Method and system for audit management of neighbour cells in a cellular communication network

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method and a system for audit management of neighbour cells in a cellular communication network. The disclosure encompasses: transmitting, by a Centralized Self-Organizing Network (CSON) [204], an audit request to a Distributed Self-Organizing Network (DSON) [202], wherein the audit request is for verifying neighbour relations of a serving cell; receiving, by the CSON [204], an audit response from the DSON [202], the audit response comprises a first neighbour relation table (NRT) data associated with the serving cell, the first NRT data is stored at the DSON [202]; comparing, by the CSON [204], the received first NRT data with second NRT data stored at the CSON [204] to detect inconsistencies between neighbour relations recorded by the CSON [204] and the DSON [202]; and synchronizing, by the CSON [204], the first NRT data with the second NRT data based on the comparison.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AUDIT MANAGEMENT OF NEIGHBOUR CEEES IN A CEEEUEAR COMMUNICATION NETWORKFIEED OF THE DISCEOSURE

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of cellular communication systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to methods and systems for performing the management of neighbour cells in a cellular communication network.BACKGROUND

[0002] The following description of related art is intended to provide background information pertaining to the field of the disclosure. This section may include certain aspects of the art that may be related to various features of the present disclosure. However, it should be appreciated that this section be used only to enhance the understanding of the reader with respect to the present disclosure, and not as admissions of prior art.

[0003] Wireless communication technology has rapidly evolved over the past few decades, with each generation bringing significant improvements and advancements. The first generation of wireless communication technology was based on analog technology and offered only voice services. However, with the advent of the second-generation (2G) technology, digital communication and data services became possible, and text messaging was introduced. 3G technology marked the introduction of high-speed internet access, mobile video calling, and location-based services. The fourth-generation (4G) technology revolutionized wireless communication with faster data speeds, better network coverage, and improved security. Currently, the fifth-generation (5G) technology is being deployed, promising even faster data speeds, low latency, and the ability to connect multiple devices simultaneously. With each generation, wireless communication technology has become more advanced, sophisticated, and capable of delivering more services to its users.

[0004] In general, a cellular communication system is a type of communication system that operates with a huge network of cells. The network of cells or various neighbor cells is required in a system to provide the user or a set of users with a smooth and reliable experience of using their device wirelessly at any point of time or from any place without worrying about the disconnection of calls and data services. For instance, during a call, a mobile terminal may movein the geography from a first cell to a second cell. During the change in the position of the mobile terminal, the neighboring cells may coordinate internally among themselves (e.g., may share information like load, traffic, and availability) to provide the user or mobile terminal a smooth experience of handover i.e., handover of the call or services of the UE from the first network to another neighbor network. Therefore, it is very important to manage or monitor the parameters of the neighbor cells to prevent any adverse impact on user experience as well as services (such as 4G / 5G) provided to the user in a cellular communication system.

[0005] However, sometimes due to various factors such as lack of communication between the neighbor cells, deviation in the data (such as neighbor relation table (NRT) data) related to the neighbor cells, network inconsistencies, misinformation between a Distributed Self-Organizing Network (DSON) and a Centralized Self-Organizing Network (CSON) and the like may happen. Further, there is a difference between the way data is being stored and maintained in the CSON and DSON database, hence over time there can be inconsistency in the NRT data of CSON and DSON both in case of network(s) such as 5G, NR, 4G, EUTRA and other network neighbors. This inconsistency may lead to misinformation between DSON and CSON affecting the working and efficiency of neighbor-based algorithms of CSON system. Hence, the user experience as well as overall network working performance and efficiency degrades, due to inconsistency in NRT data between CSON and DSON, which needs to be considered and monitored (maybe via audit procedure). Further, the current known solutions fail to efficiently monitor or audit the neighbour cells in a cellular communication system.

[0006] Thus, in order to improve the radio access network capacity and performance as well as to overcome the above limitation, there exists an imperative need in the art to efficiently monitor and manage the neighbour cells via a neighbour cell audit management system, which the present disclosure aims to address. The present disclosure facilitates the NRT data consistency between CSON and DSON either in a pre-defined period, in near real-time, or on a demand basis for efficient and smooth functioning of the overall cellular system.OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment disclosed herein satisfies are listed herein below.

[0008] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a system and a method for performing audit management of the neighbour cells in a cellular communication network.

[0009] It is another object of the present disclosure to maintain the consistency between the Neighbour Relation Table (NRT) information of a Centralised Self-Organizing Network (CSON) and a Distributed Self-Organizing Network (DSON).

[0010] It is another object of the present disclosure to solve the disparity between CSON and DSON NRT data.SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0011] This section is provided to introduce certain aspects of the present disclosure in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify the key features or the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0012] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a method for managing an audit of neighbour cells in a cellular communication network is disclosed. The method includes transmitting, by a Centralized Self-Organizing Network (CSON), an audit request to a Distributed Self-Organizing Network (DSON), wherein the audit request is for verifying neighbour relations of a serving cell. Next, the method includes receiving, by the CSON, an audit response from the DSON, the audit response comprises a first neighbour relation table (NRT) data associated with the serving cell, the first NRT data is stored at the DSON. Next, the method includes comparing, by the CSON, the received first NRT data with a second NRT data stored at the CSON to detect inconsistencies between neighbour relations recorded by the CSON and the DSON. Thereafter, the method includes synchronizing, by the CSON, the first NRT data with the second NRT data based on the comparison.

[0013] In an aspect, the synchronizing corresponds to performing at least one of updating the second NRT data to match the first NRT data, adding a set of missing neighbour details to the second NRT data, and deleting a set of extraneous neighbour details from the second NRT data.

[0014] In an aspect, transmitting the audit request is initiated at least one of periodically, on- demand, and in response to a reboot of network equipment associated with the DSON.

[0015] In an aspect, the audit request and the audit response are facilitated through a RESTfiil communication protocol.

[0016] In an aspect, the comparison of the first NRT data and the second NRT data comprises both New Radio (NR) and Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (EUTRA) compatible set of neighbours.

[0017] In an aspect, transmitting, by the CSON, a neighbour information retrieval request to the DSON for missing set of neighbour details when the comparison indicates that the first NRT data comprises a set of neighbours not present in the second NRT data.

[0018] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a system for managing audit of neighbour cells in a cellular communication network is disclosed. The system comprising a Centralized Self-Organizing Network (CSON). The CSON comprising: a transmitting unit configured to transmit an audit request to a Distributed Self-Organizing Network (DSON), wherein the audit request is for verifying neighbour relations of a serving cell; a receiving unit configured to receive an audit response from the DSON, the audit response comprises a first neighbour relation table (NRT) data associated with the serving cell, the first NRT data is stored at the DSON; a comparator configured to compare the received first NRT data with a second NRT data stored at the CSON to detect inconsistencies between neighbour relations at the CSON and the DSON; and a synchroniser configured to synchronise the first NRT data with the second NRT data based on the comparison.

[0019] According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium storing instructions for managing audit of neighbour cells in a cellular communication network system is disclosed. The instructions include executable code which, when executed, may causes a transmitting unit of a Centralized Self-Organizing Network (CSON) to transmit an audit request to a Distributed Self-Organizing Network (DSON), wherein the audit request is for verifying neighbour relations of a serving cell; a receiving unit of the CSON to receive an audit response from the DSON, the audit response comprises a first neighbour relation table (NRT) data associated with the serving cell, the first NRT data is stored at the DSON; a comparator of the CSON to compare the received first NRT data with a second NRT data stored at the CSON to detect inconsistencies between neighbour relations at the CSON and the DSON; and a synchroniser of the CSON to synchronise the first NRT data with the second NRT data based on the comparison.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosed methods and systems in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the different drawings. Components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Some drawings may indicate the components using block diagrams and may not represent the internal circuitry of each component. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that disclosure of such drawings includes disclosure of electrical components, electronic components or circuitry commonly used to implement such components.

[0021] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a system for audit management of neighbour cells in a cellular communication network, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary systems architecture of Self Organizing Network, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary system architecture for audit management of neighbour cells in a cellular communication network, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary method flow diagram of a method for audit management of neighbour cells in a cellular communication network, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a computing device upon which an embodiment of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0026] The foregoing shall be more apparent from the following more detailed description of the disclosure.DESCRIPTION

[0027] In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, various specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Several features described hereafter can each be used independently of one another or with any combination of other features. An individual feature may not address any of the problems discussed above or might address only some of the problems discussed above. Some of the problems discussed above might not be fully addressed by any of the features described herein. Example embodiments of the present disclosure are described below, as illustrated in various drawings in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the different drawings.

[0028] The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing an exemplary embodiment. It should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth.

[0029] It should be noted that the terms "mobile device", "user equipment", "user device", “communication device”, “device” and similar terms are used interchangeably for the purpose of describing the invention. These terms are not intended to limit the scope of the invention or imply any specific functionality or limitations on the described embodiments. The use of these terms is solely for convenience and clarity of description. The invention is not limited to any particular type of device or equipment, and it should be understood that other equivalent terms or variations thereof may be used interchangeably without departing from the scope of the invention as defined herein.

[0030] Specific details are given in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. For example, circuits, systems, networks, processes, and other components may be shown as components in block diagram form in order not to obscure the embodiments in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments.

[0031] Also, it is noted that individual embodiments may be described as a process which is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A process is terminated when its operations are completed but could have additional steps not included in a figure.

[0032] The word “exemplary” and / or “demonstrative” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. In addition, any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” and / or “demonstrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to preclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “has,” “contains,” and other similar words are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive — in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as an open transition word — without precluding any additional or other elements.

[0033] As used herein, an “electronic device”, or “portable electronic device”, or “user device” or “communication device” or “user equipment” or “device” refers to any electrical, electronic, electromechanical and computing device. The user device is capable of receiving and / or transmitting one or parameters, performing function / s, communicating with other user devices and transmitting data to the other user devices. The user equipment may have a processor, a display, a memory, a battery and an input-means such as a hard keypad and / or a soft keypad. The user equipment may be capable of operating on any radio access technology including but not limited to IP-enabled communication, Zig Bee, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, Near Field Communication, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi direct, etc. For instance, the user equipment may include, but not limited to, a mobile phone, smartphone, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, laptop, a general-purpose computer, desktop, personal digital assistant, tablet computer, mainframe computer, or any other device as may be obvious to a person skilled in the art for implementation of the features of the present disclosure.

[0034] Further, the user device may also comprise a “processor” or “processing unit” includes processing unit, wherein processor refers to any logic circuitry for processing instructions. The processor may be a general-purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessorsin association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits, Field Programmable Gate Array circuits, any other type of integrated circuits, etc. The processor may perform signal coding data processing, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the working of the system according to the present disclosure. More specifically, the processor is a hardware processor.

[0035] As portable electronic devices and wireless technologies continue to improve and grow in popularity, the advancing wireless technologies for data transfer are also expected to evolve and replace the older generations of technologies. In the field of wireless data communications, the dynamic advancement of various generations of cellular technology are also seen. The development, in this respect, has been incremental in the order of second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), and now fifth generation (5G), and more such generations are expected to continue in the forthcoming time.

[0036] Radio Access Technology (RAT) refers to the technology used by mobile devices / user equipment (UE) to connect to a cellular network. It refers to the specific protocol and standards that govern the way devices communicate with base stations, which are responsible for providing the wireless connection. Further, each RAT has its own set of protocols and standards for communication, which define the frequency bands, modulation techniques, and other parameters used for transmitting and receiving data. Examples of RATs include GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), LTE (Long-Term Evolution), and 5G. The choice of RAT depends on a variety of factors, including the network infrastructure, the available spectrum, and the mobile device's / device's capabilities. Mobile devices often support multiple RATs, allowing them to connect to different types of networks and provide optimal performance based on the available network resources.

[0037] As used herein, Radio Access Network (RAN) node includes, but not limited to, components such as gNodeB or gNB, eNodeB or eNB, base station, macro cells, Indoor Small Cells (IDSC), Outdoor Small Cells (ODSC), mmWave nodes, WLAN access points and similar devices.

[0038] As used herein, the SON refers to a self-organizing network (SON) which is an automation technology designed to make the planning, configuration, management, optimization and healing of mobile radio access networks simpler and faster. The CSON and DSON refers to centralizedSON and Distributed SON respectively. The Centralized SON (also referred as Zonal / Local SON too) responsible for managing DSON. In an exemplary aspect, the DSON may represents such as, but not limited to, each gNB or eNB.

[0039] As discussed in the background section, the current known solutions fail to efficiently monitor or audit the neighbour cells in a cellular communication system. In addition, there is a huge difference between the way data is being stored and maintained in CSON and DSON database, hence over time there is inconsistency in the NRT of CSON and DSON both in case of NR and EUTRA neighbour cells. Inconsistency in the NRT data in CSON and DSON lead to misinformation between DSON and CSON affecting the working and efficiency of the cellular system.

[0040] The present disclosure aims to overcome the above-mentioned and other existing problems in this field of technology by allowing an audit procedure to solve disparity between CSON and DSON NRT data. By performing the audit procedure periodically, on demand or in case of reboot of RAN node any discrepancy of NRT between CSON and DSON will be resolved leading to the efficient and expected behaviour of SON system.

[0041] As used herein, the neighbour relation table (NRT) data information is used by network devices, such as herein CSON and DSON, to maintain information about their neighbours. The NRT information contains information such as, but not limited to, about the network service provider devices, network service support devices that are connected to the same network segment as the local device.

[0042] The present disclosure provides a solution to perform audit management of the neighbour cells in a cellular communication network. In order to start the audit procedure, the CSON first sends an audit request such as NR NBR CGI AUDIT REQ to DSON. The request for audit from the CSON to the DSON may be triggered through at least one of a plurality of the conditions. The plurality of conditions may include but are not limited to audit indication, which is received from DSON after the reboot of Radio Access Network (RAN) node; audit indication through SON CLI (on demand); and periodical audit, where the period of audit is configurable. Next, the request received from CSON i.e., NR_NBR_CGI_AUDIT_REQ is then passed onto 0AM Manager interface. The 0AM manager interface then forwards it to 0AM Agent. Next, the 0AM Agents further sends it to RAN node Mgr (RAN node manager, such as element management systems). Finally, the request is transmitted to DSON from the RAN node Manager.

[0043] The request received from the CSON to DSON contains the serving cell information for which audit needs to be performed. Next, the DSON extracts the serving cell NRT mapping from its database which contains the details of the New Radio (NR) cells those are the neighbours of the serving cell received in the request. DSON responds with this extracted information of NR (or EUTRA, case may be) neighbour cells with NR NBR CGI AUDIT RSP message. The response of DSON is passed to CSON via intermediate stages. Finally, on receiving NR_NBR_CGI_AUDIT_RSP message, the CSON gets the count of the neighbours present at DSON end based on which CSON follow the following three conditions:

[0044] First, the CSON compares the neighbour cells to check if neighbours at DSON are same as the neighbours at CSON. Accordingly, the CSON update the NRT key value in case of any mismatch in the values at the NRT.

[0045] Second, the CSON compares the neighbour cells to check if neighbours at DSON are less than the neighbours at CSON. Accordingly, the CSON delete the extra neighbour cell at its end for the corresponding serving cell.

[0046] Third, the CSON compares the neighbour cells to check if neighbours at DSON are more than the neighbours at CSON. Accordingly, the CSON sends NR NBR INFO CGI RETRIEVE REQ to the DSON for the serving cell in consideration in order to get the required information related to the missing neighbours. The NR NBR INFO CGI RETRIEVE REQ follows the same path as NR NBR CGI AUDIT REQ and is accepted at DSON. DSON then sends back information of those missing NR NBRs from its NRT to CSON with NR NBR INFO CGI RETRIEVE RSP message. Accordingly, the CSON then adds this information of neighbours in its NRT mapping, thus removing the disparity between CSON and DSON NRT.

[0047] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0048] Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary block diagram of a system

[0100] to perform audit management of the neighbour cells in a cellular communication network is shown, in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The system

[0100] comprises at least one processing unit

[0102] connected with CSON, DSON, Operation and Management (0AM)Manager, RAN node and the like. The system further comprises at least one storage unit

[0104] , Also, all of the components / units of the system

[0100] are assumed to be connected to each other unless otherwise indicated below. Also, in Fig. 1 only a few units are shown, however, the system

[0100] may comprise multiple such units or the system

[0100] may comprise any such numbers of said units, as required to implement the features of the present disclosure. Further, in an implementation, the system

[0100] may be present at a network level to implement the features of the present invention. In an implementation, the system

[0100] may reside in a server or a network entity or at any appropriate location.

[0049] The system

[0100] is configured to perform audit management of the neighbour cells in a cellular communication network, with the help of the interconnection between the components / units of the system

[0100] ,

[0050] The 0AM Manager facilitates for establishing network services operation, administering, managing and maintaining the network system. The 0AM Manager may contain one or more 0AM agent and 0AM Manager Interface. In an exemplary aspect, the 0AM Manager and its components may perform specific tasks via processor or processing unit. In another exemplary aspect, the 0AM Manager and its components may perform desired tasks via instruction sets. In an exemplary aspect, the 0AM Manager facilitates communication between CSON and DSON. In another exemplary aspect, the 0AM manager may facilitate communication between other network entities also. The 0AM Manager may use communication protocol such as HTTP (RESTfiil) for communicating with other network nodes in the network.

[0051] The processing unit

[0102] of the system

[0100] via CSON, DSCON or 0AM Manager is configured to initiate an audit request. For instance, the CSON may initiate an audit request for the audit of the NRT data at the CSON. In an exemplary aspect, the CSON may initiate the audit request in one of such as configurable periodic manner, on demand or audit indication which is received from DSON. Next, the CSON may receive an audit response with NRT mapping from the DSON. Next, the CSON may compare the neighbour cell values received from the DSON with the NRT values of CSON and accordingly may either delete extra neighbour, may add extra neighbour based on further communication with DSON or may ignore based on the conditions as explained above. Thus, audit of the neighbour is performed to efficiently handle the functioning of the cellular system and the corresponding neighbours.

[0052] The storage unit

[0104] is configured to store data associated with implementation of the features of the present invention.

[0053] FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary systems architecture of Self Organizing Network in a cellular communication network, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The system includes at least one CSON

[0204] , at least one CSON NRT

[0208] associated with CSON

[0204] , at least one 0AM Manager

[0206] , at least one 0AM Manager interface [206a] and at least one 0AM Agent [206b] associated with the 0AM Manager

[0206] , at least one DSON

[0202] , and at least one DSON NRT

[0210] associated with DSON

[0202] to perform the features of the present invention. The CSON

[0204] comprises Transmitting Unit [204a], Receiving Unit [204b], Comparator [204c] and Synchronizer [204d]. Further, these units or components of CSON

[0204] may communicate with each-other via interconnections, however, due to clarity purpose interconnections are not shown. The Comparator [204c] compares NRT data information and Synchronizer [204d] updates / synchronizes the NRT data information.

[0054] The CSON includes the transmitting unit [204a], configured to transmit an audit request to a Distributed Self-Organizing Network (DSON). The audit request is for verifying neighbour relations of a serving cell. The CSON includes the receiving unit [204b], configured to receive an audit response from the DSON. The audit response includes a first neighbour relation table (NRT) data associated with the serving cell. The first NRT data is stored at the DSON. The CSON includes the comparator [204c], configured to compare the received first NRT data with a second NRT data stored at the CSON to detect inconsistencies between neighbour relations at the CSON and the DSON. The CSON includes the synchroniser [204d], configured to and configured to the first NRT data with the second NRT data based on the comparison.

[0055] Referring to FIG. 2B, a system architecture

[0200] for audit management of neighbour cells is shown, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The system architecture

[0200] is implemented by the units of the system architecture

[0200] , in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

[0056] Audit procedure starts with CSON

[0204] at step SI, sending NBR CGI AUDIT REQ (contains serving cell identities such as, but not limited to, gNB Identity, NR cell identity (NCI), NR cell global identity (NCGI), Physical cell identifier (PCI), cell ID, E-UTRAN cell identifier (ECI), eNB ID or any other unique identifiers) to DSON

[0202] , this message is triggered through one of the following conditions:1. Audit Indication which is received from DSON after the reboot of gNB.2. Audit Indication through SON Command Line Interface (CLI) (on demand).3. Periodical Audit, where the period of audit is configurable.

[0057] This NBR CGI AUDIT REQ is then passed onto 0AM Manager interface [206a], which then forwards it to 0AM Agent [206b], which in turn sends to gNB Manager (For example, element management system) and finally to DSON

[0202] , This request contains the serving cell information for which audit needs to be performed.

[0058] At step S2, DSON

[0202] then extracts the serving cell NRT mapping from the DSON NRT

[0210] , which contains the details of the New Radio (NR) cells that are the neighbours of the serving cell received in the request. DSON

[0202] responds with this extracted information of NR neighbour cells with NBR CGI AUDIT RSP message.

[0059] At step S3, on receiving NBR CGI AUDIT RSP message, CSON

[0204] gets the count of the neighbours present DSON

[0202] end based on which CSON

[0204] has following three conditions:1. Neighbours at DSON

[0202] are same as the neighbours at CSON

[0204] , in which case it compares the values of individual NRT key value pairs and updates if required.2. Neighbours at DSON

[0202] are less than the neighbours at CSON

[0204] , in which case CSON

[0204] deletes the extra neighbours at its end for this serving cell.3. Neighbours at DSON

[0202] are more than the neighbours at CSON

[0204] , where in CSON

[0204] sends NBR INFO CGI RETRIEVE REQ to the DSON

[0202] for the serving cell in consideration in order to get the information related to the missing neighbours.

[0060] NBR INFO CGI RETRIEVE REQ follows the same path as NBR CGI AUDIT REQ and is accepted at DSON

[0202] ,

[0061] At step S4, the DSON

[0202] sends back information of those missing NR NBRs from the DSON NRT

[0210] to CSON

[0204] with NBR INFO CGI RETRIEVE RSP message. CSON

[0204] then adds this information of neighbours in the CSON NRT

[0208] mapping thus removing the disparity between CSON and DSON NRT data information.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 3, an exemplary method flow diagram

[0300] for audit management of neighbour cells in a cellular communication network, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The CSON

[0204] starts audit procedure after receiving message for: an audit indication which is received from DSON

[0202] after the reboot of gNB or DSON

[0202] or an audit indication through SON CLI (on demand) or periodical audit, where the period of audit is configurable. As shown in FIG.3, the method

[0300] is implemented by the system

[0100] and the system architecture

[0200] , The method

[0300] starts at step

[0302] ,

[0063] Next, at step

[0304] , the method

[0300] as disclosed by the present disclosure comprises transmitting, by a Centralized Self-Organizing Network (CSON)

[0204] , an audit request to a Distributed Self-Organizing Network (DSON)

[0202] , wherein the audit request is for verifying neighbour relations of a serving cell. The CSON

[0204] via a transmitting unit [204a] transmits to network node, such as DSON

[0202] a neighbour audit request for validating cell information corresponding to a plurality of neighbour cells for verifying neighbour relations of the serving cell. The CSON

[0204] starts audit procedure by sending NR NBR CGI AUDIT REQ to 0AM Manager Interface [206a], which forwards it to 0AM Agent [206b] which in turn sends to DSON

[0202] , This request contains the serving cell information for which audit needs to be performed. The audit request is transmitted at least one of periodically, on-demand, and in response to a reboot of network equipment associated with the DSON

[0202] ,

[0064] Next, at step

[0306] , the method

[0300] as disclosed by the present disclosure comprises receiving, by the CSON

[0204] , an audit response from the DSON

[0202] , the audit response comprises a first neighbour relation table (NRT) data associated with the serving cell, the first NRT data is stored at the DSON

[0202] , The DSON

[0202] sends a neighbour audit response to the CSON

[0204] in response to the neighbour audit request, which is received via receiving unit [204b] of CSON

[0204] , The neighbour audit response comprises first information corresponding to the plurality of neighbour cells. On receiving the audit request, the DSON

[0202] extracts the serving cell NRT mapping data from its DSON NRT

[0210] which contains the details of such as, but not limited to, the New Radio (NR) cells, Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (EUTRA), those are the neighbours of the serving cell received in the request. DSON

[0202] responds with this extracted information of NR neighbour cells with NR NBR CGI AUDIT RSP message. In exemplary aspect, the NRT data may comprises information such as count cells counts, cells identification, cells associated with network type andthe like. The CSON

[0204] and DSON

[0202] sends the audit request and the audit response through a RESTful communication protocol.

[0065] Next, at step

[0308] , the method

[0300] as disclosed by the present disclosure comprises comparing, by the CSON

[0204] , the received first NRT data with second NRT data stored at the CSON

[0204] to detect inconsistencies between neighbour relations recorded by the CSON

[0204] and the DSON

[0204] , The CSON

[0204] via a comparator unit [204c] compares the data of the CSON NRT

[0208] to extract stored second NRT data information corresponding to the plurality of neighbour cells. The comparison of the first NRT data and the second NRT data comprises both New Radio (NR) and Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (EUTRA) compatible set of neighbours. In an exemplary aspect, the CSON

[0204] compares the first NRT data information with the stored second information to identify discrepancies between the first information and the second NRT data information. The CSON

[0204] gets the first NRT data information such as count of the neighbour’s present DSON

[0202] end on receiving NR NBR CGI AUDIT RSP message.

[0066] Next, at step

[0310] , the method

[0300] as disclosed by the present disclosure comprises synchronizing, by the CSON

[0204] , the first NRT data with the second NRT data based on the comparison. The CSON

[0204] via a synchronizer [204d] synchronizes the discrepancies between the first NRT data and second NRT data. Further, the synchronizing corresponds to performing at least one of updating the second NRT data to match the first NRT data, adding set of missing neighbour details to the second NRT data, and deleting set of extraneous neighbour details from the second NRT data. In an exemplary aspect, the synchronizer [204d] intercommunicate with transmitting unit [204a] for transmitting a neighbour information retrieval request to the DSON

[0202] for missing set of neighbour details when the comparison indicates that the first NRT data comprises a set of neighbours not present in the second NRT data.

[0067] In an aspect, the synchronizer [204d] of CSON

[0204] synchronizes the NRT data information in the CSON NRT

[0208] based on following conditions, such as, but not limited to, neighbours at DSON

[0202] are same as the neighbours at CSON

[0204] , in which case it gets comparison from the comparator [204c] the values of individual NRT key value pairs and updates if required, neighbours at DSON

[0202] are less than the neighbours at CSON

[0204] , in which case synchronizer [204d] of CSON

[0204] deletes the extra neighbours at its end for this serving cell, neighbours at DSON

[0202] are more than the neighbours at CSON

[0204] , where in synchronizer [204d] sends via transmitting unit [204a] of CSON

[0204] a requestNR NBR INFO CGI RETRIEVE REQ to the DSON

[0202] for the serving cell in consideration in order to get the information related to the missing neighbors.

[0068] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, NR NBR INFO CGI RETRIEVE REQ follows the same path as NR NBR CGI AUDIT REQ and is accepted at DSON

[0202] , The DSON

[0202] then sends back information of those missing NRNBRs (neighbours) from the DSON NRT

[0210] to CSON

[0204] with NR NBR INFO CGI RETRIEVE RSP message. The synchronizer [204d] of CSON

[0204] then adds this information of neighbours in the CSON NRT

[0208] mapping thus removing the disparity between CSON

[0204] and DSON NRT

[0210] ,

[0069] Thereafter, the method

[0300] terminates at step

[0312] ,

[0070] In an exemplary aspect, the present disclosure is described with such as, New Radio (NR) and Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (EUTRA), however, it may apply to other cellular communication network.

[0071] Fig. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a computer system

[1000] upon which an embodiment of the present disclosure may be implemented. In an implementation, the computer system

[1000] implements the method

[0300] for audit management of neighbour cells in a cellular communication network. In another implementation, the computer system

[1000] itself implements the method

[0300] for audit management of neighbour cells in a cellular communication network using one or more units configured within the computer system

[1000] , wherein said one or more units are capable of implementing the features as disclosed in the present disclosure.

[0072] The computer system

[1000] may include a bus

[1002] or other communication mechanism for communicating information, and a processor

[1004] coupled with bus

[1002] for processing information. The processor

[1004] may be, for example, a general-purpose microprocessor. The computer system

[1000] may also include a main memory

[1006] , such as a random-access memory (RAM), or other dynamic storage device, coupled to the bus

[1002] for storing information and instructions to be executed by the processor

[1004] , The main memory

[1006] also may be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of the instructions to be executed by the processor

[1004] , Such instructions, when stored in non-transitory storage media accessible to the processor

[1004] , render the computer system

[1000] into a special -purpose machine that is customized to perform the operationsspecified in the instructions. The computer system

[1000] further includes a read only memory (ROM)

[1008] or other static storage device coupled to the bus

[1002] for storing static information and instructions for the processor

[1004] ,

[0073] A storage device [1010, 104], such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, or solid-state drive is provided and coupled to the bus

[1002] for storing information and instructions. The computer system

[1000] may be coupled via the bus

[1002] to a display

[1012] , such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), for displaying information to a computer user. An input device

[1014] , including alphanumeric and other keys, may be coupled to the bus

[1002] for communicating information and command selections to the processor

[1004] , Another type of user input device may be a cursor control

[1016] , such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys, for communicating direction information and command selections to the processor

[1004] , and for controlling cursor movement on the display

[1012] , This input device typically has two degrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (e.g., x) and a second axis (e.g., y), that allow the device to specify positions in a plane.

[0074] The computer system

[1000] may implement the techniques described herein using customized hard-wired logic, one or more ASICs or FPGAs, firmware and / or program logic which in combination with the computer system

[1000] causes or programs the computer system

[1000] to be a special-purpose machine. According to one embodiment, the techniques herein are performed by the computer system

[1000] in response to the processor

[1004] executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in the main memory

[1006] , Such instructions may be read into the main memory

[1006] from another storage medium, such as the storage device

[1010] , Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in the main memory

[1006] causes the processor

[1004] to perform the process steps described herein. In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions.

[0075] The computer system

[1000] also may include a communication interface

[1018] coupled to the bus

[1002] , The communication interface

[1018] provides a two-way data communication coupling to a network link

[1020] that is connected to a local network

[1022] , For example, the communication interface

[1018] may be an integrated services digital network (ISDN) card, cable modem, satellite modem, or a modem to provide a data communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line. As another example, the communication interface

[1018] may be a local area network (LAN) card to provide a data communication connection to a compatible LAN. Wireless links may also be implemented. In any such implementation, thecommunication interface

[1018] sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information.

[0076] The computer system

[1000] can send messages and receive data, including program code, through the network(s), the network link

[1020] and the communication interface

[1018] , In the Internet example, a server

[1030] might transmit a requested code for an application program through the Internet

[1028] , the ISP

[1026] , the Host

[1024] , the local network

[1022] and the communication interface

[1018] , The received code may be executed by the processor

[1004] as it is received, and / or stored in the storage device 1010, or other non-volatile storage for later execution.

[0077] According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium storing instructions for managing audit of neighbour cells in a cellular communication network system is disclosed. The instructions include executable code which, when executed, may causes a transmitting unit of a Centralized Self-Organizing Network (CSON) to transmit an audit request to a Distributed Self-Organizing Network (DSON), wherein the audit request is for verifying neighbour relations of a serving cell; a receiving unit of the CSON to receive an audit response from the DSON, the audit response comprises a first neighbour relation table (NRT) data associated with the serving cell, the first NRT data is stored at the DSON; a comparator of the CSON to compare the received first NRT data with a second NRT data stored at the CSON to detect inconsistencies between neighbour relations at the CSON and the DSON; and a synchroniser of the CSON to synchronise the first NRT data with the second NRT data based on the comparison.

[0078] As is evident from the above, the present disclosure provides a technically advanced solution for monitoring, management and audit of the neighbour cell database to efficient functioning of the cellular network. The features of the present disclosure as discussed in detailed consider both New Radio (5G) as well as EUTRA for audit management of the network cells in the cellular network. Further, the present discourse considers the enable / disable configuration for the audit management of the SON i.e., CSON and DSON. Moreover, the present disclosure support at least one from among on-demand (secured API) audit, which is initiated by SON, DSON (RAN node) initiated audit, and periodical audit that is initiated by SON. Also, the present disclosure allows interval configurable option in case of periodical audit. Furthermore, the present disclosure provides secure and restful communication between various components such as CSON, DSON and the like. In the present disclosure, the interfaces and the messages shared between DSON andCSON over htp communication protocol (REST) secures the audit process and thus makes the audit of the neighbor cells secure and efficient. Thus, the present disclosure via an audit procedure solves disparity between CSON and DSON NRT data, solves any discrepancy of NRT between CSON and DSON leading to the efficient and expected behavior of SON system.

[0079] Further, in accordance with the present disclosure, it is to be acknowledged that the functionality described for the various the components / units can be implemented interchangeably. While specific embodiments may disclose a particular functionality of these units for clarity, it is recognized that various configurations and combinations thereof are within the scope of the disclosure. The functionality of specific units as disclosed in the disclosure should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Consequently, alternative arrangements and substitutions of units, provided they achieve the intended functionality described herein, are considered to be encompassed within the scope of the present disclosure

[0080] While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the disclosed embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles of the present disclosure. These and other changes in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, whereby it is to be understood that the foregoing descriptive mater to be implemented is illustrative and non-limiting.

Claims

We Claim:

1. A method for managing audit of neighbour cells in a cellular communication network, the method comprising: transmitting, by a Centralized Self-Organizing Network (CSON) [204], an audit request to a Distributed Self-Organizing Network (DSON) [202], wherein the audit request is for verifying neighbour relations of a serving cell; receiving, by the CSON [204], an audit response from the DSON [202], the audit response comprises a first neighbour relation table (NRT) data associated with the serving cell, the first NRT data is stored at the DSON [202]; comparing, by the CSON [204], the received first NRT data with second NRT data stored at the CSON [204] to detect inconsistencies between neighbour relations recorded by the CSON [204] and the DSON [204]; and synchronizing, by the CSON [204], the first NRT data with the second NRT data based on the comparison.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the synchronizing corresponds to performing at least one of updating the second NRT data to match the first NRT data, adding set of missing neighbour details to the second NRT data, and deleting set of extraneous neighbour details from the second NRT data.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein transmitting the audit request is initiated at least one of periodically, on-demand, and in response to a reboot of network equipment associated with the DSON [202],4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the audit request and the audit response are facilitated through a RESTful communication protocol.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the comparison of the first NRT data and the second NRT data comprises both New Radio (NR) and Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (EUTRA) compatible set of neighbours.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising transmitting, by the CSON [204], a neighbour information retrieval request to the DSON [202] for missing set of neighbour details when the comparison indicates that the first NRT data comprises a set of neighbours not present in the second NRT data.

7. A system for managing audit of neighbour cells in a cellular communication network, the system comprising: a Centralized Self-Organizing Network (CSON) [204] comprising: a transmitting unit [204a] configured to transmit an audit request to a Distributed Self-Organizing Network (DSON) [202], wherein the audit request is for verifying neighbour relations of a serving cell; a receiving unit [204b] configured to receive an audit response from the DSON [202], the audit response comprises a first neighbour relation table (NRT) data associated with the serving cell, the first NRT data is stored at the DSON [202]; a comparator [204c] configured to compare the received first NRT data with a second NRT data stored at the CSON [204] to detect inconsistencies between neighbour relations at the CSON [204] and the DSON [204]; and a synchroniser [204d] configured to synchronise the first NRT data with the second NRT data based on the comparison.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the synchroniser configured to perform at least one of updating the second NRT data to match the first NRT data, adding set of missing neighbour details to the second NRT data, and deleting set of extraneous neighbour details from the second NRT data.

9. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the transmission of the audit request is initiated at least one of periodically, on-demand, or in response to a reboot of network equipment associated with the DSON [202],10. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the audit request and the audit response are facilitated through a RESTful communication protocol.

11. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the comparison of the first NRT data and the second NRT data comprises both New Radio (NR) and Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (EUTRA) compatible set of neighbours.

12. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the transmitting unit [204a] is configured to transmit a neighbour information retrieval request from the CSON [204] to the DSON [202] for missing set of neighbour details when the comparison indicates that the first NRT data comprises a set of neighbours not present in the second NRT data.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for managing audit of neighbour cells in a cellular communication network, the storage medium comprising executable code which, when executed by one or more units of a system, causes: a transmitting unit [204a] of a Centralized Self-Organizing Network (CSON) to transmit an audit request to a Distributed Self-Organizing Network (DSON) [202] , wherein the audit request is for verifying neighbour relations of a serving cell; a receiving unit [204b] of the CSON to receive an audit response from the DSON [202], the audit response comprises a first neighbour relation table (NRT) data associated with the serving cell, the first NRT data is stored at the DSON [202]; a comparator [204c] of the CSON to compare the received first NRT data with a second NRT data stored at the CSON [204] to detect inconsistencies between neighbour relations at the CSON [204] and the DSON [204]; and a synchroniser [204d] of the CSON to synchronise the first NRT data with the second NRT data based on the comparison.

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