Wireless frequency re-use determination systems and methods

• US 8,103,280 B2
• Filed: 10/08/2007
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Austin, Mark, Latiolais, Dock J., Johnson, Derek, Jabbary, Ali
• Primary Examiner(s): MILLER, BRANDON J
• Application Number:
  US11/868,954
• Publication Number:
  US 20080049664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,569 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.11, 455/67.14, 455/561, 455436-443, 455524-525, 455/422.1, 455423-425, 455445-453
• US Class Current: 455/447
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition

Abstract

A method of measuring frequency interference between adjacent cell sites in a wireless telecommunications system. The method includes selecting a frequency in a cell site to be used as a beacon frequency. The method also includes activating the beacon frequency in the cell site and recording, at a telecommunications switch, a signal strength of the beacon frequency as measured by a first wireless device operating in the cell site and a signal strength of the beacon frequency as measured by a second wireless device operating in another cell site. The method further includes determining the frequency interference between the cell site and the other cell site based on the signal strengths.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

selecting a frequency to be used as a phantom frequency based in part on an amount of traffic carried by the frequency across a plurality of cell sites;

designating a cell site of the plurality of cell sites to be a phantom site;

activating the phantom frequency at the phantom site;

receiving a first signal strength of the phantom frequency measured at a first mobile device located within the phantom site;

receiving a second signal strength of the phantom frequency measured at a second mobile device located within a disparate cell site of the plurality of cell sites; and

compiling an interference mapping matrix based in part on a ratio of the second signal strength to the first signal strength.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting includes selecting the frequency based in part on an amount of retuning that is to be performed for removing the frequency from a communication network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, redesignating another of the plurality of cell sites to be the phantom site.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising, repeating the activating, receiving the first signal strength, receiving the second signal strength, compiling and redesignating until each of the plurality of cell sites is designated as the phantom site in turn.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting includes selecting the frequency based in part on an amount of blocking impact that is employed for removing the frequency from a communication network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, adding the frequency to a hunt list that is not utilized by sectors of the plurality of cell sites.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, removing a channel associated with the phantom frequency from the wireless communication system.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, removing at least one disparate channel adjacent to the channel from the wireless communication system.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, adding the phantom frequency to mobile assisted handoff lists of the plurality of phantom neighboring cell sites.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising, simultaneously testing two or more sectors with the phantom frequency.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising, employing a phantom trigger site that forces a trigger to collect mobile assisted handoff measurements.

12. A system comprising:

a telecommunication switch configured to select a phantom frequency based in part on an amount of traffic carried across a plurality of cell sites by the phantom frequency, and configured to activate the phantom frequency at a phantom site, wherein the phantom site is one of the plurality of cell sites; and

a computing device configured to generate an interference mapping matrix based in part on a ratio of a first phantom signal strength, measured by a first cellular device located within the phantom site, and a second phantom signal strength, measured by a second cellular device located within a disparate site adjacent to the phantom site.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first phantom signal strength and the second phantom signal strength are recorded.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the telecommunication switch is further configured to select another of the plurality of cell sites as a next phantom site.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the telecommunication switch is further configured to activate the phantom frequency at the next phantom site and receive signal strengths at the next phantom site until each of the plurality of cell sites is designated as the next phantom site in turn.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computing device is further configured to calculate the interference mapping matrix based in part on the signal strengths.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the telecommunication switch is further configured to collect the first phantom signal strength and the second phantom signal strength via a mobile assisted handoff list.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system to perform operations, comprising:

determining a phantom frequency based in part on an amount of traffic carried by the phantom frequency across a plurality of cell sites;

designating a cell site of the plurality of cell sites as a phantom site, wherein the phantom frequency is activated at the phantom site;

obtaining a first phantom signal strength measured at a first location within the phantom site;

obtaining a second phantom signal strength measured at a second location within one of a plurality of cell sites neighboring the phantom site; and

determining an interference mapping matrix based in part on a ratio of the second phantom signal strength and the first phantom signal strength.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, the operations further comprising, redesignating, in turn, each of the plurality of cell sites as a next phantom site.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, the operations further comprising:

activating the phantom frequency at the next phantom site;

collecting a third phantom signal strength measured at a third location within the next phantom site and a fourth phantom signal strength measured at a second location within one a disparate cell site; and

calculating the interference mapping matrix based on the third phantom signal strength and the fourth phantom signal strength.