Abstract: Call detail records are generated for usage of a telecommunications service established in a telecommunications network, by monitoring messages in a signalling system for co-ordinating operation of the network and carried over signalling links in the signalling system between a service switching function entity and a service control function entity. Messages are selected that relate to instances of usage of the telecommunications service initiated by the service switching function entity to at least one signal switching point in the network. These selected messages are correlated in accordance with the usage instance to which they relate, and information in the correlated selected messages is used to derive a call detail record for an instance of usage of the telecommunications service.

Abstract: A performance indicator is allocated among a plurality of cells in a cellular communication system, in order to monitor operation of the system as experienced by a user thereof, by monitoring occurrence of signalling messages in the system.

Abstract: In order to discover at least part of a frequency list used by an active wireless device in a cellular communications network for neighbour cell signal measurements, measurement reports are extracted from messages carrying reports of measurements relating to propagation of wireless signals between the network and the device. Additional information (such as identity of sections of the network adjacent to a current serving cell for the device) is extracted from other messages, and the extracted measurement reports and additional information are combined to discover the required frequency list.

Abstract: Synchronisation of signal measurement reports in a mobile communications system is monitored by monitoring signalling messages traversing a signalling link and containing measurement reports of signals exchanged by a base station and a mobile station, deriving from the measurement reports a first indication of reporting of a first operational parameter of the exchanged signals, deriving from the measurement reports a second indication of reporting of a second operational parameter of the exchanged signals, and comparing the first and second indications to determine whether signal measurement reports are synchronised.

Abstract: Apparatus for determining a protocol of messages traversing a signalling link in a telecommunications network includes a memory for storing one or more predetermined characteristic of a message in the protocol that can be used to distinguish that protocol from other protocols. A protocol auto-discovery module is coupled to the memory and to a module that extracts channels from signalling link timeslots. The protocol auto-discovery module determines whether the predetermined characteristic is present in the sampled message and identifies the signalling link as carrying messages in the particular protocol if the predetermined characteristic is present in the sampled message. The identification may be based on a confidence measure stored in a channel configuration table which is incremented when a message on the signalling link is identified as being in that particular protocol and decremented when a message is identified as being in another protocol.

Abstract: A system for determining location of a mobile communications device obtains data for that purpose by monitoring signalling links in a communications network supporting the device. Data from signalling messages concerning propagation of signals between the device and the network are enhanced by the addition of data from other kinds of messages to facilitate use of the propagation data in determining the device's location.

Abstract: Call detail records are generated for usage of a telecommunications service established in a telecommunications network, by monitoring messages in a signalling system for co-ordinating operation of the network and carried over signalling links in the signalling system between a service switching function entity and a service control function entity. Messages are selected that relate to instances of usage of the telecommunications service initiated by the service switching function entity to at least one signal switching point in the network. These selected messages are correlated in accordance with the usage instance to which they relate, and information in the correlated selected messages is used to derive a call detail record for an instance of usage of the telecommunications service.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for operating a synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (S-CDMA) radio frequency communication system having a host transceiver unit and a plurality of user transceiver units. The method includes an initial step of defining a super-frame to be comprised of N sequential frames of data. In the preferred embodiment N is equal to three. For a user transceiver unit that obtains access to the host transceiver unit a next step of the method receives frames of data transmitted by the host transceiver unit and initially aligns a receiver timing and a transmitter timing of the user transceiver unit to a super-frame boundary of the received frames. A next step transmits frames of data from the user transceiver unit to the host transceiver unit using the initial timing alignment.