Method and hierarchical radio network operations system for controlling a mobile communications network

• US 8,817,803 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2003
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Manzanares, Carlos
• Primary Examiner(s): Sam, Phirin
• Application Number:
  US10/736,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20040180663A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,905 Days
• Field of Search: 370/351, 370/254, 709/229, 709/223, 455/403, 455/433
• US Class Current: 370/408
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements

Abstract

The invention relates to a hierarchical radio network operations system (OS) and a method for controlling a mobile communications network by a hierarchical radio network OS, the hierarchical radio network OS comprising at least one radio network OS on a subordinate level and a radio network OS on a superior level, wherein after a controlling action is initiated a demand for data depending on the controlling action is forwarded from the superior level OS to at least one subordinate level OS. The latter in response to the call forwards the demanded data to the radio network OS on the superior level.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

controlling a mobile communications network by a hierarchical radio network operations system with at least one radio network operations system on a subordinate level and a radio network operations system on a superior level, wherein the controlling comprises initiating a controlling action on the part of the radio network operations system on the superior level;

generating, at the radio network operations system on the superior level, a call for data depending on the controlling action;

forwarding the call to at least one of the radio network operations systems on the subordinate level affected by the controlling action;

providing data on the part of the radio network operations system on the subordinate level affected by the controlling action in response to the call; and

forwarding the data to the radio network operations system on the superior level,

wherein the at least one radio network operations system on a subordinate level comprises at least one access network.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

executing, at the radio network operations system on a superior level, the controlling action based on the retrieved data.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving data by the radio network operations system on the superior level from at least one of the radio network operations systems on the subordinate level, wherein the retrieving comprises;

exporting the retrieved data by the radio network operations system on the subordinate level; and

importing the data by the radio network operations system on the superior level; and

storing the imported data to data memory in the radio network operations system on the superior level.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

ascertaining whether the call for data demanded depending on the controlling action is to be forwarded to the radio network operations system on the subordinate level affected by the controlling action forwarding the call for data to the data memory when the call is not forwarded to the radio network operations system on the subordinate level;

providing the data in response to the call; and

forwarding the data to the radio network operations system on the superior level.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

ascertaining whether the data demanded depending on the controlling action can be received from the radio network operations system on the subordinate level affected by the controlling action within a predetermined latency; and

forwarding the call for data to the data memory when the data cannot be received within the predetermined latency.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the controlling action comprises at least one of monitoring and controlling a configuration of radio network elements and radio network resources.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data comprises at least one of network element parameters and network resources parameters of the radio network on the subordinate level.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data comprises topology data of the radio network on the subordinate level.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the radio network operations system on the subordinate level is an operations system for managing a regional radio network.

10. A system, comprising:

at least one radio network operations system on a subordinate level;

a radio network operations system on a superior level comprising an initiator configured to initiate a controlling action;

a call for generator, at the radio network operations system on the superior level, configured to generate a call for data depending on the controlling action;

a first interface between the radio network operations system on the subordinate level and the radio network operations system on the superior level configured to forward the call to at least one of the radio network operations systems on the subordinate level affected by the controlling action and to forward the data to the radio network operations system on the superior level; and

a first provider comprising the radio network operations system on the subordinate level configured to provide data in response to the call,

wherein the at least one radio network operations system on a subordinate level comprises at least one access network.

11. The system according to claim 10, further comprising:

an executor configured to execute the controlling action based on the retrieved data.

12. The system according to claim 10, further comprising:

a retriever at the radio network operations system on the superior level configured to retrieve the data from at least one of the radio network operations systems on the subordinate level;

an exporter at the radio network operations system on the subordinate level configured to export the retrieved data,

an importer at the radio network operations system on the superior level configured to import the data; and

data memory at the radio network operations system on the superior level configured to store the imported data.

13. The system according to claim 12, further comprising:

a first ascertainer at the radio network operations system on the superior level configured to ascertain whether the call for data is to be forwarded to the radio network operations system on the subordinate level affected by the controlling action;

a second provider at the radio network operations system on the superior level configured to provide the data stored in the data memory in response to the call; and

a second interface at the radio network operations system on the superior level further configured to forward the call for data to the second provider when the call is not forwarded to the radio network operations system on the subordinate level.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the first interface and the second interface are uniform interfaces.

15. The system according to claim 13, further comprising:

a second ascertainer at the radio network operations system on the superior level configured to ascertain whether the data can be received from the radio network operations system on the subordinate level affected by the controlling action within a predetermined latency, the second interface further configured to forward the call for data to the second provider when the data cannot be received within a predetermined latency.

16. The system according to claim 10, further comprising:

a monitor configured to monitor a configuration of at least one of radio network elements and radio network resources; and

a controller configured to control configuration of the at least one of radio network elements and radio network resources.

17. The system according to claim 13, wherein the call generator, the first interface, the second interface, the first provider, and the second provider are configured to generate and forward a call for at least one of network element parameters and network resource parameters and to forward and provide the at least one of network element parameters and network resource parameters.

18. The system according to claim 13, wherein the call generator, the first interface, the second interface, the first provider, and the second provider are configured to generate and forward a call for topology data and to forward and provide the topology data.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the first interface, the second interface, the first provider, and the second provider comprise a topology reader and a managed object reader.

20. The system according to claim 13, further comprising:

a second data memory, at the radio network operations system on the superior level, configured to store planned data;

a third provider, at the radio network operations system on the superior level, configured to provide the planned data; and

a third interface configured to forward the call for data to the third provider.

21. The system according to claim 10, wherein the radio network operations system on a subordinate level is an operations system configured to manage a regional radio network.

22. An apparatus, comprising:

a first interface between a radio network operations system on a subordinate level and a radio network operations system on a superior level configured to forward a call for data which depends on a controlling action to at least one of the radio network operations systems on the subordinate level affected by the controlling action and to forward data to the radio network operations system on the superior level, wherein data is provided in response to the call for data,

wherein the at least one radio network operations system on a subordinate level comprises at least one access network.

23. A method, comprising:

forwarding a call for data which depends on a controlling action, using a first interface between a radio network operations system on a subordinate level and a radio network operations system on a superior level, to at least one of the radio network operations systems on the subordinate level affected by the controlling action and to forward data to the radio network operations system on the superior level; and

providing the data in response to the call for data,

wherein the at least one radio network operations system on a subordinate level comprises at least one access network.