Methods and systems for restoring wireless communication service in a cellular network
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- EP · EP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- JIO PLATFORMS LTD
- Filing Date
- 2024-09-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-24
Smart Images
Figure IN2024051900_03042025_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR RESTORING WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SERVICE IN A CELLULAR NETWORKFIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to network performance management systems. More particularly, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods and systems for restoring wireless communication service in a cellular network.BACKGROUND
[0002] The following description of the 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 is used only to enhance the understanding of the reader with respect to the present disclosure, and not as admissions of the 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. The third- generation (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] An antenna within the telecommunication network provides the telecommunications services by enabling communication with user devices present in a geographical region. Within the telecommunication networks, there are various antennas which provides such services, and the geographical regions which is covered by these antennas may be called as a coverage area of the network. In such geographical regions, due to certain blockage, signal disruptions, the coveragearea may be affected which may cause coverage holes. In order to cover such areas additional antennas are provided to cover such areas.
[0005] Generally, a temporary coverage hole may be created when an antenna serving a geographical area malfunctions. In the temporary coverage hole, a user equipment loses cellular signal due to an unavailable antenna serving the geographical area of temporary coverage hole. An antenna can become unavailable to serve the geographical area if said antenna has malfunctioned or due to an on-going alarm that needs to be resolved before resuming services or due to outage for any other reason. Such problems are generally transient and negatively impacts customer experience. Currently, there are no known solutions to promptly restore service in temporary coverage hole due to unavailable antenna.
[0006] Thus, there exists an imperative need in the art for a system and a method for promptly restoring service in temporary coverage hole created by unavailable antenna, which the present disclosure aims to address.SUMMARY
[0007] 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.
[0008] An aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a method for restoring wireless communication service in a cellular network. The method comprises detecting, by a detection unit, one or more failures within the cellular network using dedicated Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). The method further comprises identifying, by a processing unit, at least one outage cell based on the detected one or more failures. Then the method comprises obtaining, by a transceiver unit, a data of one or more neighboring cells associated with the at least one outage cell. The method comprises processing, by a determination unit, the obtained data to determine a set of target actions for the one or more neighboring cells based on the one or more failures, wherein the set of target actions comprises one of at least a Remote Electrical Tilt (RET) action, a power adjustment action, a handover adjustment action. The method further comprises triggering, by a triggering unit, one or more target actions from the set of target actions at the one or more neighboring cells to mitigate the one or more failures.
[0009] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the one or more failures are at least one of one or more hardware failures and one or more software failures, and wherein the one or more failures are detected by the detection unit based on a continuous monitoring of at least one critical alarms and service affecting alarms associated with the cellular network.
[0010] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the one or more failures are associated with at least a temporary coverage hole.
[0011] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the method further comprising adjusting, by the triggering unit, one or more parameters of the one or more neighboring cells based on the one or more target actions.
[0012] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the method further comprises monitoring, by the processing unit, a status of the at least one outage cell post an adjustment of one or more parameters of the one or more neighboring cells based on the one or more target action. Then the method comprises detecting, by the detection unit, an indication of the resolution of the one or more failures based on the monitoring of the status. Then the method comprises readjusting, by the triggering unit, the one or more parameters of the one or more neighboring cells based on the indication.
[0013] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the data of the one or more neighboring cells is obtained from a High Ranked Physical Neighbors table list.
[0014] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the one or more target actions from the set of target actions is determined based on the one or more failures associated with the at least one outage cell.
[0015] Another aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a system for restoring wireless communication service in a cellular network. The system comprises a detection unit, a processing unit, a transceiver unit, a determination unit, and a triggering unit connected to each other. The detection unit is configured to detect one or more failures within the cellular network using dedicated Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). The processing unit is configured to identify at least one outage cell based on the detected one or more failures. The transceiver unit is configured to obtain a data of one or more neighboring cells associated with the at least one outage cell. The determination unit is configured to process the obtained data to determine a set of targetactions for the one or more neighboring cells based on the one or more failures. The set of target actions comprises one of at least a Remote Electrical Tilt (RET) action, a power adjustment action, a handover adjustment action. The triggering unit is configured to trigger one or more target actions from the set of target actions at the one or more neighboring cells to mitigate the one or more failures.
[0016] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions for restoring the wireless communication service in the cellular network. The instructions include executable code which, when executed by one or more units of a system, causes a detection unit of the system to detect one or more failures within the cellular network using dedicated Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). Further, the instructions include executable code which, when executed, causes a processing unit to identify at least one outage cell based on the detected one or more failures. Further, the instructions include executable code which, when executed, causes a transceiver unit to obtain a data of one or more neighboring cells associated with the at least one outage cell. Further, the instructions include executable code which, when executed, causes a determination unit to process the obtained data to determine a set of target actions for the one or more neighboring cells based on the one or more failures, wherein the set of target actions comprises one of at least a Remote Electrical Tilt (RET) action, a power adjustment action, a handover adjustment action. Further, the instructions include executable code which, when executed, causes a triggering unit to trigger one or more target actions from the set of target actions at the one or more neighboring cells to mitigate the one or more failures.OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0017] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment disclosed herein satisfies are listed herein below.
[0018] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a system and a method for restoring wireless communication service in a cellular network.
[0019] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a system and a method for promptly restoring service in temporary coverage hole created by unavailable antenna.
[0020] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide a solution that ensures stability.
[0021] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide a solution that enhances user experience, even after an antenna is unavailable.
[0022] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide a solution that maintains high levels of service quality, even after an antenna is unavailable.
[0023] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide a solution that reduces business loss due to unavailability of a network, even after an antenna is unavailable.
[0024] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide a solution that optimizes a remote electrical tilt (RET) of neighbouring antennae around unavailable antenna to finely adjust coverage and eliminate temporary coverage hole.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] 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. Also, the embodiments shown in the figures are not to be construed as limiting the disclosure, but the possible variants of the method and system according to the disclosure are illustrated herein to highlight the advantages of the disclosure. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that disclosure of such drawings includes disclosure of electrical components or circuitry commonly used to implement such components.
[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary architecture system diagram representation of an environment used for restoring wireless communication service in a cellular network, in accordance with exemplary implementations of the present disclosure;
[0027] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a computing device upon which the features of the present disclosure may be implemented in accordance with exemplary implementation of the present disclosure;
[0028] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a system for restoring the wireless communication service in the cellular network, in accordance with exemplary implementations of the present disclosure; and
[0029] FIG. 4 illustrates a method flow diagram for restoring the wireless communication service in the cellular network, in accordance with exemplary implementations of the present disclosure.
[0030] The foregoing shall be more apparent from the following more detailed description of the disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0031] 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 may 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.
[0032] 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.
[0033] 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, processes, and other components may be shown as components in block diagram form in order not to obscure the embodiments in unnecessary detail.
[0034] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", "primary", "secondary", "target" and the like, herein do not denote any order, ranking, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another.
[0035] 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 may be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A process may be terminated when its operations are completed but could also have additional steps that may not be included in the figures.
[0036] 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.
[0037] As used herein, a “processing unit” or “processor” or “operating processor” includes one or more processors, wherein processor refers to any logic circuitry for processing instructions. A 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 microprocessors in association with a Digital Signal Processing (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 or processing unit is a hardware processor.
[0038] As used herein, “a user equipment”, “a user device”, “a smart-user-device”, “a smartdevice”, “an electronic device”, “a mobile device”, “a handheld device”, “a wireless communication device”, “a mobile communication device”, “a communication device” may be any electrical, electronic and / or computing device or equipment, capable of implementing the features of the present disclosure. The user equipment / device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, smart phone, laptop, a general-purpose computer, desktop, personal digital assistant, tablet computer, wearable device or any other computing device which is capable ofimplementing the features of the present disclosure. Also, the user device may contain at least one input means configured to receive an input from unit(s) which are required to implement the features of the present disclosure.
[0039] As used herein, “storage unit” or “memory unit” refers to a machine or computer-readable medium including any mechanism for storing information in a form readable by a computer or similar machine. For example, a computer-readable medium includes read-only memory (“ROM”), random access memory (“RAM”), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices or other types of machine-accessible storage media. The storage unit stores at least the data that may be required by one or more units of the system to perform their respective functions.
[0040] As used herein “interface” or “user interface refers to a shared boundary across which two or more separate components of a system exchange information or data. The interface may also be referred to a set of rules or protocols that define communication or interaction of one or more modules or one or more units with each other, which also includes the methods, functions, or procedures that may be called.
[0041] All modules, units, components used herein, unless explicitly excluded herein, may be software modules or hardware processors, the processors being a general-purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Array circuits (FPGA), any other type of integrated circuits, etc.
[0042] As used herein the transceiver unit include at least one receiver and at least one transmitter configured respectively for receiving and transmitting data, signals, information or a combination thereof between units / components within the system and / or connected with the system.
[0043] As discussed in the background section, the current known solutions have several shortcomings. The present disclosure aims to overcome the above-mentioned and other existing problems in this field of technology by providing method and system for restoring wireless communication service in a cellular network.
[0044] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary architecture system diagram representation of an environment
[0100] used for restoring wireless communication service in a cellular network, in accordance with exemplary implementations of the present disclosure. As depicted in the FIG. 1, the environment
[0100] comprises a Telecom Network Management (TNM) platform
[0102] , a master database (MDB) system
[0104] , a fault management (FM) system
[0106] , a performance management (PM) system
[0108] , and a configuration management (CM) system
[0110] ,
[0045] The TNM platform
[0102] is a platform for end-to-end telecom network management. It may be built on top of a state-of-the-art big data architecture touching upon every aspect of the network from the core to the radio and even the business functions of a telecom service provider. The TNM platform
[0102] facilitates cross-functional operations by the means of a robust microservices based workflow architecture that is infinitely scalable. The TNM platform
[0102] may deploy multiple algorithms to support closed loop automation for full-fledged life cycle of planning, deploying and maintaining operations of radio access network. The TNM platform
[0102] provides the analysis of individual customer experience both for its high-speed internet usage as well as for voice service usage.
[0046] The master database (MDB)
[0104] may be connected to the TNM platform
[0102] via an interface such as an MDB interface. The MDB
[0104] is used for various geographical parameters and physical parameters, that are related to the database which is used for cells and cell sites that are available in the network. Further, the MDB
[0104] is connected with the TNM platform
[0102] over a TNM-MDB interface as shown in FIG. 1.
[0047] The FM system
[0106] may be a component responsible for management of fault management data such as service affecting alarms. The FM system
[0106] may be connected to the TNM platform
[0102] via an interface such as an TNM-FM interface. The PM system
[0108] may be a component responsible for management of performance management data such as PR Utilisation, RRC users, active users, total traffic (both uplink and downlink). The PM system
[0108] may be connected to the TNM platform
[0102] via an interface such as an TNM-FM interface. The CM system
[0110] may be a component responsible for management of configuration data such as cell administrative state. The CM system
[0110] may be connected to the TNM platform
[0102] via an interface such as an TNM-CM interface.
[0048] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a computing device
[0200] upon which the features of the present disclosure may be implemented in accordance with exemplaryimplementation of the present disclosure. In an implementation, the computing device
[0200] may also implement a method for restoring the wireless communication service in the cellular network utilising the system
[0300] , In another implementation, the computing device
[0200] itself implements the method for restoring the wireless communication service in the cellular network using one or more units configured within the computing device
[0200] , wherein said one or more units are capable of implementing the features as disclosed in the present disclosure.
[0049] The computing device
[0200] may include a bus
[0202] or other communication mechanism for communicating information, and a hardware processor
[0204] coupled with bus
[0202] for processing information. The hardware processor
[0204] may be, for example, a general-purpose microprocessor. The computing device
[0200] may also include a main memory
[0206] , such as a random-access memory (RAM), or other dynamic storage device, coupled to the bus
[0202] for storing information and instructions to be executed by the processor
[0204] , The main memory
[0206] also may be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of the instructions to be executed by the processor
[0204] , Such instructions, when stored in non-transitory storage media accessible to the processor
[0204] , render the computing device
[0200] into a special-purpose machine that is customized to perform the operations specified in the instructions. The computing device
[0200] further includes a read only memory (ROM)
[0208] or other static storage device coupled to the bus
[0202] for storing static information and instructions for the processor
[0204] ,
[0050] A storage device
[0210] , such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, or solid-state drive is provided and coupled to the bus
[0202] for storing information and instructions. The computing device
[0200] may be coupled via the bus
[0202] to a display
[0212] , such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), Liquid crystal Display (LCD), Light Emitting Diode (LED) display, Organic LED (OLED) display, etc. for displaying information to a computer user. An input device
[0214] , including alphanumeric and other keys, touch screen input means, etc. may be coupled to the bus
[0202] for communicating information and command selections to the processor
[0204] , Another type of user input device may be a cursor controller
[0216] , such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys, for communicating direction information and command selections to the processor
[0204] , and for controlling cursor movement on the display
[0212] , The 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.
[0051] The computing device
[0200] 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 computing device
[0200] causes or programs the computing device
[0200] to be a special-purpose machine. According to one implementation, the techniques herein are performed by the computing device
[0200] in response to the processor
[0204] executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in the main memory
[0206] , Such instructions may be read into the main memory
[0206] from another storage medium, such as the storage device
[0210] , Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in the main memory
[0206] causes the processor
[0204] to perform the process steps described herein. In alternative implementations of the present disclosure, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions.
[0052] The computing device
[0200] also may include a communication interface
[0218] coupled to the bus
[0202] , The communication interface
[0218] provides a two-way data communication coupling to a network link
[0220] that is connected to a local network
[0222] , For example, the communication interface
[0218] 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
[0218] 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, the communication interface
[0218] sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information.
[0053] The computing device
[0200] can send messages and receive data, including program code, through the network(s), the network link
[0220] and the communication interface
[0218] , In the Internet example, a server
[0230] might transmit a requested code for an application program through the Internet
[0228] , the ISP
[0226] , the local network
[0222] , a host
[0224] and the communication interface
[0218] , The received code may be executed by the processor
[0204] as it is received, and / or stored in the storage device
[0210] , or other non-volatile storage for later execution.
[0054] Referring to FIG. 3, an exemplary block diagram of a system
[0300] for restoring the wireless communication service in the cellular network, is shown, in accordance with the exemplary implementations of the present disclosure. The system
[0300] may comprise at least one detection unit
[0302] , at least one processing unit
[0304] , at least one transceiver unit
[0306] , at least one determination unit
[0308] , and / or at least one triggering unit
[0310] , Also, all of the components / units of the system
[0300] are assumed to be connected to each other unless otherwise indicated below. As shown in FIG.3, all units shown within the system
[0300] should also be assumed to be connected to each other. Also, in FIG. 3 only a few units are shown, however, the system
[0300] may comprise multiple such units or the system
[0300] may comprise any such numbers of said units, as required to implement the features of the present disclosure. Further, in an implementation, the system
[0300] may be present in a user device / user equipment to implement the features of the present disclosure. The system
[0300] may be a part of the user device / or may be independent of but in communication with the user device (may also referred herein as a UE). In another implementation, the system
[0300] may reside in a server or a network entity. In yet another implementation, the system
[0300] may reside partly in the server / network entity and partly in the user device.
[0055] The system
[0300] is configured for restoring the wireless communication service in the cellular network, with the help of the interconnection between the components / units of the system
[0300] , In an example, the system
[0300] is configured for restoring the wireless communication service in the cellular network, with the help of the interconnection between the components / units of the environment
[0100] ,
[0056] As would be understood, the cellular network may generally refer to a telecommunication network provided specifically for the cell phones, however as per the present disclosure, the cellular network may refer to the telecommunication network as a whole. Further, the wireless communication service may refer to one or more services provided over the wireless communication network such as the telecommunication network, and the one or more services may be such as enabling communication using voice calls, video calls, internet accessibility, value added services, etc.
[0057] It may be noted that the wireless communication service may be disrupted due to presence of certain issues and errors, and such interruption in providing the wireless communication service are required to be resolved in order to maintain continuity of the wireless communication service. Thus, in order to maintain the continuity of the wireless communication service, the present disclosure focuses on the restoration of the wireless communication service in the cellular network.
[0058] In operation, for restoring the wireless communication service in the cellular network, the detection unit
[0302] detects one or more failures within the cellular network using dedicated Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). As would be understood, the one or more failuresmay refer to the issues associated with errors and crashes caused in the cellular network. Further, the dedicated APIs may refer to a specific set of APIs that may be used for receiving information associated with detection of the one or more failures. As would be understood, the APIs may refer to a mechanism that enables two software components to communicate with each other using a set of definitions and protocols. In an example, the one or more failures are detected using the Fault Management (FM) module
[0106] using the dedicated Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). For example, one or more failures may be detected based on a presence of alarm, error events, etc.
[0059] In an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure, the one or more failures are at least one of one or more hardware failures and one or more software failures. The one or more failures are detected by the detection unit
[0302] based on a continuous monitoring of at least one critical alarms and service affecting alarms associated with the cellular network. In an example, the one or more failures may be detected using the FM module
[0106] , The one or more failures may be caused due to issues with either the hardware components or the software components present within the network. The issues with the hardware components which may result in failure may be termed as the one or more hardware failures. Such hardware issues may be detected when the one or more critical alarms and service affecting alarms are raised which indicates critical problems in the hardware components. The issues with the software components which may result in failure may be termed as the one or more software failures. Such software issues may be detected when the one or more service affecting alarms may be raised which indicates that the one or more services provided by the software components are affected and are unable to function properly.
[0060] In an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure, the one or more failures may be associated with at least a temporary coverage hole. The association of the one or more failures with the at least a temporary coverage hole may indicate that due to the one or more failures there would be a formation of a coverage hole. As would be understood, the “coverage hole” is an area where the signal level, indicated by signal to noise ratio (SNR) or signal to noise plus interference ratio (SINR) of both serving and allowed neighbor cells, is below the level needed to maintain basic service (signaling radio bearer (SRB) & downlink (DL) common channels), i.e. coverage of physical downlink coverage channel (PDCCH). Similarly, the temporary coverage hole may refer to a coverage hole which may be formed for a limited period of time.
[0061] Continuing further, after the one or more failures are detected, the processing unit
[0304] identifies at least one outage cell based on the detected one or more failures. As would be understood, the at least one outage cell may refer to the cell or the base station or the antennawhich may be unable to perform and provide the wireless communication services in the designated region of that cell. The at least one outage cells may be identified based on a detection of an absence of coverage in a particular region as may be indicated by the temporary coverage hole.
[0062] On identification of the at least one outage cell, the transceiver unit
[0306] obtains a data of one or more neighboring cells associated with the at least one outage cell. The one or more neighboring cells may refer to one or more cells that may surround the at least one outage cells and may be able to provide wireless communication service in place of the at least one outage cells. The data of one or more neighboring cells may, for example, be an availability information associated with availability of resources with a particular cell, a capability information, a geolocation information, etc. The data of the one or more neighboring cells may be used for analyzing if the neighboring cell is capable of covering the temporary coverage hole in order to provide wireless communication services within the region in the temporary coverage hole. In an example, the transceiver unit
[0306] may obtain the data of one or more neighboring cells from the Performance Management (PM) system
[0108] , Since, the PM system
[0108] may comprise information associated with the performance of the cells or antennas, the information or the data of the one or more neighboring cells may be present with the PM system
[0108] and may be fetched from the PM system
[0108] ,
[0063] In an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure, the data of the one or more neighboring cells may be obtained from a High Ranked Physical Neighbors table list. The High Ranked Physical Neighbors table list may refer to a list of cell sites which may be located in the neighborhood of the at least one outage cell based on a ranking, where the nearest cell sites may be ranked highest and the cell sites that are far are ranked lower. In an example, the one or more neighboring cells may be obtained from the High Ranked Physical Neighbors table list which may be present within the PM system
[0108] ,
[0064] Continuing further, the determination unit
[0308] processes the obtained data to determine a set of target actions for the one or more neighboring cells based on the one or more failures. The processing of the obtained data to determine the set of target actions may be done based on a comparison of the one or more failures with a mapping of the set of target actions. The mapping of the set of target actions may refer to a database which includes a list of actions that may be required to be performed in case of such one or more failures and may also be pre-stored in a storage. The set of target actions may include a Remote Electrical Tilt (RET) action, a poweradjustment action, a handover adjustment action, and may also include other actions which may be obvious to a person skilled the art, that may also be applicable for correcting the one or more failures and providing the wireless network service in the regions covered by the coverage hole or the temporary coverage hole. In an example, the RET action may refer to an action of electronically changing the tilt angles of one or more antennas which may be performed using the Remote Electrical Tilting Application Part (RETAP) based on certain elementary procedures. The power adjustment action may refer to an action for adjusting the levels of power that may be provided to a particular antenna which may be adjusted for accommodating the temporary coverage hole. The handover adjustment may refer to an adjustment in which the user equipment falling within the temporary coverage hole that may be connected to the at least one outage cell and may be required to be handover to the one or more neighboring cells to enable connection for providing the wireless communication service. Further, other actions may be included within the scope of the present disclosure, which may be indicative of fulfilling the temporary coverage hole and may not be considered to be limiting the scope of the set of target actions.
[0065] After the obtained data has been processed, then the triggering unit
[0310] triggers one or more target actions from the set of target actions at the one or more neighboring cells to mitigate the one or more failures. As provided above, the one or more target actions may refer to the selected actions which may be performed based on the requirement for mitigating the one or more failures. In an example, the one or more target actions may be triggered via the Configuration Management (CM) system
[0110] at the one or more neighboring cells. In an example, the triggering unit
[0310] may send a message or a request for triggering the one or more target actions to the CM system
[0110] , Such target actions may be able to mitigate the issues caused by the one or more failures, by providing the wireless network services in the temporary coverage holes.
[0066] In an implementation of the present disclosure, the triggering unit
[0310] may adjust one or more parameters of the one or more neighboring cells based on the one or more target actions. The one or more parameters of the one or more neighboring cells may refer to parameters for example, a coverage area, a signal strength, managing network traffic, etc.
[0067] In another implementation of the present disclosure, the one or more target actions from the set of target actions may be determined based on the one or more failures associated with the at least one outage cell. As provided above the set of target actions may comprise various actions, but to select the best action for a particular scenario the target actions are required to be determined. For determination of such actions, the reasons for failures as provided in the one or more failuresmay be detected. For example, in case the one or more failure was caused due to the one or more hardware failures such as due to overload, then in such cases, the neighboring cell sites may provide additional coverage to accommodate the network traffic overload and help mitigate the one or more failures in such cases. Similarly, in another case, due to a hardware issue in the antenna at the cell site, a particular region may not be able to be provided with the wireless network services. In order to provide network services in such regions, the neighboring cell sites may provide coverage by performing RET action and after tiling towards that particular region, the neighboring cell may provide services in that region, thereby mitigating the one or more failures.
[0068] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the processing unit
[0304] monitors (or continuously monitors) a status of the at least one outage cell post an adjustment of one or more parameters of the one or more neighboring cells based on the one or more target actions. As used herein, the status may refer to a performance indicator of the at least one outage cell, which may be used to indicate the health / existence of the one or more failures associated with the at least one outage cell. The status is continuously monitored in order to analyze if the one or more failures of the at least one outage cell has been resolved or not resolved yet. Based on the monitoring of the status, when the detection unit
[0302] detects an indication of the resolution of the one or more failures, then in such cases, the triggering unit
[0310] may readjust the one or more parameters of the one or more neighboring cells based on the indication. The indication may provide that the resolution of the one or more failures at the at least one outage cell has been resolved and the same may be able to function normally. The readjusting action of the triggering unit
[0310] may refer to the reverting action of the target actions that were performed earlier when the mitigating of the one or more failures were performed. For example, in case the neighboring cells were tilted towards the temporary coverage hole, then in such cases, the RET action may be performed again for revering the tilt of the antenna in the former state that was before the mitigating actions were performed by the triggering unit
[0310] ,
[0069] Referring to FIG. 4, an exemplary method flow diagram
[0400] for restoring the wireless communication service in the cellular network, in accordance with exemplary implementations of the present disclosure is shown. In an implementation the method
[0400] is performed by the system
[0300] , Further, in an implementation, the system
[0300] may be present in a server device to implement the features of the present disclosure. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the method
[0400] starts at step
[0402] .
[0070] As would be understood, the cellular network may generally refer to a telecommunication network provided specifically for the cell phones, however as per the present disclosure, the cellular network may refer to the telecommunication network as a whole. Further, the wireless communication service may refer to one or more services provided over the wireless communication network such as the telecommunication network, and the one or more services may be such as enabling communication using voice calls, video calls, internet accessibility, value added services, etc. It may be noted that the wireless communication service may be disrupted due to presence of certain issues and errors, and such interruption in providing the wireless communication service are required to be resolved in order to maintain continuity of the wireless communication service. Thus, in order to maintain the continuity of the wireless communication service, the present disclosure focuses on the restoration of the wireless communication service in the cellular network.
[0071] In operation, for restoring the wireless communication service in the cellular network, at step
[0404] , the method
[0400] involves detecting, by a detection unit
[0302] , one or more failures within the cellular network using dedicated Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). As would be understood, the one or more failures may refer to the issues associated with errors and crashes caused in the cellular network. Further, the dedicated APIs may refer to a specific set of APIs that may be used for receiving information associated with detection of the one or more failures. As would be understood, the APIs may refer to a mechanism that enables two software components to communicate with each other using a set of definitions and protocols. In an example, the one or more failures are detected using the Fault Management (FM) module
[0106] using the dedicated Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).
[0072] In an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure, the one or more failures are at least one of one or more hardware failures and one or more software failures. The one or more failures are detected by the detection unit
[0302] based on a continuous monitoring of at least one critical alarms and service affecting alarms associated with the cellular network. In an example, the one or more failures may be detected using the FM module
[0106] , The one or more failures may be caused due to issues with either the hardware components or the software components present within the network. The issues with the hardware components which may result in failure may be termed as the one or more hardware failures. Such hardware issues may be detected when the one or more critical alarms and service affecting alarms are raised which indicates critical problems in the hardware components. The issues with the software components which may result in failure may be termed as the one or more software failures. Such software issues may be detectedwhen the one or more service affecting alarms may be raised which indicates that the one or more services provided by the software components are affected and are unable to function properly.
[0073] In an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure, the one or more failures may be associated with at least a temporary coverage hole. The association of the one or more failures with the at least a temporary coverage hole may indicate that due to the one or more failures there would be a formation of a coverage hole. As would be known the “coverage hole” is an area where the signal level, indicated by signal to noise ratio (SNR) or signal to noise plus interference ratio (SINR) of both serving and allowed neighbor cells, is below the level needed to maintain basic service (signaling radio bearer (SRB) & downlink (DL) common channels), i.e. coverage of physical downlink coverage channel (PDCCH). Similarly, the temporary coverage hole may refer to a coverage hole which may be formed for a limited period of time.
[0074] Continuing further, after the one or more failures are detected, at step
[0406] , the method
[0400] involves identifying, by a processing unit
[0304] , at least one outage cell based on the detected one or more failures. As would be understood, the at least one outage cell may refer to the cell or the base station or the antenna which may be unable to perform and provide the wireless communication services in the designated region of that cell. The at least one outage cells may be detected based on a detection of an absence of coverage in a particular region as may be indicated by the temporary coverage hole.
[0075] On identification of the at least one outage cell, at step
[0408] , the method
[0400] involves obtaining, by a transceiver unit
[0306] , a data of one or more neighboring cells associated with the at least one outage cell. The data of one or more neighboring cells may, for example, be an availability information associated with availability of resources with a particular cell, a capability information, a geolocation information, etc. The data of the one or more neighboring cells may be used for analyzing if the neighboring cell is capable of covering the temporary coverage hole in order to provide wireless communication services within the region in the temporary coverage hole. In an example, the transceiver unit
[0306] may obtain the data of one or more neighboring cells from the Performance Management (PM) system
[0108] , Since, the PM system
[0108] may comprise information associated with the performance of the cells or antennas, the information or the data of the one or more neighboring cells may be present with the PM system
[0108] and may be fetched from the PM system
[0108] ,
[0076] In an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure, the data of the one or more neighboring cells may be obtained from a High Ranked Physical Neighbors table list. The High Ranked Physical Neighbors table list may refer to a list of cell sites which may be located in the neighborhood of the at least one outage cell based on a ranking, where the nearest cell sites may be ranked highest and the cell sites that are far are ranked lower. In an example, the one or more neighboring cells may be obtained from the High Ranked Physical Neighbors table list which may be present within the PM system
[0108] ,
[0077] Continuing further, at step
[0410] , the method
[0400] involves processing, by a determination unit
[0308] , the obtained data to determine a set of target actions for the one or more neighboring cells based on the one or more failures. The set of target actions may include a Remote Electrical Tilt (RET) action, a power adjustment action, a handover adjustment action, and may also include other actions which may be obvious to a person skilled the art, that may also be applicable for correcting the one or more failures and providing the wireless network service in the regions covered by the coverage hole or the temporary coverage hole. In an example, the RET action may refer to an action of electronically changing the tilt angles of one or more antennas which may be performed using the Remote Electrical Tilting Application Part (RETAP) based on certain elementary procedures. The power adjustment action may refer to an action for adjusting the levels of power that may be provided to a particular antenna which may be adjusted for accommodating the temporary coverage hole. The handover adjustment may refer to an adjustment in which the user equipment falling within the temporary coverage hole that may be connected to the at least one outage cell and may b required to be handover to the one or more neighboring cells to enable connection for providing the wireless communication service. Further, other actions may be included within the scope of the present disclosure, which may be indicative of fulfilling the temporary coverage hole and may not be considered to be limiting the scope of the set of target actions.
[0078] After the obtained data has been processed, then at step
[0412] , the method
[0400] involves triggering, by a triggering unit
[0310] , one or more target actions from the set of target actions at the one or more neighboring cells to mitigate the one or more failures. As provided above, the one or more target actions may refer to the selected actions which may be performed based on the requirement for mitigating the one or more failures. In an example, the one or more target actions may be triggered via the Configuration Management (CM) system
[0110] at the one or more neighboring cells. Such target actions may be able to mitigate the issues caused by the one or more failures, by providing the wireless network services in the temporary coverage holes.
[0079] In an implementation of the present disclosure, the method
[0400] further comprises adjusting, by the triggering unit
[0310] , one or more parameters of the one or more neighboring cells based on the one or more target actions. The one or more parameters of the one or more neighboring cells may refer to parameters for example, a coverage area, a signal strength, managing network traffic, etc.
[0080] In another implementation of the present disclosure, the one or more target actions from the set of target actions may be determined based on the one or more failures associated with the at least one outage cell. As provided above the set of target actions may comprise various actions, but to select the best action for a particular scenario the target actions are required to be determined. For determination of such actions, the reasons for failures as provided in the one or more failures may be detected. For example, in case the one or more failure was caused due to the one or more hardware failures such as due to overload, then in such cases, the neighboring cell sites may provide additional coverage to accommodate the network traffic overload and help mitigate the one or more failures in such cases. Similarly, in another case, due to a hardware issue in the antenna at the cell site, a particular region may not be able to be provided with the wireless network services. In order to provide network services in such regions, the neighboring cell sites may provide coverage by performing RET action and after tiling towards that particular region, the neighboring cell may provide services in that region, thereby mitigating the one or more failures.
[0081] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the method
[0400] may further comprise monitoring, by the processing unit
[0304] , a status of the at least one outage cell post an adjustment of one or more parameters of the one or more neighboring cells based on the one or more target actions. As used herein, the status may refer to a performance indicator of the at least one outage cell, which may be used to indicate the health / existence of the one or more failures associated with the at least one outage cell. The status is continuously monitored in order to analyze if the one or more failures of the at least one outage cell has been resolved or not resolved yet. Based on the monitoring of the status, the method
[0400] further includes detecting, by the detection unit
[0302] , an indication of the resolution of the one or more failures based on the monitoring of the status. Also, the method
[0400] leads to readjusting, by the triggering unit
[0308] , the one or more parameters of the one or more neighboring cells based on the indication. The detection unit
[0302] detects an indication of the resolution of the one or more failures, then in such cases, the triggering unit
[0310] may readjust the one or more parameters of the one or more neighboring cells based on the indication. The indication may provide that the resolution of the one or more failures at the atleast one outage cell has been resolved and the same may be able to function normally. The readjusting action of the triggering unit
[0310] may refer to the reverting action of the target actions that were performed earlier when the mitigating of the one or more failures were performed. For example, in case the neighboring cells were tilted towards the temporary coverage hole, then in such cases, the RET action may be performed again for revering the tilt of the antenna in the former state that was before the mitigating actions were performed by the triggering unit
[0310] ,
[0082] Thereafter, at step
[0414] , the method
[0400] is terminated.
[0083] The present disclosure further discloses a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions for restoring the wireless communication service in the cellular network. The instructions include executable code which, when executed by one or more units of a system
[0300] , causes a detection unit of the system to detect one or more failures within the cellular network using dedicated Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). Further, the instructions include executable code which, when executed, causes a processing unit
[0304] to identify at least one outage cell based on the detected one or more failures. Further, the instructions include executable code which, when executed, causes a transceiver unit
[0306] to obtain a data of one or more neighboring cells associated with the at least one outage cell. Further, the instructions include executable code which, when executed, causes a determination unit
[0308] to process the obtained data to determine a set of target actions for the one or more neighboring cells based on the one or more failures, wherein the set of target actions comprises one of at least a Remote Electrical Tilt (RET) action, a power adjustment action, a handover adjustment action. Further, the instructions include executable code which, when executed, causes a triggering unit
[0310] to trigger one or more target actions from the set of target actions at the one or more neighboring cells to mitigate the one or more failures.
[0084] As is evident from the above, the present disclosure provides a technically advanced solution for restoring the wireless communication service in the cellular network. The present solution provides a technically advanced solution for promptly restoring service in temporary coverage hole created by unavailable antenna. The present disclosure provides a solution that ensures stability, enhances user experience, maintains high levels of service quality, and reduces business loss due to unavailability of a network, even after an antenna has unavailable. The present disclosure to also provides a solution that optimizes a remote electrical tilt (RET) of neighbouring antennae around unavailable antenna to finely adjust coverage and eliminate temporary coverage hole. The present disclosure also enables formation of a close loop environment in which theremay be no human intervention required, thereby resulting in a automation based on the closed loop environment, and enables making decisions based on the machine to machine communication during the monitoring, analysis, and execution as well. The present solution can be further implemented in future technologies such as sixth-generation (6G) technologies.
[0085] While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the disclosed implementations, it will be appreciated that many implementations can be made and that many changes can be made to the implementations without departing from the principles of the present disclosure. These and other changes in the implementations of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, whereby it is to be understood that the foregoing descriptive matter to be implemented is illustrative and non-limiting.
[0086] Further, in accordance with the present disclosure, it is to be acknowledged that the functionality described for the various 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.
Claims
We Claim:
1. A method for restoring wireless communication service in a cellular network, the method comprising: detecting, by a detection unit [302], one or more failures within the cellular network using dedicated Application Programming Interfaces (APIs); identifying, by a processing unit [304], at least one outage cell based on the detected one or more failures; obtaining, by a transceiver unit [306], a data of one or more neighboring cells associated with the at least one outage cell; processing, by a determination unit [308], the obtained data to determine a set of target actions for the one or more neighboring cells based on the one or more failures, wherein the set of target actions comprises one of at least a Remote Electrical Tilt (RET) action, a power adjustment action, a handover adjustment action; and triggering, by a triggering unit [310], one or more target actions from the set of target actions at the one or more neighboring cells to mitigate the one or more failures.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more failures are at least one of one or more hardware failures and one or more software failures, and wherein the one or more failures are detected by the detection unit [302] based on a continuous monitoring of at least one critical alarms and service affecting alarms associated with the cellular network.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more failures are associated with at least a temporary coverage hole.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising adjusting, by the triggering unit [310], one or more parameters of the one or more neighboring cells based on the one or more target actions.
5. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the method comprises: monitoring, by the processing unit [304], a status of the at least one outage cell post an adjustment of one or more parameters of the one or more neighboring cells based on the one or more target actions; detecting, by the detection unit [302], an indication of the resolution of the one or more failures based on the monitoring of the status; andreadjusting, by the triggering unit [308], the one or more parameters of the one or more neighboring cells based on the indication.
6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data of the one or more neighboring cells is obtained from a High Ranked Physical Neighbors table list.
7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more target actions from the set of target actions is determined based on the one or more failures associated with the at least one outage cell.
8. A system [300] for restoring wireless communication service in a cellular network, the system [300] comprising: a detection unit [302] configured to detect one or more failures within the cellular network using dedicated Application Programming Interfaces (APIs); a processing unit [304] connected at least to the detection unit [302], the processing unit [304] configured to identify at least one outage cell based on the detected one or more failures; a transceiver unit [306] connected at least to the processing unit [304], the transceiver unit [306] configured to obtain a data of one or more neighboring cells associated with the at least one outage cell; a determination unit [308] connected at least to the transceiver unit [306], the determination unit [308] configured to process the obtained data to determine a set of target actions for the one or more neighboring cells based on the one or more failures, wherein the set of target actions comprises one of at least a Remote Electrical Tilt (RET) action, a power adjustment action, a handover adjustment action; and a triggering unit [310] connected at least to the determination unit [308], the triggering unit [310] configured to trigger one or more target actions from the set of target actions at the one or more neighboring cells to mitigate the one or more failures.
9. The system [300] as claimed in claim 8, wherein the one or more failures are at least one of one or more hardware failures and one or more software failures, and wherein the one or more failures are detected by the detection unit [302] based on a continuous monitoring of at least one critical alarms and service affecting alarms associated with the cellular network.
10. The system [300] as claimed in claim 8, wherein the one or more failures are associated with at least a temporary coverage hole.
11. The system [300] as claimed in claim 8, wherein the triggering unit [310] is further configured to adjust one or more parameters of the one or more neighboring cells based on the one or more target actions.
12. The system [300] as claimed in claim 9, wherein: the processing unit [304] is further configured to monitor a status of the at least one outage cell post an adjustment of one or more parameters of the one or more neighboring cells based on the one or more target actions; the detection unit [302] is further configured to detect an indication of the resolution of the one or more failures based on the monitoring of the status; and the triggering unit [310] is further configured to readjust the one or more parameters of the one or more neighboring cells based on the indication.
13. The system [300] as claimed in claim 8, wherein the data of the one or more neighboring cells is obtained from a High Ranked Physical Neighbors table list.
14. The system [300] as claimed in claim 8, wherein the one or more target actions from the set of target actions is determined based on the one or more failures associated with the at least one outage cell.
15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for restoring wireless communication service in a cellular network, the instructions comprising executable code which, when executed by one or more units of a system [300], causes: a detection unit [302] to detect one or more failures within the cellular network using dedicated Application Programming Interfaces (APIs); a processing unit [304] to identify at least one outage cell based on the detected one or more failures; a transceiver unit [306] to obtain a data of one or more neighboring cells associated with the at least one outage cell; a determination unit [308] to process the obtained data to determine a set of target actions for the one or more neighboring cells based on the one or more failures, wherein the set of target actions comprises one of at least a Remote Electrical Tilt (RET) action, a power adjustment action, a handover adjustment action; anda triggering unit [310] to trigger one or more target actions from the set of target actions at the one or more neighboring cells to mitigate the one or more failures.