# US 12,604,261 B2 · Facilitation of radio access neighbor relationships for 5G or other next generation network

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- Number: US 12,604,261 B2
- Document ID: US12604261B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/615,442
- Filed: 2024-03-25
- Published: 2024-08-08
- Granted: 2026-04-14
- Earliest claimed: 2020-11-24
- Assignees: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
- Applicants: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
- Inventors: Zhi Cui; Hongyan Lei; Paul Smith, Jr.
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12604261B2

## CPC

- H04W 48/18: Selecting a network or a communication service
- H04L 41/0853: by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
- H04L 41/0895: Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
- H04L 41/0896: Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities (flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76)
- H04W 24/02: Arrangements for optimising operational condition
- H04W 36/0083: {Determination of parameters used for hand-off, e.g. generation or modification of neighbour cell lists}
- H04W 36/14: Reselecting a network or an air interface
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

Automatic neighbor relationships (ANR) can be implemented within a radio access network intelligent controller (RIC), which receives load information from network nodes and user equipment measurements from user equipment. The RIC can create and maintain real-time load information and leverage slicing knowledge of neighbor cells during mobility to direct the user equipment to various network slices. Thus, an enhanced radio access network (RAN) neighbor relationship that utilizes slicing information can provide slice level RAN neighbor visibility on top of physical ANR relationships to enable enhancements for mobility management optimization.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
obtaining from a data structure, by a system comprising a processor, cell data representative of a neighbor relationship between a first network cell and a second network cell; and
splitting, by the system, the first network cell and the second network cell onto a first network slice and a second network slice, respectively, wherein the splitting is based on a difference between a first capability of the first network cell and a second capability of the second network cell that is a neighbor cell of the first network cell.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
adding, by the system, the first capability of the first network cell to a first entry, corresponding to the first network cell, of the data structure; and
adding, by the system, the second capability of the second network cell to a second entry, corresponding to the second network cell, of the data structure.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
adding, by the system, a transmission point type of the first network cell to a first entry, corresponding to the first network cell, of the data structure.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, wherein the transmission point type is selected from a group comprising a millimeter wave transmission point type and a sub-6 gigahertz transmission point type.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, by the system, resource request data representative of a resource requested from a user equipment.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The method of claim 5, further comprising:
allocating, by the system, the resource from a selected network cell, selected from a group comprising the first network cell and the second network cell, to the user equipment based on the first capability and the second capability.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method of claim 6, wherein the group is a first group, and wherein the method further comprises:
moving, by the system, the user equipment to a network slice, selected from a second group comprising the first network slice and the second network slice and corresponding to the selected network cell, in response to the allocating.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first capability is selected from a group comprising an ultra-reliable low latency capability, a massive internet-of-things capability, a vehicle-to-everything capability, and a voice over new radio capability.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the first network cell and the second network cell are part of a 5G network.

### Claim 10

A system, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
obtaining, via a data structure, cell data representative of a neighbor relationship between a first network cell and a second network cell that is a neighbor cell of the first network cell; and
in response to determining that a first capability of the first network cell is different than a second capability of the second network cell:
allocating a first network slice to the first network cell; and
allocating a second network slice, distinct from the first network slice, to the second network cell.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:
adding the first capability of the first network cell to a first entry, corresponding to the first network cell, of the data structure; and
adding the second capability of the second network cell to a second entry, corresponding to the second network cell, of the data structure.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:
adding a transmission point type of the first network cell to a first entry, corresponding to the first network cell, of the data structure.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving resource request data representative of a resource requested from network equipment; and
allocating the resource from a selected network cell, selected from a group comprising the first network cell and the second network cell, to the network equipment based on the first capability and the second capability.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13, wherein the group is a first group, and wherein the operations further comprise:
moving the network equipment to a network slice, selected from a second group comprising the first network slice and the second network slice and corresponding to the selected network cell, in response to the allocating the resource.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The system of claim 10, wherein the first network cell and the second network cell are part of a 5G network.

### Claim 16

A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
retrieving, from a data structure, cell data representative of a neighbor relationship between a first network cell and a second network cell;
splitting, in response to identifying a difference between a first capability of the first network cell and a second capability of the second network cell, the first network cell and the second network cell onto a first network slice and a second network slice, respectively;
receiving an indication of a resource requested by a user equipment; and
allocating the resource to the user equipment from a selected network cell, selected from a group comprising the first network cell and the second network cell, based on the first capability and the second capability.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:
populating a first entry, corresponding to the first network cell, of the data structure with the first capability; and
populating a second entry, corresponding to the second network cell, of the data structure with the second capability.

### Claim 18 (depends on 16)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the group is a first group, and wherein the operations further comprise:
assigning the user equipment to a network slice, selected from a second group comprising the first network slice and the second network slice and associated with the selected network cell, in response to the allocating.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first network cell and the second network cell are part of a 5G network.

### Claim 20 (depends on 16)

The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:
adding a transmission point type of the first network cell to a first entry, corresponding to the first network cell, of the data structure.