Apparatus and method for determining network coverage data for connecting a mobile terminal
Provided are an apparatus and a method for computing plural-network coverage data for connecting a mobile communication device. The apparatus comprises an input interface configured for acquiring current network-specific coverage data respectively from the plurality of communication networks and circuitry configured for combining the acquired current network-specific coverage data from the plurality of communication networks and for determining, based on the combination, plural-network coverage data indicating current network connectivity at a location in the area. Further provided is a guiding node and a guiding method. The disclosed techniques may facilitate providing redundancy in connectivity for use cases having high demands on connectivity, including guidance and operation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
1 . An apparatus for computing plural-network coverage data for connecting a mobile communication device to a communication network from among a plurality of communication networks serving an area, wherein the plurality of communication networks includes communication networks of the same standard operated by a plurality of network operators, comprising:
at least one input interface configured for acquiring current network-specific coverage data from the plurality of communication networks;
circuitry configured for combining the current network-specific coverage data from the plurality of communication networks to provide a combination, wherein the combination comprises a logical combination comparing the current network-specific coverage data from the plurality of communication networks, a vector aggregating the current network-specific coverage data from the plurality of communication networks, or any combination thereof, and for determining, based on the combination, plural-network coverage data indicating current network connectivity at a location in the area; and
an output interface configured for automatically reporting the plural-network coverage data to an aviation control node,
wherein the plural-network coverage data indicates network connectivity along three dimensions in the area, and
wherein the area is a three-dimensional (3D) flight area and the mobile communication device is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) guided in the 3D flight area, the UAV being separate from and different from each base station of a plurality of base stations included in the plurality of communication networks,
wherein the plurality of communication networks including the plurality of base stations includes a first communication network including a plurality of first base stations and a second communication network different from the first communication network and including a plurality of second base stations, wherein each second base station of the plurality of second base stations is different from each first base station of the plurality of first base stations, wherein the first communication network is associated with a first carrier and the second communication network is associated with a second carrier different than the first carrier
wherein a transition from the first communication network associated with the first carrier to the second communication network associated with the second carrier is operable by roaming within a same region covered by the first communication network associated with the first carrier and the second communication network associated with the second carrier in the 3D flight area, and
wherein the first carrier is associated with a first operator and the second carrier is associated with a second operator different than the first operator.
2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the circuitry is configured for comparing, based on the current network-specific coverage data, respective connectivity of the plurality of communication networks at the location and to select, based on comparing the respective connectivity of the plurality of communication networks, a communication network for connecting the mobile communication device at the location from among the plurality of communication networks.
3 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one input interface is configured for acquiring a result of a connectivity measurement performed by the UAV.
4 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of communication networks includes a plurality of terrestrial radio networks operated by a plurality of operators.
5 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of communication networks includes at least one of a terrestrial radio network or a satellite network.
6 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plural-network coverage data includes at least one of signal power, interference, an indication of a number of communication terminals per area unit, or an indication of a handover probability of handover by the mobile communication device from one network node to another network node.
7 . The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the handover probability includes at least one of:
an intra-network handover probability of handover within one communication network from among the plurality of communication networks, or an inter-network handover probability of handover between different communication networks from among the plurality of communication networks.
8 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the current network-specific coverage data is single-network coverage data determined by the network operators of the plurality of communication networks.
9 . A guiding node, comprising:
an aviation control node including:
an input interface configured for acquiring plural-network coverage data automatically reported to the aviation control node for connecting a mobile communication device to a communication network from among a plurality of communication networks serving an area, wherein the plurality of communication networks includes communication networks of the same standard operated by a plurality of network operators, the plural-network coverage data indicating current network connectivity at a location in the area and being determined based on an aggregation of current network-specific coverage data from the plurality of communication networks, wherein the aggregation current network-specific coverage data comprises a logical combination comparing the current network-specific coverage data from the plurality of communication networks, a vector aggregating the current network-specific coverage data from the plurality of communication networks, or any combination thereof;
circuitry configured for performing guiding of the mobile communication device based on the acquired plural-network coverage data,
wherein the plural-network coverage data indicates network connectivity along three dimensions in the area, and
wherein the area is a three-dimensional (3D) flight area and the mobile communication device is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) guided in the 3D flight area, the UAV being separate from and different from each base station of a plurality of base stations included in the plurality of communication networks,
wherein the plurality of communication networks including the plurality of base stations includes a first communication network including a plurality of first base stations and a second communication network different from the first communication network and including a plurality of second base stations, wherein each second base station of the plurality of second base stations is different from each first base station of the plurality of first base stations, wherein the first communication network is associated with a first carrier and the second communication network is associated with a second carrier different than the first carrier,
wherein a transition from the first communication network associated with the first carrier to the second communication network associated with the second carrier is operable by roaming within a same region covered by the first communication network associated with the first carrier and the second communication network associated with the second carrier in the 3D flight area, and
wherein the first carrier is associated with a first operator and the second carrier is associated with a second operator different than the first operator.
10 . A method for computing plural-network coverage data for connecting a mobile communication device to a communication network from among a plurality of communication networks serving an area, wherein the plurality of communication networks includes communication networks of the same standard operated by a plurality of network operators, comprising:
acquiring current network-specific coverage data from the plurality of communication networks;
combining the current network-specific coverage data from the plurality of communication networks to provide a combination, wherein the combination comprises a logical combination comparing the current network-specific coverage data from the plurality of communication networks, a vector aggregating the current network-specific coverage data from the plurality of communication networks, or any combination thereof;
determining, based on the combination, plural-network coverage data indicating current network connectivity at a location in the area; and
automatically reporting the plural-network coverage data to an aviation control node,
wherein the plural-network coverage data indicates network connectivity along three dimensions in the area,
wherein the area is a three-dimensional (3D) flight area and the mobile communication device is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) guided in the 3D flight area, the UAV being separate from and different from each base station of a plurality of base stations included in the plurality of communication networks,
wherein the plurality of communication networks including the plurality of base stations includes a first communication network including a plurality of first base stations and a second communication network different from the first communication network and including a plurality of second base stations, wherein each second base station of the plurality of second base stations is different from each first base station of the plurality of first base stations, wherein the first communication network is associated with a first carrier and the second communication network is associated with a second carrier different than the first carrier, and
wherein a transition from the first communication network associated with the first carrier to the second communication network associated with the second carrier is operable by roaming within a same region covered by the first communication network associated with the first carrier and the second communication network associated with the second carrier in the 3D flight area, and
wherein the first carrier is associated with a first operator and the second carrier is associated with a second operator different than the first operator.
11 . A guiding method, comprising:
acquiring, with an aviation control node, plural-network coverage data automatically reported to the aviation control node for connecting a mobile communication device to a communication network from among a plurality of communication networks serving an area, wherein the plurality of communication networks includes communication networks of the same standard operated by a plurality of network operators, the plural-network coverage data indicating current network connectivity at a location in the area and being determined based on an aggregation of current network-specific coverage data from the plurality of communication networks, wherein the aggregation of current network-specific coverage data comprises a logical combination comparing the current network-specific coverage data from the plurality of communication networks, a vector aggregating the current network-specific coverage data from the plurality of communication networks, or any combination thereof; and
performing, with the aviation control node, guiding of the mobile communication device based on the acquired plural-network coverage data,
wherein the plural-network coverage data indicates network connectivity along three dimensions in the area, and
wherein the area is a three-dimensional (3D) flight area and the mobile communication device is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) guided in the 3D flight area, the UAV being separate from and different from each base station of a plurality of base stations included in the plurality of communication networks,
wherein the plurality of communication networks including the plurality of base stations includes a first communication network including a plurality of first base stations and a second communication network different from the first communication network and including a plurality of second base stations, wherein each second base station of the plurality of second base stations is different from each first base station of the plurality of first base stations, wherein the first communication network is associated with a first carrier and the second communication network is associated with a second carrier different than the first carrier, and
wherein a transition from the first communication network associated with the first carrier to the second communication network associated with the second carrier is operable by roaming within a same region covered by the first communication network associated with the first carrier and the second communication network associated with the second carrier in the 3D flight area, and
wherein the first carrier is associated with a first operator and the second carrier is associated with a second operator different than the first operator.
12 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first carrier is associated with at least one first frequency and the second carrier is associated with at least one second frequency different than the first frequency.