HK1228169B - Coverage adjustment in e-utra networks - Google Patents

Description

Coverage Adjustment in E-UTRA Networks

This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with application number 201310335719.6, application date August 5, 2013, and invention name “Coverage Adjustment in E-UTRA Network”.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/679,627, filed on August 3, 2012, and entitled “ADVANCED WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGIES,” the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to coverage adjustment for use in an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN).

Background Art

E-UTRAN is typically deployed as a set of coverage cells that provide services to user equipment (UE) within a covered geographic area. Services in E-UTRAN can be impaired when coverage holes occur, for example, due to signal propagation attenuation, shadowing effects, signal interference, and physical obstructions. For example, coverage holes (e.g., areas of weak or no coverage) can occur at geographic locations bounded by tall buildings and/or at the edges of coverage cells.

Summary of the Invention

The present application provides a method that can be performed by a coverage and capacity optimization (CCO) component, the method comprising: receiving, by the CCO component, service performance data of one or more Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) cells, wherein each of the one or more E-UTRAN cells is provided by at least one evolved Node B (eNB); determining, by the CCO component, a coverage area to be adjusted based on the service performance data; and transmitting, by the CCO component, an instruction for changing a service parameter of at least one E-UTRAN cell of the one or more E-UTRAN cells to adjust the coverage area.

The present application also provides an apparatus for implementing a coverage and capacity optimization (CCO) component, the apparatus comprising: a component for receiving service performance data of one or more evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) cells provided by one or more evolved node Bs (eNBs) from one or more eNBs, wherein the service performance data includes one or more of the number of active user equipments (UEs) in a given area, Internet Protocol (IP) throughput, upload or download physical resource block (PRB) usage, packet delay, drop rate, or loss rate; a component for identifying a service-deficient area based on the service performance data; a component for transmitting a first instruction to an eNB set of one or more eNBs for initiating execution of one or more minimization of drive tests (MDTs) by the eNB set, wherein the eNBs in the eNB set are associated with a determined coverage area; a component for determining a coverage area to be adjusted based on results of the one or more MDTs; and a component for transmitting a second instruction to at least one eNB in the eNB set for adjusting service parameters of the E-UTRAN cell provided by the at least one eNB to adjust the coverage area.

The present application also provides a method that can be performed by a coverage and capacity optimization (CCO) component, the method comprising: receiving, by the CCO component, service performance data of one or more evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) cells provided by one or more evolved Node Bs (eNBs) from one or more eNBs, wherein the service performance data includes one or more of reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements, reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurements, or radio resource control (RRC) connection attempt failure events; identifying, by the CCO component, a service-deficient area based on correlation of the service performance data with environmental information, a same user session, or a same geographic area; transmitting, by the CCO component, a first instruction for initiating execution of one or more minimization of drive tests (MDTs) by the eNB set of one or more eNBs, wherein the eNB set is associated with the determined coverage area; determining, by the CCO component, a coverage area to be adjusted based on a result of the MDT; and transmitting, by the CCO component, a second instruction for adjusting service parameters of the E-UTRAN cell provided by the at least one eNB to adjust the coverage area to at least one eNB in the eNB set.

The present application also provides a method that can be performed by an evolved Node B (eNB), the method comprising: transmitting, by the eNB, service performance data of an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) cell provided by the eNB to a network management (NM) device; receiving, by the eNB from the NM device, an instruction for adjusting a service parameter of the E-UTRAN cell based on the service performance data; and adjusting, by the eNB, the service parameter of the E-UTRAN cell, wherein the service parameter is at least one of the size of the coverage area of the E-UTRAN cell or the capacity of the E-UTRAN cell.

The present application also provides a device that implements a coverage and capacity optimization (CCO) component, the device comprising: a component for receiving service performance data of one or more Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) cells, wherein each of the one or more E-UTRAN cells is provided by at least one evolved Node B (eNB); a component for determining a coverage area to be adjusted based on the service performance data; and a component for transmitting an instruction for changing a service parameter of at least one E-UTRAN cell in the one or more E-UTRAN cells to adjust the coverage area.

The present application also provides an apparatus for implementing a coverage and capacity optimization (CCO) component, the apparatus comprising: a component for receiving, from one or more evolved Node Bs (eNBs), service performance data of one or more evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) cells provided by one or more eNBs, wherein the service performance data comprises one or more of reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements, reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurements, or radio resource control (RRC) connection attempt failure events; a component for identifying a service-deficient area based on correlation of the service performance data with environmental information, a same user session, or a same geographic area; a component for transmitting a first instruction to an eNB set of one or more eNBs for initiating execution of one or more minimization of drive tests (MDTs) by the eNB set, wherein the eNB set is associated with a determined coverage area; a component for determining a coverage area to be adjusted based on a result of the MDT; and a component for transmitting a second instruction to at least one eNB in the eNB set for adjusting service parameters of the E-UTRAN cell provided by the at least one eNB to adjust the coverage area.

The present application also provides a device implemented in an evolved Node B (eNB), the device comprising: a component for transmitting service performance data of an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) cell provided by the eNB to a network management (NM) device; a component for receiving an instruction from the NM device to adjust a service parameter of the E-UTRAN cell based on the service performance data; and a component for adjusting the service parameter of the E-UTRAN cell, wherein the service parameter is at least one of the size of the coverage area of the E-UTRAN cell or the capacity of the E-UTRAN cell.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a network management (NM) device is provided, comprising: a receiver circuit configured to receive data representing a first radio link failure (RLF) report, the first RLF report including information related to a first user equipment (UE) being disconnected from an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), and receive data representing a second RLF report, the second RLF report including information related to a second UE being disconnected from the E-UTRAN; a coverage analysis circuit configured to identify a hole in a coverage area of the E-UTRAN based at least in part on the first and second RLF reports; and a corrective action circuit configured to perform an automatic coverage and capacity optimization (CCO) action to reconfigure cell resources of the E-UTRAN based on the identified hole.

According to one embodiment, the information related to the first UE being disconnected from the E-UTRAN includes reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), an identifier of a cell to which the first UE was connected before the first UE was disconnected from the E-UTRAN, location information, or a timestamp representing a disconnection time.

According to another embodiment, wherein receiving data representing a first RLF report includes receiving data representing a first RLF report from a first evolved Node B (eNB) serving the first UE when the first UE reconnects to the E-UTRAN.

According to yet another embodiment, wherein receiving data representing a second RLF report comprises receiving data representing a second RLF report from a second eNB serving the second UE when the second UE reconnects to the E-UTRAN, and wherein the first and second eNBs are a common eNB.

According to yet another embodiment, wherein receiving data representing a second RLF report comprises receiving data representing a second RLF report from a second eNB serving the second UE when the second UE reconnects to the E-UTRAN, and wherein the first and second eNBs are different eNBs.

According to yet another embodiment, the coverage analysis circuit further initiates an area-based minimization of drive tests (MDT) procedure on an eNodeB associated with a cell nominally covering the identified hole.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an evolved Node B (eNB) is provided, comprising: service provision circuitry for providing services of an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) to a user equipment (UE) located within a coverage cell of the eNB; receiver circuitry for receiving a radio link failure (RLF) report from the UE, the report including information relating to a previous disconnection of the UE from the E-UTRAN; and transmitter circuitry for transmitting data representing the RLF report to a coverage and capacity optimization (CCO) component of a network management (NM) device of the E-UTRAN for use in identifying holes in a coverage area of the E-UTRAN.

According to one embodiment, the transmitter circuit further transmits data via an interface-N (Itf-N).

According to yet another embodiment, the UE generates the RLF report when the UE is previously disconnected from the E-UTRAN.

According to yet another embodiment, the information related to the previous disconnection of the UE from the E-UTRAN includes one or more of reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), an identifier of a covering cell, location information, and a timestamp representing a disconnection time.

According to yet another embodiment, the eNB further comprises: a second receiver circuit for receiving an area-based minimization of drive tests (MDT) query from the CCO component of the NM device of the E-UTRAN after the transmitter circuit transmits the data representing the RLF report to the CCO component.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a network management (NM) device is provided, comprising: a receiver circuit for receiving data representing performance of services provided by an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), the data representing service performance at a plurality of geographic locations covered by one or more cells of the E-UTRAN; a coverage analysis circuit for correlating the data to identify underserved geographic areas; and a corrective action circuit for adjusting the one or more cells of the E-UTRAN to provide additional services to the underserved geographic areas.

According to one embodiment, the data includes one or more of the number of active user equipments (UEs), upload or download physical resource block usage, Internet Protocol (IP) throughput, packet delay, drop rate, and loss rate.

According to yet another embodiment, the coverage analysis circuitry further: accesses data representing environmental information; and wherein correlating the data to identify underserved geographic areas comprises correlating data representing service performance with data representing environmental information.

According to yet another embodiment, the data representing the environmental information includes the location of a road or a stadium.

According to yet another embodiment, adjusting one or more cells of the E-UTRAN to provide additional service to the underserved geographical area includes making one or more cells smaller to increase capacity in the underserved geographical area.

According to yet another embodiment, adjusting one or more cells of the E-UTRAN to provide additional services to the underserved geographical area includes reshaping one or more cells by adjusting one or more corresponding antennas.

According to yet another embodiment, reshaping the one or more cells by adjusting the one or more corresponding antennas includes approximately aligning a longitudinal axis of the one or more cells with a longitudinal axis of the one or more roads.

According to yet another embodiment, adjusting one or more cells of the E-UTRAN to provide additional service to the underserved geographic area includes making one or more cells larger to cover at least a portion of the underserved geographic area.

According to yet another embodiment, receiving data representing service performance at a plurality of geographic locations covered by one or more cells of the E-UTRAN comprises receiving data from one or more evolved Node Bs (eNBs) serving one or more cells of the E-UTRAN.

According to yet another embodiment, receiving data representing service performance at a plurality of geographical locations covered by one or more cells of the E-UTRAN includes receiving data via an Interface-N (Itf-N).

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, an evolved Node B (eNB) associated with an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) is provided, the eNB comprising: a transmitter circuit for transmitting data to a network management (NM) device, the data representing performance of services provided by the E-UTRAN within a coverage cell served by the eNB; a receiver circuit for receiving an instruction from the NM device to adjust service parameters of the coverage cell served by the eNB to provide additional services to an underserved geographical area, the underserved geographical area being identified by the NM device at least in part based on the data transmitted by the eNB to the NM device; and a service provision circuit for adjusting the service parameters of the coverage cell according to the instruction.

According to one embodiment, the service-deficient geographical area is identified by the NM device based at least in part on data representing performance of services provided by the E-UTRAN within one or more coverage cells served by one or more other eNBs.

According to one embodiment, the data includes one or more of the number of active user equipments (UEs), upload or download physical resource block usage, Internet Protocol (IP) throughput, packet delay, drop rate, and loss rate.

According to an embodiment, the instructions are based at least in part on data representing information about the environment near the coverage cell.

According to one embodiment, the data representing information about the environment near the coverage cell includes at least one of a road location and a sporting event location.

According to one embodiment, adjusting the service parameters of the coverage cell served by the eNB according to the instruction includes reshaping the coverage cell.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To facilitate this description, similar reference numerals refer to similar structural elements. The embodiments are illustrated in the figures of the accompanying drawings by way of example and not limitation.

FIG1 illustrates an environment according to various embodiments, where radio link failure (RLF) may be used to identify holes in the coverage area of an E-UTRAN.

2A and 2B illustrate an underserved geographic area and coverage adjustments to provide additional service to the underserved geographic area, according to various embodiments.

FIG3 is a block diagram illustrating an example coverage adjustment system, according to various embodiments.

4 is a flow diagram of an example coverage adjustment process that can be performed by a network management (NM) device in accordance with various embodiments.

5 is a flow diagram of an example coverage adjustment process that can be performed by an evolved Node B (eNB) in accordance with various embodiments.

FIG6 is a flow diagram of a second example coverage adjustment process that can be performed by an NM device according to various embodiments.

7 is a flow diagram of a second example coverage adjustment procedure that can be performed by an eNB in accordance with various embodiments.

8 is a block diagram of an example computing device suitable for practicing the disclosed embodiments, in accordance with various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of systems and techniques for coverage adjustment in an E-UTRAN are described. In some embodiments, a network management (NM) device may receive data representing first and second radio link failure (RLF) reports, the reports including information related to first and second UEs being disconnected from the E-UTRAN, respectively. The NM device may identify a hole in the coverage area of the E-UTRAN based at least in part on the first and second RLF reports, and may perform automatic coverage adjustment actions (e.g., coverage and capacity optimization (CCO) actions) to reconfigure cell resources of the E-UTRAN based on the identified hole.

In some embodiments, the NM device may receive data representing the performance of services provided by E-UTRAN. Specifically, the data may represent service performance at multiple geographic locations covered by one or more cells of the E-UTRAN. The NM device may correlate the data to identify underserved geographic areas and may adjust one or more cells of the E-UTRAN to provide additional services to the underserved geographic areas. Embodiments may be described and claimed.

Some of the systems and techniques disclosed herein can enable the identification of coverage holes that would not otherwise be detected. By correlating multiple RLF reports, NM devices or other components can identify RLF patterns that would otherwise be ignored during normal operation. Some of the systems and techniques disclosed herein can enable service improvements in underserved areas. For example, as disclosed herein, aggregated service performance information used to inform E-UTRAN cell adjustments can enable faster and more appropriate reconfiguration of network resources during times and areas with high service demand. The present disclosure can be particularly advantageous in self-organizing network (SON) applications, including applications where network optimization is centralized in one or more NM devices or other apparatuses.

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof, in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which are shown by way of illustration embodiments that can be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be used and structural or logical changes may be performed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be considered limiting, and the scope of the embodiments is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Various operations may then be described as multiple discrete actions or operations in a manner that is most helpful for understanding the claimed subject matter. However, the order of description should not be interpreted as implying that these operations are necessarily order-dependent. In particular, these operations may not be performed in the order presented. The described operations may be performed in an order different from that of the described embodiments. Various additional operations may be performed and/or described operations may be omitted in additional embodiments.

For purposes of this disclosure, the phrases "A and/or B" and "A or B" mean (A), (B), or (A and B). For purposes of this disclosure, the phrases "A, B and/or C" mean (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C).

The description may use the phrases "in an embodiment," each of which may refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," "having," and the like as used with respect to embodiments of the present disclosure are synonymous.

As used herein, the term "module" or "circuit" may refer to, be a part of, or include an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes one or more software or firmware programs, combinational logic circuits, and/or other suitable components that provide the described functionality.

Referring now to FIG. 1 , an environment 100 is illustrated in which three eNBs 102a, 102b, and 102c provide services in respective coverage cells 104a, 104b, and 104c. In some embodiments, the eNBs 102a, 102b, and 102c may be part of an E-UTRAN. In some embodiments, the eNBs 102a, 102b, and 102c may be base stations supporting one or more other radio access technologies (RATs), such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) technology or Global System for Mobile Communications Evolved Radio Access (GERA) technology with enhanced data rates. The eNBs 102a, 102b, and 102c may provide services to one or more UEs located in the coverage cells 104a, 104b, and 104c, respectively.

In some embodiments, the UEs served by the various eNBs of FIG. 1 may periodically or aperiodically report performance metrics to the serving eNB or other components of the RAT network. These reports may include location information of the UE (e.g., coordinates or other information capable of determining the approximate location of the UE). In some embodiments, the performance metrics and location information may be provided to one or more centralized entities, such as NM equipment, so that locations with acceptable performance and locations with unacceptable performance can be identified.

For example, in FIG1 , a UE reporting acceptable performance metrics may be indicated by solid dots 106 (for simplicity, only some solid dots are marked in the figure). A UE reporting unacceptable performance metrics may be indicated by “x” marks 108 in FIG1 (again, for clarity, only some “x” marks are marked in the figure). Unacceptable performance may include, for example, a failure to achieve a desired signal strength level or a failure to successfully provide service to the UE device within a certain number of access attempts (e.g., radio resource control (RRC) connection attempts and/or random access attempts). In some embodiments, unacceptable performance is signaled via RLF reports from the UE. By analyzing the locations where unacceptable performance occurs, the NM equipment or other components of the network can identify the approximate boundaries of the coverage hole 110. Additional embodiments are described herein.

Referring now to FIG. 2A , an environment 200a is illustrated in which multiple eNBs (only some of which are labeled, 204a-204g) provide services within respective coverage cells (indicated by the circles surrounding the eNBs in FIG. 2A ). In some embodiments, the eNBs of FIG. 2A may be part of an E-UTRAN. As discussed above with reference to FIG. 1 , the eNBs of FIG. 2A may be base stations supporting one or more other RATs, such as UTRA or GERA. The eNBs of FIG. 2A may provide services to one or more UEs located within their associated coverage cells.

Also shown in FIG2A is a highway 206 that runs through a geographic area served by one or more of the eNBs. A portion 208 of highway 206 is shaded to indicate that it exhibits relatively high wireless traffic demand. The wireless traffic demand in portion 208 may be due to many reasons, such as the dynamic nature of UE users and environmental information (e.g., infrastructure and usage of the built environment). For example, increased demand may be caused by rush hour highway traffic, a vehicle accident that results in extended assistance, holiday travel, or the start and/or end of a sporting event at a sports venue (e.g., a stadium). Any of a number of regular and irregular behaviors or conditions may cause uneven wireless traffic demand within a cell or across adjacent or closely spaced cells. In the event of increased wireless traffic demand, some UEs (particularly those located near portion 208 of highway 206) may be in urgent need of desired resources and may experience a lack of service.

In some embodiments, data representing the service performance of the E-UTRAN or other networks supported by the eNB of FIG. 2A may be provided to one or more centralized entities, such as NM equipment, so that underserved geographic areas (e.g., portion 208) may be identified. For example, data representing the number of active UEs in a given area, upload or download physical resource block (PRB) usage, Internet Protocol (IP) throughput, packet delay, drop rate, loss rate, and/or any of a number of other performance metrics may be used to identify underserved areas. Data representing environmental information, such as the location of a road or sports stadium, may also be used in identifying underserved areas.

Once underserved areas have been identified, one or more cells supported by the eNBs can be adjusted to provide additional service to the underserved geographic areas. Such adjustments are illustrated in environment 200b of FIG. 2B , where cells associated with eNBs 204b, 204c, 204e, and 204f have been adjusted to provide additional coverage to a high wireless traffic demand portion 208 of highway 206. Cell adjustments can include reshaping the cells by adjusting wireless antennas, making the cells smaller to increase capacity, increasing the size of the cells by providing more power to the antennas, or any of a number of other adjustments. Additional embodiments are described herein.

Referring now to FIG3 , a block diagram of an example coverage adjustment system 300 is illustrated in accordance with various embodiments. Specifically, the system 300 can be used to implement any of the coverage adjustment systems and techniques described above with reference to FIG1 , 2A , and 2B . The system 300 can be configured to support a RAT, such as E-UTRAN. Examples of components of the system 300 are generally discussed with reference to the 3G LTE RAT, but the system 300 can be used to implement other RATs (such as those discussed herein). The system 300 can be configured to distribute any of a number of services, such as multimedia delivery over HTTP, live streaming over RTP, conversational services (e.g., video conferencing), and TV broadcasting. System 300 may include other wireless personal area network (WPAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN) and/or wireless wide area network (WWAN) devices, such as network interface devices and peripherals (e.g., network interface cards (NICs)), access points (APs), redistribution points, endpoints, gateways, bridges, hubs, etc. to implement cellular telephone systems, satellite systems, personal communication systems (PCSs), two-way radio systems, one-way pager systems, two-way pager systems, personal computer (PC) systems, personal data assistant (PDA) systems, personal computing accessories (PCA) systems and/or any other suitable communication systems. Although embodiments may be described in the context of an LTE network, embodiments may also be employed in other networks (e.g., a WiMAX network).

System 300 may include an NM device 302. In some embodiments, NM device 302 may monitor components of system 300 and collect performance measurements thereof. Based on analysis of these measurements, NM device 302 may identify potential problems and improvements in the configuration and operation of components of system 300 and may implement changes to system 300. NM device 302 may include receiver circuitry 322, coverage analysis circuitry 324, and corrective action circuitry 326.

Receiver circuit 322 can be configured to receive signals from other devices via a wired or wireless connection. For example, receiver circuit 322 can be configured to receive signals from or transmit signals to an element manager (EM) component of an eNB (e.g., any of eNBs 308-312), domain management (DM) device 304 (which can provide management functions for a domain or other portion of system 300), or any other appropriately configured device. In some embodiments, NM device 302 can communicate with the eNB via a wired connection. In embodiments where receiver circuit 322 is configured for wireless communication, receiver circuit 322 can include, for example, one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas (not shown), such as dipole antennas, monopole antennas, patch antennas, loop antennas, microstrip antennas, and/or other types of antennas suitable for receiving radio frequency (RF) or other wireless communication signals.

In some embodiments, the receiver circuit 322 may be configured to receive data representing the performance of services provided by the E-UTRAN (or other RAT network) supported by the system 300. The data may represent the performance of services at multiple geographic locations covered by one or more cells of the E-UTRAN or other RAT network. For example, the data may include information such as the number of active UEs, upload or download physical resource block usage, Internet Protocol (IP) throughput, packet delay, drop rate, and/or loss rate for one or more of the multiple geographic locations. In some embodiments, the receiver circuit 322 may be configured to receive data from one or more eNBs serving one or more cells. In some embodiments, the receiver circuit 322 may be configured to receive data via an Interface-N (Itf-N).

In some embodiments, receiver circuit 322 may be configured to receive data representing a first RLF report. The first RLF report may include data related to a disconnection of a first user UE (e.g., UE 314) from E-UTRAN or another RAT supported by system 300. For example, the RLF report may include any of a number of measurements performed by the first UE or a first eNB, or other device providing the first RLF report, such as one or more of reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), an identifier of a cell (to which the first UE was connected before the first UE disconnected from the RAT), location information (e.g., information about the location of the first UE at the time of the disconnection), and a timestamp representing the time of the disconnection. Receiver circuit 322 may be configured to receive data representing the first RLF report from a first eNB serving the first UE (e.g., eNB 308 when serving UE 314). In some embodiments, receiver circuit 322 may be configured to receive data from the eNB when the first UE reconnects to E-UTRAN or another RAT supported by system 300.

In some embodiments, receiver circuit 322 may be configured to receive a second RLF report. The second RLF report may include information regarding the second UE's disconnection from E-UTRAN or other RAT supported by system 300. The information included in the second RLF report may include any of the information types described above with reference to the first RLF report. In some embodiments, receiver circuit 322 may be configured to receive data representing the second RLF report from a second eNB serving the second UE. Receiver circuit 322 may be configured to receive data representing the second RLF report when the second UE reconnects to E-UTRAN or other RAT supported by system 300. In some embodiments, the first and second eNBs may be a common eNB (e.g., eNB 308). In some embodiments, the first and second eNBs may be different eNBs (e.g., eNBs 310 and 308).

In some embodiments, data representing service performance (e.g., RLF reports and other data) may be transmitted by a DM device 304 in communication with one or more eNBs (e.g., eNBs 308 and 310, as shown) to the NM device 302. In some embodiments, the RLF reports and other service performance data may be transmitted by a TCE 306 in communication with a DM device (e.g., DM device 304) and/or one or more eNBs (e.g., eNB 308, as shown) to the NM device 302.

The NM device 302 may include coverage analysis circuitry 324. In some embodiments, the coverage analysis circuitry 324 and the corrective action circuitry 326 may be included in a centralized coverage and capacity optimization (CCO) component 342 of the NM device 302. In some embodiments, the coverage analysis circuitry 326 may be configured to correlate data received by the receiver circuitry 322 to identify underserved geographic areas (e.g., the portion 208 of the highway 206 of FIG. 2A). Correlating the data may include associating multiple reports or measurements with the same user session occurrence or the same geographic area, among other things.

In some embodiments, the coverage analysis circuitry 324 may be configured to identify a hole in the coverage area of a RAT (e.g., an E-UTRAN technology) supported by the system 300 based at least in part on a plurality of RLF reports (e.g., the first and second RLF reports discussed above). For example, in some embodiments, the coverage analysis circuitry 324 may identify a hole in the coverage area of the E-UTRAN by correlating the plurality of RLF reports (e.g., the first and second RLF reports).

In some embodiments, the coverage analysis circuitry 324 may be configured to access data representing environmental information (e.g., infrastructure and usage of the built environment). Examples of such data may include the location of roads, stadiums, tall buildings, or any other information about the environment within a cell that may affect the delivery of wireless services. Such data may also include temporal information about the usage of the infrastructure of the built environment, such as a sporting event schedule or a peak hour schedule. In some embodiments, the coverage analysis circuitry 324 may correlate data representing service performance (e.g., as discussed above) with data representing the built environment to identify underserved geographic areas. For example, if poor performance is reported at several geographic locations known to be located along a particular portion of a highway, the coverage analysis circuitry 324 may identify an underserved area across that portion of the highway.

In some embodiments, the coverage analysis circuitry 324 may be configured to initiate an area-based minimization of drive tests (MDT) procedure on one or more eNBs associated with cells that nominally cover an identified hole or underserved area (e.g., cells that would provide coverage for the hole but for obstacles or unusual traffic demand). Such MDT procedures may include numerous automated measurement collection and data logging processes at UEs, eNBs, or other components in the wireless network, which may generate data useful for diagnostic and coverage analysis purposes. For example, an MDT procedure may be performed on each of a plurality of cells that nominally cover an identified hole to diagnose the location and size of the hole.

The NM device may include corrective action circuitry 326. Corrective action circuitry 326 may be configured to recommend and/or perform corrective actions based on the underserved geographic areas (e.g., coverage holes) identified by coverage analysis circuitry 324. For example, in some embodiments, corrective action circuitry 326 may be configured to perform automatic CCO actions to reconfigure cell resources of E-UTRAN or other networks supported by system 300 based on the identified holes. Reconfiguring cell resources may include, for example, changing the power associated with a cell antenna or changing the shape of the cell, among other things.

In some embodiments, corrective action circuitry 326 may be configured to adjust one or more cells of the E-UTRAN or other network to provide additional service to the identified underserved geographic area. In some embodiments, such adjustments may include making one or more cells smaller to increase capacity in the underserved geographic area, reshaping one or more cells by adjusting one or more corresponding antennas (e.g., by aligning the longitudinal axis of one or more cells with the longitudinal axis of one or more roads, as illustrated by cells associated with eNBs 204b and 204c in FIG. 2B ), making one or more cells larger to cover at least a portion of the underserved geographic area, any combination of these adjustments, or any other suitable adjustments. In some embodiments, a command to implement the corrective action may be transmitted to one or more components of system 300, such as one or more of eNBs 308-312 or UEs 314-320. In some embodiments, coverage analysis circuitry 324 and/or corrective action circuitry 326 may include a display or other output configured to provide coverage information or corrective action recommendations to an operator, who may then intervene appropriately.

System 300 may include one or more eNBs, such as eNBs 308-312. Each of eNBs 308-312 may include numerous components; for ease of illustration, only components of eNB 308 are shown in FIG3. eNBs other than eNB 308 may have similar components. Components of eNB 308 (discussed in detail below) may be included in one or more of the eNBs shown in FIG1, 2A, and 2B.

As shown, the eNB 308 may include transmitter circuitry 328. The transmitter circuitry 328 may be configured to transmit wireless signals to other devices. For example, the transmitter circuitry 328 may be configured to transmit wireless signals to the NM device 302, the DM device 304, the TCE 206, the UE 314, or other devices appropriately configured for wireless communication. As discussed above, the transmitter circuitry 328 may include, for example, one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas (not shown). In some embodiments, the transmitter circuitry 328 may be configured to transmit data representing the performance of services provided by the E-UTRAN or other network supported by the eNB 308 within the coverage cell served by the eNB 308 to the NM device 302. For example, as discussed above, the data may include one or more of the number of active UEs, upload or download PRB usage, IP throughput, packet delay, call drop rate, and/or loss rate. In some embodiments, the transmitter circuitry 328 may be configured to transmit data representing an RLF report to the CCO component 342 of the NM device 302. As discussed above, NM device 302 may use data representing RLF reports in identifying holes in the coverage area of E-UTRAN or other networks supported by system 300. In some embodiments, transmitter circuit 328 may be configured to transmit data over Itf-N.

The eNB 308 may include a first receiver circuit 330. The first receiver circuit 330 may be configured to receive signals from other devices via a wired or wireless connection. The first receiver circuit 330 may be configured to receive signals from the NM device 302, the DM device 304, the TCE 306, or other devices appropriately configured for communication. For example, the connection between the first receiver circuit 330 and the TCE 306 may be a wired connection. In embodiments where the first receiver circuit 330 is configured for wireless communication, the first receiver circuit 330 may include, for example, one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas (not shown), as discussed above.

In some embodiments, the first receiver circuit 330 may be configured to receive instructions to adjust service parameters of a coverage cell served by the eNB 308 to provide additional services to the underserved geographic area. In some embodiments, the instructions may come from the corrective action circuit 326 of the NM device 302. The underserved geographic area may be identified by the coverage analysis circuit 324 of the NM device 302 based at least in part on data transmitted to the NM device 302 by, for example, the transmitter circuit 328 of the eNB 308. In some embodiments, as discussed above, the NM device 302 may be configured to identify the underserved geographic area based at least in part on data representing the performance of services provided by the E-UTRAN within one or more coverage cells served by one or more eNBs other than the eNB 308 (e.g., eNBs 310 and 312). In some embodiments, the instructions received at the first receiver circuit 330 may be based at least in part on data representing information about the environment near the coverage cell served by the eNB 308 (e.g., the location of roads and/or the location of sporting events). In some embodiments, the first receiver circuit 330 may be configured to receive an area-based MDT query from the CCO component 342 after the transmitter circuit 328 transmits data representing the RLF report to the CCO component 342 of the NM device 302 (as discussed above), in some embodiments.

eNB 308 may include second receiver circuitry 332. Similar to first receiver circuitry 330, second receiver circuitry 332 may be configured to receive wireless signals from other devices. For example, second receiver circuitry 330 may be configured to receive wireless signals from UE 214 or other devices suitably configured for wireless communication. Second receiver circuitry 332 may include, for example, one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas (not shown), as discussed above. In some embodiments, first receiver circuitry 330 and second receiver circuitry 332 may be the same circuitry or may share common circuitry. In some embodiments, second receiver circuitry 332 may be configured to receive an RLF report from a UE (e.g., UE 314). The RLF report (as discussed above) may include information regarding a previous disconnection of the UE (e.g., UE 314) from E-UTRAN or other network supported by system 300. In some embodiments, the UE may generate an RLF report when the UE previously disconnects from E-UTRAN or other network. In some embodiments, information relating to a previous disconnection of the UE from E-UTRAN or other network may include RSRP, RSRQ, an identifier of the coverage cell (in which the UE is located), location information, and a timestamp representing the time of disconnection.

The eNB 308 may include service provision circuitry 344. The service provision circuitry 344 may provide E-UTRAN or other services to UEs (e.g., UE 314) located within a coverage cell of the eNB 308. In some embodiments, the service provision circuitry 344 may be configured to adjust one or more service parameters of a coverage cell served by the eNB 308 to adjust the cell's coverage. In some embodiments, the service provision circuitry 344 may adjust the one or more service parameters based on instructions provided by the NM device 302 (e.g., by the corrective action circuitry 326). Adjusting the service parameters of a coverage cell served by the eNB may include reshaping the coverage cell or performing any of a number of other adjustments (e.g., as described above). In some embodiments, the service provision circuitry 344 may be integrated with or operatively connected to the transmitter circuitry 328 and other components.

In some embodiments, the service provision circuitry 344 or the transmitter circuitry 328 may be configured to transmit parameters representing measurements that should be performed by the UE as service performance data and/or along with the RLF report to the UE (e.g., UE 314). For example, these parameters may represent one or more of RSRP, RSRQ, cell identifier, location information, and a timestamp representing the time of an event involving RLF or other disconnection or lack of service. In some embodiments, the parameters may be selected by an eNB (e.g., eNB 308), a DM device (e.g., DM device 304), an NM device (e.g., NM device 302), another component of the system 300, or a combination of components.

System 300 may include one or more UEs, such as UEs 314-220. One or more of UEs 314-220 may include any of a number of wireless electronic devices, such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a handheld computer, a tablet computer, a cellular phone, a pager, an audio and/or video player (e.g., an MP3 player or a DVD player), a gaming device, a video camera, a digital camera, a navigation device (e.g., a GPS device), a wireless peripheral (e.g., a printer, a scanner, a headset, a keyboard, a mouse, etc.), a medical device (e.g., a heart rate monitor, a blood pressure monitor, etc.), and/or other suitable fixed, portable, or mobile electronic devices. In some embodiments, one or more of UEs 314-220 may be a mobile wireless device, such as a PDA, a cellular phone, a tablet computer, or a laptop computer. Each of UEs 314-220 may include numerous components; for ease of illustration, only the components of UE 314 are shown in FIG. UEs other than UE 314 may have similar components.

As shown, UE 314 may include receiver circuitry 334. Receiver circuitry 334 may be configured to receive signals from other devices. For example, receiver circuitry 334 may be configured to receive wireless signals from eNB 308 or other devices suitably configured for wireless communication. As discussed above, receiver circuitry 334 may include, for example, one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas (not shown). In some embodiments, receiver circuitry 334 may be configured to receive a command from an eNB serving UE 314 (e.g., eNB 308) to cause UE 314 to handover to a different eNB or adjust another parameter of UE 314's operation. Receiver circuitry 334 may be configured to receive instructions from eNB 308 regarding measurements that UE 314 should perform for the purpose of monitoring service implementation. Receiver circuitry 334 may also be configured to receive data relating to one or more services provided to UE 314 by eNB 308 or other devices (e.g., wireless multimedia services).

UE 314 may include transmitter circuitry 336. Transmitter circuitry 336 may be configured to transmit wireless signals to other devices. For example, transmitter circuitry 336 may be configured to transmit wireless signals to eNB 308 or other devices suitably configured for wireless communication. Transmitter circuitry 336 may include, for example, one or more directional or omnidirectional antennas (not shown), as discussed above. In some embodiments, transmitter circuitry 336 may be configured to transmit one or more measurements related to service performance (e.g., RLF-related measurements) performed by UE 314 to eNB 308 or another component of system 300.

The UE 314 may include measurement circuitry 340. The measurement circuitry 340 may be configured to perform one or more measurements discussed above with reference to the receiver circuitry 334 and the transmitter circuitry 336. In particular, in some embodiments, the one or more measurements may include RSRP, RSRQ, an identifier of the cell to which the UE was connected before disconnection, location information, and a timestamp representing a time of an event involving RLF or other disconnection or lack of service.

Referring now to FIG4 , a flow chart illustrating an example coverage adjustment process 400 that can be performed by an NM device (e.g., the NM device 302 of FIG3 ) according to various embodiments is shown. It will be appreciated that while the operations of process 400 (and other processes described herein) are arranged in a particular order and are presented once per illustration, in various embodiments, one or more of the operations may be repeated, omitted, or performed out of order. For illustrative purposes, the operations of process 400 may be described as being performed by the NM device 302 ( FIG3 ), but process 400 may be performed by any appropriately configured device.

Process 400 may begin at operation 402, where the NM device 302 may receive data representing a first RLF report including information related to a first UE disconnecting from an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN). In some embodiments, operation 402 may be performed by receiver circuitry 322 ( FIG. 3 ). In some embodiments, operation 302 may include receiving data representing the first RLF report from a first eNB serving the first UE when the first UE reconnects to the E-UTRAN. In some embodiments, the information related to the first UE disconnecting from the E-UTRAN includes one or more of RSRP, RSRQ, an identifier of a cell to which the first UE was connected before the first UE disconnected from the E-UTRAN, location information, and a timestamp representing the time of disconnection.

At operation 404, the NM device 302 may receive data representing a second RLF report including information regarding the second UE's disconnection from the E-UTRAN. In some embodiments, operation 404 may be performed by the receiver circuit 322 ( FIG. 3 ). In some embodiments, operation 404 may include receiving data representing the second RLF report from a second eNB serving the second UE when the second UE reconnects to the E-UTRAN. The first and second eNBs may be a common eNB or may be different eNBs.

At operation 406, the NM device 302 may identify a hole in the coverage area of the E-UTRAN based at least in part on the first and second RLF reports (received at operations 402 and 404). In some embodiments, operation 406 may be performed by the coverage analysis circuitry 324 ( FIG. 3 ). At operation 408, the NM device 302 may initiate an area-based MDT procedure on one or more eNBs associated with cells that nominally cover the hole identified at operation 406. In some embodiments, operation 408 may be performed by the analysis coverage circuitry 324 ( FIG. 3 ). At operation 410, the NM device may perform an automatic CCO action to reconfigure cell resources of the E-UTRAN based on the hole identified at operation 406. In some embodiments, operation 410 may be performed by the corrective action circuitry 326 ( FIG. 3 ). Process 400 may then end.

5 , a flow diagram of an example coverage adjustment process 500 is shown that can be performed by an eNB (e.g., eNB 308 of FIG. 3 ) in accordance with various embodiments. For illustrative purposes, the operations of process 500 may be described as being performed by eNB 308 ( FIG. 3 ), although process 500 may be performed by any suitably configured device.

Process 500 may begin at operation 502, where the eNB 308 may provide E-UTRAN services to a UE located within a coverage cell of the eNB 308. In some embodiments, operation 502 may be performed by the service provision circuitry 344 ( FIG. 3 ). At operation 504, the eNB 308 may receive an RLF report from the UE, including information regarding a previous disconnection of the UE from the E-UTRAN. In some embodiments, operation 504 may be performed by the second receiver circuitry 332 ( FIG. 3 ). In some embodiments, the UE may generate an RLF report when the UE previously disconnected from the E-UTRAN. In some embodiments, the information regarding the previous disconnection of the UE from the E-UTRAN includes one or more of RSRP, RSRQ, an identifier of the coverage cell, location information, and a timestamp representing the time of disconnection.

At operation 506, the eNB 308 may transmit data representing the RLF report to a CCO component (e.g., CCO component 342) of an E-UTRAN NM device (e.g., NM device 302) for use in identifying holes in the E-UTRAN coverage cell. In some embodiments, operation 506 may be performed by the transmitter circuit 328 ( FIG. 3 ). In some embodiments, operation 308 may include transmitting the data via Itf-N.

At operation 508, the eNB 308 may receive an area-based MDT query from a CCO component (e.g., CCO component 342) after transmitting data representing the RLF report to the CCO component of the NM device of the E-UTRAN according to operation 506. In some embodiments, operation 508 may be performed by the first receiver circuit 330 ( FIG. 3 ). Process 500 may then end.

6, a flow diagram of a second example coverage adjustment process 600 that can be performed by an NM device (e.g., the NM device 302 of FIG. 3) in accordance with various embodiments is shown. For illustrative purposes, the operations of the process 600 may be described as being performed by the NM device 302 (FIG. 3), but the process 600 may be performed by any suitably configured apparatus.

Process 600 may begin at operation 602, where NM device 302 may receive data representing the performance of services provided by E-UTRAN. The data may represent the performance of services at multiple geographic locations covered by one or more cells of E-UTRAN. In some embodiments, operation 602 may be performed by receiver circuit 322 ( FIG. 3 ). In some embodiments, operation 602 may include receiving data from one or more eNBs serving one or more cells of E-UTRAN. In some embodiments, operation 602 may include receiving data via Itf-N. In some embodiments, the data may include one or more of the number of active UEs, upload or download PRB usage, IP throughput, packet delay, call drop rate, and loss rate.

At operation 604, the NM device 302 may access data representing environmental information. In some embodiments, operation 604 may be performed by the coverage analysis circuit 324 ( FIG. 3 ). In some embodiments, the data representing environmental information includes at least one of a road location and a stadium location. In some embodiments, operation 604 may be optional.

At operation 606, the NM device 302 may correlate the data received at operation 602 (and optionally at operation 604) to identify a geographic area lacking service. In some embodiments, operation 606 may be performed by the coverage analysis circuitry 324 ( FIG. 3 ). In some embodiments, operation 606 may include correlating data representing service performance (received at operation 602) with data representing environmental information (received at operation 604).

At operation 608, the NM device 302 may perform an automatic CCO action to adjust one or more cells of the E-UTRAN to provide additional service to the underserved geographic area. In some embodiments, operation 606 may be performed by the corrective action circuit 326 ( FIG. 3 ). In some embodiments, operation 608 may include making one or more cells smaller to increase capacity in the underserved geographic area. In some embodiments, operation 608 may include reshaping one or more cells by adjusting one or more corresponding antennas. In some embodiments, operation 608 may include approximately aligning the longitudinal axis of one or more cells with the longitudinal axis of one or more roads. In some embodiments, operation 608 may include making one or more cells larger to cover at least a portion of the underserved geographic area. Process 600 may then end.

7 , a flow diagram of an example coverage adjustment process 700 is shown that can be performed by an eNB (e.g., eNB 308 of FIG. 3 ) in accordance with various embodiments. For illustrative purposes, the operations of process 700 may be described as being performed by eNB 308 ( FIG. 3 ), although process 700 may be performed by any suitably configured device.

Process 700 may begin at operation 702, where the eNB 308 transmits data to a CCO component of an NM device (e.g., CCO component 342 of the NM device 302). The data may represent the performance of services provided by an E-UTRAN associated with the eNB 308 within a coverage cell served by the eNB 308. In some embodiments, operation 702 may be performed by the transmitter circuit 328 ( FIG. 3 ). In some embodiments, the data may include one or more of the number of active UEs, upload or download PRB usage, IP throughput, packet delay, call drop rate, and loss rate.

At operation 704, the eNB 308 may receive instructions from an NM device (e.g., NM device 302) to adjust service parameters of a coverage cell served by the eNB 308 to provide additional services to the underserved geographic area. In some embodiments, the underserved geographic area may be identified by the NM device based at least in part on data transmitted to the NM device by the eNB 308 at operation 702. In some embodiments, operation 704 may be performed by the first receiver circuit 330 ( FIG. 3 ). In some embodiments, the underserved geographic area may be identified by the NM device based at least in part on data representing performance of services provided by the E-UTRAN within one or more coverage cells served by one or more eNBs other than the eNB 308. In some embodiments, the instructions may be based at least in part on data representing information about the environment near the coverage cell (e.g., the location of a road and/or the location of a sports stadium).

At operation 706, the eNB 308 may adjust the service parameters of the coverage cell according to the instructions received at operation 704. In some embodiments, operation 706 may be performed by the service provision circuitry 344 ( FIG. 3 ). In some embodiments, operation 706 may include reshaping the coverage cell. Operation 700 may then end.

FIG8 is a block diagram of an example computing device 800 that may be suitable for practicing various disclosed embodiments. For example, some or all of the components of computing device 800 may be used in any of an NM device (e.g., NM device 302 of FIG3 ), a DM device (e.g., DM device 304 of FIG3 ), a TCE (e.g., TCE 306 of FIG3 ), an eNB (e.g., eNBs 102a-102c of FIG1 , eNBs 504a-504g of FIG2 , and eNBs 308-312 of FIG3 ), or a UE (e.g., UEs 314-220 of FIG3 ). Computing device 800 may include a number of components, including one or more processors 804 and at least one communication chip 806. In various embodiments, processor 804 may include a processor core. In various embodiments, at least one communication chip 806 may also be physically and electrically coupled to processor 804. In other implementations, communication chip 806 may be part of processor 804. In various embodiments, computing device 800 may include a PCB 802. For these embodiments, the processor 804 and the communication chip 806 may be disposed thereon. In alternative embodiments, the various components may be coupled without employing the PCB 802. The communication chip 806 may be included in any of the receiver and/or transmitter circuits described herein.

Computing device 800 may include other components that may or may not be physically and electrically coupled to PCB 802 depending on its application. These other components include, but are not limited to, volatile memory (e.g., dynamic random access memory 808, also known as DRAM), non-volatile memory (e.g., read-only memory 810 (also known as "ROM"), one or more hard disk drives, one or more solid-state drives, one or more compact disk drives, and/or one or more digital versatile disk drives), flash memory 812, an input/output controller 814, a digital signal processor (not shown), an encryption processor (not shown), a graphics processor 816, one or more antennas 818, a touch screen display 820, a touch screen controller 822, other displays (e.g., liquid crystal displays, cathode ray tube displays, and electronic ink displays, not shown), a battery 824, an audio codec (not shown), a video codec (not shown), a global positioning system (GPS) device 828, a compass 830, an accelerometer (not shown), a gyroscope (not shown), a speaker 832, a camera 834, and mass storage devices (e.g., hard disk drives, solid-state drives, compact disks (CDs), digital versatile disks (DVDs)) (not shown), etc. In various embodiments, the processor 804 may be integrated with other components on the same chip to form a system on a chip (SoC).

In various embodiments, volatile memory (e.g., DRAM 808), non-volatile memory (e.g., ROM 810), flash memory 812, and mass storage devices may include programming instructions that, in response to execution by processor 804, enable computing device 800 to practice all or selected aspects of the processes described herein. For example, one or more of the memory components, such as volatile memory (e.g., DRAM 808), non-volatile memory (e.g., ROM 810), flash memory 812, and mass storage devices, may include temporary and/or persistent copies of instructions that, when executed, enable computing device 800 to operate control module 836 (which is configured to practice all or selected aspects of the processes described herein). Memory accessible to computing device 800 may include: one or more storage resources that are physically part of the device in which computing device 800 is installed; and/or one or more storage resources that are accessible to computing device 800 but not necessarily part of it. For example, a storage resource may be accessed by computing device 800 over a network via communication chip 806.

The communication chip 806 can implement wired and/or wireless communications for transferring data to and from the computing device 800. The term "wireless" and its derivatives may be used to describe circuits, devices, systems, methods, techniques, communication channels, etc. that can transmit data over a non-solid medium using modulated electromagnetic radiation. The term does not imply that the associated devices do not contain any wires, but in some embodiments they may not. Many of the embodiments described herein can be used with WiFi and 3GPP/LTE communication systems. However, the communication chip 806 may implement any of a number of wireless standards or protocols, including, but not limited to, IEEE 702.20, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO), Evolved High Speed Packet Access (HSPA+), Evolved High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA+), Evolved High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA+), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT), Bluetooth, its derivatives, and any other wireless protocols designated as 3G, 4G, 5G and beyond. The computing device 800 may include multiple communication chips 806. For example, a first communication chip 806 may focus on shorter range wireless communications, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and a second communication chip 806 may focus on longer range wireless communications, such as GPS, EDGE, GPRS, CDMA, WiMAX, LTE, EV-DO, and others.

In various embodiments, computing device 800 may be a laptop, netbook, notebook, ultrabook, smartphone, computing tablet, personal digital assistant, ultra-mobile PC, mobile phone, desktop computer, server, printer, scanner, monitor, set-top box, entertainment control unit (e.g., game console), digital camera, portable music player, or digital video recorder. In other implementations, computing device 800 may be any other electronic device that processes data.

The following paragraphs describe examples of various embodiments. In various embodiments, a network management (NM) device includes receiver circuitry for receiving data representing a first RLF report including information related to a first UE disconnecting from an E-UTRAN, and receiving data representing a second RLF report including information related to a second UE disconnecting from the E-UTRAN. The NM device further includes: coverage analysis circuitry for identifying holes in the coverage area of the E-UTRAN based at least in part on the first and second RLF reports; and corrective action circuitry for performing automatic CCO actions to reconfigure cell resources of the E-UTRAN based on the identified holes. In some embodiments, the information related to the first UE disconnecting from the E-UTRAN includes RSRP, RSRQ, an identifier of a cell to which the first UE was connected before the first UE disconnected from the E-UTRAN, location information, or a timestamp representing the time of disconnection. In some embodiments, receiving the data representing the first RLF report includes receiving the data representing the first RLF report from a first eNB serving the first UE when the first UE reconnects to the E-UTRAN. In some embodiments, receiving data representing the second RLF report includes receiving data representing the second RLF report from a second eNB serving the second UE when the second UE reconnects to the E-UTRAN, and the first and second eNBs are a common eNB. In some embodiments, receiving data representing the second RLF report includes receiving data representing the second RLF report from a second eNB serving the second UE when the second UE reconnects to the E-UTRAN, and the first and second eNBs are different eNBs. In some embodiments, the coverage analysis circuit further initiates an area-based minimization of drive tests (MDT) procedure on an eNodeB associated with a cell nominally covering the identified hole. Some embodiments of the NM device include combinations of the foregoing, and/or means for performing the operations performed by the foregoing.

In various embodiments, an eNB includes: service provision circuitry for providing E-UTRAN services to a UE located within a coverage cell of the eNB; receiver circuitry for receiving a RLF report from the UE, the report including information related to the UE's previous disconnection from the E-UTRAN; and transmitter circuitry for transmitting data representing the RLF report to a CCO component of a network management (NM) device of the E-UTRAN for use in identifying holes in the E-UTRAN's coverage area. In some embodiments, the transmitter circuitry further transmits the data via Itf-N. In some embodiments, the UE generates the RLF report when the UE previously disconnects from the E-UTRAN. In some embodiments, the information related to the UE's previous disconnection from the E-UTRAN includes one or more of RSRP, RSRQ, a coverage cell identifier, location information, and a timestamp representing the time of disconnection. In some embodiments, the eNB further includes a second receiver circuitry for receiving an area-based MDT query from the CCO component after the transmitter circuitry transmits the data representing the RLF report to the CCO component of the NM device of the E-UTRAN. Some embodiments of the eNB include combinations of the foregoing and/or components for performing the operations performed by the foregoing.

In various embodiments, a network management (NM) device includes: receiver circuitry for receiving data representing performance of services provided by an E-UTRAN, the data representing service performance at a plurality of geographic locations covered by one or more cells of the E-UTRAN; coverage analysis circuitry for correlating the data to identify underserved geographic areas; and corrective action circuitry for adjusting the one or more cells of the E-UTRAN to provide additional services to the underserved geographic areas. In some embodiments, the data includes one or more of the following: number of active UEs, upload or download physical resource block usage, IP throughput, packet delay, call drop rate, and loss rate. In some embodiments, the coverage analysis circuitry further accesses data representing environmental information, and correlating the data to identify the underserved geographic areas includes correlating the data representing service performance with data representing environmental information. In some embodiments, the data representing environmental information includes locations of roads or sports stadiums. In some embodiments, adjusting the one or more cells of the E-UTRAN to provide additional services to the underserved geographic areas includes making the one or more cells smaller to increase capacity in the underserved geographic areas. In some embodiments, adjusting the one or more cells of the E-UTRAN to provide additional services to the underserved geographic areas includes reshaping the one or more cells by adjusting one or more corresponding antennas. In some embodiments, reshaping one or more cells by adjusting one or more corresponding antennas includes approximately aligning the longitudinal axis of the one or more cells with the longitudinal axis of one or more roads. In some embodiments, adjusting one or more cells of the E-UTRAN to provide additional service to the underserved geographic area includes making the one or more cells larger to cover at least a portion of the underserved geographic area. In some embodiments, receiving data representing service performance at multiple geographic locations covered by one or more cells of the E-UTRAN includes receiving data from one or more eNBs serving the one or more cells of the E-UTRAN. In some embodiments, receiving data representing service performance at multiple geographic locations covered by one or more cells of the E-UTRAN includes receiving data via Itf-N. Some embodiments of the NM device include combinations of the foregoing, and/or components for performing the operations performed by the foregoing.

In various embodiments, an eNB associated with an E-UTRAN includes: a transmitter circuit for transmitting data to a network mobile device, the data representing performance of services provided by the E-UTRAN within a coverage cell served by the eNB; a receiver circuit for receiving instructions from the NM device to adjust service parameters of the coverage cell served by the eNB to provide additional services to an underserved geographic area, the underserved geographic area identified by the NM device based at least in part on the data transmitted by the eNB to the NM device; and a service provision circuit for adjusting the service parameters of the coverage cell in accordance with the instructions. In some embodiments, the underserved geographic area is identified by the NM device based at least in part on data representing performance of services provided by the E-UTRAN within one or more coverage cells served by one or more other eNBs. In some embodiments, the data includes one or more of the following: number of active UEs, upload or download physical resource block usage, IP throughput, packet delay, call drop rate, and loss rate. In some embodiments, the instructions are based at least in part on data representing information about the environment near the coverage cell. In some embodiments, the data representing information about the environment near the coverage cell includes at least one of a road location and a sporting event location. In some embodiments, adjusting the service parameters of the coverage cell served by the eNB in accordance with the instructions includes reshaping the coverage cell. Some embodiments of the eNB include combinations of the foregoing, and/or means for performing the operations performed by the foregoing.

The computer-readable media (including non-transitory computer-readable media), methods, systems, and devices for performing the techniques described above are illustrative examples of the embodiments disclosed herein. Additionally, other devices may be configured to perform the various disclosed techniques.

Although certain embodiments have been illustrated and described herein for illustrative purposes, a wide variety of alternative and/or equivalent embodiments or implementations calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. This application is intended to cover any adaptation or variation of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is expressly stated that the embodiments described herein are limited only by the claims.

Where the disclosure recites “a” or “first” element or its equivalent, such disclosure includes one or more such elements, and neither requires nor excludes two or more such elements. Furthermore, ordinal designators (e.g., first, second, or third) of identified elements are used to distinguish between elements and do not indicate or imply a required or limited number of such elements, nor do they indicate a specific position or order of such elements, unless expressly stated otherwise.

Claims (87)

1. A method executable by a device implemented in a base station, the method comprising: Receive service performance data from one or more cells, each of which is provided by at least one base station; Identify service-deficient areas based on the aforementioned service performance data; The control transmission is used to initiate the execution of one or more Minimum Drive Tests (MDTs) by one or more base stations associated with the identified service-lacking area; Control the reception of MDT data based on the results of the one or more MDTs; Relate the MDT data to the service performance data; The coverage area to be adjusted is determined based on the aforementioned correlation; and Control transmission of a second instruction for changing the service parameters of at least one of the one or more cells to adjust the coverage area. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: This allows the service performance data to be associated with the same user session, the same geographical region, or environmental information. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the coverage area is the cell coverage area of the at least one cell. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second instruction is used to instruct the at least one cell to increase the size of the cell coverage area to extend the cell coverage area into a coverage hole between two or more of the one or more cells. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the service parameter is one or more of the size of the at least one cell or the capacity of the at least one cell. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the service performance data includes one or more of the following: number of active user equipment (UE) in a given area, Internet Protocol (IP) throughput, upload or download physical resource block (PRB) usage, packet latency, dropout rate, or loss rate. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the service performance data comprises one or more measurements collected by one or more base stations. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the service performance data further includes one or more RLF reports indicating radio link failure (RLF) data, wherein the RLF data includes one or more of a reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement, a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurement, or a radio resource control (RRC) connection attempt failure event. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more RLF reports include site information. 10. The method of claim 8, further comprising: The MDT data is associated with the RLF data and one or more of the following: the number of active UEs in a given area, IP throughput, upload or download PRB usage, packet latency, drop rate, or loss rate. 11. An apparatus for implementing a coverage and capacity optimization (CCO) component, the apparatus comprising one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: Receive service performance data of one or more cells provided by one or more base stations, wherein the service performance data includes one or more of the following in a given area: number of active user equipment (UE), Internet Protocol (IP) throughput, physical resource block (PRB) upload or download usage, packet latency, drop rate, or loss rate; Identify service-deficient areas based on the aforementioned service performance data; A first instruction is transmitted to a set of base stations of the one or more base stations to initiate the execution of one or more Minimum Drive Tests (MDTs) by the set of base stations, wherein the base stations in the set of base stations are associated with an identified service-deficient area; The coverage area to be adjusted is determined based on the results of one or more MDTs; and A second instruction is transmitted to at least one base station in the set of base stations to adjust the service parameters of the cells provided by the at least one base station in order to adjust the coverage area. 12. The device of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are configured to identify service-deficient areas by: The service performance data is associated with the same user session, the same geographical region, or environmental information. 13. The device as claimed in claim 11 or 12, wherein The coverage area is the cell coverage area of the cell provided by the at least one base station, and The service parameter is one or more of the size of the coverage area of the cell provided by the at least one base station or the capacity of the cell provided by the at least one base station. 14. The device of claim 13, wherein the second instruction is used to instruct the at least one cell to increase the size of the cell coverage area to extend the cell coverage area into a coverage hole between two or more of the one or more cells. 15. The device of claim 11 or 12, wherein at least a portion of the service performance data includes one or more measurements collected by the one or more base stations, and another portion of the service performance data includes one or more measurements collected by one or more UEs. 16. The device of claim 11 or 12, wherein the service performance data further includes one or more of a Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) measurement, a Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) measurement, or a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection attempt failure event, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: The results of the MDT are correlated with one or more of the following: the RSRP measurement, the RSRQ measurement, the RRC connection attempt failure event, or site information. 17. A method executable by a Coverage and Capacity Optimization (CCO) component, the method comprising: Receive service performance data of one or more cells provided by one or more base stations, wherein the service performance data includes one or more of the following: reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement, reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurement, or radio resource control (RRC) connection attempt failure event; Service-deficient areas are identified based on the correlation between the service performance data and the same user sessions, the same geographical areas, or environmental information. A first instruction is transmitted to a set of base stations of the one or more base stations to initiate the execution of one or more Minimum Drive Tests (MDTs) by the set of base stations, wherein the set of base stations is associated with an identified service-deficient area; The coverage area to be adjusted is determined based on the results of the MDT; and A second instruction is transmitted to at least one base station in the set of base stations to adjust the service parameters of the cells provided by the at least one base station in order to adjust the coverage area. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein The coverage area is the cell coverage area of the cell provided by the at least one base station, and The service parameter is one or more of the size of the coverage area of the cell provided by the at least one base station or the capacity of the cell provided by the at least one base station. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the second instruction is used to instruct the at least one cell to increase the size of the cell coverage area to extend the cell coverage area into a coverage hole between two or more of the one or more cells. 20. The method of any one of claims 17-19, wherein the service performance data further includes one or more of the following: number of active user equipment (UE) in a given area, Internet Protocol (IP) throughput, upload or download physical resource block (PRB) usage, packet latency, drop rate, or loss rate. 21. The method of any one of claims 17-19, further comprising: The results of the MDT are correlated with one or more of the RSRP measurement, the RSRQ measurement, the RRC connection attempt failure event, or site information. 22. A method executable by a base station, the method comprising: Controls the transmission of service performance data of the cell provided by the base station to the network management (NM) device; The control receives a first instruction from the NM device for initiating the execution of one or more Minimum Drive Tests (MDTs); Initiate execution of the one or more MDTs; Obtain the MDT result based on one or more of the MDTs; Control the transmission of the MDT results to the NM device; Control receives a second instruction from the NM device for adjusting the service parameters of the cell based on the service performance data, wherein the second instruction is based on the correlation between the service performance data and the MDT results; and The service parameters of the cell are adjusted according to the second instruction, wherein the service parameters are at least one of the size of the cell's coverage area or the cell's capacity. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein adjusting the service parameters of the cell comprises: Controlling the adjustment of one or more antennas of the base station; or Control the power output to the one or more antennas. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the service performance data includes one or more of the following: number of active user equipment (UE) in a given area, Internet Protocol (IP) throughput, upload or download physical resource block (PRB) usage, packet delay, drop rate, loss rate, reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement, reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurement, or radio resource control (RRC) connection attempt failure event. 25. The method of any one of claims 22-24, wherein initiating the execution of the one or more MDTs comprises: controlling the transmission of a third instruction to one or more UEs for initiating one or more measurement collection procedures or one or more data recording procedures in accordance with the one or more MDTs; and Obtaining the MDT results includes controlling the reception of MDT results from the one or more UEs based on the one or more measurement collection processes or one or more data recording processes. 26. The method of any one of claims 22-24, wherein initiating the execution of the one or more MDTs comprises: initiating one or more measurement collection procedures or one or more data recording procedures at the base station according to the one or more MDTs; and Obtaining the MDT results includes determining the MDT results based on one or more measurement collection processes or one or more data recording processes. 27. An apparatus for implementing a coverage and capacity optimization (CCO) component, the apparatus comprising one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: Receive service performance data from one or more cells, each of which is provided by at least one base station; Identify service-deficient areas based on the aforementioned service performance data; The control transmission is used to initiate the execution of one or more Minimum Drive Tests (MDTs) by one or more base stations associated with the identified service-lacking area; Control the reception of MDT data based on the results of the one or more MDTs; Relate the MDT data to the service performance data; The coverage area to be adjusted is determined based on the aforementioned correlation; and Control transmission of a second instruction for changing the service parameters of at least one of the one or more cells to adjust the coverage area. 28. The device of claim 27, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: The service performance data is associated with the same user session, the same geographical region, or environmental information. 29. The device of claim 27, wherein the coverage area is the cell coverage area of the at least one cell. 30. The device of claim 29, wherein the second instruction is used to instruct the at least one cell to increase the size of the cell coverage area to extend the cell coverage area into a coverage hole between two or more of the one or more cells. 31. The device of claim 27, wherein the service parameter is one or more of the size of the at least one cell or the capacity of the at least one cell. 32. The device as claimed in any one of claims 27-31, wherein the service performance data includes one or more of the following: the number of active user equipment (UE) in a given area, Internet Protocol (IP) throughput, upload or download physical resource block (PRB) usage, packet latency, dropout rate, or loss rate. 33. The device of claim 27, wherein at least a portion of the service performance data comprises one or more measurements collected by one or more base stations. 34. The device of claim 27, wherein the service performance data further includes one or more RLF reports indicating radio link failure (RLF) data, wherein the RLF data includes one or more of a reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement, a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurement, or a radio resource control (RRC) connection attempt failure event. 35. The device of claim 34, wherein the one or more RLF reports include site information. 36. The device of any one of claims 34-35, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: The MDT data is associated with the RLF data and one or more of the following: the number of active user equipment (UE) in a given area, Internet Protocol (IP) throughput, physical resource block (PRB) upload or download usage, packet latency, drop rate, or loss rate. 37. The device of claim 36, wherein the device is a network management (NM) device. 38. An apparatus for implementing coverage and capacity optimization (CCO) components, the apparatus comprising one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: Receive service performance data of one or more cells provided by one or more base stations, wherein the service performance data includes one or more of the following: reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement, reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurement, or radio resource control (RRC) connection attempt failure event; Areas lacking service are identified based on the correlation between the service performance data and the same user sessions, the same geographical areas, or environmental information. A first instruction is transmitted to a set of base stations of the one or more base stations to initiate the execution of one or more Minimum Drive Tests (MDTs) by the set of base stations, wherein the set of base stations is associated with an identified service-deficient area; The coverage area to be adjusted is determined based on the results of one or more MDTs; and A second instruction is transmitted to at least one base station in the set of base stations to adjust the service parameters of the cells provided by the at least one base station in order to adjust the coverage area. 39. The device of claim 38, wherein the service performance data further includes one or more of the following: the number of active user equipment (UE) in a given area, Internet Protocol (IP) throughput, upload or download physical resource block (PRB) usage, packet latency, dropout rate, or loss rate. 40. The device as claimed in claim 38 or 39, wherein The coverage area is the cell coverage area of the cell provided by the at least one base station, and The service parameter is one or more of the size of the coverage area of the cell provided by the at least one base station or the capacity of the cell provided by the at least one base station. 41. The device of claim 40, wherein the second instruction is used to instruct the at least one cell to increase the size of the cell coverage area to extend the cell coverage area into a coverage hole between two or more of the one or more cells. 42. The device of claim 40, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: The results of the MDT are correlated with one or more of the RSRP measurement, the RSRQ measurement, the RRC connection attempt failure event, or site information. 43. An apparatus implemented in a base station, the apparatus comprising one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: Controls the transmission of service performance data of the cell provided by the base station to the network management (NM) device; The control receives a first instruction from the NM device for initiating the execution of one or more Minimum Drive Tests (MDTs); Initiate execution of the one or more MDTs; Obtain the MDT result based on one or more of the MDTs; Control the transmission of the MDT results to the NM device; Control receives a second instruction from the NM device for adjusting the service parameters of the cell based on the service performance data, wherein the second instruction is based on the correlation between the service performance data and the MDT results; and The service parameters of the cell are adjusted according to the second instruction, wherein the service parameters are at least one of the size of the cell's coverage area or the cell's capacity. 44. The device of claim 43, wherein the one or more processors are configured to adjust the service parameters of the cell by: Controlling the adjustment of one or more antennas of the base station; or Control the power output to the one or more antennas. 45. The device of claim 43, wherein the service performance data includes one or more of the following: number of active user equipment (UE) in a given area, Internet Protocol (IP) throughput, upload or download physical resource block (PRB) usage, packet delay, drop rate, loss rate, reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement, reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurement, or radio resource control (RRC) connection attempt failure event. 46. The apparatus of any one of claims 43-45, wherein the one or more processors, configured to initiate the execution of the one or more MDTs and obtain the MDT result, are configured to: Control to transmit third instructions to one or more UEs for initiating one or more measurement collection procedures or one or more data recording procedures in accordance with the one or more MDTs; and Control the receipt of MDT results from the one or more UEs based on the one or more measurement collection processes or one or more data recording processes. 47. The apparatus of any one of claims 43-45, wherein the one or more processors configured to initiate the execution of the one or more MDTs and obtain the MDT result are configured to: Initiate one or more measurement collection procedures or one or more data recording procedures at the base station according to the one or more MDTs; and The MDT results are determined based on one or more measurement collection processes or one or more data recording processes. 48. A device that can be implemented in a base station, the device comprising: A component for receiving service performance data of one or more cells, each of which is provided by at least one base station; Components used to identify service-deficient areas based on the service performance data; A component for controlling the transmission of a first instruction for initiating the execution of one or more minimized drive tests (MDTs) by one or more base stations associated with an identified service-deficient area; A component for controlling the reception of MDT data based on the results of the one or more MDTs; Relate the MDT data to the service performance data; Components for determining the coverage area to be adjusted based on the correlation; and A component for controlling the transmission of a second instruction to adjust the coverage area by changing the service parameters of at least one of the one or more cells. 49. The apparatus of claim 48, further comprising: Components used to associate the service performance data with the same user session, the same geographic area, or environmental information. 50. The device of claim 48, wherein the coverage area is the cell coverage area of the at least one cell. 51. The device of claim 50, wherein the instructions are for instructing the at least one cell to increase the size of the cell coverage area to extend the cell coverage area into a coverage hole between two or more of the one or more cells. 52. The device of claim 48, wherein the service parameter is one or more of the size of the at least one cell or the capacity of the at least one cell. 53. The device of claim 48, wherein the service performance data includes one or more of the following: the number of active user equipment (UE) in a given area, Internet Protocol (IP) throughput, upload or download physical resource block (PRB) usage, packet latency, dropout rate, or loss rate. 54. The device of claim 48, wherein at least a portion of the service performance data comprises one or more measurements collected by one or more base stations. 55. The device of claim 48, wherein the service performance data further includes one or more RLF reports indicating radio link failure (RLF) data, wherein the RLF data includes one or more of a reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement, a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurement, or a radio resource control (RRC) connection attempt failure event. 56. The device of claim 55, wherein the one or more RLF reports include site information. 57. The apparatus of claim 55, further comprising: Components used to associate the MDT data with the RLF data and one or more of the following: the number of active UEs in a given area, IP throughput, upload or download PRB usage, packet latency, drop rate, or loss rate. 58. An apparatus implemented in a Coverage and Capacity Optimization (CCO) component, the apparatus comprising: Components for receiving service performance data of one or more cells provided by one or more base stations from one or more base stations, wherein the service performance data includes one or more of the following: reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement, reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurement, or radio resource control (RRC) connection attempt failure event; Components used to identify service-deficient areas based on the correlation between the service performance data and environmental information, the same user session, or the same geographical area; A component for transmitting to a set of base stations the one or more base stations a first instruction for initiating the execution of one or more Minimum Drive Tests (MDTs) by the set of base stations, wherein the set of base stations is associated with an identified service-deficient area; Components for determining the coverage area to be adjusted based on the results of the MDT; and A component for transmitting a second instruction to at least one base station in the set of base stations to adjust the service parameters of the cells provided by the at least one base station in order to adjust the coverage area. 59. The device of claim 58, wherein The coverage area is the cell coverage area of the cell provided by the at least one base station, and The service parameter is one or more of the size of the coverage area of the cell provided by the at least one base station or the capacity of the cell provided by the at least one base station. 60. The device of claim 59, wherein the second instruction is used to instruct the at least one cell to increase the size of the cell coverage area to extend the cell coverage area into a coverage hole between two or more of the one or more cells. 61. The device as claimed in any one of claims 58-60, wherein the service performance data further includes one or more of the following: the number of active user equipment (UE) in a given area, Internet Protocol (IP) throughput, upload or download physical resource block (PRB) usage, packet latency, dropout rate, or loss rate. 62. The device according to any one of claims 58-60, wherein the device comprises: Components for relating the results of the MDT to one or more of the RSRP measurement, the RSRQ measurement, the RRC connection attempt failure event, or site information. 63. An apparatus implemented in a base station, the apparatus comprising: Components used to control the transmission of service performance data of the cell provided by the base station to the network management (NM) device; A component for controlling the receipt from the NM device of a first instruction for initiating the execution of one or more Minimum Drive Tests (MDTs); Components used to initiate the execution of the one or more MDTs; Components for obtaining MDT results based on the one or more MDTs; Components for controlling the transmission of the MDT results to the NM device; A component for controlling the receipt from the NM device of a second instruction for adjusting the service parameters of the cell based on the service performance data, wherein the second instruction is based on the correlation between the service performance data and the MDT results; and A component for adjusting the service parameters of the cell according to the second instruction, wherein the service parameters are at least one of the size of the cell's coverage area or the cell's capacity. 64. The apparatus of claim 63, wherein the component for adjusting the service parameters of the cell comprises: Components for controlling the adjustment of one or more antennas of the base station; or A component for controlling the power output to the one or more antennas. 65. The device of claim 64, wherein the service performance data includes one or more of the following: number of active user equipment (UE) in a given area, Internet Protocol (IP) throughput, upload or download physical resource block (PRB) usage, packet delay, drop rate, loss rate, reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement, reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurement, or radio resource control (RRC) connection attempt failure event. 66. The apparatus of any one of claims 63-65, wherein the component for initiating the execution of the one or more MDTs comprises: a component for controlling the transmission to one or more UEs of a third instruction for initiating one or more measurement collection processes or one or more data recording processes according to the one or more MDTs; and The component for obtaining the MDT results includes: a component for controlling the reception from the one or more UEs of MDT results based on the one or more measurement collection processes or one or more data recording processes. 67. The apparatus of any one of claims 63-65, wherein the component for initiating the execution of the one or more MDTs comprises: Components for initiating one or more measurement collection processes or one or more data recording processes at the base station according to the one or more MDTs; and The components used to obtain the MDT results include: components for determining the MDT results based on the one or more measurement collection processes or one or more data recording processes. 68. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having program code stored thereon, said program code, when executed by one or more processors, enabling coverage and capacity optimization (CCO) components: Receive service performance data from one or more cells, each of which is provided by at least one base station; Identify service-deficient areas based on the aforementioned service performance data; The control transmission is used to initiate the execution of one or more Minimum Drive Tests (MDTs) by one or more base stations associated with the identified service-lacking area; Control the reception of MDT data based on the results of the one or more MDTs; Relate the MDT data to the service performance data; The coverage area to be adjusted is determined based on the aforementioned correlation; and Controls the transmission of a second instruction used to change the service parameters of at least one of the one or more cells to adjust the coverage area. 69. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as claimed in claim 68, wherein the program code, when executed, further causes the CCO component to: This allows the service performance data to be associated with the same user session, the same geographical region, or environmental information. 70. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as claimed in claim 68, wherein the coverage area is the cell coverage area of the at least one cell. 71. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 70, wherein the second instruction is used to instruct the at least one cell to increase the size of the cell coverage area to extend the cell coverage area into a coverage hole between two or more of the one or more cells. 72. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 68, wherein the service parameter is one or more of the size of the at least one cell or the capacity of the at least one cell. 73. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 68, wherein the service performance data includes one or more of the following: number of active user equipment (UE) in a given area, Internet Protocol (IP) throughput, upload or download physical resource block (PRB) usage, packet latency, dropout rate, or loss rate. 74. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 73, wherein at least a portion of the service performance data comprises one or more measurements collected by one or more base stations. 75. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 68, wherein the service performance data includes one or more RLF reports indicating radio link failure (RLF) data, wherein the RLF data includes one or more of a reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement, a reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurement, or a radio resource control (RRC) connection attempt failure event. 76. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 75, wherein the one or more RLF reports include site information. 77. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as claimed in claim 75, wherein the program code, when executed, further causes the CCO component to: The MDT data is associated with the RLF data and one or more of the following: the number of active UEs in a given area, IP throughput, upload or download PRB usage, packet latency, drop rate, or loss rate. 78. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having program code stored thereon, said program code, when executed by one or more processors, enabling coverage and capacity optimization (CCO) components: Receive service performance data of one or more cells provided by one or more base stations from one or more base stations, wherein the service performance data includes one or more of the following: reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement, reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurement, or radio resource control (RRC) connection attempt failure event; Service-deficient areas are identified based on the correlation between the service performance data and the same user sessions, the same geographical areas, or environmental information. A first instruction is transmitted to a set of base stations of the one or more base stations to initiate the execution of one or more Minimum Drive Tests (MDTs) by the set of base stations, wherein the set of base stations is associated with an identified service-deficient area; The coverage area to be adjusted is determined based on the results of one or more MDTs; and A second instruction is transmitted to at least one base station in the set of base stations to adjust the service parameters of the cells provided by the at least one base station in order to adjust the coverage area. 79. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as claimed in claim 78, wherein The coverage area is the cell coverage area of the cell provided by the at least one base station, and The service parameter is one or more of the size of the coverage area of the cell provided by the at least one base station or the capacity of the cell provided by the at least one base station. 80. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as claimed in claim 79, wherein the second instruction is used to instruct the at least one cell to increase the size of the cell coverage area to extend the cell coverage area into a coverage hole between two or more of the one or more cells. 81. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in any one of claims 78-80, wherein the service performance data further includes one or more of the following: number of active user equipment (UE) in a given area, Internet Protocol (IP) throughput, upload or download physical resource block (PRB) usage, packet latency, dropout rate, or loss rate. 82. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as claimed in any one of claims 78-80, wherein, when the program code is executed, it further causes the CCO component to: The results of the MDT are correlated with one or more of the RSRP measurement, the RSRQ measurement, the RRC connection attempt failure event, or site information. 83. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having program code stored thereon, said program code, when executed by one or more processors, causing a base station to: Controls the transmission of service performance data of the cell provided by the base station to the network management (NM) device; The control receives a first instruction from the NM device for initiating the execution of one or more Minimum Drive Tests (MDTs); Initiate execution of the one or more MDTs; Obtain the MDT result based on the one or more MDTs; Control the transmission of the MDT results to the NM device; Control receives a second instruction from the NM device for adjusting the service parameters of the cell based on the service performance data, wherein the second instruction is based on the correlation between the service performance data and the MDT results; and The service parameters of the cell are adjusted according to the second instruction, wherein the service parameters are at least one of the size of the cell's coverage area or the cell's capacity. 84. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 83, wherein adjusting the service parameters of the cell comprises: Controlling the adjustment of one or more antennas of the base station; or Control the power output to the one or more antennas. 85. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as claimed in claim 84, wherein the service performance data includes one or more of the following: number of active user equipment (UE) in a given area, Internet Protocol (IP) throughput, upload or download physical resource block (PRB) usage, packet delay, drop rate, loss rate, reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement, reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurement, or radio resource control (RRC) connection attempt failure event. 86. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in any one of claims 83-85, wherein the program code for initiating the execution of the one or more MDTs and obtaining the MDT results, when executed, further causes the base station to: Control to transmit third instructions to one or more UEs for initiating one or more measurement collection procedures or one or more data recording procedures in accordance with the one or more MDTs; and Control the receipt of MDT results from the one or more UEs based on the one or more measurement collection processes or one or more data recording processes. 87. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as described in any one of claims 83-85, wherein the program code for initiating the execution of the one or more MDTs and obtaining the MDT results, when executed, further causes the base station to: Initiate one or more measurement collection procedures or one or more data recording procedures at the base station according to the one or more MDTs; and The MDT results are determined based on one or more measurement collection processes or one or more data recording processes.