Coordination between self-organizing networks

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by a single-domain coordinator, an authorization request relating to a self-organizing network operation that may have impact to a neighboring domain;

sending, by the single-domain coordinator, a request indicating the self-organizing network operation to an inter-domain coordinator;

receiving, by the single-domain coordinator, a response from the inter-domain coordinator; and

if the response indicates non-acceptance, the single-domain coordinator, rejecting the authorization request to perform the self-organizing network operation,

wherein the single-domain coordinator and the inter-domain coordinator are disposed at hierarchical levels which are different with respect to each other.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising;

receiving, by the single-domain coordinator, in the response, an acceptance; and

accepting, by the single-domain coordinator, the authorization request.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, at the single-domain coordinator, from the inter-domain coordinator a command or an instruction relating to the self-organizing network; and

acting accordingly by the single-domain coordinator.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

checking, by the single-domain coordinator, in response to detecting, whether the domain and the neighboring domain have the same vendor; and if they have the same vendor, the method further comprises:

forwarding, by the single-domain coordinator, the authorization request to a single-domain coordinator in the neighboring domain;

receiving, at the single-domain coordinator, a response from the single-domain coordinator in the neighboring domain; and

forwarding, by the single domain coordinator, the response.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 , further comprising:

checking, by the single-domain coordinator, in response to the same vendor, whether the self-organizing network operation has been predefined to be allowable to decide between single-domain coordinators;

if allowable, forwarding, by the single-domain coordinator, the authorization request to the single-domain coordinator in the neighboring domain; and

if not allowable, sending, by the single-domain coordinator, the request to the inter-domain coordinator.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:

mapping, by the single-domain coordinator, information in the authorization request to the request, before sending the request to inter-domain coordinator, to Itf-N format; and

mapping, by the single-domain coordinator, information in Itf-N format in the response to a format used in the domain.

7. A method comprising: receiving, at an inter-domain coordinator, a request from a single-domain coordinator in a domain, the request relating to a self-organizing network function operation;

checking, by the inter-domain coordinator, whether the self-organizing network function operation causes a conflict with a neighboring domain; and

if there is a conflict, sending, by the inter-domain coordinator, a response accepting the request,

wherein the single-domain coordinator and the inter-domain coordinator are disposed at hierarchical levels which are different with respect to each other.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein, if the self-organizing network function operation does not cause a conflict, the method further comprises sending, by the inter-domain coordinator, a response accepting the request.

9. A method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein, if the self-organizing network function operation causes a conflict, further comprising sending, by the inter-domain coordinator, to the single-domain coordinator, as a response, a suggestion how to change the requested operation in order to avoid the conflict.

10. A method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein, if the self-organizing network function operation causes a conflict, the method further comprises sending, by the inter-domain coordinator, an instruction to a single-domain coordinator in the neighboring domain, the instruction either requesting a suggestion how to avoid the conflict or instructing the coordinator to adjust settings in the domain.

11. A method as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising:

detecting, by the inter-domain coordinator, that there is a problem in the network; and

sending, by the inter-domain coordinator, an instruction to one or more single-domain coordinators in respective domains, the instruction either requesting to solve the problem or containing a suggestion how to solve the problem.

12. A computer program, embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform any of the steps of a method as claimed in claim 1 .

13. A single-domain coordinator apparatus, comprising:

a processor configured to detect an authorization request relating to a self-organizing network operation that may have impact to a neighboring domain;

a transmitter configured to send a request indicating the self-organizing network operation to an inter-domain coordinator; and

a receiver configured to receive a response from the inter-domain coordinator,

wherein if the response indicates non-acceptance, the single-domain coordinator is configured to reject the authorization request to perform the self-organizing network operation, and

wherein the single-domain coordinator is configured to be disposed at a hierarchical level which is different with respect to a hierarchical level of the inter-domain coordinator.

14. A system comprising:

a first network node; and

a second network node,

the first network node comprising:

a processor configured to detect an authorization request relating to a self-organizing network operation that may have impact to a neighboring domain;

a transmitter configured to send a request indicating the self-organizing network operation to an inter-domain coordinator; and

a receiver configured to receive a response from the inter-domain coordinator,

wherein if the response indicates non-acceptance, a single-domain coordinator is configured to reject the authorization request to perform the self-organizing network operation, and

wherein the single-domain coordinator is configured to be disposed at a hierarchical level which is different with respect to a hierarchical level of the inter-domain coordinator; and

the second network node comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a request from the single-domain coordinator in a domain, the request relating to the self-organizing network function operation; and

a processor configured to check whether the self-organizing network function operation causes a conflict with the neighboring domain,

wherein if there is a conflict, the inter-domain coordinator is configured to send a response rejecting the request.

15. A system as claimed in claim 14 , the system further comprising an Itf-N interface between the first network node and the second network node.

16. A system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the first network node belongs to a domain management of an operations, administration and maintenance of the system and the second network node belongs to a network management of the operations, administration and maintenance of the system.

17. A system as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the second network node is configured to use a database having abstracted network information, and the first network node is configured to map abstracted information received from the second network node into a detailed information and detailed information to be sent to the second network node to the abstracted information.

18. An inter-domain coordinator apparatus, comprising: a receiver configured to receive a request from a single-domain coordinator in a domain, the request relating to a self-organizing network function operation; and

a processor configured to check whether the self-organizing network function operation causes a conflict with a neighboring domain,

wherein if there is a conflict, the inter-domain coordinator is configured to send a response rejecting the request,

wherein the single-domain coordinator and the inter-domain coordinator are disposed at hierarchical levels which are different with respect to each other.