Self-optimizing network (SON) system for mobile networks

• US 9,918,239 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2016
• Issued: 03/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Viavi Solutions UK Limted (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Viavi Solutions UK Limted (Lumentum Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Thomas, Howard John, Stanciuc, Mihai, Padfield, David Charles, Trybulec, Robert Edward, Randall, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Kasraian, Allahyar
• Application Number:
  US15/199,561
• Publication Number:
  US 20170026856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 455436-444, 370331-333
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0823 characterised by the purposes of a change of settings, e.g. optimising configuration for enhancing reliability for optimising operational conditions of wireless networks H04W24/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/147 for predicting network behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/149 for prediction of maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0268 using specific QoS parameters for wireless networks, e.g. QoS class identifier [QCI] or guaranteed bit rate [GBR] negotiating SLA or negotiating QoS H04W28/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0061 of neighbour cell information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00835 Determination of neighbour cell lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A device receives subscriber records for mobile devices associated with a mobile network, and receives performance data associated with the mobile network in near real time. The performance data includes one or more of performance management statistics, call trace data associated with the subscriber records, and geolocated subscriber records for the mobile devices. The device stores the geolocated subscriber records with other types of data in an asynchronous manner, and receives configuration data associated with the mobile network and indicating a topology of the mobile network. The device identifies, based on at least one of the topology and the performance data, a desired topology of the mobile network. The desired topology is predicted to achieve at least one of improved network performance or alignment with a network design policy.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a device, performance data associated with a mobile network,

the performance data including information identifying a frequency of use of neighbor cells for handovers;

determining, by the device, call completion codes based on the performance data;

determining, by the device, a list of neighbor cells based on the call completion codes;

modifying, by the device and to obtain a modified neighbor relation list, a first portion of a neighbor relation list based on the list of neighbor cells and the frequency of use of neighbor cells for handovers;

modifying, by the device and to obtain the modified neighbor relation list, a second portion of the neighbor relation list based on one or more measurement reports;

updating, by the device, configuration data with the modified neighbor relation list; and

providing, by the device, the configuration data.

2. The method of claim 1, where receiving the performance data associated with the mobile network comprises:

receiving the performance data from a data source that determines the performance data based on raw network data associated with the mobile network.

3. The method of claim 1, where the list of neighbor cells includes a whitelist of neighbor cells that are not to be removed from the neighbor relation list.

4. The method of claim 1, where the list of neighbor cells includes a blacklist of neighbor cells that are not to be added to the neighbor relation list.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

adding information associated with a neighbor cell to the blacklist of neighbor cells based on the neighbor cell being associated with an unobtainable cell.

6. The method of claim 1, where the frequency of use of neighbor cells for handovers comprises a quantity of neighbor cell add attempts measured on one or more frequencies of the mobile network.

7. The method of claim 1, where the performance data further includes information identifying one or more of throughput of the mobile network, dropped calls of the mobile network, a quality of service (QoS) of the mobile network, or a bandwidth of the mobile network.

8. A device comprising:

one or more processors to;

receive performance data associated with a mobile network,

the performance data including information identifying a frequency of use of neighbor cells for handovers;

determine a list of neighbor cells based on call completion codes of the performance data;

modify, to obtain a modified neighbor relation list, a first portion of a neighbor relation list based on the list of neighbor cells and the frequency of use of neighbor cells for handover;

modify, to obtain the modified neighbor relation list, a second portion of the neighbor relation list based on one or more measurement reports;

update configuration data with the modified neighbor relation list; and

provide the configuration data.

9. The device of claim 8, where the one or more processors, when receiving the performance data associated with the mobile network, are to:

receive the performance data directly from the mobile network.

10. The device of claim 8, where the list of neighbor cells comprises a whitelist of neighbor cells.

11. The device of claim 10, where one or more processors are further to:

add information associated with a neighbor cell to the whitelist of neighbor cells based on the neighbor cell being associated with a dropped call due to a missing neighbor cell.

12. The device of claim 8, where one or more processors are further to:

add information associated with a neighbor cell to the list of neighbor cells based on a utilization of a relationship associated with the neighbor cell.

13. The device of claim 8, where the performance data further includes information identifying one or more of throughput of the mobile network, dropped calls of the mobile network, a quality of service (QoS) of the mobile network, or a bandwidth of the mobile network.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive configuration data associated with a mobile network,

the configuration data including a neighbor relation list;

receive performance data associated with the mobile network,

the performance data including information identifying a frequency of use of neighbor cells for handovers;

determine a list of neighbor cells based on call completion codes;

modify, to obtain a modified neighbor relation list, a portion of the neighbor relation list based on the list of neighbor cells and the frequency of use of neighbor cells for handovers;

modify, to obtain the modified neighbor relation list, another portion of the neighbor relation list based on one or more measurement reports;

update the configuration data with the modified neighbor relation list; and

provide the configuration data.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the instructions further comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

determine the call completion codes based on the performance data.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the one or more instructions to receive the performance data comprise:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive the performance data from at least one of a set of probes, a set of measurement instruments, a set of virtual network functions (VNFs), a set of third party performance managers (PMs), or a set of network slices.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the list of neighbor cells comprises a blacklist of neighbor cells.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the list of neighbor cells comprises a whitelist of neighbor cells.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the performance data further includes information identifying one or more of throughput of the mobile network, dropped calls of the mobile network, a quality of service (QoS) of the mobile network, or a bandwidth of the mobile network.