Method and system for cellular system border analysis

• US 6,640,103 B1
• Filed: 11/23/1999
• Issued: 10/28/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ericsson, Inc. (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Inman, Dwight, Rivera-Villarreal, Aileen
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lee
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEI, TSULEUN R
• Application Number:
  US09/447,143
• Time in Patent Office: 1,435 Days
• Field of Search: 455/446, 455/422, 455/436, 455/429, 455/453
• US Class Current: 455/446
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools

Abstract

Methods and systems for determining switch assignment within wireless communication regions served by plural telecommunication equipment. Telecommunication switch borders may be re-defined based on system use patterns and data. Cellular antennas and/or base stations may be reassigned to switches based on use data. A region comprising a plurality of switches and cell sites in need of border optimization may be identified (401). Cell traffic statistical data collected 402 for cellular sites may be utilized in the analysis (403). Latitude and longitude information for each cell being studied may be identified (402) and used. Contours defining an optimized region are generated (404) using the statistical and/or lat/long information for equipment. Switches, cellular antennas and/or base stations may be reassigned based on the optimized region.

Claims

1. A method of optimizing a wireless communication network, comprising the steps of:

identifying a region comprising a plurality of switches and cell sites for switch border optimization within the wireless communication network;

collecting statistical data for the plurality of cell sites and switches within the region; and

using the statistical data for the plurality of cell sites and switches within the region to generate a proposed assignment of one or more of the cell sites to each switch of the plurality of switches based on one or more parameters being investigated.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter being investigated is hand-off information for purposes of cell site and switch redistribution and/or reassignment.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the parameter is the sum of the hand-offs in and out of a cell.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the number of hand-offs are plotted on a map to illustrate areas of higher hand-off and lower hand-off activity.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein time sequence generation is used to provide hand-offs occurring between cell sites and/or switches at different time intervals into a movie file.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the movie file enables illustration of hand-off activity within the region throughout a specified time period.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the movie file enables illustration of hand-off activity within the region throughout a specified time period, and wherein the assignments are defined as a number hand-offs between cell sites and/or switches plotted on a map.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein latitude and longitude information for each cell site is provided.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the assignments are rendered as contours of varying scope on a map defining traffic within the region.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters being investigated include:

the amount of traffic meaning the number of cellular users or the activity within a region;

hand-off information between switches;

hand-offs between base station sites; and

paging parameters.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein time sequence generation is used to provide contours from different time intervals into a movie file.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the movie file enables illustration of hand-off activity within the region throughout a specified time period.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein time sequence generation is used to provide hand-offs from different time intervals into a movie file.

14. A method of optimizing a wireless communication network, comprising the steps of:

identifying a region comprising a plurality of switches and cell sites for switch border optimization within the wireless communication network;

collecting statistical data for the plurality of cell sites and switches within the region;

using the statistical data for the plurality of cell sites and switches within the region to generate proposed assignments of one or more of the cell sites to each switch of the plurality of switches, based on one or more parameters being investigated; and

generating the assignments from the number of hand-offs between cell sites and/or switches.

15. A method for determining switch assignments for a plurality of cell sites within a region served by respective first and second switches, comprising the steps of:

identifying the region comprising the plurality of cell sites and first and second switches in need of switch border optimization;

collecting cell traffic statistical data for wireless equipment employed within the region; and

generating proposed switch assignment information defining a first sub-region containing a multiple number of the cell sites to be controlled by the first switch, and a second sub-region containing the remaining cell sites to be controlled by the second switch, said switch assignment information generated by using the cell traffic statistical data.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the proposed switch assignment information is generated as contours plotted on a map representing the region.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the generation of contours comprises a proposed redistribution of cell sites to switches within the region.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the cell traffic statistical data includes data related to hand-offs into and out of cellular antennas and/or a switches within a cellular network.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the proposed switch assignment information is generated as hand-offs occurring between switches and/or cell sites.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the generation of hand-offs comprises a proposed redistribution of cell sites to switches within the region.

21. A system for providing switch border analysis for a wireless telecommunication system having a plurality of cell sites and first and second switches, said system comprising:

a microprocessor for receiving statistical data collected from telecommunication hardware of the system serving a defined region, the microprocessor programmed to analyze the statistical data and provide switch border analysis results for the defined region that assign a subgroup of the plurality of cell sites to the first switch for control thereby, and assign the remaining cell sites to the second switch for control thereby; and

a rendering mechanism for generating traffic contours within the defined region based on the statistical data.