Managing connectivity of a wireless device in a cellular communication network

A management node for managing connectivity of a wireless device in a cellular communication network, wherein the wireless device is operable to connect to a cell of a first radio-access technology, RAT, and to a cell of a second RAT, the management node comprising processing circuitry configured to cause the management node to:

• receive, from a radio access node serving the wireless device, location information for the wireless device, wherein the wireless device is connected to a first RAT cell hosted by the serving radio access node, and is also connected to a second RAT cell, and wherein a signal strength of the second RAT cell, received at the wireless device, has fallen below a trigger threshold;
• identify first RAT cells in the communication network that are neighbours of the first RAT cell to which the wireless device is connected, and identify second RAT cells in the communication network that are neighbours of the identified first RAT cells;
• assemble, from the identified first RAT cells and second RAT cells, a candidate set of cell combinations, wherein each cell combination in the candidate set comprises a pair of a first RAT cell and a second RAT cell to which the wireless device is operable to connect;
• for cell combinations in the candidate set, use a Machine Learning, ML, model to predict a received signal strength at the wireless device of the first RAT cells and the second RAT cells of the cell combinations, based on the received location information for the wireless device;
• identify, from the candidate set of cell combinations, a cell combination for which the predicted received signal strengths of the first RAT cell and the second RAT cell of the combination satisfy an operational criterion, wherein a cell combination that satisfies the operational criterion comprises the cell combination for which a function of the predicted received signal strength of the second RAT cell of the combination has the highest value of all cell combinations in the candidate set for which a function of the predicted received signal strength of the first RAT cell of the combination is above a minimum threshold value;
• and
• cause the radio access node serving the wireless device to initiate handover of the wireless device to the first RAT cell of the identified cell combination.

A radio access node for managing connectivity of a wireless device in a cellular communication network, wherein the wireless device is operable to connect to a cell of a first radio-access technology, RAT, and to a cell of a second RAT, the radio access node comprising processing circuitry configured to cause the radio access node to:

• receive, from the wireless device, an indication that the received signal strength of a second RAT cell, to which the wireless device is also connected, has fallen below a trigger threshold;
• transmit, to a management node, location information for the wireless device, wherein the management node is configured to identify a cell combination comprising a pair of a first RAT cell and a second RAT cell to which the wireless device is operable to connect and which combination satisfies an operational criterion, wherein the operational criterion comprises:
• for all cell combinations in which a function of the predicted received signal strength of the first RAT cell of the combination is above a minimum threshold value, the cell combination for which a function of the predicted received signal strength of the second RAT cell of the combination has the highest value;
• and
• responsive to a prompt from the management node, initiate handover of the wireless device to the first RAT cell of the identified cell combination.