Patent ID: 7917147
Filing Date: 2011-03-29
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method of monitoring performance of a communications network providing a coverage area for a plurality of mobile communications terminals, a number of the plurality of mobile communications terminals respectively supporting a number of measurement applications, the number of the plurality of mobile communications terminals each being capable of self-location determination, the method comprising: the number of the measurement applications, at the number of plurality of mobile communications terminals, each respectively obtaining rules from a processing resource; the number of the plurality of mobile communications terminals each determining respective location data identifying a respective location thereof; the number of the measurement applications each respectively evaluating the rules and performing a measurement at the respective location thereof within the coverage area of the communications network in response to the evaluation of the rules resulting in a need to perform the measurement at the respective location of the mobile communications terminal, the measurement relating to an attribute of a communications service; and the number of the plurality of mobile communications terminals each communicating the respective location data and the associated measurement to the processing resource via the communications network, wherein the rules are configured by the processing resource based upon a predetermined threshold to reflect the fact that the processing resource deems a database to contain sufficient measurements in relation to a predetermined communications service at or within a predetermined area where a communications terminal is located, or the database is deemed to contain insufficient measurements in relation to the respective communications terminal location, and wherein the rules are periodically refreshed.