Methods, systems, and computer readable media for selecting wireless channel bandwidth based on data-usage tendency of user equipment

A radio access network (RAN) control system for assigning radio frequency band resources of a radio access node to wireless user equipment (UE) devices, wherein the radio frequency band resources of the radio access node include multiple radio frequency bands, and wherein each radio frequency band of the multiple radio frequency bands includes multiple channels with different bandwidths, the system comprising:

• a non-transitory computer-readable data storage device;
• and
• a processor configured to receive a request to use the RAN to carry out a communication session between a first wireless UE device and at least one other device, and configured to execute computer-readable program instructions stored at the computer-readable data storage device,
• wherein the computer-readable program instructions comprise:
• (i) program instructions executable to identify, after receiving the request to use the RAN to carry out the wireless communication session between the first wireless UE device and at least one other device but prior to the processor assigning a selected bandwidth of a wireless channel of a selected radio frequency band to the first wireless UE device for carrying out the communication session, the first wireless UE device is a same type of wireless UE device as a plurality of wireless UE devices,
• (ii) program instructions executable to determine an average data-usage tendency at a per wireless UE device level of the plurality of wireless UE devices identified as being the same type of wireless UE device as the first wireless UE device,
• (iii) program instructions executable to select, in response to receiving the request to use the RAN and based on the determined average data-usage tendency at the per wireless UE device level of the plurality of wireless UE devices, both the selected radio frequency band from among the multiple radio frequency bands of the radio frequency band resources of the radio access node, and the selected bandwidth of the wireless channel within the selected radio frequency band, for assigning to the first wireless UE device, and
• (iv) program instructions executable to assign, to the first wireless UE device for carrying out the communication session, the selected bandwidth of the wireless channel of the selected radio frequency band.

A non-transitory computer-readable data storage device comprising program instructions executable by a processor of a radio access network (RAN) controller that assigns radio frequency band resources of a radio access node to wireless user equipment (UE) devices, wherein execution of the program instructions cause performance of the following operations:

• receiving, by the processor, a request to use the RAN to carry out a wireless communication session between a first wireless UE device and at least one other device, wherein the radio frequency band resources of the radio access node include multiple radio frequency bands, and wherein each radio frequency band of the multiple radio frequency bands includes multiple channels with different bandwidths;
• identifying, by the processor after receiving the request to use the RAN to carry out the wireless communication session between the first wireless UE device and at least one other device but prior to the processor assigning a selected bandwidth of a wireless channel of a selected radio frequency band to the first wireless UE device for carrying out the communication session, the first wireless UE device is a same type of wireless UE device as a plurality of wireless UE devices;
• determining, by the processor, an average data-usage tendency at a per wireless UE device level of the plurality of wireless UE devices identified as being the same type of wireless UE device as the first wireless UE device;
• selecting, by the processor, in response to receiving the request to use the RAN and based on the determined average data-usage tendency at the per wireless UE device level of the plurality of wireless UE devices, both the selected radio frequency band from among the multiple radio frequency bands of the radio frequency band resources of the radio access node, and the selected bandwidth of the wireless channel within the selected radio frequency band, for assigning to the first wireless UE device;
• and
• assigning, by the processor, to the first wireless UE device for carrying out the communication session, the selected bandwidth of the wireless channel of the selected radio frequency band.