Abstract: A handover system is described for providing timely handover between wireless access points within a wireless network in order to improve a quality of service for users of the wireless network. The handover system is based upon spatially locating user equipment which is accessing the wireless network and utilising the spatial location of the user equipment to inform handover decisions. The handover system incorporates a beam-steering based spatial location system in order to spatially locate users by means of locating their user equipment. The handover system disassociates users from their currently-associated access point who would be better served by a different wireless access point, at a given point in time. Such users will then typically no longer be able to associate with any other access point on that particular network, other than that which it is deemed would best serve them, based upon their spatial location at that time.

Abstract: A spatial location system capable of spatially locating a device in three dimensions is described comprising at least three of: a transmitter and a receiver, together with an antenna array operably connected to each, wherein each antenna array is capable of varying a pointing angle of at least one antenna lobe independently without the need to move either the antenna array or its constituent parts physically and wherein at least three antenna lobes are arranged such that they may partially intersect at one or more pointing angles under electronic control. The antenna array may, for example, comprise at least a first sub-array and at least a second sub-array wherein the second sub-array is oriented substantially orthogonally to the first sub-array and at least a third sub-array wherein third sub-array is positioned at a location which is not coincident with the location at which the at least a first sub-array is positioned.

Abstract: An access control system is described for controlling access to a wireless communication system. The access control system employs a beam-steering based spatial location system in order to spatially locate potential users by means of locating their user equipment and can allow or prevent that user equipment from associating with one or more wireless access points forming a part or the whole of the wireless communication system. The beam-steering based spatial location system is also described and comprises at least one of a transmitter and a receiver together with an antenna array wherein the antenna array is capable of varying the pointing angle of at least two antenna lobes independently without the need to move either the antenna array or its constituent parts physically and wherein the at least two antenna lobes are arranged such that they may partially intersect at one or more pointing angles under electronic control.

Abstract: An antenna array is described which is suitable for use in a spatial location system comprising at least one of a transmitter and a receiver together with the antenna array wherein the antenna array is capable of varying the pointing angle of at least two antenna lobes independently without the need to move either the antenna array or its constituent parts physically and wherein the at least two antenna lobes are arranged such that they may partially intersect at one or more pointing angles under electronic control. The antenna array may, for example, comprise at least a first sub-array and at least a second sub-array wherein the second sub-array is oriented substantially orthogonally to the first sub-array and the first and second sub-array share at least one common antenna element.

Abstract: A Bluetooth beacon system is described which is capable of forming a functionally-equivalent solution to a typical prior art Bluetooth beacon system but without the need to mount physical hardware devices at one or more explicit locations at which location-specific functionality, triggered by a Bluetooth beacon, is required.

Abstract: A high-speed and low cost beam-steering system is described comprising at least one of a transmitter and a receiver together with an antenna array wherein the antenna array is capable of varying the pointing angle of at least one antenna lobe without the need to move either the antenna array or its constituent parts physically and wherein the beam-steering system consists of an antenna array and a bi-directional beamforming subsystem comprising substantially common hardware, excepting RF amplification, for both transmit and receive signal paths. The bi-directional beamforming subsystem may additionally comprise a digital beam position decoding mechanism capable of rapidly converting a beam direction instruction or code into analogue voltages or currents in order to supply components of the bi-directional beamforming subsystem with appropriate steering signals to achieve a desired beam pointing angle. The beam-steering system may be applied to the rapid geolocation of one or more radio transmitting devices.

Abstract: A spatial location system is described comprising at least one of a transmitter and a receiver together with an antenna array wherein the antenna array is capable of varying the pointing angle of at least two antenna lobes independently without the need to move either the antenna array or its constituent parts physically and wherein the at least two antenna lobes are arranged such that they may partially intersect at one or more pointing angles under electronic control. The antenna array may, for example, comprise at least a first sub-array and at least a second sub-array wherein the second sub-array is oriented substantially orthogonally to the first sub-array.

Abstract: A method of processing data for at least one wireless communication network and a data processing system for implementing such a method are provided. The method comprises determining geolocation information for data segments received at a plurality of distributed components of a data processing system, the data segments being received from at least one network element of the wireless communication network, and forwarding the data segments to backend processing resources based at least partly on their respective geolocation information.

Abstract: Techniques for improved allocation of network resources using geolocation and handover management are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a system for optimizing a mobile communications network. The system may comprise one or more processors communicatively coupled to a mobile communications network. The one or more processors may be configured identify a neighbors table comprising a handover priority list of target base stations prioritized based on relative signal strength or quality of service of the target base stations apparent to mobile devices in a footprint of a source base station. The one or more processors may also be configured to determine a non-obvious handover plan based on at least one of geolocation data of a mobile device, user information associated with the mobile device, and network resources data.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for enabling near real time analysis of data for a wireless communication network using dynamic allocation backend processing resources. The method comprises, at each of a plurality of distributed components of a data processing system, receiving data from at least one network element of the cellular communication network, parsing the received data to extract a subset of the received data, and forwarding the extracted subset of data to the dynamic allocation backend processing resources for analytical processing of the extracted subset of data for the wireless communication network.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for generating reference signatures for use in geolocation in a cellular wireless communication system is provided. A first signature for a mobile communication unit comprises location information, a timestamp, and radio frequency measurement information obtained by a mobile communication unit at a location, but does not contain identification information for the mobile communication unit. The first signature is compared to signatures in a database, to identify a second signature that has a timestamp and radio frequency measurement information that correspond to those of the first signature. A reference signature is created by combining at least a part of the first signature with at least a part of the second signature. Repetition of the comparison and combination steps creates a database of reference signatures, for use in geolocating other received call signatures.

Abstract: Techniques for multiple pass geolocation are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a system for multiple pass geolocation. The system may comprise one or more processors communicatively coupled to a mobile communications network. The one or more processors may be configured to conduct a first geolocation pass to identify one or more geolocation estimates under consideration. The one or more processors may also be configured to conduct at least one additional geolocation pass to refine one or more geolocation estimates under consideration. The one or more processors may further be configured to determine an approximate location of one or more mobile devices within an estimated coverage area of a network based on at least the first geolocation pass and the at least one additional geolocation pass.

Abstract: A device may obtain event information regarding a set of user equipment. The device may determine a first location for a particular user equipment, of the set of user equipment, based on the event information and a stored set of parameters. The device may provide information associated with identifying the first location. The device may determine a second location for the particular user equipment based on the information associated with identifying the first location and after determining the first location. The device may provide information associated with identifying the second location. The device may update the stored set of parameters as a set of updated parameters. The device may use the set of updated parameters to determine another location.

Abstract: Communication session data from a mobile radio communications network (100) is processed to extract substantially all communication session data relating to calls in at least two sectors of the network. This processing occurs as the communication session data becomes available, thereby providing a stream of communication session data (210). From the stream of communication session data (210), a high priority data stream (220) is created. The high priority data steam (220) comprises a minority of the communication session data for each call in the at least two sectors of the network (100). Geolocation data (230) is produced for each call. An immediately accessible copy of both the high priority data stream (220) and the geolocation data (230) is provided, for each call.

Abstract: A method of managing data for at least one wireless communication network and a data management system for implementing such a method are provided. The method comprises determining at least one free space metric for at least one data storage device and comparing the at least one determined free space metric for the at least one data storage device to at least one threshold value. If the at least one determined free space metric for the at least one data storage device exceeds the at least one threshold value, the method further comprises identifying data object groups represented by data objects stored within the at least one data storage device, determining a retention priority value for each identified data object group, determining at least one data object group for which to retire data objects based at least partly on the determined retention priority values, and retiring data objects within the determined at least one data object group from the at least one data storage device.

Abstract: Techniques for estimating a coverage area for a distributed antenna system (DAS) or a repeater system are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a system for estimating a coverage area for a distributed antenna system (DAS) or a repeater system. The system may comprise one or more processors communicatively coupled to a mobile communications network. The one or more processors may be configured to identify a sector as being a base station sector that deploys a distributed antenna system (DAS) or a repeater system. The one or more processors may also be configured to determine an approximate location for one or more antennas deployed by the distributed antenna system (DAS) or the repeater system. The one or more processors may further be configured to construct an estimated coverage area for the base station sector that deploys the distributed antenna system (DAS) or the repeater system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for enabling near real time analysis of data for a wireless communication network using dynamic allocation backend processing resources. The method comprises, at each of a plurality of distributed components of a data processing system, receiving data from at least one network element of the cellular communication network, parsing the received data to extract a subset of the received data, and forwarding the extracted subset of data to the dynamic allocation backend processing resources for analytical processing of the extracted subset of data for the wireless communication network.

Abstract: A method of processing data for at least one wireless communication network and a data processing system for implementing such a method are provided. The method comprises determining geolocation information for data segments received at a plurality of distributed components of a data processing system, the data segments being received from at least one network element of the wireless communication network, and forwarding the data segments to backend processing resources based at least partly on their respective geolocation information.

Abstract: Techniques for improved allocation of network resources using geolocation and handover management are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a system for optimizing a mobile communications network. The system may comprise one or more processors communicatively coupled to a mobile communications network. The one or more processors may be configured identify a neighbors table comprising a handover priority list of target base stations prioritized based on relative signal strength or quality of service of the target base stations apparent to mobile devices in a footprint of a source base station. The one or more processors may also be configured to determine a non-obvious handover plan based on at least one of geolocation data of a mobile device, user information associated with the mobile device, and network resources data.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for enabling near real time analysis of data for a wireless communication network using dynamic allocation backend processing resources. The method comprises, at each of a plurality of distributed components of a data processing system, receiving data from at least one network element of the cellular communication network, parsing the received data to extract a subset of the received data, and forwarding the extracted subset of data to the dynamic allocation backend processing resources for analytical processing of the extracted subset of data for the wireless communication network.