Integrated mobility network planning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11323890-B2
Application number	US-201916507567-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 10, 2019
Priority date	Jul 10, 2019
Publication date	May 3, 2022
Grant date	May 3, 2022

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, collecting and storing data about a communication environment including one or more communication networks wherein respective communication networks of the one or more communication networks employ respective communication technologies for communication with remote user devices in the communication environment, providing traffic forecasts of communication traffic, creating importance layers for potential build locations for equipment of the one or more communication networks, identifying desirable build locations among the potential build locations of the one or more communication networks based on the traffic forecasts of communication traffic and the importance layers, receiving user input defining planning parameters for the communication environment and determining respective target goal values for respective build options for the one or more communication networks based on the planning parameters, the identified desirable build locations and the traffic forecasts. Other embodiments are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for communication network planning, the method comprising:
collecting and storing, by a processing system including a processor, data associated with a communication environment including one or more communication networks operated by a system operator, the data including environmental data, network data for the one or more communication networks, importance metrics data and forecasting data, wherein respective communication networks of the one or more communication networks employ respective communication technologies for wireless communication between the one or more communication networks operated by the system operator and remote user devices in the communication environment;
providing, by the processing system, traffic forecasts of communication traffic on the one or more communication networks;
creating, by the processing system, enrichment layers for potential build locations for equipment of the one or more communication networks, wherein the creating is based on physical attributes of a potential build location, wherein the enrichment layers include enrichment information about modifiable aspects of the physical attributes of the potential build location;
identifying, by the processing system, desirable build locations among the potential build locations of the one or more communication networks based on the traffic forecasts of communication traffic, the enrichment information for the physical attributes for the potential build locations, and based on information about subscribers having an expressed particular interest in activities performed in conjunction with communication devices or communication services available on the one or more communication networks;
providing, by the processing system, interactive visualization for a user with the communication environment, including:
providing, by the processing system, a user interface configured to receive user inputs of the system operator, the user inputs specifying a forecast scenario to be tested for expansion, development or reconfiguration of the one or more communication networks operated by the system operator;
prompting, by the processing system at the user interface, entry of a user input objective of the system operator, the user input objective specifying a business or technological objective of the system operator for the expansion, development or reconfiguration of the one or more communication networks operated by the system operator;
receiving, by the processing system, at the user interface, user input defining planning parameters for the communication environment, the planning parameters comprising information defining wireless communication technologies of interest to the system operator, a geographic region for possible expansion by the one or more communication networks operated by the system operator, and financial criteria of the system operator, the financial criteria including one or more constraints including a predetermined limit on capital spending by the system operator and a minimum capital return rate required by the system operator;
receiving, by the processing system at the user interface, user input of the system operator defining a respective cost of each respective wireless communication technology of interest to the system operator, a respective network quality score for each respective desirable build location for each respective wireless communication technology of interest to the system operator, a revenue gain for each respective desirable build location as a function of the respective network quality score for the each respective desirable build location, and a revenue loss for subscriber churn for respective desirable build location site as a function of respective network quality score for the each respective desirable build location;
determining, by the processing system, respective target goal values for respective build options for the one or more communication networks, the determining based on the planning parameters for the communication environment, the identified desirable build locations and the traffic forecasts of communication traffic, including selecting a selected wireless network configuration and a selected wireless network technology to identify an optimal technology deployment to maximize total net return on investment by the system operator according to the financial criteria;
providing, by the processing system, at the user interface, a visualization of the selected wireless network configuration, the visualization including three-dimensional imagery that can be interactively explored in response to user input;
prompting, by the processing system at the user interface, user inputs of the system operator, the user inputs specifying modifications to the planning parameters to test effect of a specified modification to one or more of the planning parameters;
receiving, at the user interface, the modifications to the planning parameters for the communication environment;
determining revised respective target goal values according to the modifications to the planning parameters;
providing, at the user interface, a revised visualization of the selected wireless network configuration based on the revised respective target goal values; and
receiving, by the processing system, further user inputs of the system operator, the further user inputs specifying further modifications to the planning parameters to test further effects of specified modifications to one or more of the planning parameters; and
continuing the receiving further user inputs by the processing system until the expansion, development or reconfiguration of the one or more communication networks operated by the system operator has been achieved according to the financial criteria.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving further user inputs specifying modifications to the planning parameters comprises:
receiving, by the processing system, other user input at the user interface, the other user input defining variations in communication traffic on the one or more communication networks, wherein the receiving other user input comprises receiving user input defining a change to the subscribers having an expressed particular interest in activities performed in conjunction with communication devices or communication services available on the one or more communication networks;
determining, by the processing system, variations in the respective target goal values for the respective build options based on the variations in communication traffic on the one or more communication networks, forming a revised wireless network configuration; and
providing an augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) visualization of the revised wireless network configuration.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising selecting, by the processing system, an optimal set of communication technologies for build or expansion of a respective communication network of the one or more communication networks in response to the variations in the respective target goal values.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing the traffic forecasts of communication traffic comprises:
providing, by the processing system, information about variation in time in the communication traffic on the one or more communication networks.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the providing the traffic forecasts of communication traffic comprises:
providing, by the processing system, information about the traffic forecasts organized by type of subscriber device active on the one or more communication networks, and by a type of technology used by subscriber devices active on the one or more communication networks.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:
receiving, by the processing system, information identifying the

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Meier-Hellstern Kathleen
• Bigler Laurie
• Jotshi Arun
• Orth Michael
• Weiss Phyllis
• Raina Ravi
• Zhao Wenjie

Classifications

• H04L41/40

  using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities · CPC title

• H04L41/147 Primary

  for predicting network behaviour · CPC title

• H04W16/18 Primary

  Network planning tools · CPC title

• H04L41/5009

  Determining service level performance parameters or violations of service level contracts, e.g. violations of agreed response time or mean time between failures [MTBF] · CPC title

• H04W16/22

  Traffic simulation tools or models · CPC title