Patent ID: 9668180
Date: 2017-05-30
CPC Classifications: H04W

Claim:
1. A method for identifying and resolving cell identifier confusion between neighboring cells in a wireless network, the method comprising: determining, by a processor operatively coupled to a network node, that two or more neighboring cells from among a plurality of neighboring cells have a duplicate cell identifier; determining, by the processor, whether a coverage sector overlap occurs between the two or more neighboring cells themselves or between each of the two or more neighboring cells separately and a serving cell that provides wireless communication to at least one wireless device, wherein determining whether the coverage sector overlap occurs is based on signal measurement reports received from the at least one wireless device, wherein coverage sector overlap is determined to occur when two of the two or more neighboring cells having the duplicate cell identifier appear in a single signal measurement report for a single wireless device from among the at least one wireless device; determining a first number of successful handovers performed between the serving cell and at least one of the two or more neighboring cells and a second number of successful handovers performed between the two or more neighboring cells themselves; and removing, by the processor, at least one of the two or more neighboring cells from a database of the serving cell when the first number of successful handovers is below a first threshold and the second number of successful handovers is above a second threshold over a time period.