Methods and apparatus to discover spectrum usage of mobile carriers

• US 8,886,161 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2012
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Ngai, Dominic H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhattacharya, Sam
• Application Number:
  US13/646,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20140099914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 767 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/450, 455/451, 455/561, 455/562.1, 370/210, 370/329, 370/432
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0061 of neighbour cell information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0085 Hand-off measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for discovering spectrum usage of mobile carriers. An example method includes extracting channel information from a plurality of messages transmitted to mobile devices over a wireless communications radio spectrum, identifying a mobile carrier based on the channel information, associating the channel information with a network parameter of the mobile carrier, and determining a channel usage characteristic associated with mobile carrier based on the channel information and the network parameter.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

extracting channel information from messages transmitted to mobile devices over a wireless communications radio spectrum;

identifying a number of channels contained in the channel information

which have network parameters associated with a same mobile carrier; and

determining a frequency hopping list associated with the mobile carrier based on the number of channels.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the channel information for messages received by the mobile devices in an idle state comprises at least one of random access channel allocation information or broadcast control channel allocation information in neighboring cells of a global system for mobile communications network.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the channel information for messages received by a mobile device in a traffic state comprises frequency hopping channel allocation information in neighboring cells of a global system for mobile communications network.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the network parameters comprise at least one of a cell identification, a broadcast control channel, a mobile country code, a network code, or a location area code.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising determining at least one of a channel allocation ratio for control usage, a channel allocation ratio for traffic usage, or a channel allocation ratio for shared control and traffic usage based on the number of channels contained in the channel information.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the channel information from messages received by at least one of the mobile devices in an idle state comprises at least one of a mobile carrier frequency or a channel number for use in a code division multiple access.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the channel information from messages received by at least one of the mobile devices in a traffic state comprises a traffic channel number for a corresponding cell in which the corresponding message was received or a handoff frequency of a neighboring cell in a code division multiple access network.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the network parameters comprise at least one of pseudo-noise offset, a base station identification, a system identification number, or a network identification number.

9. A method according to claim 1, further comprising determining at least one of a total radio frequency spectrum for the mobile carrier or a channel allocation for each sector of a network cell of the mobile carrier.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the network parameters comprise at least one of a pseudo-noise code for cell sector identification, a base station identification, a system identification number, or a network identification number.

11. A method according to claim 1, further comprising associating the channel information with second channel information associated with previously transmitted messages that used at least one of the same network parameters.

12. A method according to claim 1, further comprising mapping the frequency hopping list to at least one of a data table or corresponding geographic locations at which the messages were at least one of transmitted or received from mobile devices, wherein the corresponding geographic locations are determined based on the network parameters associated with the mobile carrier.

13. An apparatus comprising:

an analyzer to determine a number of channels contained in channel information and associated with a same mobile carrier, the channel information extracted from a plurality of messages transmitted to mobile devices over a wireless communications radio spectrum;

a correlator to associate network parameters extracted from the channel information with the mobile carrier; and

a mapper to determine a frequency hopping list for the mobile carrier based on the channels contained in the channel information.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the channel information is received by a first one of the mobile devices in an idle state and comprises at least one of random access channel allocation or broadcast control channel allocation information in neighboring cells of a mobile communications network.

15. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the channel information is received by a first one of the mobile devices in a traffic state and comprises frequency hopping channel allocation information in neighboring cells of a mobile communications network.

16. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the network parameters comprise at least one of a cell identification, a broadcast control channel, a mobile country code, a network code, or a location area code.

17. An apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising determining at least one of a channel allocation ratio for control usage, a channel allocation ratio for traffic usage, or a channel allocation ratio for shared control and traffic usage based on the number of channels contained in the channel information.

18. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the channel information from the messages is received by at least one of the mobile devices in an idle state and comprises at least one of a mobile carrier frequency or a channel number for use in a code division multiple access.

19. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the channel information from the messages comprises at least one of a cell identification, a broadcast control channel, a mobile country code, a mobile network code, or a location area code.

20. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the network parameters comprise at least one of pseudo-noise offset, a base station identification, a system identification number, or a network identification number.

21. An apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising determining at least one of a total radio frequency spectrum for the mobile carrier or a channel allocation for each sector of a network cell of the mobile carrier.

22. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the network parameters comprise at least one of a pseudo-noise code for cell sector identification, a base station identification, a system identification number, or a network identification number.

23. A apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising associating the channel information with second channel information associated with previously transmitted messages that used at least one of the same network parameters.

24. A apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the mapper is to map the frequency hopping list to at least one of a data table or corresponding geographic locations at which the messages were at least one of transmitted or received from mobile devices, wherein the corresponding geographic locations are determined based on the network parameters or a global positioning system associated with the mobile carrier.

25. A tangible machine readable storage medium comprising instructions which when executed cause a machine to at least:

extract channel information from messages transmitted to mobile devices over a wireless communications radio spectrum;

identify a number of channels contained in the channel information

which have network parameters associated with a same mobile carrier; and

determine a frequency hopping list associated with the mobile carrier based on the number of channels.

26. A storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the channel information for at least one of the messages is received by at least one of the mobile devices in an idle state and comprises at least one of random access channel allocation information or broadcast control channel allocation information in neighboring cells of a global system for mobile communications network.

27. A storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the channel information for at least one of the messages is received by at least one of mobile devices in a traffic state and comprises frequency hopping channel allocation information in neighboring cells of a global system for mobile communications network.

28. A storage medium according to claim 27, wherein the network parameters comprise at least one of a cell identification, a broadcast control channel, a mobile country code, a network code, or a location area code.

29. A storage medium according to claim 27, further comprising determining at least one of a channel allocation ratio for control usage, a channel allocation ratio for traffic usage, or a channel allocation ratio for shared control and traffic usage based on the number of channels contained in the channel information.

30. A storage medium according to claim 27, wherein the channel information from the messages is received by at least one of the mobile devices in an idle state comprises at least one of a mobile carrier frequency or a channel number for use in a code division multiple access.

31. A storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the channel information from the messages is received by at least one of the mobile devices in a traffic state comprises a traffic channel number for a corresponding cell in which the message was received or a handoff frequency of a neighboring cell in a code division multiple access network.

32. A storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the network parameters comprise at least one of pseudo-noise offset, a base station identification, a system identification number, or a network identification number.

33. A storage medium according to claim 25, further comprising determining at least one of a total radio frequency spectrum for the mobile carrier or a channel allocation for each sector of a network cell of the mobile carrier.

34. A storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the network parameters comprise at least one of a pseudo-noise code for cell sector identification, a base station identification, a system identification number, or a network identification number.

35. A storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the instructions cause the machine to associate the channel information with second channel information associated with previously transmitted messages that used at least one of the same network parameters.

36. A storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the instructions cause the machine to map the frequency hopping list to at least one of a data table or corresponding geographic locations at which the messages were at least one of transmitted or received from mobile devices, the corresponding geographic locations to be determined based on the network parameter parameters associated with the mobile carrier.