Femtocell location

• US 8,768,301 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2008
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Original Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Inventors: Howard, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Taha, Shaq
• Application Number:
  US12/316,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20090149194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,030 Days
• Field of Search: 455/410
• US Class Current: 455/410
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/122 Counter-measures against attacks; Protection against rogue devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

In a telecommunications network a technique of identifying unauthorised movement of an Access Point, also often described as a micro base station or a femto-cell, uses a velocity check to determine if the Access Point has been moved from its intended location to a remote, unauthorised location. In an embodiment, the system described herein determines the cell ID of the cell used before the access point was used and/or after the access point is used. The differences in location between the cell IDs and the expected location of the Access Point is then determined to see if the Access Point is in its correct position.

Claims

1. In a telecommunications system including at least one macro base station and at least one micro base station, each for wirelessly communicating with mobile terminals, a method of identifying movement of a particular micro base station from an expected location comprising:

identifying a first communication of a given mobile terminal through the particular micro base station at a first point in time;

identifying a first location relating to the first communication;

identifying a second communication of the given mobile terminal through a first macro base station at a second point in time;

identifying a second location relating to the second communication;

performing a velocity check for the given mobile terminal between the first point in time and the second point in time using the first and second locations, wherein the velocity check includes calculating a speed or velocity result for the given mobile terminal from a distance between the particular micro base station and the first macro base station, determined using the first location and the second location, and a time period between the first and second points in time;

comparing the calculated speed or velocity result with a speed or velocity threshold; and

using a result of the velocity check relating to the given mobile terminal to determine whether the particular micro base station is located at the expected location, wherein, when the particular micro base station is not located at the expected location, the particular micro base station is determined as being at an unauthorized location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular micro base station is determined to be at the expected location when the result is at or below the threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular micro base station is determined as having moved from the expected location when the result exceeds the threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first position relating to the particular micro base station is the expected location of the micro base station.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the expected location of the micro base station is the location to which the micro base station is registered with a network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second communication is a communication preceding the first communication.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication is a communication preceding the second communication.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first micro base station is identified in the first communication from a Cell ID which includes a field identifying micro base stations.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the particular micro base station is identified in the first communication from a tariff code in a call detail record.

10. A network analysis engine configured for use in a telecommunications system, the telecommunications system including at least one macro base station and at least one micro base station, each for wirelessly communicating with mobile terminals, the network analysis engine comprising:

a first communication identifier for identifying a first communication through a particular micro base station relating to a given mobile terminal;

a first time identifier for identifying a first point in time relating to the first communication;

a first location identifier for identifying a first location relating to the first communication;

a second communication identifier for identifying a second communication relating to the given mobile terminal through a first macro base station;

a second time identifier for identifying a second point in time relating to the second communication; and

a second location identifier for identifying a second location relating to the second communication;

an analyzer configured to;

use the first and second locations and the first and second points in time to perform a velocity check for the given mobile terminal between the first and second points in time; and

use a result of the velocity check relating to the given mobile terminal to determine whether the particular micro base station is located at an expected location, wherein, when the particular micro base station is not located at the expected location, the particular micro base station is determined as being at an unauthorized location, wherein the velocity check, that the analyzer is configured to perform, includes calculating a speed or velocity result for the given mobile terminal from a distance between the particular micro base station and the first macro base station, determined using the first location and the second location, and a time period between the first and second points in time; and

a comparing device for comparing the calculated speed or velocity with a speed or velocity threshold.

11. The network analysis engine of claim 10, wherein the particular micro base station is determined to be at the expected location when the result is at or below the threshold.

12. The network analysis engine of claim 10, wherein the particular micro base station is determined as having moved from the expected location when the result exceeds the threshold.

13. The network analysis engine of claim 10, wherein the first position relating to the micro base station is the expected location of the micro base station.

14. The network analysis engine of claim 10, wherein the expected location of the micro base station is the location to which the micro base station is registered with a network.

15. The network analysis engine of claim 10, wherein the second communication is a communication preceding the first communication.

16. The network analysis engine of claim 10, wherein the first communication is a communication preceding the second communication.

17. The network analysis engine of claim 10, wherein the first micro base station is identified in the first communication from a Cell ID which includes a field identifying micro base stations.

18. The network analysis engine of claim 10, wherein the particular micro base station is identified in the first communication from a tariff code in a call detail record.