CLIAMS:We Claim:
1. A method for providing real time price update of mobile-phone services, comprising the steps of:
receiving a query from a subscriber for discount rates for mobile-phone services;
retrieving subscriber specific data and forming a set comprising a current cell site, at least one neighboring cell site and at least one frequently visited cell site;
calculating a discount rate for at least one cell site included in the set, the discount rate being based at least on a current spectrum utilization data or a current revenue data;
ranking the cell sites for which discount rate has been calculated based at least on one of: nearness of the cell site to the current cell site, a quantum of discount rate, and a past frequency of mobile-phone usage by the subscriber at the cell site;
obtaining point of interest information for the cell sites falling within a predetermined number of ranks; and
communicating details of the point of interest along-with the discount rate to the subscriber as per their respective ranking.
2. A method for providing real time price update of mobile phone services, comprising the steps of:
in respect of a particular cell site, forming a set of neighboring cell sites, wherein a neighboring cell site is said to satisfy a predetermined criteria;
calculating a discount rate for at least one cell site included in the set, the discount rate being based on a current spectrum utilization data;
performing a first stage ranking of the cell sites for which discount rate has been calculated based at least on one of: nearness of the cell sites to the current cell site, a quantum of discount rate, a past spectrum utilization data at the cell sites;
obtaining point of interest information for the cell sites falling within a predetermined number of ranks;
performing a second stage ranking of a predetermined number of first stage ranked cell sites based at least on a popularity index of the point of interest information; and
communicating details of the point of interest along-with the discount rate to the subscribers in the current cell site as per the respective second stage ranking.
3. A method for providing real time price update of mobile phone services, comprising the steps of:
retrieving subscriber specific data upon satisfaction of a pre-determined criteria and forming a set comprising a current cell site, at least one neighboring cell site and at least one frequently visited cell site, wherein the pre-determined criteria does not include receipt of a request from a subscriber;
calculating a discount rate for at least one cell site included in the set, the discount rate being based at least on a spectrum utilization data or a current revenue data;
ranking the cell sites for which discount rate has been calculated based at least on one of: nearness of the cell site to the current cell site, a quantum of discount rate, and a past frequency of visit of the subscriber to said cell site;
obtaining point of interest information for the cell sites falling within a predetermined number of ranks;
communicating details of the point of interest along-with the discount rate to the subscriber as per their respective ranking.
4. The method as claimed in claims 1 and 3, wherein retrieving the subscriber specific data comprises retrieving data related to current cell site of the subscriber and the frequently used cell sites by the subscriber.
5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein retrieving the frequently used cell sites comprises retrieving the cell sites where the subscriber has used mobile-phone services a predetermined number of times in a pre-determined elapsed time period.
6. The method as claimed in any of the claims 1-3, wherein forming the set comprising the neighboring cell sites comprises retrieving the cell sites that are at a pre-determined distance from the current cell site of the subscriber.
7. The method as claimed in any of the claims 1-3, wherein calculating the discount rate comprises accessing the spectrum utilization data corresponding to a current bandwidth utilization in the at least one cell site in the set; and
allocating the discount rate to the at least one cell site based on a magnitude of the current bandwidth utilization within the at least one cell site.
8. The method as claimed in any of the claims 1-3, wherein the communicating the details of the point of interest comprises re-ranking the points of interests in accordance with a popularity index associated with each of the points of interest .
9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein communicating the details of the point of interest comprises forwarding the re-ranked points of interest along with the associated discount rates to the subscriber.
,TagSPECI:Method and System of providing real-time mobile-phone services price update in subscriber-relevant cell sites

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present subject matter generally relates to wireless communication systems and in particular relates to communication of the price update information related to mobile-phone services.

BACKGROUND
The following background discussion includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

In an intensely competitive telecom environment, efficient utilization of network capacity positively affects both the subscribers and operators. However not always such effective utilization is achieved because of fluctuation in the demand. The following scenarios have been generally observed:
(a) all cells in the mobile telecommunication network experience demand close to a bench-marked demand for most part of a day (normal time), experience an increased demand during certain time of the day (peak-time) and experience a decreased demand during certain other time of the day (lean-time);
(b) all cells in the mobile telecommunication network may not experience increased demand (or alternatively decreased demand) during the same time of the day, and especially, cells neighboring each other in the mobile telecommunication network may not experience increased demand during the same time of the day; and so on.

If a particular cell is experiencing peak-time and as a result of the same, the subscribers (existing or futuristic) are not being catered properly, the same may result in un-satisfied customer. On the other hand, non-utilization of resources of a particular cell (experiencing either a lean-time or a normal time) can lead to increase in loss of revenue or dead weight loss, as un-utilized resources, especially bandwidth, cannot be preserved and used for generating revenue at a later time period).

Therefore, one commonly adopted practice is to offer the unutilized resources available at a certain cell (at a certain time of the day) at a discount rate to the subscribers. The said offer can be in the form of cell specific price update or differential price per cell in a telecommunication network.

It has been found that when such price update is communicated, the subscribers have the choice of moving to an area catered by the cell having the unutilized resources and seek services therefrom. This results in even utilization of the resources of the mobile telecom environment, a high probability of revenue generation (both being beneficial to the network operator) and availability of the services at a discounted price (which is beneficial to the subscriber). While the success of the aforesaid approach depends upon many factors, some of the prominent factors are (a) the resources consumed in communicating the offer and (b) a motivating information as contained in the price update, wherein the motivating information is defined as the information that prompts the subscriber to move to the area catered by the cell having the unutilized resources and seek services therefrom.

Some of the documents describing the aforesaid conventional systems are US 2008-0311885, US 6006085, and US 6947724.

US 20080311885 describes a system for encouraging changes in user behavior of usage of wireless services from a mobile device in order to effect shaping of traffic and utilization patterns among a plurality of cells within a rate plan region, wherein a discount indicator disposed in said mobile device is provided to notify a user of a discount available for consuming wireless service from a given cell.

US 6006085 describes a telecommunication system and method for increasing the utilization of available bandwidth, which will simultaneously maximize revenue for wireless service providers. This is accomplished through a flexible marketing mechanism based on system utilization, which enables service providers to tailor the system charging rate based upon the current system utilization rate.

US 6947724 describes a method of billing a call made by a user in a telecommunications network based on a reported traffic load in the network.

Despite the teachings of the aforesaid documents, there is still felt a need to arrive at a more efficient process that can provide the aforesaid goals (i.e. to prompt the subscriber to move to the area catered by the cell having the unutilized resources and seek services therefrom).

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION:
It is an object of the invention to provide a system and method for providing real time price update of mobile phone services at various subscriber relevant cell sites in a telecommunication network.

An approach with the present invention involves selecting the cell sites for inviting a subscriber to use his cell phone rather than using the cell phone in his current cell site, based on a relevancy of an associated point of interest with the cell sites to the subscriber, i.e. whether there is a history of subscribers moving from/to the current site to/from the point of interest cell sites. Accordingly, relevancy or familiarity of a particular point of interest associated with the cell site due to movement and call patterns of the subscriber, is significant than a mere distance of the point of interest from the current cell site.

SUMMARY
Accordingly, the present invention provides a method of providing real-time price update of mobile phone services at a particular cell site in a mobile telecommunication network, said method comprising calculating a discount rate pertaining to the cell site; extracting a point of interest information pertaining to the cell site; formatting real-time price update so as to include the discount rate and the point of interest information; and communicating the real-time price update to a subscriber. The real time price update information, which includes the discount information and the point of interest information, can be determined using two different techniques. In the first implementation, the real time price update information is calculated in a subscriber specific manner, while in the other implementation, the real time price update information is calculated in a subscriber non-specific manner.

According to a first embodiment of the present invention that incorporates the first implementation, a method for providing subscriber specific, real time price update of mobile-phone services is disclosed. The method includes receiving a query from a subscriber for discount rates for a mobile phone service and retrieving subscriber specific data to form a set comprising a current cell site, at least one neighboring cell site and at least one frequently used cell site in respect of mobile phone usage. A discount rate is calculated for at least one cell site included in the set, the discount rate being based at least on a spectrum utilization data and a revenue data. The cell sites for which discount rate has been calculated are ranked based at least on one of: nearness of the cell sites to the current cell site, a quantum of discount rate and a past frequency of mobile phone usage from said cell site. Point of interest information for the cell sites falling within a predetermined number of ranks is obtained, and details of the point of interest along-with the discount rate are communicated to the subscriber as per their respective ranking.

In a preferred aspect the first embodiment the subscriber specific, real time price update of mobile-phone services can be arrived without receiving a query from the subscriber, in which case the steps as described above, except for the step of receiving the query are performed.

According to second embodiment of the present invention that incorporates the second implementation of the present invention, another method for providing subscriber non-specific real time price update of mobile-phone services is disclosed. The method include forming a set of neighboring cell sites in respect of a particular cell site, such that a neighboring cell site is said to satisfy a predetermined criteria. A discount rate is calculated for at least one cell site included in the set, the discount rate being based on a spectrum utilization data and a revenue data. Then, a first stage ranking of the cell sites for which discount rate has been calculated is done based on nearness of the cell sites to the current cell site, a quantum of discount rate, a past spectrum utilization data of the cell site, a movement pattern of subscribers between the current cell site and the cell site. Thereafter, a point of interest information is obtained for the cell sites falling within a predetermined number of ranks. A second stage ranking of a predetermined number first stage ranked cell sites is performed based at least on a popularity index of the point of interest information. The details of the point of interest along-with the discount rate are communicated to the subscriber as per their respective second stage ranking.

While the above described embodiments describe the process adopted for providing real-time price update, it is also possible to implement the same process for a specific futuristic time, in which case the term “spectrum utilization date” will have to be interpreted as the expected “spectrum utilization data” for that period of time. It may be noted that the “spectrum utilization data” for a future time period can be determined in multiple ways, including but not limited to a probability analysis, an analysis based on “spectrum utilization data” for the same time period as taken from past data (historical data), etc. Thus, whenever the specification or the claims use the term “real-time” it is intended to include the present time frame as well as a futuristic time frame (as may be specified by the subscriber).

To further clarify advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which is illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying drawings in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
Figure 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a system for providing a real time price update of mobile-phone services to a subscriber equipment, according to an embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 illustrates a flow diagram of the system of Fig. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
Figure 3 illustrates a flowchart showing a method for providing a real time price update of mobile-phone services to a subscriber equipment, according to a first embodiment of the invention as described in Fig. 2;
Figure 4 illustrates a flowchart showing a method for providing a real time price update of mobile-phone services to a subscriber equipment, according to a second embodiment of the invention as described in Fig. 2; and
Figure 5 illustrates a typical hardware configuration of a computer system, which is representative of a hardware environment for practicing the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory of the invention and are not intended to be restrictive thereof. Throughout the patent specification, a convention employed is that in the appended drawings, like numerals denote like components.

Reference throughout this specification to “an embodiment”, “another embodiment” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, appearances of the phrase “in an embodiment”, “in another embodiment” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

The terms "comprises", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such process or method. Similarly, one or more devices or sub-systems or elements or structures proceeded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices or other sub-systems or other elements or other structures or additional devices or additional sub-systems or additional elements or additional structures.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A system and method for providing real time update of mobile phone services pricing to the subscriber is disclosed. In accordance with specific embodiments, the intimation to the subscriber may be due to a query raised by the subscriber.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a system 100 for providing a real time price update of mobile-phone services to a subscriber equipment, according to an embodiment of the invention. Such real time price update includes discount rate applicable to a service or the actual phone service itself. The mobile phone service may be construed to cover all well-known mobile-phone services like phone calls, Short Messaging service (SMS), USSD requests, etc.

The system 100 comprises of a Mobile Switching Centre (MSC) 105 and a dynamic discounting server 110 (DDS). The MSC 105 further is in operative communication with an Intelligent Network (IN) 115 and the DDS via a communication channel (not shown). While, the DDS 110 is in operative communication with an Operation system support (OSS) server 120 via the communication channel. The communication channels may be analog or digital channels, simplex or duplex or half-duplex channel, uplink or downlink channels, or any other communication channels known in the art. The OSS 120 is further configured to generate and send a trigger to DDS 110 for servicing a request received from the subscriber. Alternatively, the OSS 120 may send such trigger upon satisfaction of a predetermined condition relating to load at a particular cell site. For example, the OSS 120 may upon detection of overloading of a particular cell site, may generate and send such a trigger to the DDS 110. The OSS 120 may comprise a processor for generating the trigger; and a data repository for being selectively in operative communication with the processor for storing the details of the communication request such as sender and receiver details, request type, etc.

For the aforesaid purpose, the OSS 120 is configured for receiving a communication request from a subscriber equipment. According to an embodiment, the communication request corresponding to any of voice call request, a video call request, a SMS request, a MMS request, or a Rich Communications Suite (RCS) request. According to another embodiment, the subscriber may send a message to the OSS 120, which may be an Internet Protocol (IP) message or a Short Message Service (SMS) message. IP messages are sent from the mobile device to the OSS 120 on a Data or IP network, while SMS messages are sent from the mobile device to the OSS 120 on a Cellular Network.

Further, the MSC 105 connected to the DDS 110 is mostly associated with communications switching functions, such as call set-up, release, and routing. However, it also performs a host of other duties, including routing SMS messages, conference calls, facsimile, and billing as well as interfacing with other networks, such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

The DDS 110 is configured to receive the trigger from the OSS 120 and service the request. In one implementation, the DDS 110 comprises a server in operative connection to a database. As a part of the servicing the request, a data collector device is provided to work in conjunction with the DDS 110 that receives network utilization data from the OSS 120 and a data analysis device is provided that processes the received utilization data to calculate the discounts applicable for different cell sites depending upon the network occupancy in the cell sites. The DDS 110 may be specifically configured to adopt any of the first or the second techniques as described in the summary above and determine the subscriber specific real time price update of mobile-phone services or the subscriber non-specific real time price update of mobile-phone services and pass the same to MSC 105 for communication to the corresponding subscribers. More specifically, the DDS 110 codifies the real time price update information and configures the MSC 105 with the coded information for communicating the real-time price update to a subscriber via a linked base station.

The MSC 105 is also in selective operative connection with the IN 115. The IN 115 is device that involves actively in terms of applying the discount to the services being sought by the subscriber. Thus, when the subscriber migrates from his current cell site (which is cell A as depicted in Fig. 1) to the another cell site (cell B as depicted in Fig. 1) having a discounted call rates and makes a call therefrom to avail the discount, the IN 115 automatically applies the discounted price of the service for the purpose of billing the subscriber. It may be understood that such overriding effect may be put in place for a limited period of time. It may be further understood that even during the limited period of time, such an overriding effect may be put in place for only those subscribers to whom the real-time price update information was transmitted.

According to a specific embodiment, the Subscriber Equipment of the subscriber is a mobile communication device. The mobile communication device is a wireless phone that operates in a wide service area and is supported by a cellular network. The term "mobile communication device" includes Internet connectable mobile phones and devices with mobile phone capabilities, such as mobile phone-equipped Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) e.g. Blackberry and iPhone. The subscriber equipment is also intended to include data cards which are specifically adapted for receiving internet services.

Figure 2 illustrates a flow diagram of the system 100 of Fig. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The system 100 and the components have been elaborated as mentioned in the description of Fig. 1. The method for providing real time price update of phone calls as implemented in the system 100 is now disclosed.

The method starts in the step 202, with downloading network utilization data by the DDS 110 from OSS 120 for each cell site at various intervals of time. Such downloading takes place repeatedly so as to always have the most recent network utilization data. Thereafter, in the step 204, the DDS 110 calculates a discount rate for the cell site.

Further, in the step 206, the DDS 110 extracts a point of interest information, either from the OSS 120 or some other device, the point of interest information being about the cell site for which the discount rate has been calculated. Such point of interest information denotes a name of place or landmark associated with a particular cell site.

Further in the step 208, the DDS 110 formats or modifies the discount update information by linking the already calculated discount rate of a cell site with the correspondingly extracted point of interest information.

In the step 210, the formatted discount update information is communicated by the DDS 110 to the subscriber via an interconnection of the MSC 105 and the base station linked with the subscriber.

It may be understood that the applicable discount rate for any cell site is subjected to continuous variation owing to continuous varying bandwidth utilization of the network within the cell sites. Accordingly, the service tariff in the cell sites having an applicable discount is also subjected to undergo continuous variation.

As described in the summary, the calculation of the discount rate as per the present invention can be achieved under first and second implementations. The forthcoming description of Fig 3 and Fig 4 describe two different embodiments of the present invention, incorporating the first implementation and the second implementation, respectively.

Figure 3 illustrates a flowchart 300 showing a method for providing a real time price update of mobile phone services to a subscriber equipment, according to a first embodiment of the invention. The method starts in step 302, with the receipt of a query, from a subscriber for discount rates for mobile phone services. As aforementioned, such request is received by the OSS 120 from the mobile terminal. The OSS 120 further forwards the request to the DDS 110 for processing.

For entertaining such requests, the DDS 110 may include an interface to USSD Gateway/Browser to receive request from the network and to respond with the response to the subscriber query. In other implementation, the DDS 110 supports the SMS interface to enable the subscribers to query the current prevailing discount in the neighboring cells.

In the next method step 304, subscriber specific data is retrieved. The subscriber specific data is retrieved by the DDS 110 from the OSS 120 or from the pre-stored records in the database, such that the subscriber specific data includes information related to the current cell site of the subscriber as well as neighboring cell sites to the current subscriber location. The neighboring cell site may be adjacent to the subscriber’s current cell site or may include all cell sites located within a pre-determined distance, say within a radius of 500 meters, from the subscriber’s current cell site.

Further, the subscriber specific data includes a frequently used cell site for the purposes of mobile phone usage. For example, among the plurality of neighboring cell sites, the subscriber may have a past history of seeking services from a particular cell site, which can then be termed as a frequently used cell site.

It is not necessary that a frequently used cell site has to among the neighboring cell sites. For example, a particular cell sites falling on a home to office route of a working employee or businessman may be regarded as frequently used cell site during certain period of time of the day. In addition, the frequently used cell sites may also comprise highly used cell sites in the recent few days, say at least 5 times within the last 7 days.

For the purpose of collection of such subscriber specific data, the DDS 110 is configured to maintain subscriber specific subscriber account maintaining a record of subscriber used cell sites. For such purpose, the DDS 110 may interact with the Visitor location registers of different cell sites to gather such specific data. In addition, the DDS 110 may also maintain a record of the timings at which the subscriber used the various cell sites and an actual number of times (or a frequency of the subscriber usage) the subscriber has used such frequently used cell sites.

Thereafter, in the present method step 304, a set comprising the current cell site, the at least one neighboring cell site and at least one frequently used cell site is formed by the DDS 110. Such set is the subscriber specific and may be associated with the subscriber account as maintained by the DDS 110.

In the next method step 306, the DDS 110 calculates a discount rate for all the cell sites included in the set, based at least on a spectrum utilization data, a revenue data, or an instantaneous number phone calls originating, in respect of the cell sites in the set. The spectrum utilization data corresponds to a current bandwidth utilization in each of the cell sites in the set. Such bandwidth utilization in each of the cell sites is calculated based upon the current-most downloaded network utilization data of the cell sites from the OSS 120. The revenue data corresponds to an operator revenue generated with respect to the cell sites till the time of the day at which the subscriber has made a request for price update. As a part of calculation of the discount rate, the cell site in the set having a comparatively low network utilization data, revenue data and the instantaneous number of originating calls is awarded a higher discount rate. Accordingly, the most heavily utilized or high revenue cell site is awarded the minimum or negligible discount rates.

In the next method step 308, the cell sites for which discount rate has been calculated are ranked based on parameters which include: nearness of the cell site to the current cell site, an awarded discount rate to the cell site, and a past frequency of mobile phone usage of the subscriber within the cell site. For performing such ranking, the DDS 110 once again refers to the subscriber account maintained therein and compares the distance of all the cell sites in the set from the current cell site as well as frequency of use of the cell sites in the set by that particular subscriber.

In an implementation, the DDS 110 may offer different weights to such parameters while performing the ranking. In an example, each of the nearness of the cell site to the current cell site, the quantum of discount associated with the cell site and the frequency of the subscriber usage of a particular cell site may be given equal weights. However, such example shall not be construed as a limitation to the ranking performed by the DDS 110 and other permutation and combinations of offering weights to the present parameters are also conceivable within the scope of the present implementation. This step will therefore result in obtaining the ranks for at least some of the cell sites contained in the set.

It may be noted that the conventional systems suffer from the limitation that ranking is based only on the distance between the current cell site and the target cell site and the quantum of discount. Many a times, the target cell site the may be unfamiliar to the subscriber or the cell sites which have very less probability of usage are listed. In other circumstances, the target cell site, though familiar to the subscriber, may be irrelevant for the subscriber as the user will have a very low probability of moving to that particular target cell site and seek services therefrom. This limits the impact of the price update information being communicated to the subscriber.

To draw a direct comparison of the first implementation with a prior art, let’s consider a scenario wherein a request for price update information is received at about 1:00 PM from two subscribers A and B located in the same cell site (let’s say Z). It is assumed that subscriber A is a person whose office is located in the cell site Z and the subscriber B is a person who is visiting the cell site Z. It is determined that cell sites Y and X are the cell sites neighboring the cell site Z. Assuming that cell site Y has a mid-day eating joint and subscriber A has a high frequency of seeking services when having lunch at the eating joint, it can be noticed that cell site Y will have a higher ranking as compared to cell site X when the ranking is performed on behalf of subscriber A.

On the other hand, when the ranking is performed on behalf of subscriber B, both cell sites X and Y will be ranked equally. Assuming that the cell site X has a tourist destination and a public commutation facility (such as a sub-way station), it can be noticed that subscriber B will have a tendency to migrate to cell site X and seek services therefrom (as he might be familiar with the tourist destination or may wish to use the sub-way station). It is predicted that despite a scenario wherein cell site X houses a tourist destination or the sub-way station, subscriber A may still prefer to migrate to cell site Y and seek services therefrom, as the past data corresponding to subscriber A would indicate a high frequency of consumption of services from cell site Y as compared to cell site X at 1:00 PM. Thus, based on subscriber specificity, the ranking is appropriately performed.

In the next method step 310, point of interest information is obtained for the cell sites corresponding to the ranked cell sites. Such point of interest information corresponds to name of landmarks or well-known spots associated with the cell sites and familiar to the general public at large. For such purpose, the DDS 110 may re-refer to the OSS 120 again to gather the point of interest information associated with ranked cell sites.

Finally, in the last step 312, the details of the point of interest along-with the real-time price update/discount update information is communicated to the subscriber as per their respective ranking. Such ranking may either be single staged or double staged, as aforementioned. The communication to the subscriber as provided by the DDS 110 via an operable interconnection of the MSC 105 and a base station may be an electronically generated text communicated as a message to the mobile terminal of the subscriber, similar to the well-known Short Messaging service (SMS).

It is possible for all of the aforesaid steps to be performed in terms of a future time period, in which case the user may send in a request defining a particular future period and the same calculations are done for such future period. It may be noted that the “spectrum utilization data” for a future time period can be determined in multiple ways, including but not limited to a probability analysis, an analysis based on “spectrum utilization data” for the same time period as taken from past data (historical data), etc.

It is envisaged that the ranking for a different time period or a future time period may throw a list of cell site which are entirely different or the same list ranked in a different manner. Proceeding with the same example as provided above, if subscriber A is requesting for price update information for let’s say at 6:00 PM or for 6:00 PM at any-time before 6:00 PM (i.e. futuristic time), cell site X can have a higher ranking as compared to cell site Y, especially if the subscriber has a tendency of migrating to the sub-way station after close of the office and seeking services from cell site X either at the sub-way station or en-route to the sub-way station.

Thus, it can be noticed that the process as described above tends to determine the ranks of the cell sites in a subscriber specific manner, wherein the specificity comes from various factors which are unique to that particular subscriber and are getting captured every time the subscriber seeks the services from any cell site.

Figure 4 illustrates a flowchart 400 showing a method for providing a real time price update of mobile phone service to a subscriber equipment, according to a second embodiment of the invention.

The method starts in step 402, wherein a set of neighboring cell sites to a current cell site is formed by the DDS 110, wherein each of a neighboring cell site is said to satisfy a predetermined criteria. Such neighboring cell sites may be adjacent to the current cell site or may include all cell sites located at a pre-determined distance, say within a radius of 500 meters, from the subscriber’s current cell site. Thus, it is appropriate to state that inclusion of a particular cell site into the set is based on satisfaction of a predetermined condition.

In the next method step 404, the DDS 110 calculates a discount rate for each of the cell sites included in the set, based on a current spectrum utilization data or a revenue data. The spectrum utilization data corresponds to a current bandwidth utilization in each of the cell sites in the set. Such bandwidth utilization in each of the cell sites is calculated based upon the recent-most downloaded network utilization data of the cell sites from the OSS 120. As a part of calculation of the discount rate, the cell site in the set having a comparatively low network utilization data and revenue data is awarded a higher discount rate. Accordingly, the most heavily utilized cell site or high revenue cell site is awarded the minimum or negligible discount rates.

In the next method step 406, the cell sites for which discount rate has been calculated are ranked based on parameters which include: nearness of the cell site to the current cell site, an awarded discount rate for the cell site, and a past spectrum utilization data of the cell site, a movement pattern of subscribers between the current cell site and the cell site, and a current bandwidth utilization of the cell site, which is preferably judged based on an instantaneous number of calls originating from the cell site. While ranking, the aforesaid parameters are given weights, which can tend to influence the ranking. In an aspect of the invention, the aforesaid parameters are given equal weights while in another aspect, different weights can be given to each of the parameter.

Specifically, for performing such ranking, the DDS 110 compares the distance of all of the cell sites from the current cell site. The discount rate as stated above is dependent upon present spectrum utilization data or a revenue data. The DDS 110 obtains data relating to past spectrum utilization data of the cell site and a movement pattern of subscribers between the current cell site and the cell site from the OSS 120. While in the first embodiment, the DDS 110 used to seek subscriber specific data, instead of seeking such a micro level data, the DDS 110 in the present instance a macro level data which is indicative of a behavior of the a population of the subscribers. In respect of some of the cell sites, such a macro level data may be such that the same pattern is exhibited by a predominant portion of the subscribers. An example of the aforesaid nature is seen in respect of movement of subscribers from residential areas to industrial areas in the morning or vice-versa in the evening. Thus, in the second embodiment, the present invention tries to rank the cells based on such macro movement, which can be said to be dependent upon subscriber population.

Let’s consider an example to understand as to how the first stage ranking occurs. Let’s assume that the DDS 110 takes a cell site A as a current cell site. In the first stage, the DDS 110 builds a set comprising neighboring cell sites to the current cell site. Let’s assume that the neighboring cell sites include B,C,D,E,F and G. While there may many other cell sites, each of B to G cell site is included in the set, since it satisfies the predetermined condition. The DDS 110then calculates the discount that can be offered by each of B to G cell site. Let’s say that the discount rates is determined to be 20%, 30%, 50%, 50%, 50% and 45%, respectively. Now DDS 110 calculates the nearness of each of B to G cell site to current cell site A. Assuming for sake of ease that each of B to G cell site is equidistant to cell site A. Now DDS 110 determines the movement pattern of subscribers between the current cell site A and each of B to G cell site. The movement pattern refers to historical data representing the number of subscribers who were originally located in cell site A and moved to cell site B for seeking the services. The movement pattern can be represented in absolute number or alternatively as a percentage. Assuming that the movement pattern is represented in terms of absolute number and the same is determined as:
• A to B is 1500;
• A to C is 1800;
• A to D is 5000;
• A to E is 1200;
• A to F is 1300; and
• A to G is 3500.

Doing a direct comparison of the ranking of the present invention with that of the prior art, the prior art process would have awarded cell sites D, E and F the first rank, G would have been awarded the second rank, C being awarded the third rank and B being awarded the forth rank. In view of such a ranking the real time discount information need not always contained details of cell site D being communicated to the subscriber. On the other hand, since the present invention takes into consideration the movement pattern, cell site D would have been awarded the first rank followed by G being awarded the second rank. Now it can be observed that among the remaining cell sites i.e. cell sites B, C, E and F the ranking will be based on the weights and can be arrived at after a mathematical calculation. Since the outcome of the ranking in the present process is depicting more accurately the movement pattern of a large population, the real time price update information stating details of cell site D is expected to have more impact on the subscribers.

In the next method step 408, point of interest information is obtained for the cell sites corresponding to the ranked cell sites. Such point of interest information corresponds to name of landmarks or well-known spots associated with the cell sites and familiar to the general public at large. For such purpose, the DDS 110 may re-refer to the OSS 120 again to gather the point of interest information associated with ranked cell sites.

In the next method step 410, the DDS 110 performs a re- ranking of the ranked cell sites, after obtaining the point of interest information related to the ranked cell sites. Such re-ranking may be based upon a popularity index associated with point of interest. It may be noted that while the DDS 110 performs the initial ranking or a first stage ranking, the outcome of the initial ranking is not communicated to the subscriber and what is communicated is the outcome of the re-ranking or a second staged ranking. Thus, in spite of the fact that a particular cell site was ranked at a particular level during the first stage ranking, after performing the second stage ranking, it position is susceptible to change. The intention of the change is to make it more attractive for the subscriber to undertake the movement.

It is possible to envisage two scenarios out here, wherein the first scenario includes a particular cell site having only one point of interest information while the second scenario includes multiple points of interest information. The system may be configured to store a popularity index in respect of each point of interest information. Let’s consider the previous example which ranks cell sites B to G. As stated earlier cell site D would have been awarded the first rank followed by G being awarded the second rank. As regards cell sites B, C, E and F it is feasible to envisage an outcome wherein the difference between the points is very less. Under such a scenario, taking into consideration the points of interest and the popularity index of each of point of interest and performing a second stage ranking is expected to result in a real-time price update information which is expected to motivate a larger number of subscribers to undertake movement from the current cell site and seek services from the moved cell site.

Finally, in the last step 412, the details of the point of interest along-with the real time price update/discount update information are communicated to the subscriber as per their respective ranking. The communication to the subscriber as provided by the DDS 110, via the operable interconnection of the MSC 105 and the base station, may be an electronically generated text communicated as a message to the mobile terminal of the subscriber, similar to the well-known Short Messaging service (SMS). The example depicting the format of the communicated message has been already depicted in the description of Figure 3.

Specifically, it can be observed that the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the respect that the DDS 110 is configured to cell broadcast the real time discount rate update of the mobile phone services. Such a cell broadcast communication is not subscriber specific. However, such a cell broadcast message may be restricted in such a way that it is sent only to a specific number of subscribers. Once the limit is reached, the process is re-performed and a revised raking is obtained and the revised rank is then used for communication to a further set of subscribers. During the process of such re-ranking, either the previously ranked cells can be not considered or considered after reducing the weightage. Such a process can avoid a scenario of a mass movement to a particular cell site (resulting in instantaneous overload of the cell site from occurring).

Figure 5 illustrates a typical hardware configuration of a computer system, which is representative of a hardware environment for practicing the present invention. Any of the components such as system 100 may include a portion or all of the computer system 1000. The computer system 1000 can include a set of instructions that can be executed to cause the computer system 1000 to perform any one or more of the methods disclosed. The computer system 1000 may operate as a standalone device or may be connected, e.g., using a network, to other computer systems or peripheral devices.

In a networked deployment, the computer system 1000 may operate in the capacity of a server or as a client subscriber computer in a server-client subscriber network environment, or as a peer computer system in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The computer system 1000 can also be implemented as or incorporated into various devices, such as a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile device, a palmtop computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a communications device, a wireless telephone, a land-line telephone, a control system, a camera, a scanner, a facsimile machine, a printer, a pager, a personal trusted device, a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any other machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. Further, while a single computer system 1000 is illustrated, the term "system" shall also be taken to include any collection of systems or sub-systems that individually or jointly execute a set, or multiple sets, of instructions to perform one or more computer functions.

The computer system 1000 may include a processor 1002, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or both. The processor 1002 may be a component in a variety of systems. For example, the processor 1002 may be part of a standard personal computer or a workstation. The processor 1002 may be one or more general processors, digital signal processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, servers, networks, digital circuits, analog circuits, combinations thereof, or other now known or later developed devices for analyzing and processing data The processor 1002 may implement a software program, such as code generated manually (i.e., programmed).

The term "module" may be defined to include a plurality of executable modules. As described herein, the modules are defined to include software, hardware or some combination thereof executable by a processor, such as processor 1002. Software modules may include instructions stored in memory, such as memory 1004, or another memory device, that are executable by the processor 1002 or other processor. Hardware modules may include various devices, components, circuits, gates, circuit boards, and the like that are executable, directed, or otherwise controlled for performance by the processor 1002.

The computer system 1000 may include a memory 1004, such as a memory 1004 that can communicate via a bus 1008. The memory 1004 may be a main memory, a static memory, or a dynamic memory. The memory 1004 may include, but is not limited to computer readable storage media such as various types of volatile and non-volatile storage media, including but not limited to random access memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable read-only memory, flash memory, magnetic tape or disk, optical media and the like. In one example, the memory 1004 includes a cache or random access memory for the processor 1002. In alternative examples, the memory 1004 is separate from the processor 1002, such as a cache memory of a processor, the system memory, or other memory. The memory 1004 may be an external storage device or database for storing data. Examples include a hard drive, compact disc ("CD"), digital video disc ("DVD"), memory card, memory stick, floppy disc, universal serial bus ("USB") memory device, or any other device operative to store data. The memory 1004 is operable to store instructions executable by the processor 1002. The functions, acts or tasks illustrated in the figures or described may be performed by the programmed processor 1002 executing the instructions stored in the memory 1004. The functions, acts or tasks are independent of the particular type of instructions set, storage media, processor or processing strategy and may be performed by software, hardware, integrated circuits, firm-ware, micro-code and the like, operating alone or in combination. Likewise, processing strategies may include multiprocessing, multitasking, parallel processing and the like.

As shown, the computer system 1000 may or may not further include a display unit 1010, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a flat panel display, a solid state display, a cathode ray tube (CRT), a projector, a printer or other now known or later developed display device for outputting determined information. The display 1010 may act as an interface for the subscriber to see the functioning of the processor 1002, or specifically as an interface with the software stored in the memory 1004 or in the drive unit 1016.

Additionally, the computer system 1000 may include an input device 1012 configured to allow a subscriber to interact with any of the components of system 1000. The input device 1012 may be a number pad, a keyboard, or a cursor control device, such as a mouse, or a joystick, touch screen display, remote control or any other device operative to interact with the computer system 1000.

The computer system 1000 may also include a disk or optical drive unit 1016. The disk drive unit 1016 may include a computer-readable medium 1022 in which one or more sets of instructions 1024, e.g. software, can be embedded. Further, the instructions 1024 may embody one or more of the methods or logic as described. In a particular example, the instructions 1024 may reside completely, or at least partially, within the memory 1004 or within the processor 1002 during execution by the computer system 1000. The memory 1004 and the processor 1002 also may include computer-readable media as discussed above.

The present invention contemplates a computer-readable medium that includes instructions 1024 or receives and executes instructions 1024 responsive to a propagated signal so that a device connected to a network 1026 can communicate voice, video, audio, images or any other data over the network 1026. Further, the instructions 1024 may be transmitted or received over the network 1026 via a communication port or interface 1020 or using a bus 1008. The communication port or interface 1020 may be a part of the processor 1002 or may be a separate component. The communication port 1020 may be created in software or may be a physical connection in hardware. The communication port 1020 may be configured to connect with a network 1026, external media, the display 1010, or any other components in system 1000, or combinations thereof. The connection with the network 1026 may be a physical connection, such as a wired Ethernet connection or may be established wirelessly as discussed later. Likewise, the additional connections with other components of the system 1000 may be physical connections or may be established wirelessly. The network 1026 may alternatively be directly connected to the bus 1008.

The network 1026 may include wired networks, wireless networks, Ethernet AVB networks, or combinations thereof. The wireless network may be a cellular telephone network, an 802.11, 802.16, 802.20, 802.1Q or WiMax network. Further, the network 1026 may be a public network, such as the Internet, a private network, such as an intranet, or combinations thereof, and may utilize a variety of networking protocols now available or later developed including, but not limited to TCP/IP based networking protocols.

While the computer-readable medium is shown to be a single medium, the term "computer-readable medium" may include a single medium or multiple media, such as a centralized or distributed database, and associated caches and servers that store one or more sets of instructions. The term "computer-readable medium" may also include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by a processor or that cause a computer system to perform any one or more of the methods or operations disclosed. The "computer-readable medium" may be non-transitory, and may be tangible.

In an example, the computer-readable medium can include a solid-state memory such as a memory card or other package that houses one or more nonvolatile read-only memories. Further, the computer-readable medium can be a random access memory or other volatile re-writable memory. Additionally, the computer-readable medium can include a magneto-optical or optical medium, such as a disk or tapes or other storage device to capture carrier wave signals such as a signal communicated over a transmission medium. A digital file attachment to an e-mail or other self-contained information archive or set of archives may be considered a distribution medium that is a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more of a computer-readable medium or a distribution medium and other equivalents and successor media, in which data or instructions may be stored.

In an alternative example, dedicated hardware implementations, such as application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays and other hardware devices, can be constructed to implement various parts of the computer system 1000.

Applications that may include the systems can broadly include a variety of electronic and computer systems. One or more examples described may implement functions using two or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices with related control and data signals that can be communicated between and through the modules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Accordingly, the present system encompasses software, firmware, and hardware implementations.

The system described may be implemented by software programs executable by a computer system. Further, in a non-limited example, implementations can include distributed processing, component/object distributed processing, and parallel processing. Alternatively, virtual computer system processing can be constructed to implement various parts of the system.

The system is not limited to operation with any particular standards and protocols. For example, standards for Internet and other packet switched network transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) may be used. Such standards are periodically superseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentially the same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards and protocols having the same or similar functions as those disclosed are considered equivalents thereof.

Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any component(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or component of any or all the claims.

While specific language has been used to describe the disclosure, any limitations arising on account of the same are not intended. As would be apparent to a person in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein.