Base station, wireless communication system, communication control method, and program

Abstract

A base station in a wireless communication system comprising the base station and user equipment that wants to make a contract for connection to the base station comprises: an accommodation determination unit that determines whether the user equipment can be accommodated or not; and an offer price calculation unit that, when it is determined that the user equipment can be accommodated, determines an offer price for the user equipment such that the required qualities of multiple pieces of accommodated user equipment become closer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to accommodation control of terminals in a wireless communication system.

Background Art

[0002] In a wireless communication system using a wireless LAN method such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), usually, the base station accommodates terminals without considering the required quality of the terminals.

[0003] In this case, if the network is not congested, the base station passes the traffic of the terminal as it is, and if the network is congested, the base station provides resources equally to each terminal UE (for example, Non-Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0004]

Non-Patent Document 1

Non-Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] As described above, in the prior art, when the network is congested, the base station provides resources equally to each terminal, so there is a problem that terminals that do not satisfy the required quality occur and the number of terminals that satisfy the required quality decreases.

[0006] This invention has been made in view of the above points, and aims to provide a technology that enables an increase in the number of terminals that meet the required quality standards in a wireless communication system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to the disclosed technology, the base station is in a wireless communication system comprising a base station and a terminal that wishes to enter into a contract to connect to the base station, A storage feasibility determination unit that determines whether or not the aforementioned terminal can be accommodated, The system includes a price calculation unit that determines the price to be provided for a terminal in such a way that the required quality levels among multiple terminals to be provided are similar, when it is determined that the terminal can be accommodated. The price calculation unit determines the price such that the price increases as the difference between the required quality of the terminal and the required quality of the terminals already in use increases. A base station will be provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the disclosed technology, a technology is provided that enables an increase in the number of terminals in a wireless communication system that meet the required quality standards. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This diagram illustrates the general processing steps of a wireless communication system utilizing blockchain technology. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the system configuration of the wireless communication system 100. [Figure 3] This is a diagram showing the blockchain network BN. [Figure 4] This is a diagram to explain the problem. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing the configuration of a base station (BS). [Figure 6] This is a diagram of the terminal's UE configuration. [Figure 7] This is a diagram to explain the overall processing flow. [Figure 8]It is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the base station BS. [Figure 9] It is a diagram for explaining the acceptance determination process. [Figure 10] It is a diagram for explaining the offered price calculation process. [Figure 11] It is a diagram for explaining the offered price calculation process. [Figure 12] It is a diagram for explaining an operation example of offered price control. [Figure 13] It is a diagram for explaining an operation example of offered price control. [Figure 14] It is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the device.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (these embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are merely examples, and the embodiments to which the present invention is applied are not limited to the following embodiments.

[0011] As will be described below, in these embodiments, a wireless communication system using blockchain is used as a basis. However, the technology according to the present invention is also applicable to wireless communication systems other than the wireless communication system using blockchain.

[0012] <> (Regarding the wireless communication system using blockchain) As described above, in these embodiments, since a wireless communication system using blockchain is used as a basis, first, the basic processing content in the wireless communication system using blockchain will be described. This wireless communication system is a system capable of connecting the terminal UE to the base station BS without centralized management by performing connection processing in a distributed manner using blockchain technology during the connection processing between the base station BS and the terminal UE.

[0013] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the overview of processing in a wireless communication system using blockchain. In the wireless communication system, during the connection process in which a terminal UE connects to a base station BS, transaction data TX is created between the base station BS and the terminal UE (S1).

[0014] For example, the terminal UE receives connection conditions transmitted by the base station BS and confirms the communication quality of the wireless communication network provided by the base station BS, as well as the connection costs (price). On the other hand, the base station BS confirms whether the terminal UE has sufficient ability to pay. Furthermore, if an agreement on connection conditions is reached between the base station BS and the terminal UE, the base station BS records the details of the agreement in transaction data TX.

[0015] The communication quality of the wireless communication network provided by the base station (BS) includes, for example, throughput or total data volume. The terminal UE enters into a contract according to a contract policy that, for example, connects to the BS that offers the lowest price while meeting its required communication quality.

[0016] The base station BS distributes the transaction data TX created during the connection process to the nodes participating in the blockchain network BN (S2). The blockchain network BN includes multiple nodes that share a blockchain (distributed ledger) which records transaction data TX in blocks and records multiple blocks in chronological order. These multiple nodes include multiple base station BS that constitute the wireless communication system. Note that the multiple nodes may also include nodes other than base station BS (computers, terminals, etc.).

[0017] When transaction data TX is notified to the blockchain network BN, some nodes participating in the blockchain network BN (e.g., base stations BSx) generate a block BL along with other transaction data (S3). After generating the block BL, the blockchain network BN adds the generated block BL to the blockchain BC held by each node included in the blockchain network BN (S4).

[0018] Each node's blockchain BC holds the added block BL, and the contract is concluded when it accepts the held block after a predetermined number of blocks (verification blocks) have been added to the blockchain BL (S5). After the contract is concluded, the base station BS begins communication with the terminal UE (S6).

[0019] Through the above process, the wireless communication system can perform connection processing between the base station BS and the terminal UE through distributed control, without relying on a centralized control station or the like for the wireless communication system.

[0020] (System Configuration) Figure 2 shows an example of the system configuration of the wireless communication system 100 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the wireless communication system 100 includes a plurality of base stations BS that form different cells from each other. Each base station BS can communicate with terminal UEs located within the cell. The wireless communication system shown in Figure 2 may be a wireless LAN type wireless communication system such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or a cellular type wireless communication system such as LTE or 5G.

[0021] Furthermore, multiple base stations (BS) also function as nodes participating in the blockchain network (BN), as shown in Figure 3, for example, and multiple base stations (BS) share the same blockchain. Here, the blockchain network (BN) is a P2P (Peer-to-Peer) network (a decentralized network) in which each node can send and receive data on an equal footing with other nodes without going through a server or other intermediary. A blockchain is an example of a distributed ledger in which multiple nodes participating in a P2P network record transactions between two parties in a verifiable and permanent manner.

[0022] Furthermore, the blockchain network BN may include nodes other than the base station BS (for example, other computers, terminals, etc.). Also, the base station BS may not hold the blockchain itself, but may request the nodes participating in the blockchain network BN to retrieve and record ledger information.

[0023] Each base station (BS) manages its connection with terminal (UE) using blockchain technology. For example, each base station (BS) records and manages contract information, such as transaction data (TX) as explained in Figure 1, on a blockchain shared by multiple base station (BS) units. This allows a base station (BS) unit to refer to the blockchain and obtain information from other base station (BS) units.

[0024] (Regarding the assumed wireless communication system) In the technology according to this embodiment described below, the wireless communication system is assumed to be a wireless LAN system such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark). However, the wireless communication system according to this embodiment is not limited to a wireless LAN system.

[0025] Furthermore, in the following explanation, the communication traffic of the terminal UE may be either uplink traffic or downlink traffic.

[0026] In typical wireless LAN systems, the quality requirements of the terminal UE are not considered. Therefore, when the network is not congested, the base station BS simply transmits the terminal UE's traffic as is.

[0027] When the network is congested, in order to ensure fairness to each terminal UE it has connected, the base station (BS) provides resources (e.g., communication time or traffic volume) equally to each terminal UE it has connected. For example, as described in Non-Patent Document 2, airtime fairness and traffic shaping are applied.

[0028] Airtime fairness ensures that communication time is equal for all connected terminal UEs in sequence. Traffic shaping sets an upper limit on the traffic to be transmitted to prevent some terminal UEs from monopolizing bandwidth.

[0029] (Regarding the issues) As described above, in the wireless communication system envisioned in this embodiment, the amount of resources that the base station BS provides to each terminal UE is equal, especially during congestion. Therefore, when traffic at the base station BS becomes congested, there is a problem in that some terminal UEs are not satisfied with the provided communication quality (throughput, etc.), and the number of terminal UEs that are satisfied with the communication quality decreases.

[0030] Figure 4 illustrates the concept of this problem. In the example in Figure 4, UE1 to UE5 are connected to the same base station BS. This base station BS provides each terminal UE equally with the throughput indicated by A. However, since the requirements of UE1 and UE5 are greater than A, UE1 and UE5 are not satisfied with the communication quality provided by the base station BS.

[0031] The following provides a detailed explanation of the device configuration and operation designed to address the above-mentioned challenges.

[0032] (Example of device configuration) Figure 5 shows an example of the configuration of a base station BS. The base station BS includes, for example, a computer, and by executing a predetermined program, the computer realizes the wireless communication unit 110, request recognition unit 120, acceptance / rejection determination unit 130, provision price calculation unit 140, provision price setting unit 150, storage unit 160, wired communication unit 170, management unit 175, etc. At least some of the above functional configurations may be realized by hardware.

[0033] The wireless communication unit 110 performs wireless communication processing to communicate with the terminal UE connected to the base station BS. The operation of the request recognition unit 120, the capacity determination unit 130, the price calculation unit 140, and the price setting unit 150 will be explained in the operation description below. The request recognition unit 120, the capacity determination unit 130, the price calculation unit 140, and the price setting unit 150 may be collectively referred to as the communication control unit 180.

[0034] Note that the functional classification shown in Figure 5 is just one example. For example, the request recognition unit 120 may be included in the wireless communication unit 110, or the price setting unit 150 may be included in the price calculation unit 140.

[0035] The management unit 175 executes processing related to communication contracts using blockchain. The storage unit 160 performs storage processing to store various data, information, and programs, including the blockchain (distributed ledger) 161, in a storage device, for example, provided by a base station BS.

[0036] The wired communication unit 170 connects the base station BS to, for example, a wired communication network and performs communication related to the blockchain network BN, as shown in Figure 3.

[0037] (Functional configuration of terminal UE) Figure 6 shows an example of the functional configuration of a terminal UE according to this embodiment. The terminal UE, for example, has the configuration of a computer, and the wireless communication unit 210, connection control unit 240, and storage unit 250, etc. are realized by the computer executing a predetermined program. At least a part of each of the above functional configurations may be realized by hardware.

[0038] The wireless communication unit 210 connects to the base station BS via wireless communication and performs wireless communication processing to send and receive data. The connection control unit 240 performs connection processing to connect to the base station BS. For example, in the connection processing described in step S1 of Figure 1, the connection control unit 240 sends a connection request (request values, etc.) to the base station BS and makes an agreement regarding the wireless communication service to be provided.

[0039] The memory unit 250 performs storage processing to store various data, information, and programs necessary for wireless communication in, for example, a storage device provided by the terminal UE.

[0040] The operation of the system and equipment will be described below. In the following description, terminal UEs may be referred to as UEs and base stations BSs as BSs.

[0041] (Overall processing flow) First, let's refer to Figure 7 to explain an example of the overall processing flow of a wireless communication system. Here, we assume that UE, BS1, and BS2 exist.

[0042] In S1, the UE broadcasts its communication quality requirements to surrounding BSs. In S2, BS1 receives the requirements sent from the UE. In S4, BS1 determines whether it can accommodate the UE. If the answer is no, it does not calculate and send the service price (S5); if the answer is yes, it calculates the service price (S6).

[0043] In S7, following S6, BS1 sends the offered price to UE. The same processing as in BS1 is performed in BS2.

[0044] In S12, the UE receives the offered price of each BS. In S13, the UE determines the BS to connect to based on the offered price of each BS. For example, the UE determines to connect to the BS with the lowest offered price. Here, it is assumed that the UE determines BS1 as the BS to connect to.

[0045] In S14 and S15, the UE uses the blockchain to enter into a communication contract with BS1 and starts communication. In S16, the communication contract is completed.

[0046] <Regarding the communication quality required by the UE> As described above, the UE transmits the required value of its own communication quality (which may also be called the required quality).

[0047] The required value of the UE's own communication quality is, for example, a value related to communication quality such as the throughput or delay required for the UE to operate its own applications satisfactorily.

[0048] Specifically, the values related to communication quality are, for example, received signal strength (dBm), throughput (bps), delay (seconds), etc.

[0049] The values related to communication quality can be obtained, for example, by operating applications that are assumed to be used in advance. For example, in the case of video viewing, a throughput of X (Mbps) can be obtained as the required throughput, and a delay of Y (seconds) can be obtained. Also, in the case of web browsing, a throughput of Z (Mbps) can be obtained as the required throughput, and a delay of α (seconds) can be obtained.

[0050] (Operating example of base station BS) Next, referring to the flowchart of FIG. 8, the overall flow of the processing of a certain BS will be described. Thereafter, the processing of each step will be described in detail. The processing in FIG. 8 corresponds to the processing of determining whether the terminal UE can be accommodated in each BS in FIG. 7 and the processing of calculating and transmitting the offered price.

[0051] In S101, the requirement grasping unit 120 of the BS (which may be the accommodation feasibility determination unit 130) grasps the upper limit value of the number of UEs that can be accommodated from the required quality of the new UE and the required quality of the already accommodated UEs. Here, the new UE is a UE that newly requests a contract.

[0052] In S102, the accommodation feasibility determination unit 130 of the BS determines that the new UE can be accommodated if the upper limit value of the number of UEs that can be accommodated is greater than the number of UEs to be accommodated obtained by adding the new UE to the number of already accommodated UEs.

[0053] In S103, the requirement grasping unit 120 (or the offered price calculation unit 140) of the BS grasps the required quality of the new UE and the required quality of the already accommodated UEs. Regarding the required quality of the already accommodated UEs, for example, it can be grasped by referring to the blockchain 161.

[0054] In S104, the offered price calculation unit 140 of the BS calculates the offered price for the new UE, and the offered price setting unit 150 transmits the offered price.

[0055] Hereinafter, the operations of each of the above steps will be described in more detail.

[0056] <S101: Grasping the upper limit value of the number of UEs that can be accommodated> The method by which the requirement grasping unit 120 grasps the upper limit value of the number of UEs that can be accommodated is not limited to a specific method. For example, the upper limit value can be calculated by the method of Example 1 or Example 2 below.

[0057] Example 1: Upper limit value of the number of UEs that can be accommodated = (Total communication quality that the BS can offer) / (Maximum value of the required quality of the accommodated UEs) Throughput is taken as an example to explain communication quality. For example, assuming that the total throughput that the BS can provide is 1000, and there are a total of 10 new UEs and accommodated UEs, and the maximum required throughput among the required throughputs of the 10 UEs is 50, then in Example 1, the upper limit value of the number of accommodable UEs is 20. Note that the UEs targeted in the "maximum value of the required quality of the accommodated UEs" are new UEs and accommodated UEs, but it may also be only the accommodated UEs.

[0058] Example 2: The upper limit value of the number of accommodable UEs = (total communication quality that the BS can provide) / (average value of the required quality of the accommodated UEs) Throughput is taken as an example to explain communication quality. For example, assuming that the total throughput that the BS can provide is 1000, and there are a total of 10 new UEs and accommodated UEs, and the average value of the required throughputs of the 10 UEs is 100, then in Example 2, the upper limit value of the number of accommodable UEs is 10. Note that the UEs targeted in the "average value of the required quality of the accommodated UEs" are new UEs and accommodated UEs, but it may also be only the accommodated UEs.

[0059] <S102: Judgment on Accommodation Feasibility> In S102, if the upper limit value of the number of accommodable UEs exceeds the number of UEs to be accommodated including the new UE, the accommodation determination unit 120 determines that the new UE can be accommodated. Note that "the upper limit value of the number of accommodable UEs exceeds the number of UEs to be accommodated including the new UE" may be paraphrased as "the upper limit value of the number of accommodable UEs is greater than or equal to the number of UEs to be accommodated including the new UE".

[0060] [[ID=​​​​As shown in (a) of FIG. 9, the upper limit value of the number of UEs that can be accommodated is obtained from the required quality of the new UE and the required qualities of the accommodated UEs 1 to n. As shown in (b), since the upper limit value of the number of UEs that can be accommodated exceeds the total (n + 1) of the new UE and the accommodated UEs 1 to n, in this case, the accommodation determination unit 120 determines that the new UE can be accommodated. When it is determined that the new UE can be accommodated, the process proceeds to S103.

[0062] <S103, S104: Determine the offering price based on the required quality> In S103, the requirement grasping unit 120 (which may be the offering price calculation unit 140) acquires the required quality of each UE that has already been accommodated and the required quality of the new UE that newly requests a contract.

[0063] In S104, the offering price calculation unit 140 determines the offering price for the new UE based on the required quality acquired in S103, and the offering price calculation unit 150 transmits the offering price.

[0064] Specifically, the offering price calculation unit 140 determines the offering price so that the variance of the required quality among the multiple UEs to be accommodated becomes small. Specific examples will be described below. Hereinafter, as specific examples, Example 1 and Example 2 will be described.

[0065] <Example 1 of offering price control> In Example 1, the offering price calculation unit 140 of the BS determines the offering price for the new UE such that the difference between the required quality of the new UE and the required quality of the accommodated UEs is larger, the larger the offering price for the new UE becomes, so that the required qualities among the multiple UEs to be accommodated are in a state of being close to each other. That is, the larger the offering price for the new UE, the lower the possibility that the new UE connects to this BS. As a result, the required qualities among the multiple UEs to be accommodated are in a state of being close to each other. A specific example of the calculation for determining the offering price is as follows.

[0066] Offering price = Initial value × {1 + |(Average value of the required values of the communication quality of the UEs already accommodated) - (Required value of the communication quality of the new UE)| × (Current number of UEs accommodated)} In the above equation, |X| represents the absolute value of X. In this example, the price offered for a BS without a UE is the same as the initial value.

[0067] Note that the above formula is just one example. Any formula other than the one above may be used as long as the price increases as the value of "|(average value of communication quality requirements of already accommodated UEs)-(communication quality requirements of the new UE)|" increases.

[0068] Figure 10 shows an example of how the above calculation formula is used to determine the price when throughput is used as the communication quality.

[0069] In the example in Figure 10, BS provides the resources (throughput) indicated by A to both the existing UEs and the new UEs. In the example in Figure 10, the required value for UE1 is the same as A, but the required values ​​for UE2 and UE3 are smaller than A, resulting in a surplus of resources. Therefore, the average of the communication quality requirements for the existing UEs is B, which is smaller than A. On the other hand, the required value for the new UEs is close to A, so the difference from the average is large, and according to the above calculation formula, a relatively high price will be determined as the price to be provided.

[0070] When there are many UEs with large resource surpluses, as shown in UE2 and UE3, the average value will be low. Therefore, assuming that the requirements for a new UE are close to value A, the larger the resource surplus, the higher the price set for the new UE.

[0071] <Example 2 of controlling the price offered> In Example 2, the BS determines the feasibility of accommodation and the price for each channel it provides. For example, if the BS provides channels 1 and 2, and a new UE broadcasts its desire to use channel 1 along with its communication quality requirements, the request recognition unit 120 calculates the upper limit of the number of UEs that can be accommodated on channel 1 using the same method as described in S101 above. However, instead of "total communication quality that the BS can provide," it uses "total communication quality that channel 1 can provide," and uses UEs already accommodated on channel 1 as the accommodated UEs. If it is determined that the new UE can be accommodated on channel 1 using this upper limit, the price calculation unit 140 performs the price calculation process. Hereinafter, the target channel will be referred to as the target channel.

[0072] The pricing calculation unit 140 determines the pricing for a new UE so that the required quality levels among the multiple UEs accommodated by the target channel in the BS are similar. Specifically, the pricing for a new UE increases as the difference between the required quality level of the new UE and the required quality level of the already accommodated UEs increases. In other words, the higher the pricing for a new UE, the less likely it is that the new UE will connect to the target channel, resulting in similar required quality levels among the multiple UEs accommodated by the target channel. A specific example of the calculation for determining the pricing is shown below.

[0073] Offering price = Initial value × {1 + |(Average of the communication quality requirements of UEs already accommodated on the target channel) - (Required communication quality of the new UE)| × (Current number of UEs accommodated on the target channel)} In the above equation, |X| represents the absolute value of X. In this example, the price offered for a BS without a UE is the same as the initial value.

[0074] Note that the above formula is just one example. For example, any formula other than the one above may be used, as long as the price increases as the value of "|(average value of communication quality requirements of UEs already accommodated by the target channel)-(communication quality requirement of the new UE)|" increases.

[0075] Figure 11 shows an example of how the above calculation formula is used to determine the price when throughput is used as the communication quality.

[0076] In the example in Figure 11, the target channel in BS provides the resources (throughput) shown by A to both the existing UEs and the new UEs. In the example in Figure 11, the required value for UE1 is the same as A, but the required values ​​for UE2 and UE3 are smaller than A, resulting in a surplus of resources. Therefore, the average of the communication quality requirements for the existing UEs is B, which is smaller than A. On the other hand, the required value for the new UEs is close to A, so the difference from the average is large, and according to the above calculation formula, a relatively high price will be determined as the price to be provided.

[0077] When there are many UEs with large resource surpluses, as shown in UE2 and UE3, the average value will be low. Therefore, assuming that the requirements for a new UE are close to value A, the larger the resource surplus, the higher the price set for the new UE.

[0078] (Specific examples of actions) Examples 1 and 2 of operation will be explained as specific examples of how pricing control works.

[0079] <Example of operation 1> Operation Example 1 will be explained with reference to Figure 12. In Operation Example 1, BS1 has already accommodated a UE with a requested speed of 6Mbps, while BS2 does not have a UE. Furthermore, the initial price offered by each BS is assumed to be 100.

[0080] Suppose a new UE (Underground User) requests a connection with a required speed of 10Mbps. In this case, the price for BS1 is 500 and the price for BS2 is 100, so the UE will connect to BS2.

[0081] <Example of operation 2> Operation Example 2 will be explained with reference to Figure 13. In Operation Example 2, BS1 has already accommodated a UE with a requested speed of 6Mbps, and BS2 has already accommodated a UE with a requested speed of 4Mbps. Also, the initial price offered by each BS is assumed to be 100.

[0082] Suppose a new UE (Underground User) requests a connection with a required speed of 10Mbps. In this case, the price for BS1 is 500 and the price for BS2 is 700, so the UE will connect to BS1.

[0083] (Example hardware configuration) Any of the devices described in this embodiment (base station BS, terminal UE) can be realized, for example, by having a computer run a program. This computer may be a physical computer or a virtual machine on the cloud.

[0084] In other words, the device can be realized by using hardware resources such as the CPU and memory built into a computer to execute a program corresponding to the processing performed by the device. The program can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium (such as portable memory), saved, and distributed. It can also be provided via a network, such as the Internet or email.

[0085] Figure 14 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the computer described above. The computer in Figure 14 has a drive device 1000, an auxiliary storage device 1002, a memory device 1003, a CPU 1004, an interface device 1005, a display device 1006, an input device 1007, an output device 1008, etc., all of which are interconnected by a bus BS. The computer may also be equipped with a GPU.

[0086] The program that enables processing on the computer is provided, for example, on a recording medium 1001 such as a CD-ROM or memory card. When the recording medium 1001 containing the program is set in the drive device 1000, the program is installed from the recording medium 1001 to the auxiliary storage device 1002 via the drive device 1000. However, the program does not necessarily have to be installed from the recording medium 1001; it may also be downloaded from another computer via a network. The auxiliary storage device 1002 stores the installed program as well as necessary files and data.

[0087] The memory device 1003 reads and stores a program from the auxiliary storage device 1002 when a program startup command is received. The CPU 1004 implements the functions related to the memory device 1003 according to the program stored in the memory device 1003. The interface device 1005 is a functional unit for communication. The display device 1006 displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) etc., run by a program. The input device 1007 consists of a keyboard and mouse, buttons, or a touch panel etc., and is used to input various operation commands. The output device 1008 outputs the calculation results. Note that one, more, or all of the display device 1006, input device 1007, and output device 1008 may be omitted.

[0088] (Effects of the embodiment, etc.) As described above, the technology described in this embodiment controls the price offered by each BS so that the required quality levels among the multiple UEs accommodated by the BS become similar. This makes it possible to allocate a satisfactory amount of resources to UEs with high demands even when traffic is congested. As a result, it becomes possible to increase the number of UEs for which the required quality level is ensured.

[0089] The following additional information is disclosed regarding the embodiments described above.

[0090] <Note> (Additional note 1) A base station in a wireless communication system comprising a base station and a terminal that wishes to enter into a contract to connect to the base station, A storage feasibility determination unit that determines whether or not the aforementioned terminal can be accommodated, When it is determined that the terminal can be accommodated, a price calculation unit determines the price to be provided for the terminal so that the required quality among the multiple terminals to be accommodated is similar. A base station equipped with the necessary equipment. (Additional note 2) The price calculation unit determines the price such that the price increases as the difference between the required quality of the terminal and the required quality of the terminals already in use increases. The base station described in Appendix 1. (Additional note 3) The accommodation feasibility determination unit determines that the terminal can be accommodated if the upper limit of the number of accommodable terminals, calculated from the required quality of the terminal and the required quality of the already accommodated terminals, is greater than the number of the terminal and the already accommodated terminals. A base station as described in Appendix 1 or 2. (Additional note 4) A wireless communication system comprising a base station and a terminal that wishes to enter into a contract to connect to the base station, When the base station determines that it can accommodate the terminal based on the requested quality received from the terminal, it determines the price to be offered for the terminal so that the requested quality levels among the multiple terminals to be accommodated are similar. Wireless communication system. (Additional note 5) A communication control method performed by a base station in a wireless communication system comprising a base station and a terminal that wishes to enter into a contract to connect to the base station, A step of determining whether or not it is possible to accommodate the terminal, If it is determined that the terminal can accommodate the terminal, the step is to determine the price to be offered for the terminal so that the required quality among the multiple terminals to be accommodated is similar. A communication control method comprising the following: (Additional note 6) A non-temporary storage medium for storing a program that causes a computer to function as a component of a base station as described in any one of the appendices 1 through 3.

[0091] Although this embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention as described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] BS base station UE terminal 100 Wireless Communication Systems 110 Wireless Communication Section 120 Requirement understanding unit 130 Accommodation feasibility determination unit 140 Price Calculation Department 150 Pricing Department 160 Storage section 170 Wired Communications Department 175 Management Department 210 Wireless Communication Section 240 Connection Control Unit 250 Storage section 1000 drive unit 1001 Recording media 1002 Auxiliary storage 1003 Memory device 1004 CPU 1005 Interface device 1006 Display device 1007 Input device 1008 Output device

Claims

1. A base station in a wireless communication system comprising a base station and a terminal that wishes to enter into a contract to connect to the base station, A storage feasibility determination unit that determines whether or not the aforementioned terminal can be accommodated, The system includes a price calculation unit that determines the price to be provided for a terminal in such a way that the required quality levels among multiple terminals to be provided are similar, when it is determined that the terminal can be accommodated. The price calculation unit determines the price such that the price increases as the difference between the required quality of the terminal and the required quality of the terminals already in use increases. Base station.

2. The accommodation feasibility determination unit determines that the terminal can be accommodated if the upper limit of the number of accommodable terminals, calculated from the required quality of the terminal and the required quality of the already accommodated terminals, is greater than the number of the terminal and the already accommodated terminals. The base station according to claim 1.

3. A wireless communication system comprising a base station and a terminal that wishes to enter into a contract to connect to the base station, The wireless communication system, when the base station determines that it can accommodate the terminal based on the requested quality received from the terminal, determines the price to be offered to the terminal such that the requested quality among multiple terminals to be accommodated becomes similar. The base station determines the price to be offered such that the price increases as the difference between the required quality of the terminal and the required quality of the terminals already connected increases. Wireless communication system.

4. A communication control method performed by a base station in a wireless communication system comprising a base station and a terminal that wishes to enter into a contract to connect to the base station, A step of determining whether or not it is possible to accommodate the terminal, The system includes a price calculation step, in which, if it is determined that the terminal can be accommodated, the price to be provided for the terminal is determined such that the required quality among the multiple terminals to be accommodated is similar, In the price calculation step, the base station determines the price such that the price increases as the difference between the required quality of the terminal and the required quality of the connected terminals increases. Communication control method.

5. A program for causing a computer to function as a component of the base station described in claim 1 or 2.

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