U.S. patent application number 14/171210 was filed with the patent office on 2014-06-05 for system and method for analyzing strategic network investments in wireless networks.
This patent application is currently assigned to CERION OPTIMIZATION SERVICES, INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is Cerion Optimization Services, Inc.. Invention is credited to Will A. Egner, Vinay Mallapu, Wei Yuan.
Application Number | 20140156483 14/171210 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34794304 |
Filed Date | 2014-06-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140156483 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Egner; Will A. ; et
al. |
June 5, 2014 |
System and Method for Analyzing Strategic Network Investments in
Wireless Networks
Abstract
A method and a system to assist wireless telecom service
providers to make strategic investment decisions in their wireless
networks is provided. Geographical profitability information in a
wireless network is determined to decide where to invest capital
funds in order to increase the revenue and profit for wireless
service providers. The profitability of a geographical area or a
sector is calculated based on network Operation Measurements and
subscriber CDR (Call Detail Record) data. The system prioritizes
the geographical areas and sectors for capital investments based on
the profitability of the areas and sites. Similar information may
be determined to assist wireless service providers in developing a
decommissioning strategy. Embodiments of the present invention may
also be used to reduce network churn by understanding where
dissatisfied subscribers experience poor service and where network
investments need to be made to improve the services and reduce
churn.
Inventors: |
Egner; Will A.; (Cedar Park,
TX) ; Mallapu; Vinay; (Irving, TX) ; Yuan;
Wei; (Plano, TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Cerion Optimization Services, Inc. |
Frisco |
TX |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
CERION OPTIMIZATION SERVICES,
INC.
Frisco
TX
|
Family ID: |
34794304 |
Appl. No.: |
14/171210 |
Filed: |
February 3, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13856239 |
Apr 3, 2013 |
8645251 |
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14171210 |
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10585011 |
Jun 29, 2006 |
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PCT/US2005/000217 |
Jan 6, 2005 |
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13856239 |
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60534658 |
Jan 6, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/35 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 16/18 20130101;
G06Q 40/00 20130101; G06Q 10/0637 20130101; G06Q 40/02 20130101;
H04W 24/08 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/35 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 10/06 20060101
G06Q010/06; G06Q 40/00 20060101 G06Q040/00; H04W 16/18 20060101
H04W016/18 |
Claims
1. A method of determining an investment strategy for a plurality
of coverage holes in a wireless network, each of the coverage holes
indicating a respective area in which wireless service is not
available, the method comprising: identifying, using a computer
system, the coverage holes in the wireless network; determining,
using the computer system, a respective revenue loss for each of
the coverage holes, the respective revenue loss representing an
amount of revenue that is being lost due to unavailability of the
wireless service in a respective coverage hole; determining, using
the computer system, a plurality of BTS options for locating a BTS
with respect to the coverage holes; determining, using the computer
system, a respective cost for each of the BTS options, the
respective cost representing an expected cost of operating the BTS
in accordance with a respective BTS option; determining, using the
computer system, a respective investment return value for each of
the BTS options based at least in part on the respective cost for
each of the BTS options and on the respective revenue loss for each
of the coverage holes; and determining one or more locations to
deploy the BTS based at least in part on the respective investment
return value for each of the BTS options.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the plurality of
coverage holes is based at least in part on dropped calls as
indicated by call detail records (CDRs).
3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the revenue loss is
performed in accordance with the equation:
U.sub.k=.SIGMA..sub.i[D.sub.ik*AMOU.sub.i*UPM.sub.i] wherein k
represents a coverage hole; i represents a subscriber; D.sub.ik is
a number of monthly dropped calls by subscriber i at coverage hole
k; AMOU.sub.i is an average MOU per call of subscriber i; UPM.sub.i
is a revenue generated per minute by subscriber i; and U.sub.k is a
revenue loss at coverage hole k.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the respective cost
for each of the BTS options is performed at least in part by
summing a monthly equipment cost, a site monthly leasing cost, and
a monthly transport leasing cost.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the respective
investment return value for each of the BTS options is performed at
least in part by subtracting the respective cost from the
respective revenue loss.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the one or more
locations to deploy the BTS is performed at least in part by
prioritizing the BTS options in order of the respective investment
return value for each of the BTS options.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the plurality of
coverage holes is based at least in part on dropped calls as
indicated by call detail records (CDRs); and wherein determining
the revenue loss is performed in accordance with the equation:
U.sub.k=.SIGMA..sub.i[D.sub.ik*AMOU.sub.i*UPM.sub.i] wherein k
represents a coverage hole; i represents a subscriber; D.sub.ik is
a number of monthly dropped calls by subscriber i at coverage hole
k; AMOU.sub.i is an average MOU per call of subscriber i; UPM.sub.i
is a revenue generated per minute by subscriber i; and U.sub.k is a
revenue loss at coverage hole k.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the plurality of
coverage holes is based at least in part on dropped calls as
indicated by call detail records (CDRs); and wherein determining
the one or more locations to deploy the BTS is performed at least
in part by prioritizing the BTS options in order of the respective
investment return value for each of the BTS options.
9. A computer program product for determining an investment
strategy for a plurality of coverage holes in a wireless network,
each of the coverage holes indicating a respective area in which
wireless service is not available, the computer program product
having a non-transitory storage medium with a computer program
embodied thereon, the computer program product comprising: computer
program code for identifying the coverage holes in the wireless
network; computer program code for determining a respective revenue
loss for each of the coverage holes, the respective revenue loss
representing an amount of revenue that is being lost due to
unavailability of wireless service in a respective coverage hole;
computer program code for determining a plurality of BTS options
for locating a BTS with respect to the coverage holes; computer
program code for determining a respective cost for each of the BTS
options, the respective cost representing an expected cost of
operating the BTS in accordance with a respective BTS option;
computer program code for determining a respective investment
return value for each of the BTS options based at least in part on
the respective cost for each of the BTS options and on the
respective revenue loss for each of the coverage holes; and
computer program code for determining one or more locations to
deploy the BTS based at least in part on the respective investment
return value for each of the BTS options.
10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer
program code for identifying the plurality of coverage holes is
based at least in part on dropped calls as indicated by call detail
records (CDRs).
11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer
program code for determining the revenue loss includes computer
program code for performing the equation:
U.sub.k=.SIGMA..sub.i[D.sub.ik*AMOU.sub.i*UPM.sub.i] wherein k
represents a coverage hole; i represents a subscriber; D.sub.ik is
a number of monthly dropped calls by subscriber i at coverage hole
k; AMOU.sub.i is an average MOU per call of subscriber i; UPM.sub.i
is a revenue generated per minute by subscriber i; and U.sub.k is a
revenue loss at coverage hole k.
12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer
program code for determining the respective cost for each of the
BTS options includes computer program code for summing a monthly
equipment cost, a site monthly leasing cost, and a monthly
transport leasing cost.
13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer
program code for determining the respective investment return value
for each of the BTS options includes computer program code for
subtracting the respective cost from the respective revenue
loss.
14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer
program code for determining the one or more locations to deploy
the BTS includes computer program code for prioritizing the BTS
options in order of the respective investment return value for each
of the BTS options.
15. The computer program of claim 1, wherein the computer program
code for identifying the plurality of coverage holes is based at
least in part on dropped calls as indicated by call detail records
(CDRs); and wherein the computer program code for determining the
revenue loss includes computer program code for performing the
equation: U.sub.k=.SIGMA..sub.i[D.sub.ik*AMOU.sub.i*UPM.sub.i]
wherein k represents a coverage hole; i represents a subscriber;
D.sub.ik is a number of monthly dropped calls by subscriber i at
coverage hole k; AMOU.sub.i is an average MOU per call of
subscriber i; UPM.sub.i is a revenue generated per minute by
subscriber i; and U.sub.k is a revenue loss at coverage hole k.
16. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer program code for
identifying the plurality of coverage holes is based at least in
part on dropped calls as indicated by call detail records (CDRs);
and wherein the computer program code for determining the one or
more locations to deploy the BTS includes computer program code for
prioritizing the BTS options in order of the respective investment
return value for each of the BTS options.
17. A method of determining an investment strategy for a plurality
of coverage holes in a wireless network, each of the coverage holes
indicating a respective area in which wireless service is not
available, the method comprising: identifying, using a computer
system, the coverage holes in the wireless network; determining,
using the computer system, a respective revenue loss for each of
the coverage holes, the respective revenue loss representing an
amount of revenue that is being lost due to unavailability of the
wireless service in a respective coverage hole, wherein determining
the revenue loss is performed in accordance with the equation:
U.sub.k=.SIGMA..sub.i[D.sub.ik*AMOU.sub.i*UPM.sub.i] wherein k
represents a coverage hole; i represents a subscriber; D.sub.ik is
a number of monthly dropped calls by subscriber i at coverage hole
k; AMOU.sub.i is an average MOU per call of subscriber i; UPM.sub.i
is a revenue generated per minute by subscriber i; and U.sub.k is a
revenue loss at coverage hole k; determining, using the computer
system, a plurality of BTS options for locating a BTS with respect
to the coverage holes; determining, using the computer system, a
respective cost for each of the BTS options, the respective cost
representing an expected cost of operating the BTS in accordance
with a respective BTS option; determining, using the computer
system, a respective investment return value for each of the BTS
options based at least in part on the respective cost for each of
the BTS options and on the respective revenue loss for each of the
coverage holes; and determining one or more locations to deploy the
BTS based at least in part on the respective investment return
value for each of the BTS options, wherein determining the one or
more locations to deploy the BTS is performed at least in part by
prioritizing the BTS options in order of the respective investment
return value for each of the BTS options.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein identifying the plurality of
coverage holes is based at least in part on dropped calls as
indicated by call detail records (CDRs).
19. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the respective cost
for each of the BTS options is performed at least in part by
summing a monthly equipment cost, a site monthly leasing cost, and
a monthly transport leasing cost.
20. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the respective
investment return value for each of the BTS options is performed at
least in part by subtracting the respective cost from the
respective revenue loss.
Description
[0001] This application is a divisional of patent application Ser.
No. 13/856,239, entitled "System and Method for Analyzing Strategic
Network Investments in Wireless Networks," filed on Apr. 3, 2013,
which is a divisional of patent application Ser. No. 10/585,011,
entitled "System and Method for Analyzing Strategic Network
Investments in Wireless Networks," filed on Jun. 29, 2006, which is
a national phase filing under section 371 of International
Application No. PCT/US2005/000217, entitled "System and Method for
Analyzing Strategic Network Investments in Wireless Networks,"
filed Jan. 6, 2005, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application No. 60/534,658, filed on Jan. 6, 2004, entitled
"Systems and Methods for Making Strategic Capital Investments for
Wireless Network," which applications are incorporated herein by
reference.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0002] This application is related to the following commonly
assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/443,956, filed Apr. 1,
2009, entitled "System and Method for Re-home Sequencing
Optimization," which application is hereby incorporated herein by
reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0003] The present invention relates generally to wireless networks
and, more particularly, to systems and methods for analyzing
strategic network investments in wireless networks.
BACKGROUND
[0004] The wireless telecommunications industry has been
experiencing a tremendous growth in the past few years and, as a
result, is often characterized by fierce competition between
wireless service providers. In an attempt to increase revenues and
profits, it is generally important for the service providers to
provide better services with lower costs. Because RF
(Radio-Frequency) equipment (e.g., transmission equipment, wireless
network equipment) and operation cost is one of their largest
network investments, it is generally important for wireless service
providers to ensure that those investments increase returns in
terms of revenue and profit.
[0005] FIG. 1 illustrates a typical wireless telecommunication
access (RF) network wherein base transceiver stations ("BTS"), such
as BTS 101-BTS 105, are deployed at certain locations. A BTS (also
called a cell site) contains equipment such as a radio tower,
antennas, radios, and cables for supporting the traffic in its
coverage area. A BTS coverage area is typically divided into
sectors, such as sectors C101-C115, in which transceiver antennas
face to a certain orientation for covering an area within an angle.
In typical installations, each sector C101-C115 covers an area
within a 120.degree. angle.
[0006] As their subscriber base grows, wireless service providers
need to identify where in the network to invest in order to provide
satisfactory services to subscribers. For example, service
providers need to identify BTSs and/or sectors of BTSs that require
more equipment to support the current or projected traffic in each
area or, in another example, need to identify where an additional
BTS should be located for sufficient traffic coverage.
[0007] Current planning systems and methods attempt to create
network plans that minimize the overall cost while maintaining
coverage of a certain percentage of total traffic (Erlangs) in the
network. These systems and methods, however, fail to account for
the different level of revenue contributions from different groups
of subscribers. As a result, current planning systems and methods
may generate network plans that suggest investment in areas that
will not generate the most revenue or profit for the wireless
service provider. In fact, the current planning systems and methods
may indicate an investment in a location that will not generate any
additional revenue, creating an investment and operational loss for
the service provider.
[0008] For example, reference numerals E101-115 indicate the
uncovered Erlangs for sectors C101-115, respectively. In current
planning systems, the sectors are prioritized based on the
uncovered traffic in each sector (E101-E115) and the investment
(e.g., radios) in a sector depends on the priority of that sector.
Additional BTSs may be deployed first at the locations where
uncovered Erlangs are the highest, regardless of the amount of
revenue (or loss) the investment is expected to return.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] These and other problems are generally reduced, solved or
circumvented, and technical advantages are generally achieved, by
embodiments of the present invention, which provides systems and
methods for analyzing strategic capital investments in wireless
networks.
[0010] Embodiments of the present invention provide a
measurement-based system and method to assist wireless service
providers in analyzing strategic capital investment decisions in
their networks in order to increase revenue and profitability.
Embodiments prioritize the geographical areas and BTSs for capital
investments based on the profitability of the areas and sites. The
profitability of a geographical area or a cell site may be
calculated based on network Operation Measurements and subscriber
CDR (Call Detail Record) data. The system and method can be used by
service providers to reduce network churn by understanding where
dissatisfied subscribers experience poor service and where network
investments need to be made to improve the services and reduce
churn.
[0011] It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that
the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily
utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures or
processes for carrying out the same purposes of the present
invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art
that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit
and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The object and other advantages of this invention are best
described in the preferred embodiment with reference to the
attached drawings that include:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a network diagram of a wireless cellular
network;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a network diagram illustrating an embodiment of
the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method of analyzing
strategic network investments in wireless networks in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method of computing
the Subscriber Profit Proxy (SPP) for subscribers in wireless
networks in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0017] FIG. 5 is an illustration of the fields of interest in a CDR
(Call Detail Record) sample in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a flow chart for a method of calculating the
Investment Return Value for all sectors in wireless networks in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 7 is a network diagram illustrating a method of
analyzing network investments for additional BTSs in wireless
networks in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0020] FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a method of analyzing
capital investments for additional BTSs in wireless networks in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a method for identifying
coverage holes in a wireless network in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 10 is a network diagram illustrating a method of
analyzing BTS-decommission decisions when merging multiple wireless
networks in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
and
[0023] FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of analyzing
BTS-decommission decisions when merging multiple wireless networks
in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
[0024] The making and using of the presently preferred embodiments
are discussed in detail below. It should be appreciated, however,
that the present invention provides many applicable inventive
concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific
contexts. The specific embodiments discussed are merely
illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention, and do
not limit the scope of the invention.
[0025] One skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of
the present invention may be used by wireless service providers to
increase gross profit margins as opposed to the typical method of
maximizing traffic coverage using Erlangs. Embodiments of the
present invention prioritize geographical areas and BTSs for
network investments based on the profit loss of the areas and
sites. Network investments may be based upon, for example, call
detail records and operation measurements.
[0026] Embodiments of the present invention may also be utilized to
reduce subscriber churn rates. For example, when targeting
subscribers at the end of their contracts, the system and method
described herein may reduce churn by providing a list of investment
areas where targeted subscriber service experiences need the most
improvement.
[0027] FIG. 2 is a network diagram illustrating a system and method
of analyzing strategic network investments in wireless networking
in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Generally, investment return in terms of dollars is calculated for
each sector based upon, among other things, the profit loss due to
uncovered traffic and investment (e.g., radios) cost to recover the
uncovered traffic. In FIG. 2, R201-R215 represent the investment
return in terms of dollars due to uncovered traffic for sectors
C201-C215, respectively. As will be described in greater detail
below, after the investment return is determined for each sector,
the sectors may be prioritized based on investment returns that the
service provider may expect from an investment in each sector. In
this manner, the service provider is able to make the investment
decision in a sector based upon the amount of investment return
expected, thereby increasing the returns on investment dollars and
profit.
[0028] FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a method of investment decisions
based upon expected investment returns in wireless access networks
in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The
method begins in step 301, wherein Subscriber Profit Proxy (SPP) is
created for one or more subscribers in the network. Generally, the
SPP value quantifies the amount of profit (gross earnings) the
service provider expects to receive from a given subscriber over a
specified period of time. A method of determining the SPP value of
one or more subscribers is discussed in greater detail below with
reference to FIG. 4.
[0029] It should be noted that the subscribers selected for
analysis may be a particular group, all of the subscribers in a
network, or the like. For example, to determine an investment
strategy for data services, the group of subscribers may consist of
those subscribers currently using the data services being analyzed.
Another example includes specifying a group of subscribers whose
subscription contracts will end shortly (e.g., in a month, next
quarter, or the like) in order to reduce churn by investing in
networks to improve the service quality for that group of
subscribers.
[0030] In step 302, the Minutes-of-Use (MOU) is determined for each
subscriber. The MOU may be determined, for example, from Call
Detail Records (CDRs). In a preferred embodiment, the MOU for each
subscriber is determined for the peak usage hours. In this manner,
only the "revenue generating" periods are taken into account for
the investment decision. For example, many service providers
provide free service during nights and weekends. Use during this
time, therefore, is not considered as generating revenue, and when
determining where an investment should be made to increase revenue
and profit, should not be considered.
[0031] It should be noted that peak usage hours are typically
defined by wireless service providers and may vary between regions,
demographics, and plan details. Additionally, the duration of the
peak usage period may also vary. For example, the peak usage period
over which MOU may be determined may be a month, a week, or a
weekday of peak usage hours, and may be dependent upon, among other
things, the computational power of the computational system. A
longer peak usage period provides more precise results, but may
require more computational power.
[0032] Next, in step 303, a service quality metric for each sector
in the network is determined. In a preferred embodiment, step 303
collects the service quality metric, such as a drop-call rate, for
each sector in the network. Drop-call rate D.sub.k at sector k may
be calculated by aggregating all calls terminated abnormally in
each sector as determined by the call termination cause field 504
(discussed below with reference to FIG. 5) in the CDRs. The
drop-call rate at each sector may also be collected from the
Operational Measurements (OMs) at the BTSs and/or BSCs (Base
Station Controllers).
[0033] In step 304, investment returns for each sector based at
least in part on the SPP values, MOU, and service quality metric
data are calculated. A method that may be used to determine the
investment return for each sector is described in greater detail
below with reference to FIG. 6.
[0034] In step 305, a capital investment strategy is created by
prioritizing the sectors in the network. Sectors with higher Sector
Investment Returns should be given higher priorities to invest.
Other factors, however, may also factor into the investment
decision.
[0035] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method of the SPP for
one or more subscribers discussed above with reference to step 301
of FIG. 3 in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention. It should be noted that in a preferred embodiment, the
SPP calculations are calculated as long-term profit values. Other
time periods (shorter or longer) may be used. The equations given
herein are provided as examples and, accordingly, may be altered to
customize the equations for a given scenario.
[0036] The process begins in step 401, wherein a subscriber i is
selected. In step 402, the revenue generated by the subscriber i
per month is calculated from the service provider's database.
Thereafter, the expected number of months that the subscriber would
stay under the current contract is determined in step 403, the
acquisition cost (e.g., marketing cost, discount on mobile
terminals, etc.) to the service provider for signing the subscriber
is determined in step 404, and the cost of delivering services to
the subscriber is determined in step 405. The expected number of
months that a subscriber would stay under a particular contract is
usually the same for a category of subscribers under the same
contract and may be calculated based on the number of months of
stay for all previous and existing subscribers.
[0037] The SPP of subscriber i may be calculated using the formula
presented in step 406.
SPP.sub.i=V.sub.i*M.sub.i-A.sub.i-Si [0038] wherein [0039] V.sub.i
is the revenue per month for subscriber i; [0040] M.sub.i is the
expected months under contract for subscriber i; [0041] A.sub.i is
the acquisition cost for subscriber i; and [0042] S.sub.i is the
service delivery cost for subscriber i.
[0043] After computing the SPP value for subscriber i, processing
returns to step 401 to compute the SPP value for the next
subscriber in the network. This process may be repeated until a SPP
value has been determined for all subscribers in the network.
[0044] FIG. 5 illustrates fields of a Call Detail Record (CDR) that
may be used in an embodiment of the present invention. In
particular, FIG. 5 illustrates fields of a CDR that may be
collected in step 302 of FIG. 3 to determine peak usage periods.
Field 501 in FIG. 5 indicates the call type which is, in this
example, a "Mobile Terminated" call (i.e., a call terminating at a
mobile unit). Fields 502 provide identities of subscribers (calling
and called parties). Fields 503 show the start and end time of the
call. Field 504 illustrates the call termination cause, which is
"Normal Release" in the illustrated example. Any abnormal release
in this field typically indicates a dropped call. Field 505 gives
the call duration in seconds. Field 506 provides the sector ID
where the call takes place. If a subscriber travels among multiple
sectors during a call, the IDs of all sectors where the subscriber
travels and the duration of the call in each sector will be
recorded in the CDR.
[0045] FIG. 6 is a data flow diagram that may be used to determine
the investment return per sector as described above in step 304 of
FIG. 3 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
In particular, after performing step 303 in FIG. 3, processing may
proceed to step 601 of FIG. 6, and after completing the processing
described in FIG. 6, processing may return to step 305 of FIG.
3.
[0046] The process begins in step 601, wherein a sector is
selected. In step 602, the Sector Profit P.sub.k is calculated for
the selected sector. The Sector Profit P.sub.k may be calculated
based upon the Minutes-Of-Use (MOUs) for all subscribers in each
sector, which may be determined by aggregating all of the call
minutes for all subscribers within the selected sector as may be
determined from fields 505 ("Call Duration") and 506
("CellIdentity") of the CDR illustrated in FIG. 5. Sector Profit
P.sub.k may be computed using the following formula, which is based
on the MOU and SPP of the subscriber.
P k = i [ S P P i * M O U ik j M O U ij ] ##EQU00001## [0047]
wherein [0048] k represents a sector; [0049] i represents a
subscriber; [0050] j represents a sector; [0051] P.sub.k is the
profit for sector k; [0052] SPP.sub.i is the SPP value for
subscriber i; [0053] MOU.sub.ik is the minutes of use for
subscriber i in sector k; [0054] MOU.sub.ij is the minutes of use
for subscriber i in sector j; and [0055] .SIGMA..sub.j MOU.sub.ij
is the sum of the minutes of use for subscriber i in all
sectors
[0056] Thereafter, a Sector Investment Return R.sub.k may be
calculated in step 603 based on Sector Profit Loss, which is equal
to P.sub.k.times.D.sub.k (P.sub.k is Sector Profit and D.sub.k is
drop-call rate) less the investment needed to recover the drop
calls at the sector. The equation for calculating the Sector
Investment Return R.sub.k may be expressed as follows.
R.sub.k=P.sub.k+D.sub.k-I.sub.k [0057] wherein [0058] k represents
a sector; [0059] P.sub.k is the profit for sector k; [0060] D.sub.k
is the drop-call rate for sector k; and [0061] I.sub.k is the
investment needed to recover the drop calls in sector k.
[0062] After calculating the Sector Investment Return of sector k
in step 603, the process proceeds to step 604 to determine if
additional sectors need to be processed. The process returns to
step 601 to determine the Sector Investment Return for the next
sector.
[0063] FIG. 7 is a network diagram illustrating the concept of
determining where additional BTS investments may be made in
uncovered areas to increase return on investment in accordance with
an embodiment of the present invention. Uncovered areas (referred
to as "Coverage Holes") H701 and H702 represent areas in which the
current network topology fails to sufficiently cover. As a result,
the coverage holes represent lost revenue for wireless service
providers who constantly deploy new BTSs to fill the "coverage
holes" in order to recover the revenue loss and improve subscriber
satisfactions. The following paragraphs disclose a system and
method for evaluating the coverage holes to determine new BTS
locations to increase revenue and profit. Generally, the teachings
of the present invention determine investment returns (e.g.,
investment returns R701 and R702 for coverage holes H701 and H702,
respectively) and prioritize the investment returns to determine
the profitable locations for a new BTS.
[0064] FIG. 8 is a data flow chart for identifying additional BTS
locations for network investment in accordance with an embodiment
of the present invention. The process begins in step 801, wherein
the "coverage holes" in the network are identified using sector
orientations, time-advance data, mobile location data, dropped-call
data from CDRs, and drive-test data (FIG. 9 will describe coverage
hole identification in greater detail). At step 802, the revenue
loss U.sub.k at coverage hole k is determined using, for example,
the revenue data and CDR at the BTS for all BTS in the network. The
following equation may be used to determine the revenue loss
U.sub.k.
U.sub.k=.SIGMA..sub.i[D.sub.ik*AMOU.sub.i*UPM.sub.i] [0065] wherein
[0066] k represents a coverage hole; [0067] i represents a
subscriber; [0068] D.sub.ik is the number of monthly dropped calls
by subscriber i at coverage hole k; [0069] AMOU.sub.i is the
average MOU per call of subscriber i; [0070] UPM.sub.i is the
revenue generated per minute by subscriber i; and [0071] U.sub.k is
the revenue loss at coverage hole k.
[0072] D.sub.ik, AMOU.sub.i and UPM.sub.i can be obtained from CDR
data. In step 803, the cost for adding new BTSs to cover
coverage-hole k is determined. The cost for BTSs to cover
coverage-hole k (C.sub.k) may include, for example, monthly
equipment cost E.sub.k, site monthly leasing cost L.sub.k, and
monthly transport leasing cost T.sub.k. Other monthly costs
O.sub.k, such as electricity, may also be included in C.sub.k. The
BTS costs preferably include costs for multiple BTSs, if multiple
BTSs are required.
[0073] In step 804, the BTS investment return value R.sub.k is
determined for each coverage hole. In a preferred embodiment, the
investment return value R.sub.k is determined by the revenue loss
due to coverage-hole k (U.sub.k) less the cost of the additional
BTS required to cover the coverage hole (C.sub.k). Thereafter, in
step 805, a BTS investment strategy may be determined at least in
part by prioritizing the BTSs based on their investment return
values R.sub.k for the BTSs.
[0074] An embodiment computer program product determines an
investment strategy for a coverage hole in a wireless network, the
coverage hole being an area in which service is not available. The
computer program product has a medium with a computer program
embodied thereon. The computer program product includes computer
program code for identifying one or more coverage holes in the
wireless network, computer program code for determining revenue
loss for one or more of the coverage holes, computer program code
for determining one or more BTS options for locating a BTS,
computer program code for determining a cost for one or more of the
BTS options, computer program code for determining an investment
return value for each of the one or more new BTS options, and
computer program code for determining one or more locations to
deploy a BTS based at least in part on the investment return value
for the BTS options.
[0075] FIG. 9 is a flow diagram that shows a method for identifying
the coverage holes in the network as described above in step 801 of
FIG. 8 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
In particular, after initiating the process at step 800 in FIG. 8,
processing may proceed to step 901 of FIG. 9, and after completing
the processing described in FIG. 9, processing may return to step
802 of FIG. 8.
[0076] In step 901, a dropped call 1 is selected and the sector k
is determined where the dropped call was recorded based on CDR
data. In step 902, a determination is made whether or not the
dropped call mobile is GPS (Global Position System) capable. If a
determination is made that the dropped call mobile is GPS capable,
then processing proceeds to step 904, wherein the location record
of the dropped call can be found from the subscriber's CDR data.
Otherwise, processing proceeds to step 903, wherein the dropped
call location DCL.sub.l is determined. The dropped call location
DCL.sub.l may be determined using the following formula.
D C L l = S L k + TA l * ( cos ( .alpha. k ) sin ( .alpha. k ) )
##EQU00002## [0077] wherein [0078] l represents a dropped call;
[0079] k represents a sector; [0080] SL.sub.k is the location of
the sector k; [0081] k is the orientation of the sector k; and
[0082] TA.sub.l is the time advance of the dropped call mobile,
which indicates the distance between the dropped call mobile and
the sector k.
[0083] Next, in step 904, the location of the dropped call 1 is
recorded. In step 905, a determination is made whether or not
additional dropped calls have occurred whose location has not been
determined. If such a dropped call exists, processing returns to
step 901 to determine the location of the next dropped call.
Otherwise, processing proceeds to step 906, wherein a drive test is
preferably performed to identify the coverage holes in the network
using the dropped call locations. At a particular dropped call
location, there may be multiple dropped calls that occurred. The
dropped call locations may be prioritized for drive test based upon
the number of dropped calls at each location. Generally, a drive
test involves RF engineers driving through the identified locations
to measure the RF signal strength to more precisely determine the
coverage holes.
[0084] FIG. 10 is a network diagram that illustrates a BTS
decommissioning strategy in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention. One example of a situation in which a BTS may
need to be decommissioned is when wireless service providers merge.
In many cases, wireless service providers may have overlapping
network components. Thus, when wireless service providers merge,
the merged network may contain redundant network elements. In these
cases, it may be desirable to decommission some BTSs in the network
to save operational costs and improve network performance (e.g., by
reducing RF interference).
[0085] Generally, an embodiment of the present invention determines
a BTS decommissioning strategy by determining a BTS Investment
Return Value (R901-R907) for each BTS based on the revenue loss of
decommissioning the BTS and cost of keeping the BTS. The method is
described in greater detail below with reference to FIG. 11.
[0086] FIG. 11 is a data flow diagram that illustrates a method for
analyzing a BTS decommissioning strategy in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention. The process begins in step
1101, wherein the revenue loss U.sub.k from BTS k if BTS k were to
be decommissioned is calculated. The revenues loss U.sub.k is
preferably based upon the revenue data and CDR data at BTS k. The
following equation may be used to determine the revenue loss
U.sub.k if BTS k were to be decommissioned.
U k = i [ V i * M O U ik j M O U ij ] ##EQU00003## [0087] wherein
[0088] k represents a BTS; [0089] i represents a subscriber; [0090]
V.sub.i is the revenue per month for subscriber i (as determined at
step 402 of FIG. 4); [0091] MOU.sub.ik is the MOU of subscriber i
at BTS k (as determined at step 602 of FIG. 6); [0092] MOU.sub.ij
is the minutes of use for subscriber i in sector j; and [0093]
.SIGMA..sub.j MOU.sub.ij is the sum of the minutes of use for
subscriber i in all sectors.
[0094] The calls that are expected to be processed by neighboring
BTSs are calculated by the covering areas of the neighboring BTSs
and the spare capacity at those BTSs. In step 1102, the cost
C.sub.k of maintaining the BTS k is determined, preferably as the
sum of the monthly equipment cost E.sub.k, site monthly leasing
cost L.sub.k, and monthly transport leasing cost T.sub.k. Other
monthly costs O.sub.k, such as electricity, may also be included.
Next, in step 1103, a BTS decommissioning return value R.sub.k for
BTS k is determined, preferably as the cost C.sub.k of maintaining
BTS k less the revenue loss U.sub.k from BTS k if BTS k were to be
decommissioned. A return value R.sub.k may be calculated for a
plurality of BTSs. Thereafter, in step 1104, a BTS decommissioning
strategy may be determined based at least in part by prioritizing
the BTS decommissioning return values R.sub.k for each BTS k.
[0095] Although the present invention and its advantages have been
described in detail, it should be understood that various changes,
substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing
from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the
appended claims. Moreover, the scope of the present application is
not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments of the
process, machine, manufacture, composition of matter, means,
methods and steps described in the specification. As one of
ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate from the
disclosure of the present invention, processes, machines,
manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, or steps,
presently existing or later to be developed, that perform
substantially the same function or achieve substantially the same
result as the corresponding embodiments described herein may be
utilized according to the present invention. Accordingly, the
appended claims are intended to include within their scope such
processes, machines, manufacture, compositions of matter, means,
methods, or steps.
* * * * *