Call Suspension for Dropped Call Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
User devices often experience dropped calls when moving into areas without network coverage, leading to a poor user experience and increased resource usage for re-establishing connections.
Innovation Solution
A call handler system that temporarily suspends calls when a connection is lost, predicts potential losses based on user device location, and maintains signal bearers and protocols to prevent call termination, allowing the call to be re-established when the device reconnects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the network maintains connections via base stations and cells to enable continuous calls during user device movement, then call continuity is improved, but call drops occur when user devices enter areas with no coverage
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by detecting when a user device enters a no-coverage area and proactively suspending the call before it drops. The network identifies the loss of connection, determines that the device is in a no-coverage area, and suspends the call with a timer set, preventing the call from being dropped entirely. This preliminary suspension action resolves the contradiction by maintaining call reliability even when coverage is lost.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies beforehand cushioning by implementing a suspension mechanism with a timer that cushions against call drops. When a connection is lost in a no-coverage area, the call is suspended rather than terminated, and the timer provides a cushioning period during which the call can be reconnected when coverage is restored. This cushioning approach prevents the harmful effect of call drops while maintaining call continuity.
2Ease of operation
If the network suspends calls temporarily when connections are lost in no-coverage areas, then user experience is improved, but network resources are consumed during the suspension period
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial action by suspending the call only for the necessary duration during no-coverage periods rather than maintaining full connection resources continuously. The timer mechanism ensures that the suspension is limited to the minimum required time, and if the device reconnects within the timer period, the call is restored without having consumed excessive resources for an extended suspension. This partial suspension approach improves user experience while minimizing resource consumption.
3Productivity
If the network drops calls immediately when connections are lost, then network resources are freed for other uses, but user experience deteriorates due to frequent call drops
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by suspending calls before they are dropped, using a timer mechanism to determine whether to maintain or terminate the call. This preliminary suspension allows the network to potentially free resources if the call is not reconnected within the timer period, while still providing an opportunity to maintain the call if coverage is quickly restored. This resolves the contradiction between resource availability and user experience by implementing a conditional approach rather than immediate termination.
Data Source
AI summary
A system is configured to receive an indication that a connection with a user device is to be lost, the connection being associated with a call between the user device and another user device; provide an instruction, to one or more devices, to maintain the call when the connection is lost, the one or more devices being responsible for processing the call; detect that the connection is lost; provide, to the one or more devices, a first notification that the connection is lost, the first notification causing the one or more devices to maintain the call based on the instruction to maintain the call when the connection is lost; detect that the connection is re-established; and provide, to the one or more devices, a second notification that the connection is re-established, the second notification causing the one or more devices to re-establish the call.