System and method for optimizing wireless network access
A platform is provided for connecting to two or more Radio Access Networks (“RAN”). The platform includes a session manager that acts as a central resource. The session manager links to the RANs through one or more controllers, a controller being associated with each RAN to enable monitoring of supply and demand for network resources in relation to the two or more RANs in a defined location. The session manager is operable to apply one or more rules for sharing available network resources across the two or more RANs on a real time or near real time basis thereby providing improve network resource utilization across the two or more RANs and for the respective customers of the two or more RANs in the defined location.
1. A system for optimizing network performance of a mobile device, the system comprising:
at least one computer server linked to at least two Radio Access Networks (“RANs”) by at least one RAN resource controller, the at least two RANs serving at least one mobile device in a predefined service area;
wherein the at least one computer server is configured to:
receive RAN resource utilization information for each linked RAN from the at least one RAN resource controller;
determine a re-allocation of utilization of RAN resources by the at least one mobile device across the linked RANs in real-time or near real-time based at least partly on the RAN resource utilization information and on predetermined RAN resource sharing rules;
generate instructions for the linked RANs in accordance with the determined re-allocation to enable the linked RANs to implement the determined RAN resource utilization re-allocation; and
transmit the generated instructions to the respective RANs.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one mobile device is associated with a respective one of the at least two RANs, and the determined re-allocation comprises assigning to the at least one mobile device RAN resources of at least one of the at least two RANs to which the at least one mobile device is not associated.
3. The system of claim 2 wherein the at least one mobile device is associated with the respective one of the at least two RANs by a mobile device subscriber relationship.
4. The system of claim 2 wherein the RAN assigning comprises assigning RAN resources to the at least one mobile device from a respective one of the linked RANs having a lower RAN resource utilization rate than the RAN associated with the at least one mobile device.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein one of the computer server and the RAN resource controller is configured to associate RAN resource allocation fee information in accordance with the determined re-allocation.
6. The system of claim 5 wherein:
the at least one mobile device is associated with a respective one of the at least two RANs;
the determined re-allocation comprises assigning to the at least one mobile device RAN resources of at least one of the at least two RANs to which the at least one mobile device is not associated; and
the associated RAN resource allocation fee information comprises an allocation fee chargeable to the respective one of the at least two RANs associated with the at least one mobile device.
7. The system of claim 1 wherein the RAN resource utilization information comprises supply and demand information.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein the RAN resource utilization information comprises radio spectrum utilization, and the determined re-allocation comprises optimizing utilization of radio spectrum associated with at least one of the RANs.
9. The system of claim 1 wherein the determined re-allocation comprises optimizing orthogonal frequency allocation across the at least one mobile device.
10. The system of claim 1 wherein the predetermined RAN resource sharing rules comprise maintaining a minimum transfer rate for each of the at least one mobile device from the linked RANs.
11. The system of claim 1 wherein the determined re-allocation comprises maximizing total network throughput across the linked RANs.
12. The system of claim 1 wherein the RAN resource sharing rules comprise generally evenly distributing network congestion across the linked RANs.
13. The system of claim 1 wherein the computer server comprises or is linked to a RAN spectrum optimizer, the RAN spectrum optimizer being configured to perform the re-allocation determination.
14. The system of claim 1 wherein the computer server comprises or is linked to an application layer, the application layer being configured to receive the RAN resource utilization information for each linked RAN from the at least one RAN resource controller.
15. The system of claim 1 wherein the determined re-allocation comprises optimizing RAN resource utilization on a per mobile device basis.
16. A method of optimizing network performance of a mobile device, performed by a computer server, the method comprising:
receiving from at least one RAN resource controller RAN resource utilization information for at least two Radio Access Networks (“RANs”) each linked to the computer server, the at least two RANs serving at least one mobile device in a predefined service area;
determining a re-allocation of utilization of RAN resources by the at least one mobile device across the linked RANs in real-time or near real-time based at least partly on the RAN resource utilization information and on predetermined RAN resource sharing rules;
generating instructions for the linked RANs in accordance with the determined re-allocation to enable the linked RANs to implement the determined RAN resource utilization re-allocation; and
transmitting the generated instructions to the respective RANs.
17. A non-transitory computer program product for optimizing network performance of a mobile device, the non-transitory computer program product tangibly embodying code that, when executed by a processor of a computer server, causes the processor to:
receive from at least one RAN resource controller RAN resource utilization information for at least two Radio Access Networks (“RANs”) each linked to the computer server, the at least two RANs serving at least one mobile device in a predefined service area;
determine a re-allocation of utilization of RAN resources by the at least one mobile device across the linked RANs in real-time or near real-time based at least partly on the RAN resource utilization information and on predetermined RAN resource sharing rules;
generate instructions for the linked RANs in accordance with the determined re-allocation to enable the linked RANs to implement the determined RAN resource utilization re-allocation; and
transmit the generated instructions to the respective RANs.
18. A system for optimizing network performance of a mobile device, the system comprising:
at least one computer server linked to at least two Radio Access Networks (“RANs”) by at least one RAN resource controller, the at least two RANs serving at least one mobile device in a predefined service area;
wherein the at least one computer server is configured to:
receive RAN resource utilization information for each linked RAN from the at least one RAN resource controller; and
transmit the received RAN resource utilization information to each of the linked RANs;
wherein the at least two RANs are respectively configured to:
re-allocate utilization of RAN resources by the at least one mobile device across the linked RANs in real-time or near real-time based at least partly on the RAN resource utilization information and on predetermined RAN resource sharing rules.
19. A method of optimizing network performance of a mobile device, the method comprising:
a computer server receiving from at least one RAN resource controller RAN resource utilization information for at least two Radio Access Networks (“RANs”) each linked to the computer server, the at least two RANs serving at least one mobile device in a predefined service area;
the computer server transmitting the received RAN resource utilization information to each of the linked RANs; and
the linked RANs respectively re-allocating utilization of RAN resources by the at least one mobile device across the linked RANs in real-time or near real-time based at least partly on the RAN resource utilization information and on predetermined RAN resource sharing rules.