# US 11,115,828 B2 · Network management method and system for a shared radio access network, RAN, infrastructure

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,115,828 B2
- Document ID: US11115828B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/749,788
- Filed: 2015-08-25
- Published: 2018-08-09
- Granted: 2021-09-07
- Earliest claimed: 2015-08-07
- Assignees: NEC Corporation
- Applicants: NEC Laboratories Europe GmbH
- Inventors: Konstantinos Samdanis; Xavier Costa Perez
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11115828B2

## CPC

- H04W 16/14: Spectrum sharing arrangements {between different networks}
- H04W 8/02: Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
- H04W 16/10: Dynamic resource partitioning
- H04W 28/24: Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

A method for performing network management for a shared Radio Access Network (RAN) infrastructure provided by a mobile network operator includes managing the shared RAN infrastructure by a master operator network manager of the mobile network operator; and allocating, by the master operator network manager upon receiving service requests from one or more tenants, resources to accommodate the service requests. The master operator network manager cooperates with a capacity or resource broker residing inside the network of the mobile network operator that considers information on mobility of a user or a set of users involved in a particular service request for deciding on resource allocations to the particular service request.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for performing network management for a shared Radio Access Network (RAN) infrastructure provided by a mobile network operator, the method comprising:
managing the shared RAN infrastructure by a master operator network manager of the mobile network operator; and
allocating, by the master operator network manager upon receiving service requests from one or more tenants, resources to accommodate the service requests,
wherein the master operator network manager cooperates with a capacity or resource broker residing inside the network of the mobile network operator that considers information on mobility of a user or a set of users involved in a particular service request for deciding on resource allocations to the particular service request,
wherein the capacity or resource broker implements a forecasting function that performs traffic forecasting or user mobility forecasting, and
wherein the traffic forecasting or the user mobility forecasting is performed by relying on historical data or current data, by exploiting temporal dependence forecasting models or spatial dependence forecasting models, by using signal processing based techniques, and by using recursive updating schemes.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1,
wherein the capacity or resource broker selects a set of cells to allocate resources with respect to the particular service request based on current locations of the user or the set of users involved in the particular service request together with information on prior user mobility, or based on a user mobility profile, and
wherein the set of cells is a subset of cells offered by the network of the mobile network operator.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1,
wherein the capacity or resource broker selects a set of cells to allocate resources with respect to the particular service request based on the SLA specified for the particular service request or a time duration of the particular service request, and
wherein the set of cells is a subset of cells offered by the network of the mobile network operator.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the capacity or resource broker selects a set of cells to allocate resources with respect to a service request based on information resulting from said forecasting function.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

Method according to claim 1, wherein information on a current location of the users or the set of users involved in the particular service request are provided to the capacity or resource broker by user equipment assisted mechanisms or by network based discovery mechanisms.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

Method according to claim 1, wherein the service requests contain information on a service starting time or a duration, information on service level agreements, information on current location of users, user mobility related information, parameters for assisting traffic patterns predictability, or user mobility profiles.

### Claim 7

A network management system for a shared Radio Access Network (RAN) infrastructure provided by a mobile network operator, the network management system comprising:
a master operator network manager of the mobile network operator for managing the shared RAN infrastructure, wherein the master operator network manager is configured to receive service requests from one or more tenants and to allocate resources to accommodate the service requests, and
wherein the master operator network manager is configured to cooperate with a network function, the network function being configured to consider information on mobility of a user or a set of users involved in a particular service request for deciding on resource allocations to the particular service request,
wherein the capacity or resource broker implements a forecasting function that performs traffic forecasting or user mobility forecasting,
wherein the traffic forecasting or the user mobility forecasting is performed by relying on historical data or current data, by exploiting temporal dependence forecasting models or spatial dependence forecasting models, by using signal processing based techniques, and by using recursive updating schemes.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The system according to claim 7, wherein the network function resides at or is implemented as part of the master operator network manager.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

The system according to claim 7, wherein the network function is implemented as a logically centralized network function that is composed of functions that reside on the master operator network manager, on the master operator shared RAN domain manager, on shared network elements of the shared RAN infrastructure, on a policy and charging rules function (PCRF), or on the MME.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The system according to claim 7, wherein the network function implements a user mobility forecasting function.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The system according to claim 7, wherein the one or more tenants include mobile virtual network operators or application providers.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The system according to claim 7, wherein the existing 3GPP Int-N interface between the master operator network manager and the master operator shared RAN domain managers, the existing 3GPP Int-B interface between the master operator shared RAN domain managers and network elements of the shared RAN infrastructure, or the existing 3GPP Type 5 interface between the master operator network manager and sharing operator network managers of the tenants are extended to accommodate information contained in the service requests.

### Claim 13 (depends on 7)

The system according to claim 7, wherein the Int-N interface between the master operator network manager and the master operator shared RAN domain managers or the Int-B interface between the master operator shared RAN domain managers and network elements of the shared RAN infrastructure or the Type 5 interface between the master operator network manager and sharing operator network managers of the tenants are configured to accommodate information regarding an over-the-top (OTT) application, an OTT session id, a service id, a service provider id, a public land mobile network (PLMN) id, information on the respective cells that are affected by a service request, information on the resource allocation, on the type of request, resource type, time duration, QoS or update information about offloading policies.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the information on mobility comprises information on movement of a user device.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The method according to claim 1, wherein the information on mobility comprises at least one of whether a user has been stationary, an average speed of a user, a relative speed of a user, and an area in which the user has been moving.