Proactive navigation techniques to improve users' mobile network access

An apparatus for generating at least one recommended path for a user of a mobile device to travel from an origination point to a destination point, comprising:

• an interface configured to receive a request for the at least one recommended path from the user, wherein the request comprises the origination point, the destination point, an optimization objective, and a user constraint;
• a receiver configured to receive network accessibility information;
• and
• a processor coupled to the interface and the receiver and configured to determine the at least one recommended path based on the user constraint and the network accessibility information,
• wherein the interface is further configured to indicate to the user a network quality parameter that indicates average wireless data communication throughput of active data services along the at least one recommended path,
• wherein the optimization objective comprises a path with one of a maximized bandwidth, a maximized time with a preferred connection type, a minimized data packet loss rate, a minimized network latency, a minimized allowable jitter, a shortest travel distance, a quickest travel time, a maximized use of a preferred road type, a minimized use of an undesirable road type, a specified desirable location that is included, and a specified undesirable location that is excluded, and
• wherein the user constraint comprises a network accessibility constraint, and
• wherein the network accessibility constraint comprises at least one of a minimum allowable network bandwidth, a maximum allowable network latency, a maximum allowable packet loss rate, and a maximum allowable jitter.

A system for generating at least one recommended path for a user of a mobile device to travel from an origination point to a destination point, comprising:

• a wireless network;
• a user interface configured to receive a request for a recommended path from a user, wherein the request comprises the origination point, the destination point, and a constraint;
• a receiver configured to receive network accessibility information from the wireless network;
• and
• a processor coupled to the user interface and the receiver and configured to determine the at least one recommended path based on the constraint and the network accessibility information,
• wherein the constraint comprises at least one of an optimization objective, a travel constraint, and a network accessibility constraint, and
• wherein the optimization objective comprises a path with one of a maximized bandwidth, a maximized time with a preferred connection type, a minimized data packet loss rate, a minimized network latency, a minimized jitter, a shortest travel distance, a quickest travel time, a maximized use of a preferred road type, minimized use of an undesirable road type, a specified desirable location included, and a specified undesirable location that is excluded, and
• wherein the network accessibility constraint comprises at least one of a minimum allowable network bandwidth, a maximum allowable network latency, a maximum allowable packet loss rate, and a maximum allowable jitter.