US 11,991,551 B2
Configuration of high altitude platform-based cellular radio access network
Carlos Ubeda, Newbury (GB); Maria Isabel De La Rosa, Newbury (GB); and Fransico Javier Dominguez, Newbury (GB)
Assigned to Vodafone IP Licensing Limited, (GB)
Filed by Vodafone IP Licensing Limited, Newbury (GB)
Filed on Aug. 12, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/991,743.
Claims priority of application No. 19382715 (EP), filed on Aug. 19, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0058816 A1, Feb. 25, 2021
Int. Cl. H04W 28/02 (2009.01); H04B 7/185 (2006.01); H04W 52/38 (2009.01); H04W 72/04 (2023.01)
CPC H04W 28/0252 (2013.01) [H04B 7/18513 (2013.01); H04W 52/38 (2013.01); H04W 72/04 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for configuring a cellular radio access network provided by a high altitude platform (HAP), the HAP having an antenna system defining a plurality of beams, such that the beams provide separate geographical coverage areas, the radio access network comprising a plurality of cells, each cell being associated with at least one of the plurality of beams, the method comprising:
identifying, for each of the plurality of cells or each of the plurality of beams, a respective load; and
setting a configuration, based on the loads for the plurality of cells or the loads for the plurality of beams, for both of:
a total number of the plurality of cells, wherein the total number of the plurality of cells is changeable by merging two or more cells into a single cell or splitting one cell into multiple cells within the plurality of cells, and
the associations between the plurality of cells and the plurality of beams, wherein each of the separate geographical coverage areas, given by a respective beam fingerprint, are fixed;
wherein setting a configuration for the total number of the plurality of cells and the associations between the plurality of cells and the plurality of beams comprises:
replacing a first current cell associated with two or more beams, with a first substitute cell associated with a first subset of the two or more beams and a second substitute cell associated with a second, different subset of the two or more beams, or
replacing a first existing cell associated with a beam of the plurality of beams and a second or more existing cells associated with another beam or more beams of the plurality of beams, with a replacement cell associated with all the set of beams.