WO2009100790A1

WO2009100790A1 - Method and apparatus for determining a location of a cell within a cellular communication network

Info

Publication number: WO2009100790A1
Application number: PCT/EP2008/066399
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Neil
Original assignee: IP Access Ltd
Current assignee: IP Access Ltd
Priority date: 2008-02-15
Filing date: 2008-11-28
Publication date: 2009-08-20
Anticipated expiration: 2010-08-15
Also published as: GB2457655A; GB0802793D0; GB2457655B; TW200935952A

Abstract

A network element (130),for supporting communications in a communication cell (150) of a cellular communication network (100), comprises transceiver circuitry (155) arranged to enable a connection to be established with one or more wireless communication units (114) located within the communication cell (150), and signal processing logic (165). The signal processing logic (165) is arranged to receive information from a wireless communication unit (114) relating to the geographical position of the wireless communication unit (114), and upon receipt of the position information for the wireless communication unit (114), use the position information to estimate the location of the cell.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING A LOCATION OF A CELL WITHIN A CELLULAR COMMUNICATION NETWORK

Field of the invention

The field of the invention relates to a method and apparatus for determining the location of a cell within a cellular communication network, and in particular to a network element, wireless communication system and method for determining the location of a cell within a cellular communication network based on information relating to a position of one or more wireless subscriber communication units .

Background of the Invention

Wireless communication systems, such as the 3^rd Generation

(3G) of mobile telephone standards and technology, are well known. An example of such 3G standards and technology is the Universal Mobile Telecommunications

System (UMTS) , developed by the 3^rd Generation Partnership

Project (3GPP) (www.3gpp . org) .

Typically, wireless communication units, or User Equipment (UE) as they are often referred to in 3G parlance, communicate with a Core Network (CN) of the 3G wireless communication system via a Radio Network

Subsystem (RNS) . A wireless communication system typically comprises a plurality of radio network subsystems, each radio network subsystem comprising one or more cells to which UEs may attach, and thereby connect to the network. The 3^rd generation of wireless communications has been developed for macro-cell mobile phone communications. Such macro cells utilise high power base stations (NodeBs in 3GPP parlance) to communicate with UEs within a relatively large coverage area.

Lower power (and therefore smaller coverage area) femto- cells or pico-cells are a recent development within the field of wireless cellular communication systems. Femto- cells or pico-cells (with the term femto-cells being used hereafter to encompass pico-cells or similar) are effectively communication coverage areas supported by low power base stations (otherwise referred to as Access Points (APs) ) . These femto cells are intended to be able to be piggy-backed onto the more widely used macro- cellular network and support communications to UEs in a restricted, for example ^λin-building' , environment.

In this regard, a femto cell that is intended to support communications according to the 3GPP standard will hereinafter be referred to as a 3G femto cell.

Similarly, an access controller intended to support communications with a low power base station in a femto cell according to the 3GPP standard will hereinafter be referred to as a 3^rd generation access controller (3G AC) .

Similarly, an Access Point intended to support communications in a femto cell according to the 3GPP standard will hereinafter be referred to as a 3^rd

Generation Access Point (3G AP) .

Typical applications for such femto-cell APs include, by way of example, residential and commercial (e.g. office) locations, ^λhotspots' , etc, whereby an AP can be connected to a core network via, for example, the Internet using a broadband connection or the like. In this manner, femto-cells can be provided in a simple, scalable deployment in specific in-building locations where, for example, network congestion at the macro-cell level may be problematic.

As will be appreciated by a skilled artisan, it is necessary for an Operator of a cellular network to know the location of each cell within the network, for example in order for the Network Operator to be able to allocate appropriate Location Area Codes, frequency channels, etc. to each cell, and for example for the purposes of populating neighbour cell lists etc to support handover between cells. Furthermore, knowledge of a geographical location of a femto cell would facilitate locating a caller during, for example, an emergency call, and enable a Network Operator to more easily enforce regulator constraints, whereby the Network Operator is not allowed to provide network coverage in certain locations.

For macro-cellular parts of a network, determining the location of a cell is typically not an issue, since the Network Operator would have been responsible for the installation of the various base stations, and planning the locations of the macro-cells.

However, it is often the case that femto-cells are not planned, or indeed installed, by the Network Operator. Consequently, although the owner of the femto-cell knows the precise location of the femto cell, it is regularly the case that the Network Operator is unaware of the specific location of the femto-cell. Hence, it is problematic for the Network Operator to optimally allocate location area codes (LACs) , frequency channels, etc., when locations of a number of femto cells are unknown .

One known solution to this problem is for the owner of a femto-cell to inform the Network Operator of the location of the femto-cell. However, a problem with this solution is that it relies on the diligence of the owner to provide an accurate location, as well as for the owner to inform the Network Operator if, and as soon as, the cell is moved. Furthermore, a malicious owner of a femto-cell may deliberately provide an incorrect location to the

Network Operator.

Another known solution is to install a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver into the femto-cell base station. However, a problem with this solution is the high cost of installing such a receiver into femto-cell base stations. Furthermore, femto-cells are typically located in restricted environments, such as buildings etc. Consequently, since the GPS receiver will typically be stationary, and therefore limited to such a restricted environment, it is likely to suffer from unreliable coverage .

Thus, there exists a need for an apparatus and a method for determining a location of a cell, for example a femto cell, within a cellular communication network.

Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, the invention seeks to mitigate, alleviate or eliminate one or more of the abovementioned disadvantages singly or in any combination. According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a network element for supporting communications in a communication cell of a cellular communication network. The network element comprises transceiver circuitry, arranged to enable a connection to be established with one or more wireless communication units located within the communication cell, and signal processing logic. The signal processing logic is arranged to receive, from a wireless communication unit, information relating to a geographical position of the wireless communication unit, and upon receipt of the position information for the wireless communication unit (114), use the position information to estimate the location of the communication cell.

In this manner, the Operator of the network is able to obtain information relating to a location of the cell, for example a femto cell, without a need to be informed of the location of the cell by the owner of the cell, and without the expense of providing positioning functionality, such as GPS functionality, within the access point.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for determining a location of a cell within a cellular communication network. The method comprises receiving, from a wireless communication unit located within the cell, information relating to a geographical position of the wireless communication unit; and upon receipt of the position information for the wireless communication unit, using the position information for the wireless communication unit to estimate a geographical location of the communication cell. According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a wireless communication system adapted to support the aforementioned method for determining a location of a communication cell.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a wireless communication unit, for communication in a communication cell supported by a network element, comprises transceiver circuitry capable of receiving a message from the network element requesting information relating to a geographical position of the wireless communication unit. The wireless communication unit further comprises signal processing logic arranged to determine and provide the geographical position information such that the network element is able to estimate a location of the communication cell based on said geographical position information .

According to a fifth aspect of the invention there is provided a computer-readable storage element having computer-readable code stored thereon for programming signal processing logic to perform the aforementioned method.

These and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from, and elucidated with reference to, the embodiment (s) described hereinafter.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the invention will be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 illustrates an example of part of a cellular communication network adapted in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a message sequence chart for a method for determining a location of a cell within a cellular communication network in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a method for determining a location of a cell within a cellular communication network according to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 4 illustrates a typical computing system that may be employed to implement signal processing functionality in embodiments of the invention.

Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular FIG. 1, an example of part of a 3GPP network, adapted in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, is illustrated and indicated generally at 100. In FIG. 1, there is illustrated an example of a communication system 100 that comprises a combination of a macro cell 185 and a plurality of femto cells 150 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. For the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the radio network sub-system (RNS) comprises two distinct architectures to handle the respective macro cell and femto cell communications. In the macro cell scenario, the RNS comprises an RNC 136 having, inter alia, signal processing logic 138. The RNC 136 is operably coupled to a Node B 124 for supporting communications within the macro cell 185. The RNC 136 is further operably coupled to a network element 142, such as a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) /mobile switching centre (MSC), as known.

In a femto cell scenario, an RNS 110 comprises a network element, in a form of an 3G Access Point (3G AP) 130, performing a number of functions generally associated with a base station, and a controller in a form of a 3G Access controller (3G AC) 140. As will be appreciated by a skilled artisan, a 3G Access Point (3G AP) 130 is a communication element that provides access to a cellular communication network via a communication cell, such as a femto-cell 150. One envisaged application is that a 3G AP 130 may be purchased by a member of the public and installed in their home. The 3G AP 130 may then be connected to a 3G AC 140 over the owner's broadband internet connection 160.

Thus, a 3G AP 130 may be considered as encompassing a scalable, multi-channel, two-way communication device that may be provided within, say, residential and commercial (e.g. office) locations, ^λhotspots' etc, to extend or improve upon network coverage within those locations. Although there are no standard criteria for the functional components of a 3G AP, an example of a typical 3G AP for use within a 3GPP system may comprise some Node-B functionality and some aspects of radio network controller (RNC) 136 functionality. The 3G AP 130 further comprises transceiver circuitry 155 arranged to enable a connection to be established with one or more wireless communication units located within the communication cell 150;, such as User Equipment (UE) 114, via a wireless interface (Uu) . The 3G Access Controller 140 may be coupled to the core network (CN) 142 via an Iu-PS interface, as shown. In this manner, the 3G AP 130 is able to provide voice and data services to a cellular handset, such as UE 114, in a femto cell in contrast to the macro cell, in the same way as a conventional Node-B, but with the deployment simplicity of, for example, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access point.

The UE 114 is a wireless communication unit comprising a transceiver 116 arranged to transmit and receive signals, and signal processing logic 118. As would be appreciated by a skilled person, UE 114 comprises numerous other functional and logical elements to support wireless communications and functionality and which will not be described further herein. The UE 114 may also further comprise positioning logic 153, for example Global Position System (GPS) functionality.

As previously mentioned, it is necessary for the Operator of a network to know the geographical location of each cell within the network, for example in order for the Network Operator to be able to allocate appropriate Location Area Codes, frequency channels, etc. to each cell, as well as to populate neighbour cell lists. Furthermore, knowledge of the geographical location of a femto cell would facilitate a location of a caller during, for example, an emergency call. In addition, knowledge of a geographical location of a femto cell would also enable a Network Operator to more easily enforce regulatory constraints on its use of transmission frequencies. However, it is often the case that femto- cells are not planned, or indeed installed, by the Network Operator. Consequently, although the owner of the femto cell may know the precise location of the femto cell, it is regularly the case that the Network Operator is unaware of the exact geographic location of a femto- cell.

In accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the 3G Access Point (3G AP) 130 comprises signal processing logic 165 arranged to request, from the UE 114 located within the femto cell and supported by the 3G AP 130, information relating to the geographical position of the UE 114, for example GPS information. Upon receipt of the position information from the UE 114, the 3G AP 130 has been adapted to use the geographical position information to estimate a location of the femto cell.

In this manner, the 3G Access Point 130 enables a Network Operator to ascertain the location of femto cells without a need to be informed of the position of the cells by the 3G AP owners, and without having to go to the expense of providing positioning functionality, such as GPS functionality, within the access point equipment. It is noteworthy that many UEs already have GPS capability; which is used in conjunction with mapping software to show the user where they are or where they are going. Thus, in one embodiment of the invention, this existing GPS capability is re-used in a further application.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is illustrated a message sequence chart 200 of a method for determining a location of a cell within a cellular communication network, adapted in accordance with some embodiments of the invention, and such as may be implemented by the 3G Access Point 130 of FIG. 1. The method commences with an establishment of a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection 210 between the 3G Access Point 130 and a UE 114. Next, the 3G Access Point 130 sends a measurement control message 220 to the UE 114.

As will be appreciated by a skilled artisan, measurement control messages, such as message 220, may comprise a plurality of individual information elements (IEs). In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the measurement control message 220 comprises a ^λUE Positioning Measurement' IE. The measurement control message may further comprise a Periodical Reporting Criteria' IE, for instructing the UE to periodically measure its position.

In one embodiment of the invention, it is also envisaged that the measurement control message 220 may also comprise a reporting interval that specifies how often the UE 114 should measure its position. Alternatively, or additionally, the measurement control message 220 may comprise event triggering IEs, whereby the UE 114 is instructed to trigger the measurement of its position upon certain events occurring, such as if the UE position changes more than, say a predetermined threshold. More detailed information on the general principle of measurement control messages may be found in 3GPP TS 25.331, and will not be described further herein.

Upon receipt of the measurement control message 220, the UE 114 proceeds to perform position measurement (s) 240, as directed in the measurement control message. Having performed the one or more position measurement (s) 240, the UE 114 sends a measurement report message 260 back to the AP 130 comprising information relating to the position of the UE 114. It is envisaged that the measurement report message 260 may comprise the UE position in a variety of different forms. For example, the measurement report message 260 may comprise the UE Positioning Measured Results IE and/or the UE Positioning Position Estimate info IE. In particular, it is envisaged that the measurement report message 260 may comprise information corresponding to a longitude and latitude of the UE 114, and may also comprise information corresponding to an estimate of uncertainty regarding the accuracy of the geographical position of the UE, as well as comprising information corresponding to the altitude of the UE, if obtainable.

Having sent the measurement report message 260, the RRC connection is then released 270.

As will be appreciated by a skilled artisan, in the case where the UE 114 was directed by the measurement control message 220 to perform position measurement periodically or each time a specific event occurs, the UE 114 may send further measurement report messages periodically or upon the specific event occurring respectively.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is illustrated a method 300 for determining a location of a cell within a cellular communication network according to some embodiments of the invention. By way of example, the method 300 may be implemented in a form of computer- readable code for programming signal processing logic, such as signal processing logic 160 of 3G AP 130 FIG. 1, and stored within a computer-readable storage element, such as memory element 170.

The method 300 starts and moves to step 310, with the establishment of a connection with a UE located within a communication cell.

The method 300 may commence upon the UE initiating the establishment of a connection. For example, upon the UE entering a coverage area of the cell, and attempting to access the cell. In this manner, the UE may initiate the establishment of the connection in order to register with the cell by sending a Registration Request Message, or to perform a Location Update Request procedure with the core network by sending a Location Update Request message.

For the illustrated embodiment, the method 300 then moves to step 320, where an AP requests from the UE to provide information relating to its geographical position. For example, step 320 may comprise sending a measurement control message to the UE, as described above. The method then moves to step 330, with the receipt of information relating to the position of the UE. For example, the UE 114 may send a measurement report message to the access point 130 of FIG. 1.

Next, in step 340, upon receipt of the position information for the UE, the position information for the UE is used to estimate the location of the cell. For example, in a case where the cell is a femto cell, or other cell of sufficiently small geographical coverage, the position of the UE, according to the position information provided by the UE, may be used as an approximate location of the cell. Alternatively, position information received from a UE may be used in conjunction with position information previously received from one or more UEs to provide a more accurate means of estimating the location of the cell.

For example, a longitudinal value for the location of the cell may be estimated by summing the longitudinal measurements from one or more UEs, and dividing the sum by the number of longitudinal measurements to provide an average longitudinal value. Similarly, a latitudinal value for the location of the cell may be estimated by summing the latitudinal measurements from one or more UEs, and dividing the sum by the number of latitudinal measurements to provide an average value.

Having estimated the location of the cell, the method ends .

Referring back to FIG. 1, and in accordance with some embodiments of the invention, the determination of the location of the femto cell is performed by the signal processing logic 165 of the 3G Access Point 130. Accordingly, the location of the femto cell may subsequently be provided to the Operator of the network by providing information identifying the cell location to the core network 120.

For example, when an emergency call occurs, the location of the UE 114 needs to be reported to the Core Network, which for the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises the MSC/SGSN 142. Since the coverage of a femto cell is typically small, the location of the UE and the location of the femto cell are approximately the same. Accordingly, the location of the femto cell may be provided to the core network.

Furthermore, due to regulatory constraints, a Network

Operator may be allowed to transmit in one location, but not in another. Thus, by providing the core network with the location of the femto cell, the Network Operator may be able to determine if the femto cell is in a location where it is not allowed to transmit, and accordingly refuse access to the communication network via that access point.

It is further contemplated that the access point may utilise the location information itself. For example, the access point may be configured with a range of allowed locations. If the access point receives location information from a UE indicating that the femto cell is in a location that is not within a range of allowed locations, the access point may stop providing a service.

For the embodiments illustrated in FIG' s 2 and 3, the 3G Access Point 130 is configured to request the location information from UEs. However, it is within the contemplation of the invention that signal processing logic 118 of UE 114 may be arranged to provide information relating to its geographical position upon moving to a new cell 150 without a need for the access point 130 to request such information.

Alternatively, the signal processing logic 118 of a UE 114 may be arranged, upon the UE 114 relocating to a cell comprising a Location Area Code (LAC) different to that of the cell from which the UE 114 has moved, to provide the position information to, for example the access point 130 supporting communications within the cell.

In a still further alternative embodiment, the signal processing logic 118 of the UE 114 may be arranged to periodically send its location information to the access point 130 or base station (Node B) 124 corresponding to the current cell in which it is located.

As will be appreciated by a skilled artisan, by enabling an access point to determine the location of a corresponding femto cell, an Operator of the respective network is able to obtain the information identifying the location of the femto cell without having to rely on, for example, the owner of the femto cell to inform them of the location, and without the need to install positioning functionality, such as GPS functionality, into the base station/access point.

Referring now to FIG. 4, there is illustrated a typical computing system 400 that may be employed to implement signal processing functionality in embodiments of the invention. Computing systems of this type may be used in access points and wireless communication units. Those skilled in the relevant art will also recognize how to implement the invention using other computer systems or architectures. Computing system 400 may represent, for example, a desktop, laptop or notebook computer, handheld computing device (PDA, cell phone, palmtop, etc.), mainframe, server, client, or any other type of special or general purpose computing device as may be desirable or appropriate for a given application or environment. Computing system 400 can include one or more processors, such as a processor 404. Processor 404 can be implemented using a general or special-purpose processing engine such as, for example, a microprocessor, microcontroller or other control logic. In this example, processor 404 is connected to a bus 402 or other communications medium.

Computing system 400 can also include a main memory 408, such as random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic memory, for storing information and instructions to be executed by processor 404. Main memory 408 also may be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions to be executed by processor 404. Computing system 400 may likewise include a read only memory (ROM) or other static storage device coupled to bus 402 for storing static information and instructions for processor 404.

The computing system 400 may also include information storage system 410, which may include, for example, a media drive 412 and a removable storage interface 420. The media drive 412 may include a drive or other mechanism to support fixed or removable storage media, such as a hard disk drive, a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, a compact disc (CD) or digital video drive (DVD) read or write drive (R or RW), or other removable or fixed media drive. Storage media 418 may include, for example, a hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic tape, optical disk, CD or DVD, or other fixed or removable medium that is read by and written to by media drive 44. As these examples illustrate, the storage media 418 may include a computer- readable storage medium having particular computer software or data stored therein. In alternative embodiments, information storage system 410 may include other similar components for allowing computer programs or other instructions or data to be loaded into computing system 400. Such components may include, for example, a removable storage unit 422 and an interface 420, such as a program cartridge and cartridge interface, a removable memory (for example, a flash memory or other removable memory module) and memory slot, and other removable storage units 422 and interfaces 420 that allow software and data to be transferred from the removable storage unit 418 to computing system 400.

Computing system 400 can also include a communications interface 424. Communications interface 424 can be used to allow software and data to be transferred between computing system 400 and external devices. Examples of communications interface 424 can include a modem, a network interface (such as an Ethernet or other NIC card) , a communications port (such as for example, a universal serial bus (USB) port) , a PCMCIA slot and card, etc. Software and data transferred via communications interface 424 are in the form of signals which can be electronic, electromagnetic, and optical or other signals capable of being received by communications interface 424. These signals are provided to communications interface 424 via a channel 428. This channel 428 may carry signals and may be implemented using a wireless medium, wire or cable, fiber optics, or other communications medium. Some examples of a channel include a phone line, a cellular phone link, an RF link, a network interface, a local or wide area network, and other communications channels. In this document, the terms 'computer program product' 'computer-readable medium' and the like may be used generally to refer to media such as, for example, memory 408, storage device 418, or storage unit 422. These and other forms of computer-readable media may store one or more instructions for use by processor 404, to cause the processor to perform specified operations. Such instructions, generally referred to as 'computer program code' (which may be grouped in the form of computer programs or other groupings) , when executed, enable the computing system 400 to perform functions of embodiments of the present invention. Note that the code may directly cause the processor to perform specified operations, be compiled to do so, and/or be combined with other software, hardware, and/or firmware elements (e.g., libraries for performing standard functions) to do so.

In an embodiment where the elements are implemented using software, the software may be stored in a computer- readable medium and loaded into computing system 400 using, for example, removable storage drive 44, drive 412 or communications interface 424. The control logic (in this example, software instructions or computer program code), when executed by the processor 404, causes the processor 404 to perform the functions of the invention as described herein.

It will be appreciated that, for clarity purposes, the above description has described embodiments of the invention with reference to different functional elements and processors. However, it will be apparent that any suitable distribution of functionality between different functional elements or processors, for example with respect to the base station or controller, may be used without detracting from the invention. For example, it is envisaged that functionality illustrated to be performed by separate processors or controllers may be performed by the same processor or controller. Hence, references to specific functional units are only to be seen as references to suitable means for providing the described functionality, rather than indicative of a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

Aspects of the invention may be implemented in any suitable form including hardware, software, firmware or any combination of these. The invention may optionally be implemented, at least partly, as computer software running on one or more data processors and/or digital signal processors. Thus, the elements and components of an embodiment of the invention may be physically, functionally and logically implemented in any suitable way. Indeed, the functionality may be implemented in a single unit, in a plurality of units or as part of other functional units.

Although one embodiment of the invention describes an AP for UMTS network, it is envisaged that the inventive concept is not restricted to this embodiment.

Although the invention has been described in connection with some embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the specific form set forth herein. Rather, the scope of the present invention is limited only by the accompanying claims. Additionally, although a feature may appear to be described in connection with particular embodiments, one skilled in the art would recognize that various features of the described embodiments may be combined in accordance with the invention. In the claims, the term Comprising' does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps.

Moreover, an embodiment can be implemented as a computer- readable storage element having computer readable code stored thereon for programming a computer (e.g., comprising a signal processing device) to perform a method as described and claimed herein. Examples of such computer-readable storage elements include, but are not limited to, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, a ROM (Read Only

Memory) , a PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory) , an EPROM

(Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) , an EEPROM

(Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) and a Flash memory. Further, it is expected that one of ordinary skill, notwithstanding possibly significant effort and many design choices motivated by, for example, available time, current technology, and economic considerations, when guided by the concepts and principles disclosed herein will be readily capable of generating such software instructions and programs and ICs with minimal experimentation.

Furthermore, although individually listed, a plurality of means, elements or method steps may be implemented by, for example, a single unit or processor. Additionally, although individual features may be included in different claims, these may possibly be advantageously combined, and the inclusion in different claims does not imply that a combination of features is not feasible and/or advantageous. Also, the inclusion of a feature in one category of claims does not imply a limitation to this category, but rather indicates that the feature is equally applicable to other claim categories, as appropriate .

Furthermore, the order of features in the claims does not imply any specific order in which the features must be performed and in particular the order of individual steps in a method claim does not imply that the steps must be performed in this order. Rather, the steps may be performed in any suitable order. In addition, singular references do not exclude a plurality. Thus, references to ^λa' , ^λan' , ^λfirst' , 'second' etc. do not preclude a plurality.

Thus, a method and apparatus for determining a location of a cell have been described, which substantially addresses at least some of the shortcomings of past and present cell location techniques and/or mechanisms.

Claims

1. A network element (130) for supporting communications in a communication cell (150) of a cellular communication network (100), the network element (130) comprising: transceiver circuitry (155) arranged to enable a connection to be established with one or more wireless communication units (114) located within the communication cell (150); and signal processing logic (165), wherein the signal processing logic (165) is arranged to: receive from a wireless communication unit (114) information relating to a geographical position of the wireless communication unit (114) within the communication cell (150); and upon receipt of the geographical position information of the wireless communication unit (114), use the position information to estimate a location of the cell.

2. The network element (130) of Claim 1 wherein the signal processing logic (165) is further arranged, upon a connection being established with the wireless communication unit (114), to request from the wireless communication unit (114) information relating to the geographical position of the wireless communication unit (114) .

3. The network element (130) of Claim 2 wherein the signal processing logic (165) is arranged to request information relating to the geographical position of the wireless communication unit (114) by sending a measurement control message (220) to the wireless communication unit (114).

4. The network element (130) of Claim 3 wherein the measurement control message (220) comprises a User

Equipment (UE) Positioning Measurement Information Element (IE) .

5. The network element (130) of Claim 3 or Claim 4 wherein the measurement control message (220) comprises a Periodical Reporting Criteria Information Element (IE) .

6. The network element (130) of any of preceding Claims 3 to 5 wherein the signal processing logic (165) is arranged to receive information relating to the geographical position of the wireless communication unit (114) in a form of a measurement report message (260) .

7. The network element (130) of Claim 6 wherein the measurement report message (260) comprises a user equipment (UE) positioning measured results information element (IE) or a UE positioning estimate IE.

8. The network element (130) of Claim 6 wherein the measurement report message (260) comprises information corresponding to a longitude and a latitude of the wireless communication unit (114).

9. The network element (130) of Claim 6 where the measurement report message (260) comprises information corresponding to the altitude of the wireless communication unit (114) .

10. The network element (130) of any of preceding Claims 6 to 9 wherein the measurement report message

(260) comprises information corresponding to an estimate of uncertainty regarding the accuracy of the geographical position of the wireless communication unit (114) .

11. The network element (130) of any preceding Claim wherein the signal processing logic (165) is arranged to estimate the location of the communication cell (150) further based on position information previously received from one or more wireless communication units (114) .

12. The network element (130) of Claim 11 wherein the signal processing logic (165) is arranged to estimate the location of the communication cell (150) by: estimating a longitudinal value for the location of the cell by summing longitudinal measurements from one or more wireless communication units, and dividing the sum by the number of longitudinal measurements to provide an average longitudinal value; and estimating a latitudinal value for the location of the cell by summing the latitudinal measurements from one or more wireless communication units, and dividing the sum by the number of latitudinal measurements to provide an average latitudinal value.

13. The network element (130) of any preceding Claim wherein the network element is an access point and the communication cell (150) is a femto cell.

14. The network element (130) of any preceding Claim wherein the cellular communication network comprises a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) network .

15. A method (300) for determining a location of a communication cell (150) within a cellular communication network (100), wherein the method comprises the steps of: receiving, from a wireless communication unit located within the cell, information relating to a geographical position of the wireless communication unit (330) ; and upon receipt of the geographical position information for the wireless communication unit, using the position information for the wireless communication unit to estimate a location of the cell (340) .

16. A wireless communication system (100) adapted to support the method for determining a location of a cell of Claim 15.

17. A wireless communication unit (114) for communicating in a communication cell (150) supported by a network element (130) comprising: transceiver circuitry (116) capable of receiving a message from the network element (130) requesting information relating to a geographical position of the wireless communication unit (114); and signal processing logic (118) arranged to determine and provide the geographical position information such that the network element (130) is able to estimate a location of the communication cell (150) based on said geographical position information.

18. A computer-readable storage element (408) having computer-readable code stored thereon for programming signal processing logic (404) to perform a method (300) for determining a location of a cell within a cellular communication network, wherein the method comprises the steps of: receiving, from a wireless communication unit located within the cell, information relating to the geographical position of the wireless communication unit (330) ; and upon receipt of the position information for the wireless communication unit, using the position information for the wireless communication unit to estimate the location of the cell (340) .

19. The computer-readable storage element (408) of Claim 18, wherein the computer readable storage medium comprises at least one of a hard disk, a CD-ROM, an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, a ROM (Read Only Memory) , a PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory) , a EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) , a EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) and a Flash memory.