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US-20260129462-A1 - SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR IDENTIFYING A MISSING ANCHOR BETWEEN A FIFTH-GENERATION BASE STATION AND A FOURTH-GENERATION BASE STATION

US20260129462A1US 20260129462 A1US20260129462 A1US 20260129462A1US-20260129462-A1

Abstract

A device may receive, from a first fifth-generation (5G) base station, first data identifying first customers missing an anchor to a fourth-generation (4G) base station and first customers in a first coverage overlap area, and may receive, from a second 5G base station, second data identifying second customers missing an anchor to the 4G base station and second customers in a second coverage overlap area. The device may select one of the first 5G base station or the second 5G base station for an anchor with the 4G base station based on the first data and the second data, and may cause the 4G base station to establish an anchor with the one of the first 5G base station or the second 5G base station.

Inventors

  • Manojkumar SEKAR
  • Vamshi Mohan DEVANAPALLI RAMAYA
  • Arun Cherla
  • Abhitabh KUSHWAHA

Assignees

  • VERIZON PATENT AND LICENSING INC.

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20241104

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . A method, comprising: receiving, by a device and from a first fifth-generation (5G) base station, first data identifying first customers missing an anchor to a fourth-generation (4G) base station and first customers in a first coverage overlap area; receiving, by the device and from a second 5G base station, second data identifying second customers missing an anchor to the 4G base station and second customers in a second coverage overlap area; selecting, by the device, one of the first 5G base station or the second 5G base station for an anchor with the 4G base station based on the first data and the second data; and causing, by the device, the 4G base station to establish an anchor with the one of the first 5G base station or the second 5G base station.
  2. 2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: identifying a particular 5G base station without an anchor and co-located with the 4G base station; and causing the 4G base station to establish an anchor with the particular 5G base station.
  3. 3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving 5G data associated with a plurality of 5G base stations; and receiving 4G data associated with the 4G base station.
  4. 4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising: calculating coverage overlap weights, distance weights, utilization weights, and impact weights based on the 5G data and the 4G data; and calculating relationship scores based on the coverage overlap weights, the distance weights, the utilization weights, and the impact weights.
  5. 5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising: identifying, based on the relationship scores, one of the plurality of 5G base stations without an anchor relationship with the 4G base station; and causing the 4G base station to establish an anchor with the one of the plurality of 5G base stations.
  6. 6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first coverage overlap area includes a first coverage area of the first 5G base station that overlaps with a coverage area of the 4G base station, and the second coverage overlap area includes a second coverage area of the second 5G base station that overlaps with the coverage area of the 4G base station.
  7. 7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the one of the first 5G base station or the second 5G base station for the anchor with the 4G base station comprises: selecting the one of the first 5G base station or the second 5G base station for the anchor with the 4G base station based on real-time utilization rates of the first 5G base station, the second 5G base station, and the 4G base station.
  8. 8 . A device, comprising: one or more processors configured to: receive, from a first fifth-generation (5G) base station, first data identifying first customers missing an anchor to a fourth-generation (4G) base station and first customers in a first coverage overlap area, wherein the first coverage overlap area includes a first coverage area of the first 5G base station that overlaps with a coverage area of the 4G base station; receive, from a second 5G base station, second data identifying second customers missing an anchor to the 4G base station and second customers in a second coverage overlap area, wherein the second coverage overlap area includes a second coverage area of the second 5G base station that overlaps with the coverage area of the 4G base station; select one of the first 5G base station or the second 5G base station for an anchor with the 4G base station based on the first data and the second data; and cause the 4G base station to establish an anchor with the one of the first 5G base station or the second 5G base station.
  9. 9 . The device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors, to select the one of the first 5G base station or the second 5G base station for the anchor with the 4G base station, are configured to one of: select the first 5G base station for the anchor with the 4G base station based on a quantity of impacted first customers, associated with the first 5G base station, being less than a quantity of impacted second customers associated with the second 5G base station; or select the second 5G base station for the anchor with the 4G base station based on the quantity of impacted first customers being greater than the quantity of impacted second customers.
  10. 10 . The device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive, from a third 5G base station, third data identifying third customers missing an anchor to the 4G base station and third customers with fixed wireless access (FWA) devices in a third coverage overlap area; receive, from a fourth 5G base station, fourth data identifying fourth customers missing an anchor to the 4G base station and fourth customers with FWA devices in a fourth coverage overlap area; select one of the third 5G base station or the fourth 5G base station for an anchor with the 4G base station based on the third data and the fourth data; and cause the 4G base station to establish an anchor with the one of the third 5G base station or the fourth 5G base station.
  11. 11 . The device of claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors, to select the one of the third 5G base station or the fourth 5G base station for the anchor with the 4G base station, are configured to one of: select the third 5G base station for the anchor with the 4G base station based on a quantity of impacted third customers with FWA devices being less than a quantity of impacted fourth customers with FWA devices; or select the fourth 5G base station for the anchor with the 4G base station based on the quantity of impacted third customers with FWA devices being greater than the quantity of impacted fourth customers with FWA devices.
  12. 12 . The device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive real-time utilization rates of the first 5G base station, the second 5G base station, and the 4G base station; and remove the anchor between the 4G base station and the one of the first 5G base station or the second 5G base station based on the real-time utilization rates.
  13. 13 . The device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive updated first data and updated second data; select another one of the first 5G base station or the second 5G base station for the anchor with the 4G base station based on the updated first data and the updated second data; and cause the 4G base station to establish the anchor with the other one of the first 5G base station or the second 5G base station.
  14. 14 . The device of claim 8 , wherein the first data includes data identifying one or more of connection attempts with the first 5G base station, a distance between the 4G base station and the first 5G base station, a utilization rate of the first 5G base station, or plans supported by the first 5G base station, and wherein the second data includes data identifying one or more of connection attempts with the second 5G base station, a distance between the 4G base station and the second 5G base station, a utilization rate of the second 5G base station, or plans supported by the second 5G base station.
  15. 15 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions, the set of instructions comprising: one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to: receive, from a first fifth-generation (5G) base station, first data identifying first customers missing an anchor to a fourth-generation (4G) base station and first customers in a first coverage overlap area, wherein the first data includes data identifying one or more of connection attempts with the first 5G base station, a distance between the 4G base station and the first 5G base station, a utilization rate of the first 5G base station, or plans supported by the first 5G base station; receive, from a second 5G base station, second data identifying second customers missing an anchor to the 4G base station and second customers in a second coverage overlap area, wherein the second data includes data identifying one or more of connection attempts with the second 5G base station, a distance between the 4G base station and the second 5G base station, a utilization rate of the second 5G base station, or plans supported by the second 5G base station; select one of the first 5G base station or the second 5G base station for an anchor with the 4G base station based on the first data and the second data; and cause the 4G base station to establish an anchor with the one of the first 5G base station or the second 5G base station.
  16. 16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the one or more instructions further cause the device to: identify a particular 5G base station without an anchor and co-located with the 4G base station; and cause the 4G base station to establish an anchor with the particular 5G base station.
  17. 17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the one or more instructions further cause the device to: receive 5G data associated with a plurality of 5G base stations; receive 4G data associated with the 4G base station; calculate coverage overlap weights, distance weights, utilization weights, and impact weights based on the 5G data and the 4G data; calculate relationship scores based on the coverage overlap weights, the distance weights, the utilization weights, and the impact weights; identify, based on the relationship scores, one of the plurality of 5G base stations without an anchor relationship with the 4G base station; and cause the 4G base station to establish an anchor with the one of the plurality of 5G base stations.
  18. 18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the device to select the one of the first 5G base station or the second 5G base station for the anchor with the 4G base station, cause the device to: select the one of the first 5G base station or the second 5G base station for the anchor with the 4G base station based on real-time utilization rates of the first 5G base station, the second 5G base station, and the 4G base station.
  19. 19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the one or more instructions, that cause the device to select the one of the first 5G base station or the second 5G base station for the anchor with the 4G base station, cause the device to one of: select the first 5G base station for the anchor with the 4G base station based on a quantity of impacted first customers, associated with the first 5G base station, being less than a quantity of impacted second customers associated with the second 5G base station; or select the second 5G base station for the anchor with the 4G base station based on the quantity of impacted first customers being greater than the quantity of impacted second customers.
  20. 20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the one or more instructions further cause the device to: receive, from a third 5G base station, third data identifying third customers missing an anchor to the 4G base station and third customers with fixed wireless access (FWA) devices in a third coverage overlap area; receive, from a fourth 5G base station, fourth data identifying fourth customers missing an anchor to the 4G base station and fourth customers with FWA devices in a fourth coverage overlap area; select one of the third 5G base station or the fourth 5G base station for an anchor with the 4G base station based on the third data and the fourth data; and cause the 4G base station to establish an anchor with the one of the third 5G base station or the fourth 5G base station.

Description

BACKGROUND A customer (e.g., with a fixed wireless access (FWA) device, a user equipment (UE), and/or the like) may connect with a fifth-generation (5G) base station (e.g., a gNodeB or gNB) in a 5G non-stand-alone (NSA) approach by establishing an anchor between the 5G base station and a fourth-generation (4G) base station (e.g., an eNodeB or eNB). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGS. 1A-1G are diagrams of an example associated with identifying a missing anchor between a 5G base station and a 4G base station. FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example environment in which systems and/or methods described herein may be implemented. FIG. 3 is a diagram of example components of one or more devices of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an example process for identifying a missing anchor between a 5G base station and a 4G base station. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS The following detailed description of example implementations refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements. Operators utilize anchors between 4G base stations and 5G base stations to ensure connectivity and service in 5G non-stand-alone (NSA) approaches. However, the dynamic nature of network usage and the geographic distribution of customers can lead to situations where anchors are missing or not optimally placed. Network performance must be constantly monitored to identify and add these missing anchors, a process that requires significant effort and can still fail to adequately address customer impact. Current techniques for adding missing anchors rely on network coverage overlap and geographical distances between 4G base stations and 5G base stations. These techniques fail to consider customer experience, priorities of services, usage patterns, and/or the like when adding missing anchors. For example, a coverage-based approach for anchor addition may lead to suboptimal customer experiences if areas with higher overlap fail to coincide with areas where customers are most impacted by service issues. Thus, current techniques for determining 4G base stations as anchors for 5G base stations consume computing resources (e.g., processing resources, memory resources, communication resources, and/or the like), networking resources, and/or other resources associated with failing to adapt quickly to fluctuating network demands, incorrectly identifying anchors, causing network inefficiencies and connectivity issues due to incorrectly identifying anchors, causing a poor customer experience for a customer of a fixed wireless access (FWA) device due to incorrectly identifying anchors, and/or the like. Some implementations described herein provide a self-organizing network (SON) system that identifies a missing anchor between a 5G base station and a 4G base station. For example, the SON system may receive, from a first 5G base station, first data identifying first customers missing an anchor to a 4G base station and first customers in a first coverage overlap area, and may receive, from a second 5G base station, second data identifying second customers missing an anchor to the 4G base station and second customers in a second coverage overlap area. The SON system may select one of the first 5G base station or the second 5G base station for an anchor with the 4G base station based on the first data and the second data, and may cause the 4G base station to establish an anchor with the one of the first 5G base station or the second 5G base station. In this way, the SON system identifies a missing anchor between a 5G base station and a 4G base station. For example, the SON system may dynamically identify which connections would benefit from a new or adjusted anchor based on real-time data, and may prioritize anchor placement based on metrics, such as network throughput and resource allocation, rather than solely on geographic coverage overlap. The SON system may also reduce a need for intervention by network engineers, and may increase operational efficiency of a network. By prioritizing anchor connections based on actual network performance metrics and service requirements, the SON system may provide targeted improvements to optimize network capacity and handling of high-priority traffic, such as traffic associated with FWA devices. Thus, the SON system may conserve computing resources, networking resources, and/or other resources that would have otherwise been consumed by failing to adapt quickly to fluctuating network demands, incorrectly identifying anchors, causing network inefficiencies and connectivity issues due to incorrectly identifying anchors, causing a poor customer experience for a customer of an FWA device due to incorrectly identifying anchors, and/or the like. FIGS. 1A-1G are diagrams of an example 100 associated with identifying a missing anchor between a 5G base station and a 4G base station. As shown in FIGS. 1A-1G, the example 100 includes an FWA device 105 ass