METHODS AND APPARATUS TO DISCOVER SPECTRUM USAGE OF MOBILE CARRIERS

• US 20140099914A1
• Filed: 10/05/2012
• Published: 04/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Ngai, Dominic H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,886,161 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0061 of neighbour cell information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0085 Hand-off measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for discovering spectrum usage of mobile carriers. An example method includes extracting channel information from a plurality of messages transmitted to mobile devices over a wireless communications radio spectrum, identifying a mobile carrier based on the channel information, associating the channel information with a network parameter of the mobile carrier, and determining a channel usage characteristic associated with mobile carrier based on the channel information and the network parameter.

Claims

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the channel information for messages received by the mobile devices in an idle state comprises at least one of random access channel allocation information or broadcast control channel allocation information in neighboring cells of a global system for mobile communications network.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the channel information for messages received by a mobile device in a traffic state comprises frequency hopping channel allocation information in neighboring cells of a global system for mobile communications network.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the network parameter comprises at least one of a cell identification, a broadcast control channel, a mobile country code, a network code, or a location area code.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the channel usage characteristic comprises at least one of a channel allocation ratio for control usage, a channel allocation ratio for traffic usage, a channel allocation ratio for shared control and traffic usage, or a frequency hopping list.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the channel information for message received by at least one of the mobile devices in an idle state comprises at least one of a mobile carrier frequency or a channel number for use in a code division multiple access.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the channel information for messages received by at least one of the mobile devices in a traffic state comprises a traffic channel number for a corresponding cell in which the corresponding message was received or a handoff frequency of a neighboring cell in a code division multiple access network.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the network parameter comprises at least one of pseudo-noise offset, a base station identification, a system identification number, or a network identification number.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the channel usage characteristic comprises at least one of a total radio frequency spectrum for the mobile carrier or a channel allocation for each sector of a network cell of the mobile carrier.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the network parameter comprises at least one of a pseudo-noise code for cell sector identification, a base station identification, a system identification number, or a network identification number.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein associating the channel information with the network parameter comprises storing the channel information with second channel information associated with a previously transmitted message that used at least one of the same network parameters.

12. A method according to claim 1, further comprising mapping the channel usage characteristic to at least one of a data table or corresponding geographic locations at which the messages were at least one of transmitted or received, wherein the corresponding geographic locations are determined based on at least one of the network parameter or a global positioning system.

13. An apparatus comprising:

an analyzer to determine corresponding mobile carriers for corresponding channel information extracted from a plurality of messages transmitted to mobile devices over a wireless communications radio spectrum;

a correlator to associate the channel information with a network parameter of the corresponding ones of the plurality of mobile carriers; and

a mapper to determine a usage characteristic for a first one of the mobile carriers based on associated ones of the channel information and the network parameters.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the channel information received by a first one of the mobile devices in an idle state comprises at least one of random access channel allocation or broadcast control channel allocation information in neighboring cells of a mobile communications network.

15. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the channel information received by a first one of the mobile devices in a traffic state comprises frequency hopping channel allocation information in neighboring cells of a mobile communications network.

16. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the network parameter comprises at least one of a cell identification, a broadcast control channel, a mobile country code, a network code, or a location area code.

17. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the channel usage characteristic comprises at least one of a channel allocation ratio for control usage, a channel allocation ratio for traffic usage, a channel allocation ratio for shared control and traffic usage, or a frequency hopping list.

18. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the channel information for a message received by at least one of the mobile devices in an idle state comprises at least one of a mobile carrier frequency or a channel number for use in a code division multiple access.

19. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the channel information comprises at least one of a cell identification, a broadcast control channel, a mobile country code, a mobile network code, or a location area code.

20. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the network parameter comprises at least one of pseudo-noise offset, a base station identification, a system identification number, or a network identification number.

21. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the channel usage characteristic comprises at least one of a total radio frequency spectrum for the mobile carrier or a channel allocation for each sector of a network cell of the mobile carrier.

22. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the network parameter comprises at least one of a pseudo-noise code for cell sector identification, a base station identification, a system identification number, or a network identification number.

23. A apparatus according to claim 13, wherein associating the channel information the network parameter comprises storing the channel information with second channel information associated with a previously transmitted message that used at least one of the same network parameters.

24. A apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the mapper is to map the channel usage characteristic to at least one of a data table or corresponding geographic locations at which the messages were at least one of transmitted or received, wherein the corresponding geographic locations are determined based on at least one of the network parameter or a global positioning system.

25. A tangible machine readable storage medium comprising instructions which when executed cause a machine to perform at least:

extract channel information from a plurality of messages transmitted to mobile devices over a wireless communications radio spectrum;

identify a mobile carrier based on the channel information;

associate the channel information with a network parameter of the mobile carrier; and

determine a channel usage characteristic associated with mobile carrier based on the channel information and the network parameter.

26. A storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the channel information for at least one of the messages received by at least one of the mobile devices in an idle state comprises at least one of random access channel allocation information or broadcast control channel allocation information in neighboring cells of a global system for mobile communications network.

27. A storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the channel information for at least one of the messages received by at least one of mobile devices in a traffic state comprises frequency hopping channel allocation information in neighboring cells of a global system for mobile communications network.

28. A storage medium according to claim 27, wherein the network parameter comprises at least one of a cell identification, a broadcast control channel, a mobile country code, a network code, or a location area code.

29. A storage medium according to claim 27, wherein the channel usage characteristic comprises at least one of a channel allocation ratio for control usage, a channel allocation ratio for traffic usage, a channel allocation ratio for shared control and traffic usage, or a frequency hopping list.

30. A storage medium according to claim 27, wherein the channel information for at least one of the messages received by at least one of the mobile devices in an idle state comprises at least one of a mobile carrier frequency or a channel number for use in a code division multiple access.

31. A storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the channel information for at least one of the messages received by at least one of the mobile devices in a traffic state comprises a traffic channel number for a corresponding cell in which the message was received or a handoff frequency of a neighboring cell in a code division multiple access network.

32. A storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the network parameter comprises at least one of pseudo-noise offset, a base station identification, a system identification number, or a network identification number.

33. A storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the channel usage characteristic comprises at least one of a total radio frequency spectrum for the mobile carrier or a channel allocation for each sector of a network cell of the mobile carrier.

34. A storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the network parameter comprises at least one of a pseudo-noise code for cell sector identification, a base station identification, a system identification number, or a network identification number.

35. A storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the instructions cause the machine to associate the channel information with the network parameter by storing the channel information with second channel information associated with a previously transmitted message that used at least one of the same network parameters.

36. A storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the instructions cause the machine to map the channel usage characteristic to at least one of a data table or corresponding geographic locations at which the messages were at least one of transmitted or received, the corresponding geographic locations to be determined based on at least one of the network parameter or a global positioning system.