METHODS OF ANALYSING A CELLULAR NETWORK

• US 20130183996A1
• Filed: 12/21/2012
• Published: 07/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, Vodafone IP Licensing Limited (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, Vodafone IP Licensing Limited (Vodafone Group PLC)
• Inventors: SCARR, Kevin Tristan, POLLINGTON, David, HICKMAN, Nichola Jane Inglis, BRENNAN, Damian Frederick, MAYS, Daniel Richard
• Granted Patent: US 9,357,553 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/453
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/04 Traffic adaptive resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 based on load

Abstract

A method of managing a load within a cellular network. The method includes obtaining network usage records from the cellular network; extracting cell information from the network usage records; establishing terminal carrier routes for cellular terminals that have changed location as determined from the extracted cell information; deriving terminal carrier profile attributes for the cellular terminals that have changed location, based on the established terminal carrier routes; determining a load on a resource of the cellular network, based on the established terminal carrier routes and the derived terminal carrier profile attributes; and controlling resources of the cellular network in response to the determined load, so as to manage the load within the cellular network. By combining established terminal carrier routes with derived terminal carrier profile attributes, it is possible to anticipate areas where cellular terminal carriers are likely to be concentrated at specific times during the day and allocate resources accordingly.

Claims

1. A method of managing a load within a cellular network, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining network usage records from the cellular network;

extracting cell information from the network usage records;

establishing terminal carrier routes for cellular terminals that have changed location as determined from the extracted cell information;

deriving terminal carrier profile attributes for the cellular terminals that have changed location, based on the established terminal carrier routes;

determining a load on a resource of the cellular network, based on the established terminal carrier routes and the derived terminal carrier profile attributes; and

controlling resources of the cellular network in response to the determined load, so as to manage the load within the cellular network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the extracted cell information includes cellular base station identifiers, and wherein the step of establishing terminal carrier routes further comprises determining changes in the cellular base station identifiers during mobile events.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of controlling resources of the cellular network comprises balancing resources of the cellular network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the load comprises calculating a likelihood of a concentration of cellular terminal carriers forming at a location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a resource is selected from one or more of the list consisting of:

a number of cellular base stations within a predetermined area;

a bandwidth on which a cellular base station may transmit and/or receive; and

a power supplied to a cellular base station.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each terminal carrier route has a plurality of endpoints, and wherein the step of determining the load comprises establishing the number of endpoints within a predetermined area.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of controlling resources of the cellular network comprises modifying the number of cellular base stations within a predetermined area.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of controlling resources of the cellular network comprises modifying the power supplied to at least one cellular base station.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein modifying the power comprises diverting power from at least one other cellular base station to the at least one cellular base station.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of controlling resources of the cellular network comprises modifying the bandwidth on which at least one cellular base station may transmit and/or receive.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the mobile events are selected from the group consisting of:

call;

SMS;

cell change;

MMS;

USSD;

IMSI; and

data download.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the network usage records are real-time, near real-time or stored data.

13. A computer program comprising program instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of claim 1.

14. A computer-readable medium carrying a computer program according to claim 13.

15. A computer programmed to perform the method of claim 1.