Mitigating the impact of handoffs through comparison of non-preferred wireless coverage areas

• US 8,391,858 B1
• Filed: 06/15/2010
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Vargantwar, Sachin R., Goyal, Anoop K., Oroskar, Siddharth S., Shetty, Manoj
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Chuong A
• Application Number:
  US12/815,700
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 455/450, 455/432.1, 455436-444, 455/69, 455/115.1, 455/422.1, 370328-338, 370/318, 370/311, 370/350
• US Class Current: 455/432.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00837 Determination of triggering parameters for hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/008375 based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00838 Resource reservation for handover

Abstract

Methods and devices for mitigating the impact of handoffs to non-preferred wireless coverage areas are presented. In particular, a RAN may determine that a first wireless communication device (WCD) and a second WCD are contending for a resource of a preferred wireless coverage area, and that both of the WCDs are likely to be handed off to different non-preferred wireless coverage areas if they are not granted the resource. Both WCDs may be subscribed to a home wireless service provider that also controls and/or operates the preferred wireless coverage area. The RAN may compare the roaming fees of a first non-preferred wireless coverage area with the roaming fees of a second non-preferred wireless coverage area. Based on the outcome of this comparison, the RAN may allocate the resource to the WCD that would likely incur higher roaming fees to the home wireless service provider if that WCD were to roam to a non-preferred wireless coverage area.

Claims

1. A method, performed by a radio access network (RAN) that provides a preferred wireless coverage area to serve wireless communications devices (WCDs), the method comprising:

the RAN receiving a first call setup request from a first WCD;

the RAN receiving a second call setup request from a second WCD;

in response to receiving the first call setup request and the second call setup request, the RAN determining that (i) the first WCD and second WCD are contending for a resource of the preferred wireless coverage area, (ii) the first WCD is likely to begin roaming to a first non-preferred wireless coverage area when the first WCD is not allocated the resource, and (iii) the second WCD is likely to begin roaming to a second non-preferred wireless coverage area when the second WCD is not allocated the resource;

in response to determining that (i) the first WCD and second WCD are contending for the resource, (ii) the first WCD is likely to begin roaming to the first non-preferred wireless coverage area when the first WCD is not allocated the resource, and (iii) the second WCD is likely to begin roaming to the second non-preferred wireless coverage area when the second WCD is not allocated the resource, the RAN comparing the first non-preferred wireless coverage area to the second non-preferred wireless coverage area; and

based on a result of the comparison, the RAN allocating the resource to the first WCD.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource comprises a code division multiple access (CDMA) code.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource is the only resource of a given type available in the preferred wireless coverage area.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the first non-preferred wireless coverage area to the second non-preferred wireless coverage area comprises:

comparing a first cost of allowing the first WCD to roam to the first non-preferred wireless coverage area to a second cost of allowing the second WCD to roam to the second non-preferred wireless coverage area.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the result of the comparison is that the first cost is higher than the second cost.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first cost and the second cost are per-time-unit costs.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the first cost and the second cost are per-data-unit costs.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein comparing the first non-preferred wireless coverage area to the second non-preferred wireless coverage area comprises:

comparing a first set of services offered via the first non-preferred wireless coverage area to a second set of services offered via the second non-preferred wireless coverage area.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the result of the comparison is that the first set of services does not include services typically used by the first WCD.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first non-preferred wireless coverage area is operated for a first wireless service provider, the second non-preferred wireless coverage area is operated for a second wireless service provider, and the preferred wireless coverage area is operated for a third wireless service provider.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the first WCD and second WCD are contending for a resource of the preferred wireless coverage area comprises determining that a traffic channel utilization of the preferred wireless coverage area is above a particular threshold.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the first WCD is likely to begin roaming to the first non-preferred wireless coverage area when the first WCD is not allocated the resource comprises:

obtaining a first power at which the first WCD receives signals from the preferred wireless coverage area;

obtaining a second power at which the first WCD receives signals from the first non-preferred wireless coverage area; and

determining that the second power is greater than the first power.

13. A radio access network (RAN) component capable of controlling a preferred wireless coverage area, the RAN component comprising:

a processor;

a data storage; and

program instructions, stored in the data storage and executable by the processor, to (i) receive a first call setup request from a first WCD, (ii) receive a second call setup request from a second WCD, (iii) in response to receiving the first call setup request and the second call setup request, determine that (a) the first WCD and second WCD are contending for a resource of the preferred wireless coverage area, (b) the first WCD is likely to begin roaming to a first non-preferred wireless coverage area when the first WCD is not allocated the resource, and (c) the second WCD is likely to begin roaming to a second non-preferred wireless coverage area when the second WCD is not allocated the resource, (iv) in response to determining that (a) the first WCD and second WCD are contending for the resource, (b) the first WCD is likely to begin roaming to the first non-preferred wireless coverage area when the first WCD is not allocated the resource, and (c) the second WCD is likely to begin roaming to the second non-preferred wireless coverage area when the second WCD is not allocated the resource, compare the first non-preferred wireless coverage area to the second non-preferred wireless coverage area, and (v) based on a result of the comparison, allocate the resource to the first WCD.

14. The RAN component of claim 13, wherein the resource comprises a code division multiple access (CDMA) code.

15. The RAN component of claim 13, wherein the program instructions to compare the first non-preferred wireless coverage area to the second non-preferred wireless coverage area comprise:

program instructions to compare a first cost of allowing the first WCD to roam to the first non-preferred wireless coverage area to a second cost of allowing the second WCD to roam to the second non-preferred wireless coverage area.

16. The RAN component of claim 15, wherein the result of the comparison is that the first cost is higher than the second cost.

17. The RAN component of claim 16, wherein the first cost and the second cost are per-time-unit costs.

18. The RAN component of claim 16, wherein the first cost and the second cost are per-data-unit costs.

19. The RAN component of claim 13, wherein the program instructions to compare the first non-preferred wireless coverage area to the second non-preferred wireless coverage area comprise:

program instructions to compare a first set of services offered via the first non-preferred wireless coverage area to a second set of services offered via the second non-preferred wireless coverage area.

20. A method comprising:

receiving a first call setup request from a first WCD;

receiving a second call setup request from a second WCD;

in response to receiving the first call setup request and the second call setup request, a radio access network (RAN) device determining that (i) the first WCD and second WCD are contending for a particular code division multiple access (CDMA) code of a preferred wireless coverage area, (ii) the first WCD is likely to begin roaming to a first non-preferred wireless coverage area when the first WCD is not allocated the particular CDMA code, and (iii) the second WCD is likely to begin roaming to a second non-preferred wireless coverage area when the second WCD is not allocated the particular CDMA code, wherein the particular CDMA code is the only CDMA code of the preferred wireless coverage area not already allocated to a WCD;

in response to determining that (i) the first WCD and second WCD are contending for the particular CDMA code, (ii) the first WCD is likely to begin roaming to the first non-preferred wireless coverage area when the first WCD is not allocated the particular CDMA code, and (iii) the second WCD is likely to begin roaming to the second non-preferred wireless coverage area when the second WCD is not allocated the particular CDMA code, determining that a first roaming cost of the first non-preferred wireless coverage area is higher than a second roaming cost of the second non-preferred wireless coverage area; and

based on the first roaming cost being higher than the second roaming cost, allocating the particular CDMA code to the first WCD.