Systems and methods for communications node upgrade and selection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11445385-B2
Application number	US-202016795447-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 19, 2020
Priority date	Feb 20, 2019
Publication date	Sep 13, 2022
Grant date	Sep 13, 2022

Abstract

Implementations described and claimed herein provide systems and methods for identification of connection areas in a telecommunications network. In one implementation, a customer set is obtained for a communications node in the telecommunications network. The customer set includes an existing connection type and a collection of network sites including the connection type is generated from the customer set. An overlay of customer sites without the connection type may be applied to the collection of network sites to generate an intersection of non-connected customer sites within the collection of network sites including the connection type. The intersection provides an indication of underserviced sites connection to the telecommunication network for potential network growth.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for providing telecommunications services in a telecommunications network, the method comprising:
obtaining a site footprint of a geographic region having a plurality of sites associated with a connection type of the telecommunications network;
obtaining, from a database of the telecommunications network, a plurality of site identifiers associated with the telecommunications network for the geographic region, wherein each of the plurality of site identifiers comprises a primary site identifier and at least one network source key associated with a type of connection to the telecommunications network;
classifying each of the plurality of sites without the connection type based on a number of network source keys associated with a corresponding site of the plurality of sites;
generating one or more buildable subgroups each defining geospatial boundaries of a contiguous build area of the connection type and each having a subset of the plurality of sites;
intersecting the one or more buildable subgroups with geospatial locations of a plurality of sites without the connection type;
subdividing the plurality of sites without the connection type based on the classification of each of the plurality of sites without the connection type; and
generating a telecommunications build plan for providing the connection type to at least one of the plurality of sites without the connection type when a geospatial location of the at least one of the plurality of sites intersects with one or more buildable subgroups, and wherein the telecommunications build plan is based at least on the subdivision of the plurality of sites without the connection type based on the classification.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
subdividing the plurality of site identifiers based on the at least one network source key of the plurality of site identifiers, wherein a subdivision of the plurality of site identifiers comprises sites with a network source key associated with the connection type of the site footprint.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the network source key associated with the connection type of the site footprint indicates a fiber-based connection of the primary site identifier.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
assigning the subdivision of the plurality of site identifiers as the site footprint.

5. A network planning device comprising:
one or more processors; and
a memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, perform the operations of:
obtaining, from a database in communication with the one or more processors, geospatial locations of a plurality of sites within a geographic region and associated with a connection to a telecommunications network;

obtaining, from a database of the telecommunications network, a plurality of site identifiers associated with the telecommunications network for the geographic region, wherein each of the plurality of site identifiers comprises a primary site identifier and at least one network source key associated with a type of connection to the telecommunications network;
classifying each of the plurality of sites based on a number of connection identifiers associated with a corresponding site of the plurality of sites
subdividing, based on a type of connection to the telecommunications network, the plurality of sites into a plurality of subsets of the plurality of sites;
generating, based on a first subset of the plurality of sites, one or more buildable subgroups each defining geospatial boundaries of a contiguous build area, the first subset corresponding to a first connection type to the telecommunications network;
intersecting the one or more buildable subgroups with geospatial locations of a second subset of the plurality of sites corresponding to a second connection type to the telecommunications network;
subdividing, based on the classification of each of the plurality of sites, the intersection of the one or more buildable subgroups with geospatial locations of the second subset of the plurality of sites; and
generating a telecommunications build plan for providing the first connection type to at least one site of the second subset of the plurality of sites based on the intersection of the one or more buildable subgroups with geospatial locations of the second subset of the plurality of sites, wherein the telecommunications build plan comprises a build plan for the plurality of sites of the subdivided intersection of the one or more buildable subgroups with geospatial locations of the second subset of the plurality of sites.

6. The network planning device of claim 5 wherein the one or more processors further perform the operation of:
generating a fully connected buildable area for the geospatial locations of the plurality of sites, the fully connected buildable area including each of the plurality of sites having a connection to at least one neighboring site, such that an entirety of the plurality of sites are connected along a set of paths.

7. The network planning device of claim 5 wherein the first connection type is associated with a fiber-based connection.

8. The network planning device of claim 5 wherein the second connection type is associated with an indication of a qualification of the corresponding site to receive a fiber-based connection.

9. A system for managing a telecommunications network, the system comprising:
a database storing site information of a plurality of sites connected to a network, the site information comprising, for each site of the plurality of sites, a geospatial location and a site identifier comprising a primary site identifier and at least one source key corresponding to a type of connection between the site and network; and
a network computing device in communication with the database and for:
generating a network site footprint for a geographic region, the network site footprint comprising a subset of the plurality of sites connected to the network associated with a connection type to the telecommunications network;
classifying each of the plurality of sites without the connection type based on a number of network source keys associated with a corresponding site of the plurality of sites;
intersecting one or more buildable subgroups, each defining geospatial boundaries of a contiguous build area of the connection type and each having a subset of the plurality of sites, with geospatial locations of a plurality of sites without the connection type of the network, the geospatial locations of the plurality of sites without the connection type being within one of the one or more buildable subgroups;
subdividing, based on the classification of each of the plurality of sites, the intersection of the one or more buildable subgroups with geospatial locations of the second subset of the plurality of sites; and
generating a telecommunications build plan for providing the connection type to at least one of the plurality of sites without the connection type based on the intersection of the one or more buildable subgroups with geospatial locations of a plurality of sites without the connection type, wherein the telecommunications build plan comprises a build plan for the plurality of sites of the subdivided intersection of the one or more buildable subgroups with geospatial locations of the second subset of the plurality of sites.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the set of paths of the buildable connections of the plurality of sites is based a distance constraint between the plurality of sites.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the connection type of the network is a fiber-based connection.

Assignees

• Level 3 Communications Llc

Inventors

• Gray William
• Sayre James
• Limburg Stephen

Classifications

• H04L41/0893

  Assignment of logical groups to network elements · CPC title

• H04L41/16

  using machine learning or artificial intelligence · CPC title

• H04B10/27

  Arrangements for networking · CPC title

• H04L41/145 Primary

  involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network · CPC title

• H04W16/18

  Network planning tools · CPC title