Method and system for providing in-transit communications services

Abstract

To provide a method for providing in-transit communications services during the travel time of a transport craft.SOLUTION: A method includes measuring a communication service metric related to in-transit communications services during a measurement time window, comparing the communication service metric to a trigger threshold, and automatically initiating a service level trigger including compensation being issued to one or more passengers on board a transport craft affected by a problem with the in-transit communications services based on a determination that the communication service metric is lower than the trigger threshold.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] (CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims priority to U.S. Non-provisional Application No. 16 / 146,673, filed September 28, 2018, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION FIELD Embodiments relate generally to communication systems, and more particularly to providing quality of experience based communication services to moving transport craft via communication systems. [Background technology]

[0003] Individual or business customers of communication and content services typically enter into relatively long-term (e.g., monthly, annual, etc.) contractual relationships with providers of such services, such as internet service providers, television service providers, over-the-top media service providers, etc. These customers generally expect a certain contracted level of service, and if the customers experience an undesirable level of service, they will often contact the service provider to report the undesirable level of service. For example, dissatisfied customers will contact their internet service provider whenever there is a service outage, a noticeable slowdown, a configuration issue, etc. To help ensure a desirable customer experience, such service providers typically encourage customers to report problems and issues so that those issues can be addressed in a timely manner.

[0004] It is becoming more common for users to desire to consume communication resources (e.g., for streaming media, email, the Internet, etc.) while traveling in a transport craft. For example, passengers may carry mobile phones, laptop computers, tablet computers, integrated media terminals, and / or other mobile terminals while traveling in automobiles, airplanes, buses, trains, ships, or other transport craft. In many cases, some or all of the communication services are provided to the passengers over a remote network (e.g., the Internet) that communicates with the transport craft. In such cases, a contractual relationship often exists between the communication provider and the transportation provider operating the transport craft. To ensure that a certain level of service is provided by the communication provider, some such providers tend to periodically check that their service is available a percentage of the time and / or meets some contracted data rate threshold.

[0005] In many cases, a relatively long-term contractual relationship exists between a communications provider and a transportation provider, but only a relatively short-term relationship may exist between the communications provider and the passenger. For example, an airline passenger may use the airline's Internet service for only a portion of a single flight. Even while the service is technically available and provides at least a minimum data speed on the aircraft, the passenger may still experience poor service or no service at all for several reasons. However, both transportation and communications providers may have an inadequate understanding of end-user experience, which may hinder their ability to recognize and appropriately address issues that arise regarding their end-user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Among other things, systems and methods for providing quality of experience (QoE)-based mobile communication services are described. For example, the mobile communication services are provided over a network to content consumption devices on one or more transport crafts. During a measurement window, delivery of the mobile communication services can be measured to obtain network-level delivery (NLD) measurements, and consumption of the mobile communication services by one or more of the content consumption devices can be measured to obtain customer-level consumption (CLC) measurements. The NLD and CLC measurements can be used to calculate a QoE score indicative of the quality of the delivered service as perceived by one or more passengers on one or more transport crafts. The QoE score can be used to update stored service level data. The updates can generate one or more service level triggers, which can trigger automatic corrective actions to address QoE-related conditions. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] The present disclosure is described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 shows a simplified diagram of a satellite communications system that provides context for various embodiments;

[0009] [Figure 2] 1 illustrates an exemplary communication system for delivering mobile communication services, in which measurement and scoring components according to various embodiments are primarily located in provider-side network nodes.

[0010] [Figure 3] 1 illustrates an exemplary communications system for delivering mobile communications services, in which measurement and scoring components according to various embodiments are primarily located on transport craft.

[0011] [Figure 4]An exemplary communication system for delivering mobile communication services is shown, in which measurement components according to various embodiments are primarily located on transport craft and scoring components are primarily located on provider-side network nodes.

[0012] [Figure 5] 1 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method for delivering media services on the move, according to various embodiments.

[0013] In the accompanying drawings, similar components and / or features may have the same reference numeral. Furthermore, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference numeral with a second numeral that distinguishes among the similar components. When only a first numeral is used herein, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first numeral, regardless of the second numeral. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, those skilled in the art should recognize that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, circuits, structures, and techniques are not shown in detail to avoid obscuring the present invention.

[0015] 1 illustrates a simplified diagram of a satellite communications system 100 that provides context for various embodiments. The satellite communications system 100 generally facilitates the distribution of on-board content from one or more content sources to multiple transport craft 110 according to release-time-based prioritization, as described herein. For example, a passenger aircraft may have an on-board system for providing mobile communications services (e.g., in-flight entertainment, in-flight Internet connectivity, etc.) via in-seat mobile, personal mobile, or other devices. While the passenger aircraft is in flight, the on-board system can communicate with one or more carriers of the satellite communications system 100 to thereby deliver the mobile communications services to passengers.

[0016] The transport craft 110 and transportation-related services may be provided to passengers by a transportation provider, such as an airline, which desires to provide a positive experience for its passengers with the mobile communications services. To create a positive passenger experience, the transportation provider will seek to ensure that the mobile communications services have, at a minimum, a desired level of availability (e.g., little or no perceived network downtime or other perceived service loss) at a desired data rate (e.g., sufficiently high throughput, bandwidth, etc. to support passenger usage), and a desired level of accessibility (e.g., reasonable pricing, support for a variety of applications and / or device types, etc.). The mobile communications services may be provided by a communications provider, such as a satellite communications company, which may provide and operate some or all components of the provider network over which the communications services are provided. In some cases, the communications provider is fully or partially affiliated with the transportation provider. In other cases, the communications provider is separate from the transportation provider. In such cases, the transportation provider may ensure a desired passenger experience through a contractual relationship with the communications provider.

[0017] Traditionally, ensuring a desirable passenger experience has tended to require communications providers only to periodically check that their service is available at least some contracted percentage of the time and / or meets some contracted data rate threshold. However, such periodic checks tend not to accurately reflect whether a desirable level of service is being provided to end users (e.g., passengers). For example, even if objective measurements indicate that a network is available and providing at least a minimum level of data rate on a particular airplane flight at a particular time, some other issue may be causing network connectivity trouble using certain applications for some or all passengers on that flight, or may otherwise cause an undesirable passenger experience. In such cases, the transportation crew often has little opportunity or ability to address the problem, passengers may have little incentive to report the problem, and / or it may be difficult to determine the cause or repair of the problem even if reported (e.g., because the reporting individual does not fully understand the problem or because it is impractical for a technician to debug the problem after the fact).

[0018] The embodiments described herein provide novel approaches for maintaining a desired quality of experience (QoE) for delivering mobile communication services. For example, components of a provider network may acquire network-level delivery (NLD) and customer-level consumption (CLC) measurements over a measurement window while the mobile communication service is being provided. A QoE score may be calculated as a function (e.g., a weighted average) of the NLD and CLC measurements, and these measurements may be based on both objective and subjective metrics. The calculated QoE score may indicate, in real time, the delivered quality of service (QoS) as perceived by one or more passengers of one or more transport crafts. In some embodiments, the QoE score may be automatically used to generate one or more service level triggers, which may address detected changes in QoE, at least in part, as needed, through the execution of one or more automated trigger response actions.

[0019] In embodiments, many different types of metrics can be used in many different ways. NLD measurements generally include objective measurements that indicate the effectiveness of a network in delivering mobile communication services (e.g., regardless of whether those delivered services are consumed by one or more passengers). NLD measurements can be obtained at various levels, such as across the entire network, across subnetworks, or across one or more links of the network. CLC measurements generally include subjective measurements (and can also include objective measurements) that indicate the effectiveness of passengers in consuming mobile communication services. CLC measurements can also be obtained at various levels, such as for each individual passenger, for large or small groups of passengers, or for one or more simulated content consumption devices. The two types of measurements can be reflected differently in the calculated QoE. For example, even if mobile communication services are objectively available for a particular passenger (e.g., according to NLD measurements), the CLC measurements can indicate that one or more passenger content consumption devices are experiencing difficulties due to poor wireless reception (or poor wired interface) at the passenger seat, technical limitations of the device, and / or other reasons. Additionally, while certain CLC measurements can be measured objectively (e.g., by passenger content consumption devices or simulated content consumption devices), the objective measurements can also be combined with or contribute to the subjective portion of the QoE score calculation. For example, the CLC measurements can include an objective measurement of the number of video buffer events over a measurement time window, which can be compared to a video buffer event threshold (described below) as part of the QoE score calculation and / or as part of the output of a service level trigger. The video buffer event threshold can also be determined by subjectively measuring how many video buffer events tend to have a negative impact on the delivered QoS as perceived by passengers.

[0020] Depending on the particular metric used, one or more types of QoE scores can be calculated and / or used to generate service level triggers. In some implementations, a general QoE score is calculated to indicate the overall perception of delivered QoS. In other implementations, a web browsing QoE score is calculated to indicate the perception of delivered QoS associated with use of the mobile communication service for typical web browsing activities. In some implementations, a video streaming QoE score is calculated to indicate the perception of delivered QoS associated with use of the mobile communication service for video streaming services. In other implementations, other types of QoE scores can be calculated to indicate the perception of delivered QoS associated with use of the mobile communication service for other types of activities. Any of these types of QoE scores can be calculated in relation to one or more passengers, one or more transport crafts, one or more measurement time windows, and / or other suitable parameters.

[0021] These and other features may be provided using provider network components. As used herein, a provider network may include some or all of the provider-side components, craft-side components, and a provider network communicatively connecting the provider-side components with the craft-side components. The provider-side components may include one or more gateway terminals 150 and provider-side network nodes 245. In some cases, the provider-side components may also include one or more content networks 160, one or more content servers 180, and / or any other suitable components located remotely from the transport craft 110. The craft-side components may include an onboard communications system 112, which may have a mobile terminal 230 with any other suitable communications-related components located on the transport craft 110. The provider network may include communications links (e.g., satellite communications link 135), relays (e.g., satellites 105), and / or any other suitable components located between the transport craft and the provider-side components.

[0022] The illustrated embodiment shows transport craft 110 communicating with satellite 105, one or more provider network nodes 245 (e.g., gateways, core nodes, etc.), and one or more content servers 180 via content network 160. While communication system 100 is illustrated with transport craft 110 as a single aircraft communicating with satellite 105 via spot beam 135, such description is not intended to be limiting, and embodiments may operate in many different contexts. For example, communication system 100 may include one or more transport craft(s) 110 (e.g., airplanes, trains, buses, blimps, cruise ships, etc.) communicating via any one or more suitable communication architecture(s), including any suitable communication link, such as a satellite communication system, an air-to-ground communication system, a hybrid satellite and air-to-ground communication system, a cellular communication system, etc.

[0023] Typically, due to the mobile nature of transport craft 110, the communications architecture will likely require at least one wireless communication link. In some embodiments, transport craft 110(s) can communicate with a communications system having multiple carriers. The term “carrier” is used generally to include wireless communication links over which one or more transport craft 110 and / or content consumption device 120 communicate, such as a satellite communications system spot beam 135 (e.g., serving a particular spot beam coverage area), a particular carrier frequency band and / or polarization within a satellite communications system spot beam (e.g., serving some or all terminals within a particular spot beam coverage area), a cellular carrier frequency band (e.g., serving cellular terminals within a particular cell coverage area), etc. For example, communication with a particular carrier may include communicating over a respective wireless link using a particular frequency, polarization, etc. The communications system architecture can provide various features, including using multiple carriers to serve a large service area composed of multiple carrier coverage areas (e.g., spot beam coverage area, cell coverage area, etc.). Carrier coverage areas can partially or fully overlap, such that a particular geographic region is served (e.g., simultaneously) by multiple carriers. As transport craft 110 travels through a communications network, it may travel through multiple carrier coverage areas, such that communications services may be provided to transport craft 110 via different carriers over time. For example, during a transatlantic or international flight, the content consumption devices 120 of passengers on the aircraft may travel through many carrier coverage areas.Additionally, different carriers serving those coverage areas may be used over time to maintain communication with transport craft 110 over a larger geographic area covered during travel (e.g., a transverse area larger than a single carrier coverage area) and / or provide other features, such as grouping of terminals by carrier, that facilitate load balancing across multiple carriers. Transitioning transport craft 110 from one carrier to another during travel may require a "handover" of communication services between the carriers, which may require the handover of pending multicast communications and / or, in some cases, other services.

[0024] Use of mobile communication services by passengers of transport craft 110 can include communication of various types of content over a provider network. For example, the content can include media content streaming (e.g., over-the-top television, movies, or radio programming), live television or radio playback, internet browsing, social media or online gaming interactions, email, text, or other messaging interactions, etc. For example, such content can originate from and / or be destined for content server(s) 180 via content network 160 and gateway 150 (and / or other provider-side network nodes 245). Content network 160 can include any type of suitable network, such as the Internet, an IP network, an intranet, a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a virtual private network (VPN), a virtual LAN (VLAN), an optical fiber network, a cable network, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a public switched data network (PSDN), a public land mobile network, and / or communications supporting any other type of network as described herein. Network 160 can include both wired and wireless connections, as well as optical links.

[0025] The content server(s) 180 may be accessible via the satellite 105 in any suitable architecture. For example, content stored on the content server(s) 180 may be generated by the content server(s) 180 and / or received by the content server(s) 180 via the network 160, and the content server(s) 180 may be located at the gateway 150, a core node, or any other suitable location in the communications infrastructure. Content may be communicated from the content server(s) 180 to the content consumption device 120 in flight via the satellite 105 and the onboard communications system 112 (e.g., in response to a request for such media from the content consumption device 120). Although only one content server 180 is shown to avoid complexity in the figure, content received by the content consumption device 120 may be from one or more content server(s) 180 in one or more locations. In some cases, providing mobile communication services involves providing content in response to a request (e.g., an explicit or implicit request) for such content from content consumption device 120. In other cases, providing mobile communication services involves pushing content to transport craft 110 and / or particular content consumption device 120 without responding to a client request. For example, content may be pushed to content consumption device 120 on a scheduled basis or for pre-positioning, content may be broadcast or multicast to transport craft 110 using any suitable communication protocol and / or schema, etc.

[0026] The provision of mobile communication services to the transport craft 110 may involve interaction between provider-side components of the network and the onboard communication system 112 (e.g., via one or more satellite communication links 135 and satellites 105). In an embodiment, the onboard communication system 112 includes a mobile terminal 230, which may include an antenna system 170, a transceiver 172, a modem 174, a network access unit (NAU) 176, and a wireless access point (WAP) 178. In some implementations, the onboard communication system 112 may provide for receiving outbound downlink signals from and transmitting inbound uplink signals to the satellites 105, supporting bidirectional data communication between the content consumption devices 120 of the transport craft 110 and the provider-side components of the provider network. The content consumption devices 120 may include mobile devices (e.g., smartphones, laptops, tablets, netbooks, etc.), such as personal electronic devices (PEDs) brought aboard the transport craft 110 by passengers. As a further example, content consumption device 120 may include a passenger seatback system or other device located on transport craft 110. Content consumption device 120 may communicate with network access unit 176 via a communication link, which may be wired and / or wireless. The communication link may be part of a local area network, such as, for example, a wireless local area network (WLAN) supported by WAP 178. One or more WAPs 178 may be distributed around transport craft 110 and, in conjunction with network access unit 176, may provide traffic switching and routing functionality, such as, for example, as part of a WLAN enhanced service set (ESS).

[0027] In operation, the network access unit 176 can provide uplink data received from the content consumption device 120 to the modem 174 and generate modulated uplink data (e.g., a transmit intermediate frequency (IF) signal) for transmission to the transceiver 172. The transceiver 172 can upconvert and then amplify the modulated uplink data to generate a return uplink signal for transmission to the satellite 105 via the antenna system 170. Similarly, the transceiver 172 can receive an outgoing downlink signal from the satellite 105 via the antenna system 170. The transceiver 172 can amplify and downconvert the outgoing downlink signal to generate modulated downlink data (e.g., a receive IF signal) that is demodulated by the modem 174. The demodulated downlink data from the modem 174 can be provided to the network access unit 176 for routing to the content consumption device 120. The modem 174 can be integrated with the network access unit 176 or, in some embodiments, can be a separate component.

[0028] As transport craft 110 travel through carriers in communication system 100, passengers on those transport craft 110 may consume mobile communication services using their content consumption devices 120. Some embodiments described herein strive to ensure at least a desired level of QoE for the mobile communication services that passengers consume or attempt to consume. This may involve using various components across the provider network to obtain and utilize both objective and subjective QoE-related information regarding passengers on transport craft 110.

[0029] Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary communications system 200 for delivering mobile communications services to support a desired passenger QoE, according to various embodiments. Communications system 200 may be an implementation of portions of communications system 100 described with reference to Figure 1. For example, like Figure 1, communications system 200 of Figure 2 includes one or more transport craft 110 communicating with one or more provider network nodes 245 via provider network 240. Provider network 240 may include the satellite communications network shown in Figure 1 or any other suitable network(s).

[0030] Transport craft 110 may have a mobile terminal 230 disposed thereon that communicates with a plurality of content consumption devices 120 via an onboard network 225. An embodiment of mobile terminal 230 may include a provider network interface 232 communicatively coupled to a provider network 240 that provides mobile communication services to transport craft 110. An embodiment of mobile terminal 230 may also include an onboard network interface 234 for communicatively coupling with content consumption devices 120 via onboard network 225.

[0031] In the illustrated embodiment, the provider-side network node 245 includes a measurement subsystem 250, a QoE scoring subsystem 270, and a service profile memory 260 in which service level data is stored (described below). An embodiment of the measurement subsystem 250 includes a network-level delivery (NLD) subsystem 252 for measuring delivery of the mobile communication service during a measurement time window to obtain a set of NLD measurements. In some embodiments, the set of NLD measurements includes measurements of the availability of the mobile communication service in the measurement time window. In one implementation, the NLD subsystem 252 repeatedly (e.g., periodically) pings the communication network to determine whether a connection is sustained and records the results of the ping over the measurement time window to obtain the availability measurements. In another aspect, the NLD subsystem 252 periodically or continuously measures the data rates of one or more links of the communication network to determine whether any request or response data is traversing the link(s). Any period in which data does not traverse the link(s) can be recorded as a period of no availability, and the NLD subsystem 252 can obtain the availability measurements accordingly. In another embodiment, the set of NLD measurements includes measurements of data rates of the mobile communication service over the measurement time window. In another embodiment, the set of NLD measurements includes link metric measurements for at least one communication link between a provider node of the communication network and the transport craft. For example, the link metrics may represent link latency, bandwidth, handover status, and / or any other suitable link metric. Any of these and / or other types of NLD measurements may include measurements of forward link performance (NLD measurements for forward link traffic traversing a link of the communication network) and / or measurements of return link performance (NLD measurements for return link traffic traversing a link of the communication network). As used herein, forward link communications generally refer to communications transmitted to the transport craft 110, and return link communications generally refer to communications transmitted from the transport craft 110.For example, forward link communications may be transmitted from provider side node(s) 245 to transport craft 110 (or, referring to FIG. 1, from gateway 150 to one or more transport craft 110 via one or more satellite communication links 135), and return link communications may be transmitted from transport craft 110 to provider side node(s) 245 (or, referring to FIG. 1, from transport craft 110 to gateway 150 via one or more satellite communication links 135).

[0032] The NLD subsystem 252 may acquire NLD measurements in any suitable manner. For example, the measurement subsystem 250 may perform speed tests and / or other network tests to check whether a network is available and provides a particular data rate. Locating the NLD subsystem 252 in the provider-side network node 245 may facilitate acquiring and / or aggregating measurements across multiple transport craft 110. For example, NLD measurements may be aggregated per transport craft, per carrier / beam, per convoy, per transport craft type, per travel path, per passenger type, per content consumption device type, per content consumption application type, per class of service, per terrain, by time (e.g., time of day, season), by transport craft capacity, etc. In some implementations, aggregation may be multidimensional. For example, NLD measurements may be aggregated per carrier per transport craft type.

[0033] An embodiment of the measurement subsystem 250 also includes a customer-level consumption (CLC) subsystem 254 for measuring consumption of the mobile communication service by at least one of the content consumption devices 120 over a measurement time window to obtain a set of CLC measurements. In some embodiments, some or all of the NLD measurements are objective measurements, and some or all of the CLC measurements are subjective measurements. In some embodiments, one or more subjective CLC measurements are obtained by communicating a prompt to one or more passenger(s) via one or more content consumption devices 120 to request subjective feedback data regarding their consumption of the mobile communication service over the measurement time window. For example, the prompt can be communicated at any time while or after the passenger(s) consume the mobile communication service using the content consumption device(s) 120. In one such embodiment, the mobile media service is consumed via a dedicated application (e.g., provided by a transport craft provider, a communications provider, etc.) or via a standard application (e.g., a standard Internet browser). The application may include graphical user interface elements, pop-ups, etc., that may display prompts during login to the service, interact with the service in response to detecting certain conditions during consumption of the service, etc. Subjective feedback data may be received from at least one of the one or more passengers via the at least one content consumption device in response to the prompts, and at least a portion of the CLC measurements may be generated according to the subjective feedback data.

[0034] Additionally or alternatively, the CLC subsystem 254 can obtain one or more objective CLC measurements in any suitable manner. For example, the CLC subsystem 254 can include or communicate with a provider-side deep packet monitoring engine, traffic shaper, etc. (e.g., and / or one or more simulated content consumption devices (SCCDs) 222, as described below). Such components can monitor traffic communicated with transport crafts 110 and / or individual content consumption devices 120 to determine what types of content are being consumed, how much of each type of content is being consumed, which applications or application types are being used to consume the content, etc. Similar to the NLD subsystem 252, locating the CLC subsystem 254 at the provider-side network node 245 can facilitate obtaining and / or aggregating measurements across multiple transport crafts 110. CLC measurements can be aggregated in the same or different manner as the aggregation of NLD measurements (e.g., at higher or lower resolution, across the same or different variables, etc.). For example, in some implementations, CLC measurements may be aggregated by communication protocol type, application type, browser type, etc.

[0035] In one implementation, the set of CLC measurements indicates the amount of data of the mobile communication service used (e.g., including upload and / or download usage) by one or more content consumption devices 120 during the measurement time window. In another implementation, the set of CLC measurements indicates the length of time that one or more content consumption devices 120 used the mobile communication service during the measurement time window. In another implementation, the set of CLC measurements indicates at least one device type (e.g., device format, such as smartphone, laptop, tablet, etc.; device placement, such as personal mobile device, seatback terminal, shared cable display, etc.; device characteristics, such as screen size, operating system, etc.) used to consume the mobile communication service by one or more content consumption devices 120 during the measurement time window. In another implementation, the set of CLC measurements indicates at least one content consumption application (e.g., over-the-top media streaming, internet chat, internet browsing, email, etc.) used to consume the mobile communication service by one or more content consumption devices 120 during the measurement time window. In another implementation, the set of CLC measurements indicates the type of traffic involved in the consumption of the mobile communication service by one or more content consumption devices 120 during the measurement time window. In another implementation, the set of CLC measurements indicates whether at least one of the passengers associated with one or more content consumption devices 120 successfully purchased consumption of a communication service in relation to the measurement time window. In another implementation, the set of CLC measurements indicates whether one or more content consumption devices 120 successfully communicatively connected with a mobile terminal 230 and consumed a mobile communication service in relation to the measurement time window.

[0036] In some embodiments, some CLC measurements may be affected by the use of one or more simulated content consumption devices (SCCDs) 222. Each SCCD 222 may be implemented as an executable program running on the mobile server 230 that simulates the behavior of one or more actual content consumption devices 120. Alternatively, one or more SCCDs 222 may be implemented as actual or virtual machines running a simulation program. The SCCDs 222 may be used to simulate, for example, normal consumer behavior, anomalous consumer behavior, particular failure modes of content consumption devices, characteristics of particular types of content consumption devices (e.g., brand, browser, operating system, software updates, etc.), characteristics of particular use cases (e.g., app format, type of content, etc.), and / or other conditions.

[0037] In some implementations, the SCCD 222 is used to generate metrics related to web browsing (e.g., web page load times, etc.), thereby contributing to calculating a web browsing QoE score. For example, a program executable by the SCCD 222 can include a predefined set of one or more web pages requested by the SCCD 222. By repeatedly running the program (e.g., at different times), the SCCD 222 can request the same predefined set of one or more web pages each time (e.g., from the provider-side node 245), thereby obtaining multiple measurement samples of web page load times over time. The measurement samples can be used (e.g., automatically) to define an acceptable web page load time (or an acceptable range of web page load times) and to detect non-conforming samples (indicating unacceptable web page load times). In one such implementation, SCCD 222 records web page load times over the course of several iterations and / or over time, automatically characterizes the recorded web page load times to define acceptable web page load times, and uses the defined acceptable web page load times to detect anomalies in the recorded web page load times and / or subsequently detect anomalies in the recorded web page load times. In another such implementation, SCCD 222 records web page load times over the course of several iterations and / or over time, and sends the recorded web page load times to CLC subsystem 254. CLC subsystem 254 can automatically characterize the recorded web page load times to define acceptable web page load times, and uses the defined acceptable web page load times to detect anomalies in the recorded web page load times and / or subsequently detect anomalies in the recorded web page load times.

[0038] In some implementations, the SCCD 222 is used to generate metrics related to video streaming (e.g., video start-up delay, video rebuffering, etc.), thereby contributing to calculating a video streaming QoE score. For example, a program executable by the SCCD 222 may include a predefined set of one or more video files requested by the SCCD 222. Repeated execution of the program (e.g., at different times) may cause the SCCD 222 to request the same predefined set of one or more video files each time (e.g., from the provider-side node 245), thereby obtaining multiple measurement samples for video start-up delay. The measurement samples may be used (e.g., automatically) to define video start-up delay and to detect non-conforming samples (indicating unacceptable video start-up delay). Similarly, while streaming video files using the SCCD 222, the number of rebuffering events may be counted over a specific period (e.g., 5 minutes), and this number may be used to set an acceptable threshold and / or this number may be compared to an existing threshold to detect an unacceptable number of rebuffering events.

[0039] In other embodiments, the SCCD 222 can be used to generate any other suitable metrics to contribute to calculating a general QoE score and / or various QoE scores associated with particular types of activities. In some of these and / or other implementations, CLC measurements obtained using the SCCD 222 can be combined with NLD measurements (e.g., availability of mobile communication services, outbound link data rates of mobile communication services, etc.) to further contribute to calculating one or more QoE scores. For example, while the measurement subsystem 250 is obtaining NLD and CLC measurements, one or more SCCDs 222 can run on the mobile terminal 230 to simulate the generation and / or consumption of various types of traffic (e.g., thereby influencing and / or further contributing to the measurement of the CLC measurements). This can occur during normal movement of the transport craft 110 (e.g., during a measurement time window while transporting passengers), or during simulated movement of the transport craft 110 (e.g., while the transport craft 110 is parked or being serviced), or any other suitable time.

[0040] Mobile communication services are provided to passengers via their content consumption devices 120 (and / or SCCDs 222) during some or all of the transport craft 110's travel time. Similarly, the measurement time window over which NLD and / or CLC measurements are obtained can be some or all of the transport craft 110's travel time. For example, airplane passengers may not be permitted to access mobile communication services during takeoff or landing or other portions of the flight, while bus passengers may be permitted to access mobile communication services for the entire time the passengers are on the bus. Thus, in some implementations, the measurement time window is set according to the portion of the transport craft 110's travel time during which passengers are permitted to access mobile communication services. Additionally, there may be times during the transport craft 110's travel when more or fewer passengers are attempting to use mobile communication services, or when mobile communication services are provided to the transport craft 110 more or less reliably, etc. Thus, in some implementations, the measurement time window is set to correspond to such times when particular failure modes or other conditions are more likely to occur. In other implementations, the measurement time window is set to record activity samples over a predefined period of time. For example, the measurement time window can be set to a 10-minute window, which is approximately half the travel time of the transport craft. In other implementations, the measurement time window can be set in response to a trigger event. For example, in implementations, measurements can be automatically triggered for a length of time associated with one or more transport craft 110.This triggering may occur in response to an explicit measurement request (e.g., contractually issued on a scheduled basis or by a service technician), in response to detection of a network event that may affect QoE (e.g., a network outage, detection of a sudden increase in network usage, etc.), in response to detection of a degradation in a QoE indicator (e.g., detection of a degradation in QoE for one or more passengers on a transport craft 110 may trigger measurements of QoE for other passengers on that transport craft 110, or for other transport craft 110 serviced by the same carrier), and / or in response to any other suitable triggering event.

[0041] An embodiment of the QoE scoring subsystem 270 communicates with the measurement subsystem 250 to calculate a QoE score associated with a particular measurement time window as a function of the NLD and CLC measurements. The QoE score may indicate the quality of delivery (QoS) of service perceived by one or more passengers of one or more transport crafts 110 in relation to those passengers' consumption (or lack thereof) of mobile communication services via the content consumption devices 120. After calculating the QoE score, an embodiment of the QoE scoring subsystem 270 may appropriately update the service level data stored in the service profile memory 260. In some embodiments, updating the service profile memory 260 involves storing new data and / or overwriting data in the service profile memory 260. In other embodiments, updating may include calculating updated statistics, metrics, trends, and / or other data according to the updated service level data and storing those updates in the service profile memory 260.

[0042] By updating the service profile memory 260, if some portion of the service level data exceeds a predefined trigger threshold (e.g., exceeds a maximum threshold level or falls below a minimum threshold level), the QoE scoring subsystem 270 can output a service level trigger 275. In some embodiments, the service level trigger 275 can indicate one or more predefined undesirable conditions related to QoE for one or more passengers of the transport craft 110. In other embodiments, the service level trigger 275 can indicate one or more exceptionally desirable conditions related to QoE for one or more passengers of the transport craft (e.g., exceeding a contracted or guaranteed QoE level).

[0043] The QoE scoring subsystem 270 may calculate the QoE score as a function of the NLD and CLC measurements in any suitable manner. In some embodiments, the calculation is based on a number of predefined coefficients, each with an appropriate weighting. The weightings and / or functions used in the calculation may depend on the type of service level trigger 275 output by the QoE scoring subsystem 270. The calculation may be performed at any suitable resolution or resolutions, and thus may include aggregation, interpolation, extrapolation, correlation, etc. For example, the calculation may result in one or more QoE scores associated with a particular transport craft, a particular customer or group of customers, a particular equipment type, a particular application or data format, a particular class of service, a particular travel route, etc. In some embodiments, the mobile communication service is delivered according to a set of contractual QoE conditions that dictate to the transport craft at least one target NLD level for a set of NLD measurements and at least one target CLC level for a set of CLC measurements. In such an embodiment, the QoE scoring subsystem 270 may further calculate the QoE score as a function of at least one of a set of contracted QoE conditions. For example, the provision of in-transit media services may be governed by a contract between a communications provider and a transportation service provider, or between a communications provider and a passenger, or between a communications provider and a passenger (e.g., by an end user license agreement, terms of use agreement, loyalty program agreement, etc.), and the contract may provide for a promised, guaranteed, or other level of service related to QoE.

[0044] In some embodiments, the QoE scoring subsystem 270 calculates the QoE score according to pre- or dynamically generated expected QoE conditions. For example, in embodiments, a set of expected QoE conditions may be generated for one or more transport craft 110, for a transport craft type, for a travel route, for a carrier, etc. In some implementations, some or all of the expected QoE conditions are generated manually, for example, according to contractual obligations, normal operating expectations, etc. In other implementations, some or all of the expected QoE conditions are generated automatically by the QoE scoring subsystem 270 as a function of service level data stored in the service profile memory 260. For example, machine learning models, statistical models, trend analysis, etc. may be used to generate a range of values ​​for age, passenger capacity, etc. that are considered to be within a normal operating range for a particular transport craft 110. The generated expected QoE conditions may indicate at least one of an expected NLD level for at least one of a set of NLD measurements or an expected CLC level for at least one of a set of CLC measurements. The QoE score subsystem 270 may then calculate a QoE score, such that the QoE score indicates the delivery QoS as perceived by one or more passengers of the transport craft compared to the expected QoS.

[0045] In some embodiments, the service level triggers 275 generated by the QoE scoring subsystem 270 can be pre-associated with one or more automated trigger response actions. In such embodiments, the provider-side network node 245 can further include an automated response subsystem 280. The automated response subsystem 280 can detect the service level triggers 275 and direct the execution of an automated trigger response action in response to the detection. The automated trigger response action can include directing the automatic execution of a task to address a problem with the mobile communication service indicated by the service level trigger 275. In one implementation, the task includes communicating a service call. For example, an automated service call may be issued to craft crew (e.g., a flight attendant) to see if the passenger experience can be improved in some way (e.g., by resetting one or more components of the mobile terminal, by guiding the customer through use, etc.), or to ground personnel (e.g., ground crew at the destination airport to notify them of a potentially serviceable problem with the mobile terminal, or to a communications provider (e.g., so that the communications provider can log the problem, take corrective action, schedule service, etc.). In another implementation, the task includes executing a repair script. For example, an automated repair script may be automatically used to reboot one or more parts of the mobile terminal, re-establish network connectivity, update software, check for viruses or other software errors, and suggest corrective action (e.g., by prompting a different browser or downloading specific software). In another implementation, the task includes coordinating subsequent provisioning of network resources.For example, bandwidth allocation, traffic shaping, and / or other provisioning can be adjusted in real time for the affected transport craft, scheduled provisioning can be adjusted for a future time when the affected transport craft will be traveling, or for a future time when the same or another transport craft is scheduled to traverse the affected route, etc. In another implementation, the task includes providing compensation to at least one of one or more passengers affected by the issue or adjusting pricing for consumption of in-transit communication services. For example, one or more affected passengers can automatically be granted access to a higher service level at no cost or a reduced cost, or can automatically receive a refund or discount on communication or other services (e.g., internet access on a future flight, coupons for food or drinks on a future flight, loyalty program credits, etc.). In another implementation, the task includes generating a report about the communication to a contractual partner associated with the delivery of the in-transit communication services. For example, a transportation service provider can contract with a communications provider for the delivery of in-transit communication services, and the contract can require the communications provider to notify the transportation service provider of QoE-related metrics.

[0046] As described herein, QoE scores can be calculated across various dimensions and at various resolutions. For example, QoE scores can be calculated across one or more passengers, one or more aircraft, one or more behavioral aspects (e.g., web browsing, video streaming, etc.), one or more application types, and / or any suitable combination of other dimensions. Depending on the type of QoE score calculated and / or the type of service level trigger 275 output, the service level data can be updated in the service profile memory 260 in various ways, and the function used to update the service level data can vary from embodiment to embodiment. In some embodiments, the service level data is updated to directly correspond to a particular QoE score (e.g., each datum in the set of service level data in the service profile memory 260 corresponds to a previously calculated QoE score). For example, a QoE score calculated across passengers on a particular aircraft over a measurement time window may indicate that mobile communication service is available at a desirable data rate (e.g., according to a particular NLD measurement), but that user experience is poor (e.g., according to a particular CLC measurement). In such an embodiment, the service level data may be updated to reflect the calculated QoE score and may trigger the output of a specific service level trigger 275, which may automatically reset the mobile terminal 230.

[0047] In other cases, the service level data is updated by aggregating multiple QoE scores calculated over the same or different measurement time windows. For example, a respective QoE score is calculated over time for each of multiple passengers on each of multiple aircraft over each of multiple measurement time windows. Updating the service level data may include aggregating some or all of the respective QoE scores across one or more dimensions (e.g., by aggregating QoE scores for all passengers on a particular aircraft in a particular measurement time window, or for a single passenger across multiple measurement time windows, etc.) and / or at one or more resolutions (e.g., for all passengers in a particular cabin on a particular aircraft, or for all passengers in a fleet of aircraft, etc.). Furthermore, each QoE score may be part of one or more aggregations (e.g., one aggregation including all passengers on a particular aircraft in a particular measurement time window, and another aggregation including some of the same passengers across multiple aircraft over multiple time windows). In some cases, the aggregation includes further processing and / or calculation, such as by interpolating, extrapolating, or computing statistical trends, by filtering and / or sorting, or by processing via machine learning algorithms. The aggregation reflected by the updated service level data can then be used to inform when many types of service level triggers 275 are output. For example, aggregating the QoE scores of each individual passenger can be used in a similar manner to calculating a single QoE score for multiple passengers (e.g., in the example above, the service level trigger 275 would cause an automatic reset of the mobile terminal 230). The aggregated service level data can be used to detect and address QoE trends over longer periods and / or macroscopically. For example, the service level data may indicate that passengers tend to experience poor QoE when seated in each business class cabin of a particular aircraft type in a large fleet, and such service level data could cause a service level trigger 275 to be output.This service level trigger initiates a systematic review of the delivery of in-flight communication services to the business class cabin of a particular aircraft type.

[0048] 2, components of measurement subsystem 250 and QoE scoring subsystem 270 are located in provider-side network node 245. Thus, in these embodiments, NLD and CLC measurements are obtained and QoE scores are calculated in provider-side portions of the network away from transport craft 110. In other embodiments, various portions of the measurement and / or calculation components may be located in other portions of the network, such as in transport craft 110. Some of these alternative embodiments are illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0049] 3 illustrates an exemplary communications system 300 for delivering mobile communications services, in which various embodiment components of the system 300 are substantially located within individual transport craft 110 to support a desired passenger QoE. Communications system 300 may be an implementation of portions of communications system 100 described with reference to FIG. 1. For example, the illustrated transport craft 110 may represent one of many transport craft 110 communicating with one or more provider network nodes 245 (not shown) via provider network 240.

[0050] 2, transport craft 110 includes a mobile terminal 230 that communicates with several content consumption devices 120 via an onboard network 225. Some embodiments may also include one or more SCCDs 222 implemented by mobile terminal 230. Mobile terminal 230 may include a provider network interface 232 that communicatively couples with a provider network 240, via which mobile communication services are provided to transport craft 110. Mobile terminal 230 may also include an onboard network interface 234 that communicatively couples with content consumption devices 120 via onboard network 225. Unlike FIG. 2, mobile terminal 230 in FIG. 3 includes a measurement subsystem 250, a QoE scoring subsystem 270, and a service profile memory 260 (i.e., each mobile terminal 230 located on each transport craft 110, or portion of the transport craft 110, may include a respective instance of measurement subsystem 250, a QoE scoring subsystem 270, and a service profile memory 260).

[0051] The measurement subsystem 250 onboard the transport craft 110 includes an NLD subsystem 252 and a CLC subsystem 254. The NLD subsystem 252 may monitor the provider network interface 232 to obtain NLD measurements for one or more network connections between the provider network 240 and the mobile terminal 230. For example, the NLD measurements may include network availability, data rate, bandwidth, handover status, communication protocol, modulation and / or coding scheme, and / or any other suitable NLD measurements. The CLC subsystem 254 may include an onboard traffic shaper, an onboard deep packet monitoring engine, and / or other components to monitor the onboard network interface 234 to obtain CLC measurements for one or more network connections between the mobile terminal 230 and the content consumption device 120. For example, the CLC measurements may include how many content consumption devices 120 are consuming mobile communication services, what types of content consumption devices 120 (e.g., screen size and / or device categories such as particular device types) are being used to consume the mobile communication services, what applications (e.g., application categories such as messaging, over-the-top media streaming, and / or particular applications) are being used to consume the mobile communication services, what types of traffic (e.g., data protocols, etc.) are traversing the onboard network 225, and / or any other suitable CLC measurements.

[0052] In the illustrated embodiment, the onboard QoE scoring subsystem 270 can then calculate a QoE score using the obtained NLD and CLC measurements. For example, the QoE scoring subsystem 270 can update the service profile memory 260 to determine whether to generate a service level trigger 275. If a service level trigger 275 is generated by the QoE scoring subsystem 270, in some embodiments, the service level trigger 275 can be recorded. For example, the recorded service level trigger 275 can be used for subsequent maintenance or subsequent corrective action. In other embodiments, the QoE scoring subsystem 270 can include components or communicate with an onboard automated response subsystem 280 (not shown) to automatically perform corrective action (e.g., by restarting a connection, running a diagnostic script, etc.).

[0053] 4 illustrates an exemplary communications system 400 similar to system 300 of FIG. 3, except that QoE scoring subsystem 270 and service profile memory 260 are located in provider-side network node 245. For example, as in FIG. 3, transport craft 110 may represent one or more transport crafts 110, each including mobile terminals 230 that communicate with provider network 240 (via provider network interface 232) and with several content consumption devices 120 over onboard network 225 (via onboard network interface 234). Each mobile terminal 230 may include an onboard measurement subsystem 250, which may include NLD subsystem 252 and CLC subsystem 254. Some embodiments may also include one or more SCCDs 222, which may be implemented by mobile terminal 230.

[0054] The NLD and CLC measurements acquired by the onboard measurement subsystem 250 of the multiple transport crafts 110 can be communicated to the QoE scoring subsystem 270 (e.g., multiple QoE scoring subsystems 270) via the provider network 240. In the illustrated embodiment, the QoE scoring subsystem 270 can use the acquired NLD and CLC measurements to calculate one or more QoE scores. For example, the QoE scores can be generated using measurements from a single transport craft 110 over a single measurement time window, or aggregated from a single transport craft 110 over multiple measurement time windows, or aggregated from multiple transport crafts 110 on a single carrier over one or more measurement time windows, or even aggregated from multiple transport crafts 110 on multiple carriers over one or more measurement time windows, etc. The received NLD and CLC measurements can be used to update the service profile memory 260 and determine whether to generate a service level trigger 275. When a service level trigger 275 is generated by the QoE scoring subsystem 270, in an embodiment, the service level trigger 275 may be recorded for use in taking future action and / or may include components for automatically taking corrective action (e.g., an automated response subsystem 280, not shown).

[0055] FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary method 500 for delivering mobile media services in accordance with various embodiments. In some embodiments, method 500 is implemented using various components of the systems described in FIGS. 1-4. Method 500, in an embodiment, begins at step 504 by providing mobile communication services over a provider network to a content consumption device via a mobile terminal located in a transport craft over a measurement time window. The mobile communication services may include over-the-top or other streaming media services (e.g., movies, television, music, etc.), Internet browsing services (e.g., interaction with website content), personal communication services (e.g., email, text, etc.), and / or any other suitable communication services delivered over the provider network. The provider network may include any suitable satellite or other wireless communication links for communicating between one or more provider network nodes and the mobile terminal of the transport craft. The mobile terminal may include any suitable communication hardware (e.g., transceivers, modems, servers, etc.) located in any suitable transport craft (e.g., aircraft, ships, trains, buses, etc.). The content consumption device may include a consumption device installed on the transport craft (e.g., a seatback display terminal, a shared display screen onboard the transport craft, etc.), a personal consumption device (e.g., a passenger smartphone, tablet or laptop computer, etc.), or any other suitable content consumption device.

[0056] The measurement time window can include some or all of the time during which in-flight communications are provided to passengers of the transport craft. In one implementation, the measurement time window includes the entire transport craft travel time. In another implementation, the measurement time window includes only a portion of the transport craft travel time during which in-flight communications service consumption is permitted (e.g., the time during which a particular aircraft flight exceeds an altitude of 10,000 feet). In another implementation, the measurement time window is a number of sample times (e.g., 10 minutes) during the transport craft travel time.

[0057] At step 508, in embodiments, delivery of the mobile communication service during a measurement time window may be measured to obtain a set of network level delivery (NLD) measurements. In some embodiments, the set of NLD measurements includes measurements of availability of the mobile communication service during the measurement time window. In other embodiments, the set of NLD measurements includes measurements of data rates of the mobile communication service during the measurement time window. In other embodiments, the set of NLD measurements includes link metric measurements for at least one communication link between a provider node of the communication network and the transport craft. For example, the link metrics may indicate link latency, bandwidth, handover status, and / or any other suitable link metric. Any of these and / or other types of NLD measurements may include measurements of forward link performance (NLD measurements for forward link traffic traversing a link of the communication network) and / or measurements of return link performance (NLD measurements for return link traffic traversing a link of the communication network). In some implementations, some or all of the measurements at step 508 may be performed by the mobile terminal. For example, the mobile terminal may perform speed tests and / or other network tests to check whether a network is available and whether the network provides a particular data rate. In certain implementations, the measuring at step 508 may include aggregating NLD data from multiple content consumption devices. For example, the NLD data may be aggregated per transport craft, per carrier and / or beam, per convoy, per transport craft type, per travel path, per passenger type, per content consumption device type, per content consumption application type, per class of service, per terrain, per time (e.g., time of day, season), per transport craft capacity, etc. In some embodiments, the providing at step 504 includes communicating the mobile communication service from a provider network node to the transport craft via the provider network, and at least a portion of the measuring at step 508 is performed by the provider network node.For example, the gateway terminal can detect link conditions, ping mobile terminals on the transport craft, and so on.

[0058] In step 512, in embodiments, consumption of a mobile communication service by at least one of the plurality of content consumption devices during a measurement time window can be measured to obtain a set of customer-level consumption (CLC) measurements. In some embodiments, measuring in step 512 can include communicating a prompt via the at least one content consumption device to at least one of the one or more passengers of the transport craft using the at least one content consumption device. The prompt requests subjective feedback data from the at least one passenger regarding the consumption of the mobile communication service by the at least one content consumption device during the measurement time window. For example, the mobile media service can be consumed via a dedicated application (e.g., provided by the transport craft provider, a communications provider, etc.) or via a standard application (e.g., a standard Internet browser). The application can include graphical user interface elements, pop-ups, etc., that can display prompts during login to the service, interactions with the service in response to detection of certain conditions during consumption of the service, etc. The subjective feedback data can be received from the at least one passenger via the at least one content consumption device in response to the prompt, and the CLC measurements can be generated at least in part according to the subjective feedback data. In some implementations, the measuring in step 512 includes obtaining at least one of a set of CLC measurements by the mobile terminal. For example, the mobile terminal (e.g., a craft-side deep packet monitoring engine, a traffic shaper, etc.) may ping connected content consumption devices, aggregate feedback, check link status, etc. In some such implementations, simulated content consumption devices may be used for such measurements, as described herein.In other implementations, providing in step 504 includes communicating the mobile communication service from a provider network node to a transport craft over a provider network, and at least a portion of measuring in step 512 is performed by the provider network node. For example, a component of a provider gateway node (e.g., a provider deep packet monitoring engine, a traffic shaper, etc.) can aggregate CLC data from multiple transport crafts across carriers or beams.

[0059] In one implementation, the set of CLC measurements indicates the amount of data of the mobile communication service used (e.g., including upload and / or download usage) by at least one content consumption device among the plurality of content consumption devices during the measurement time window. In another implementation, the set of CLC measurements indicates the length of time that at least one content consumption device used the mobile communication service during the measurement time window. In another implementation, the set of CLC measurements indicates at least one device type (e.g., device type such as smartphone, laptop, tablet, etc.; device installation such as personal mobile device, seatback terminal, shared cable display, etc.; device characteristics such as screen size, operating system, etc.) used to consume the mobile communication service by at least one content consumption device during the measurement time window. In another implementation, the set of CLC measurements indicates at least one content consumption application (e.g., over-the-top media streaming, internet chat, internet browsing, email, etc.) used to consume the mobile communication service by at least one content consumption device during the measurement time window. In another implementation, the set of CLC measurements indicates the type of traffic included in the consumption of the mobile communication service by at least one content consumption device during the measurement time window. In another implementation, the set of CLC measurements indicates whether at least one of the passengers associated with the at least one content consumption device successfully purchased consumption of a mobile communication service in relation to the measurement time window. In another implementation, the set of CLC measurements indicates whether the at least one content consumption device was successfully communicatively connected with a mobility server and consumed consumption of a mobile communication service in relation to the measurement time window.

[0060] In some embodiments, at step 510, a simulated content consumption device may be executed by a mobile terminal within a measurement time window to consume a mobile communication service according to a simulation protocol. In such embodiments, measuring at step 512 may include measuring the consumption of the mobile communication service by the simulated content consumption device within the measurement time window to obtain at least a portion of a set of CLC measurements. A simulated content consumption device is an executable program executed on a mobile server that simulates the behavior of one or more content consumption devices. Such simulated content consumption devices may be used to simulate normal consumer behavior, irregular consumer behavior, specific failure modes of content consumption devices, and may simulate specific types of content consumption devices (e.g., brands, browsers, operating systems, software updates, etc.), characteristics of specific use cases (e.g., types of apps, types of content, etc.), and / or other conditions.

[0061] At step 516, embodiments may calculate a Quality of Experience (QoE) score associated with the measurement time window and the transport craft as a function of the set of NLD measurements and the set of CLC measurements. As described herein, the QoE score indicates the quality of service (QoS) delivered by one or more passengers of the transport craft. The calculation at step 516 may be based on a number of predefined coefficients, each having an appropriate weighting. The weightings and / or functions used in the calculation may depend on the type of trigger output at subsequent step 524. The calculation may be performed at any suitable resolution, and thus may include aggregation, interpolation, extrapolation, correlation, etc. For example, the calculation may result in one or more QoE scores associated with a particular transport craft, a particular customer or group of customers, a particular equipment type, a particular application or data format, a particular class of service, a particular transportation route, etc. In some embodiments, mobile communication services are delivered to the transport craft according to a set of contractual QoE conditions that indicate at least one target NLD level for the set of NLD measurements and at least one target CLC level for the set of CLC measurements. In such an embodiment, the calculation in step 516 may further be performed as a function of at least one of a set of contracted QoE conditions. For example, the provision of the on-the-go media service in step 504 may be governed by a contract between the communications provider and the transportation service provider, or between the communications provider and the passenger, or between the communications provider and the passenger (e.g., by an end user license agreement, terms of use agreement, loyalty program agreement, etc.), and the contract may provide for a QoE-related, promised, guaranteed, or other level of service.

[0062] At step 520, in embodiments, service level data stored in the service profile memory may be updated as a function of the QoE score. In some embodiments, updating involves storing new data and / or overwriting data in the service profile memory. In other embodiments, updating may include calculating updated statistics, metrics, trends, and / or other data according to the updated service level data.

[0063] In some embodiments, at step 530, expected QoE conditions for the transport craft are generated, such that the calculation is further performed as a function of the set of expected QoE conditions. For example, in embodiments, prior to the calculation, a set of expected QoE conditions for the transport craft (e.g., for a particular transport craft, transport craft type, travel route, carrier, etc.) may be generated that indicates at least one of an expected NLD level for at least one of the set of NLD measurements or an expected CLC level for at least one of the set of CLC measurements as a function of service level data stored in the service profile memory. In such a case, the calculation at step 516 is performed such that the QoE score further indicates the delivery QoS perceived by one or more passengers of the transport craft compared to the expected QoS.

[0064] At stage 524, embodiments output a service level trigger in response to the update, causing at least a portion of the service level data to exceed a predefined trigger threshold. For example, depending on the type of service level trigger, exceeding the predefined trigger threshold may include reaching a level above a predefined maximum threshold or a level below a predefined minimum threshold. In some embodiments, the service level trigger may indicate one or more predefined undesirable conditions related to QoE for one or more passengers of the transport craft. In other embodiments, the service level trigger may indicate one or more exceptionally desirable conditions related to QoE (e.g., exceeding a contracted or guaranteed QoE level) for one or more passengers of the transport craft. As described above, some embodiments collect subjective feedback data from passengers (e.g., via a dedicated application, etc.). In some embodiments, the subjective feedback data is used to calibrate one or more trigger thresholds. For example, subjective feedback data collected from several passengers over time may indicate that a particular type of service level trigger 275 is being triggered too frequently or too infrequently, or that the trigger threshold is too high or too low, and that the trigger threshold can be increased or decreased.

[0065] In some embodiments, stage 526 may detect the output of the service level trigger at stage 524. In such embodiments, the service level trigger may be pre-associated with an automated trigger response action. In some such embodiments, stage 528 may direct the execution of an automated trigger response action in response to the detection. The automated trigger response action may direct the automated execution of a task to address the problem with the mobile communications service indicated by the service level trigger. In one implementation, the task includes communicating a service call. For example, an automated service call may be issued to craft crew (e.g., flight attendants) to see if the passenger experience can be improved in some way (e.g., by resetting one or more components of the mobile terminal or guiding the customer through use), or to ground personnel (e.g., to notify ground crew at the destination airport of a potentially serviceable problem with the mobile terminal), or to a communications provider (e.g., so that the problem can be logged, corrective action can be taken, service can be scheduled, etc.). In another implementation, the task includes executing a repair script. For example, an automated repair script may be automatically used to reboot one or more portions of the mobile terminal, re-establish network connectivity, update software, check for viruses or other software errors, and suggest corrective action (e.g., prompting a different browser or downloading specific software). In another implementation, the task includes adjusting subsequent provisioning of network resources. For example, bandwidth allocation, traffic shaping, and / or other provisioning may be adjusted in real time for the affected transport craft, and scheduled provisioning may be adjusted for a future time when the affected transport craft will be in transit or for a future time when the same or another transport craft is scheduled to traverse the affected route.In another implementation, the task includes providing compensation to at least one of the one or more passengers affected by the issue or adjusting pricing for consumption of in-transit communication services. For example, the one or more affected passengers may automatically have access to a higher service level at no cost or at a reduced cost, or may automatically receive a refund or discount on communication or other services (e.g., internet access on a future flight, coupons for food or drinks on a future flight, loyalty program credits, etc.). In another implementation, the task includes generating a report regarding the communication to a contractual partner associated with the delivery of the in-transit communication services. For example, a transportation service provider may contract with a communications provider for the delivery of in-transit communication services, and the contract may require the communications provider to inform the transportation service provider of QoE-related metrics.

[0066] The methods disclosed herein include one or more actions for achieving the described method. The methods and / or actions may be interchanged with one another without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of actions is specified, the order and / or use of specific actions may be modified without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0067] The described functions may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions on a tangible computer-readable medium. The storage medium may be any available tangible medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM, or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage, or any other tangible medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs; discs typically replicate data magnetically, while discs replicate data optically with a laser.

[0068] Thus, a computer program product may perform the operations presented herein. For example, such a computer program product may be a computer-readable tangible medium having instructions tangibly stored (and / or encoded) thereon, the instructions being executable by one or more processors to perform the operations described herein. A computer program product may include packaging materials. The software or instructions may also be transmitted over a transmission medium. For example, the software may be transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a transmission medium such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, or microwave.

[0069] Furthermore, modules and / or other suitable means for performing the methods and techniques described herein can be downloaded and / or otherwise obtained by a suitable terminal to facilitate the transfer of means for performing the methods described herein. Alternatively, the various methods described herein can be provided via storage means (e.g., RAM, ROM, physical storage media such as CDs or floppy disks, etc.), whereby the user terminal and / or base station can obtain the various methods when coupling or providing the storage means to the device. Furthermore, any other suitable technique for providing the methods and techniques described herein to the device can be utilized. Features that implement functionality can also be physically located at various locations, including distribution such that portions of the functionality are implemented in different physical locations.

[0070] In describing the present invention, the following terms are used: The singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, a reference to an item includes a reference to one or more items. The term "ones" refers to one, two, or more and applies generally to the selection of part or all of a quantity. The term "plurality" refers to two or more of the items. The term "about" refers to amounts, dimensions, sizes, formulations, parameters, shapes, and other characteristics, but is not necessarily exact, reflecting acceptable tolerances, conversion factors, rounding, measurement error, and other factors known to those of ordinary skill in the art. The term "substantially" means that the recited characteristic, parameter, or value need not be achieved exactly, but rather that deviations or variations, including, for example, tolerances, measurement errors, measurement precision limitations, and other factors known to those of ordinary skill in the art, may occur in amounts that do not exclude the effect the characteristic is intended to provide. Numerical data may be expressed or presented herein in a range format. It should be understood that such range formats are used merely for convenience and brevity and, therefore, should be interpreted flexibly to include not only the numerical values ​​explicitly recited as range limits, but also all of the individual numerical values ​​or subranges subsumed within that range, as if each numerical value and subrange were explicitly recited. By way of illustration, a numerical range of "about 1 to 5" should be interpreted to include not only the explicitly recited values ​​of about 1 to about 5, but also each individual value and subrange within the stated range. Thus, included within this numerical range are individual values ​​such as 2, 3, and 4, as well as subranges such as 1 to 3, 2 to 4, and 3 to 5. This same principle applies to ranges reciting only a single numerical value (e.g., "greater than about 1"), regardless of the breadth of the range or the characteristics described. For convenience, multiple items may be presented in a common list. However, these lists should be construed as if each member of the list were individually identified as a separate and unique member. Therefore, individual members of such lists should not be construed as defacer equivalents of any other members of the same list solely based on their presentation in a common group, absent indications to the contrary.Furthermore, the terms "and" and "or," when used in conjunction with a list of items, should be interpreted broadly in that any one or more of the listed items can be used alone or in combination with the other listed items. The term "alternatively" refers to the selection of one of two or more alternatives and is not intended to limit the selection to only the listed alternatives or to only one of the listed alternatives, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the term "coupled" does not require that components be directly connected to each other. Instead, the term is also intended to include configurations having an indirect connection where one or more other components may be included between the coupled components. For example, such other components may include amplifiers, attenuators, isolators, directional couplers, redundant switches, etc. Also, as used herein, including the claims, "or" used in a list of items prefaced by "at least one" indicates a disjunctive list, such as, for example, the list "at least one of A, B, or C" means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Furthermore, the term "exemplary" does not imply that the described example is preferred or better than other examples. As used herein, a "set" of elements is intended to mean "one or more" of those elements, except that a set is explicitly required to be more than one, or an explicitly null set.

[0071] Various changes, substitutions, and alterations to the techniques described herein can be made without departing from the teachings of the art as defined by the appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present disclosure and claims is not limited to the particular aspects of processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, and acts described above. Any now-existing or later-developed processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or acts that perform substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same result as the corresponding aspects described herein can be utilized. Accordingly, the appended claims include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or acts.

Claims

1. 1. A method for providing mobile communications services during travel time of a transport craft, comprising: measuring communication service metrics for the mobile communication service during a measurement time window; comparing the communication service metric to a trigger threshold; and automatically initiating a service level trigger including compensation being issued to one or more passengers on board the transport craft affected by the problem with the mobile communication service based on a determination that the communication service metric is below the trigger threshold.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, The method, wherein the communication service metric comprises a QoE score calculated during a measurement time window.

3. 2. The method of claim 1, The communication service metrics may be, at least in part, Network Level Delivery (NLD) measurements of mobile communication services received from a provider network at a mobile terminal located in the transport craft; or a customer level consumption (CLC) measurement of mobile communications services served by the mobile terminal located in the transport craft and consumed by a content consumption device; A method, wherein the NLD measurements relate to delivery of mobile communication services and the CLC measurements relate to consumption of mobile communication services during a measurement time window.

4. 4. The method of claim 3, The method, wherein the NLD measurements include measurements of link metrics of a communication link between the transport craft and a provider that enables the communication link to the transport craft.

5. 5. The method of claim 4, The method, wherein the link metrics include at least one of a link latency, a bandwidth, and a handover state of the communication link.

6. 4. The method of claim 3, The CLC measurement value is the amount of data of the mobile communication service used by the content consumption device during the measurement time window; The amount of time that the content consumption device used the mobile communication service during the measurement time window; At least one device type used to consume mobile communication services by the content consumption device during the measurement time window; at least one content consumption application used by the content consumption device to consume mobile communication services during the measurement time window; the type of traffic involved in the consumption of mobile communication services used by the content consumption device during the measurement time window; whether at least one passenger of the one or more passengers associated with the content consumption device successfully purchased consumption of a mobile communication service associated with the measurement time window; whether the content consumption device was successfully communicatively connected to the on-board network and consumed mobile communication services in relation to the measurement time window; The method includes measuring at least one of:

7. 4. The method of claim 3, A method, wherein measuring the set of CLC measurements includes an aggregation of CLC data from some of the plurality of content consumption devices.

8. 2. The method of claim 1, A method wherein the measurement of the communication service metric is performed periodically during a measurement time window.

9. 2. The method of claim 1, A method wherein the measurement of the communication service metric is performed continuously during a measurement time window.

10. 10. The method of claim 1, A method wherein the measurement time window comprises a portion of the travel time that is shorter than the travel time.

11. 11. The method of claim 10, The method, wherein the service level trigger is initiated in real time during travel time of the transport craft.

12. 10. The method of claim 1, The method, wherein the compensation includes at least one of a rebate on the cost of mobile communication services provided during travel time, a refund on the cost of mobile communication services provided during travel time, a discount on mobile communication services during future trips, providing access to a higher service level at a discounted price, loyalty program credits, and coupons for meals or drinks on future trips.

13. 1. A system for monitoring mobile communication services of a transport craft during travel time, comprising: a measurement subsystem configured to measure communication service metrics relating to the mobile communication service during a measurement time window; and a scoring subsystem in communication with the measurement subsystem, the scoring subsystem configured to compare the communication service metric to a trigger threshold and, based on a determination that the communication service metric is lower than the trigger threshold, automatically initiate a service level trigger including compensation being issued to one or more passengers on board the transport craft affected by the problem with the mobile communication service.

14. 14. The system of claim 13, The communication service metric comprises a QoE score calculated during a measurement time window.

15. 14. The system of claim 13, The communication service metrics may be, at least in part, Network Level Delivery (NLD) measurements of a mobile communication service received from a provider network at a mobile terminal located in the transport craft, the network level delivery (NLD) measurements being provided to the transport craft via the provider network; or a customer level consumption (CLC) measurement of mobile communications services served by the mobile terminal located in the transport craft and consumed by a content consumption device; A system, wherein the NLD measurements relate to the delivery of mobile communication services and the CLC measurements relate to the consumption of mobile communication services during a measurement time window.

16. 16. The system of claim 15, The measurement subsystem measures the NLD measurements as link metrics of a communication link between the transport craft and a provider that enables the communication link to the transport craft.

17. 17. The system of claim 16, The system, wherein the link metrics include at least one of a link latency, a bandwidth, and a handover status of the communication link.

18. 16. The system of claim 15, The measurement subsystem converts the CLC measurements into the amount of data of the mobile communication service used by the content consumption device during the measurement time window; The amount of time that the content consumption device used the mobile communication service during the measurement time window; At least one device type used to consume mobile communication services by the content consumption device during the measurement time window; at least one content consumption application used by the content consumption device to consume mobile communication services during the measurement time window; the type of traffic involved in the consumption of mobile communication services used by the content consumption device during the measurement time window; whether at least one passenger of the one or more passengers associated with the content consumption device successfully purchased consumption of a mobile communication service associated with the measurement time window; whether the content consumption device was successfully communicatively connected to the on-board network and consumed mobile communication services in relation to the measurement time window; The system measures as at least one of:

19. 16. The system of claim 15, The system, wherein the measurement subsystem measures a set of CLC measurements by aggregating CLC data from some of a plurality of content consumption devices.

20. 14. The system of claim 13, The measurement subsystem periodically measures the communication service metrics during a measurement time window.

21. 14. The system of claim 13, The measurement subsystem continuously measures the communication service metrics during a measurement time window.

22. 14. The system of claim 13, The system, wherein the measurement time window includes a portion of the travel time that is shorter than the travel time.

23. 23. The system of claim 22, The system, wherein the service level trigger is initiated in real time during travel time of the transport craft.

24. 14. The system of claim 13, The system, wherein the compensation includes at least one of a rebate for the cost of mobile communication services provided during travel time, a refund for the cost of mobile communication services provided during travel time, a discount on mobile communication services during future trips, providing access to a higher service level at a discounted price, loyalty program credits, and coupons for meals or drinks on future trips.

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