Using feedback by a system controller from wireless handsets to determine sub-areas which do not have coverage within a wireless telecommunication system. A system controller is responsive to the inability of a wireless handset to handoff to a base station, to record this fact, and requests that the wireless handset continue to monitor for a base station with sufficient transmission power. Note, the active call is lost when the handoff did not occur. When the wireless handset finds a base station that has sufficient transmission power on which to register, the wireless handset registers on this base station and sends a message to the system controller advising it of the failed handoff and the duration that occurred before a new base station was found. The system controller is responsive to this information to maintain a table for each base station from which a successful handoff could not be performed due to the lack of coverage. The system controller also instructs inactive wireless handsets to measure the transmission strength of base stations as the wireless handset moves from location to location. The wireless handset is responsive to the inability to detect a base station of sufficient strength to report this fact to the system controller once the wireless handset comes in contact with a base station that it can register on. The system controller records this information in the same table as is utilized for failed handoffs.
An error detecting and reporting system utilizes a subscriber terminal to monitor some aspect of communication link conditions while active on a call. The subscriber terminal includes a call state information detection mechanism. The mechanism monitors and saves the call state information leading to a link failure in a non-volatile memory. A processing unit sends the saved call state information to a system management entity when the link is re-established. The system management entity utilizes the call state information as part of a system performance activity by correlating the saved call state information with related system events to determine system problems.
A method and system for detecting failures in a wireless communications network. A computer is programmed to remotely access a platform, such as a network switch or database, that stores data indicative of the performance of the wireless communications network infrastructure. The computer downloads the data, parses the data to extract wireless communications network events such as dropped calls, noise or lack of audio, sorts the events, and passes the events through an event-to-failure mapping module to identify probable network component failures. Data is preferably analyzed over periods of less than 24 hours. The probable failures are preferably reported to network operations personnel who can then resolve the failures on a more timely basis.
The present invention allows the cell shape of any base station in operation to be changed, thereby enabling services to be provided according to the needs. A mobile terminal attempts to synchronize with a perch channel to thereby check whether or not it can receive the signal, thereby determining whether it belongs to the cell of the base station. The mobile terminal uses the GPS to obtain location information to identify the location and notifies a cell control apparatus of results for cell determinations and location information. The cell control apparatus selects a base station for which the corresponding cell shape is to be changed, on the basis of the results for cell determinations and the location information. The cell control apparatus instructs the selected base station to change its cell shape. The base station changes its cell shape according to the instruction.
A portable subscriber unit (122) provides (402) communications for a user, and monitors (404) a parameter indicative of communication quality during the communications. The portable subscriber unit compares (406) the parameter with a predetermined threshold; and when the communication quality deteriorates (408) such that the parameter reaches the predetermined threshold, the portable subscriber unit determines (412) geographic coordinates corresponding to the location at which the communication difficulty occurred, and adds (414) a communication difficulty report identifying the parameter and the geographic coordinates to a record of communication difficulty reports stored in the portable subscriber unit. When the portable subscriber unit receives (502) a request for the record of communication difficulty reports from a fixed portion (102) of a two-way wireless communication system, the portable subscriber unit communicates (504) the record of communication difficulty reports to the fixed portion.
Call data collected from the switch at a Mobile Telephone Switching Office is combined with location information of a mobile unit to generate information reports concerning the electromagnetic coverage of a geographic region. The collection of call data from the switch permits consideration of uplink information in the analysis of system performance. The uplink information reflects performance of specific equipment that is in use by the wireless customer. This uplink information may be combined with downlink and location information to remove from the performance evaluation transient effects associated with, for example, local terrain and other physical impairments.
