Method and system for offering to provide a femtocell to a subscriber

• US 9,014,689 B1
• Filed: 07/11/2012
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Pierce, Matthew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Mahendra
• Assistant Examiner(s): COSME, NATASHA W
• Application Number:
  US13/546,724
• Time in Patent Office: 1,014 Days
• Field of Search: 455/423, 455/406, 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/446, 455/422.1, 705/1.1, 705/345
• US Class Current: 455/423
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

A method and system for offering to provide a femtocell to a subscriber is disclosed. The method includes a computer system making a first determination (i) that a level of wireless performance experienced by a mobile station of a subscriber at a given location is less than a threshold and (ii) that at least one cause of the level of wireless performance being less than the threshold level is a network issue rather than a mobile-station specific issue. The method further includes the computer system making a second determination that the given location is location associated with a billing address of the subscriber. The method then includes, in response to making the first and second determinations, the computer system initiating a process of offering to provide a femtocell to the subscriber.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a computer system making a first determination (i) that a level of wireless performance experienced by a mobile station of a subscriber at a given location is less than a threshold and (ii) that at least one cause of the level of wireless performance being less than the threshold level is a network issue rather than a mobile-station specific issue;

the computer system making a second determination that the given location is a location associated with a billing address of the subscriber; and

responsive to making the first and second determinations, the computer system initiating a process of offering to provide a femtocell to the subscriber.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein making the first determination comprises:

the computer system identifying a given network issue at the given location; and

the computer system treating the given network issue as a cause of the level of wireless performance being less than the threshold level.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein identifying the given network issue at the given location comprises:

based at least on coverage map data, making a third determination the a level of coverage at the given location is below a threshold; and

responsive to the third determination, identifying the level of coverage at the given location as the given network issue.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the coverage map data comprises coverage map data based at least on data from mobile events of a plurality of other subscribers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer system making the first determination (i) that a level of wireless performance experienced by a mobile station of a subscriber at a given location is less than a threshold and (ii) that at least one cause of the level of wireless performance being less than the threshold level is a network issue rather than a mobile-station specific issue, comprises:

the computer system determining (i) that a level of wireless performance experienced by a mobile station of a subscriber at a given location is less than a threshold and (ii) that a primary cause of the level of wireless performance being less than the threshold level is a network issue rather than a mobile-station specific issue.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining that a primary cause of the level of wireless performance being less than the threshold level is a network issue rather than a mobile-station specific issue comprises:

identifying a network issue at the given location as the primary cause of the level of wireless performance being less than the threshold level; and

ruling out a mobile-station specific issue as the primary cause of the level of wireless performance being less than the threshold level.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein ruling out a mobile-station specific issue as the primary cause of the level of wireless performance being less than the threshold level comprises:

making a third determination that a macro-network-wide level of wireless performance experienced by the mobile station in the macro-network is above a second threshold level; and

responsive to making the third determination, determining that a mobile-station specific issue is not the primary cause of the level of wireless performance being less than the threshold level.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second threshold level is a percentage of negative mobile events that occurred in the macro-network compared to total mobile events that occurred in the macro-network.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein ruling out a mobile-station specific issue as the primary cause of the level of wireless performance being less than the threshold level comprises:

identifying a model of the mobile station;

making a third determination that the identified model of the mobile station is associated with a history of wireless performance that is above a second threshold level; and

responsive to making the third determination, determining that mobile-station specific issue is not the primary cause of the level of wireless performance being less than the threshold level.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the history of wireless performance is based on historical wireless performance of a plurality of mobile stations of the same model.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein ruling out a mobile-station specific issue as the primary cause of the level of wireless performance being less than the threshold level comprises:

identifying an age of the mobile station and a model of the mobile station;

making a third determination that the identified age and model of the mobile station are associated with a history of wireless performance that is above a second threshold level;

responsive to making the third determination, determining that mobile-station specific issue is not the primary cause of the level of wireless performance being less than the threshold level.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the history of wireless performance is based on historical wireless performance of a plurality of mobile stations of the same model and having an age within a given age range, wherein the given age range ranges from (i) an age that is a first threshold amount below the age of the mobile station, wherein the first threshold amount is less than one year, and (ii) an age that is a second threshold amount above the age of the mobile station.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein offering to provide a femtocell to the subscriber comprises offering to provide the femtocell to the subscriber for installation of the femtocell at the given location, so as to improve the level of wireless performance experienced by the mobile station when the mobile station is at the given location.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold level is a percentage of negative mobile events that occurred at the given location compared to total mobile events that occurred at the given location.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold level is associated with a high propensity to leave a wireless service provider, and wherein the high propensity is a propensity greater than 25%.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating a process of offering to provide a femtocell to the subscriber comprises the computer system flagging a profile of the subscriber with a flag, wherein the flag serves to indicate that the subscriber is a candidate to which to offer to provide a femtocell.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the process comprises a communication to the subscriber, wherein the communication is selected from the group consisting of an email message, a text message, a phone call, a web-based message, and a letter sent via postal mail.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after the computer system initiating a process of offering to provide a femtocell to the subscriber, offering to provide the femtocell to the subscriber.

19. A system for offering to provide a femtocell to a subscriber, the system comprising:

a position-determining module;

an analysis module; and

a femtocell-offering module,

wherein the position-determining module is configured to, for each of a plurality of mobile events of a mobile station of a given subscriber, determine a location where the mobile event occurred,

wherein the analysis module is configured to (i) make a first determination (a) that a level of wireless performance experienced by a mobile station of a subscriber at a given location is less than a threshold and (b) that at least one cause of the level of wireless performance being less than the threshold level is a network issue rather than a mobile-station specific issue, and (ii) make a second determination that the given location is location associated with a billing address of the subscriber,

wherein the femtocell-offering module is configured to initiate a process of offering a femtocell to the subscriber responsive to the first and second determinations.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the position-determining module, the analysis module, and the femtocell-offering module each comprise at least one processor.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the position-determining module, the analysis module, and the femtocell-offering module share a processor.