receiving the score; and

correlating the score with the geographic location of at least the first apparatus to facilitate tuning the network based on the score and the geographic location.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

obtaining an identifier of one of a plurality of cells of the network within which the first apparatus is located; and

identifying one of a plurality of quality servers based on the identifier of the respective cell of the network,

wherein the second message includes the telephone number of the identified quality server and enables the first apparatus to initiate the voice call to participate in a voice quality test with the identified quality server.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the second message includes a telephone number of a first quality server local to the first apparatus, and a telephone number of a second quality server local to the second apparatus, to enable the first apparatus to initiate a voice call to the telephone number of each of the first quality server and second quality server, and participate in a voice quality test of the voice call with each of the first quality server and second quality server.

16-18. -18. (canceled)

19. A method comprising:

preparing a first message for transmission from an apparatus following conclusion of a voice call between the apparatus and another apparatus over a network; and

in response thereto,

receiving a second message including a telephone number of a quality server;

initiating a voice call to the telephone number of the quality server; and

participating in a voice quality test of the voice call with the quality server, the voice quality test including calculation of a score reflecting a quality of the voice call,

wherein transmission of the first message enables obtainment of a geographic location of at least the apparatus, and participating in a voice quality test enables correlation of the score with the geographic location to facilitate tuning the network based on the score and geographic location.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

receiving at the apparatus from a user of the apparatus, a subjective assessment of a quality of the first call,

wherein preparing a first message for transmission includes preparing a first message for transmission in response to receipt of the subjective assessment.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein preparing a first message for transmission includes preparing a first message for transmission in an instance in which the subjective assessment is below a predetermined threshold.

22-36. -36. (canceled)

37. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable storage medium and computer-readable program code portions being configured to, with at least one processor, cause an apparatus to at least:

receive a first message following conclusion of a voice call between a first apparatus and a second apparatus over a network; and

in response thereto,

obtain a geographic location of at least the first apparatus;

prepare a second message for transmission to the first apparatus, the second message including a telephone number of a quality server to enable the first apparatus to initiate a voice call to the telephone number to participate in a voice quality test with the quality server, the voice quality test including calculation of a score reflecting a quality of the voice call;

receive the score; and

correlate the score with the geographic location of at least the first apparatus to facilitate tuning the network based on the score and the geographic location.

38-42. -42. (canceled)

43. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable storage medium and computer-readable program code portions being configured to, with at least one processor, cause an apparatus to at least:

prepare a first message for transmission from an apparatus following conclusion of a voice call between the apparatus and another apparatus over a network; and

in response thereto,

receive a second message including a telephone number of a quality server;

initiate a voice call to the telephone number of the quality server; and

participate in a voice quality test of the voice call with the quality server, the voice quality test including calculation of a score reflecting a quality of the voice call,

wherein transmission of the first message enables obtainment of a geographic location of at least the first apparatus, and participation in a voice quality test enables correlation of the score with the geographic location to facilitate tuning the network based on the score and geographic location.

43-48. -48. (canceled)