Patent ID: 7136638

Claim:
A method of analyzing an existing cellular wireless communication network of a first type, the existing wireless communication network of the first type comprising a plurality of cells, each cell comprising a transceiver network element for covering the cell and for conducting communications in the cell, wherein each transceiver network element transmits a signal in the existing wireless communication network of said first type; at least one mobile station located in one cell of the plurality cells and connected to the transceiver network element of the one cell, wherein the mobile station receives and processes the signals from the transceiver network element of the one cell and from transceiver network elements of other cells in range; and at least one network control element controlling at least the transceiver network element of the one cell in which the mobile station is located, the method comprising: measuring in the existing wireless communication network of the first type communication connection condition parameters related to an interference situation for the one cell in which the mobile station is located, which communication connection condition parameters related to the interference situation are derived from the signals received by the mobile station from the one cell and from a number of the other cells; transmitting the measured communication connection condition parameters related to the interference situation to the network control element in the form of mobile measurement reports; processing the mobile measurement reports by using a network analysis functionality associated with the network control element, wherein an indicator related to a predefined communication connection condition including an interference determination of the existing wireless communication network of the first type is calculated on the basis of information in the mobile measurement reports; and evaluating, on the basis of the indicator related to the predefined communication connection condition including the interference determination of the existing wireless communication network of the first type, a potential for reusing the one cell in a wireless communication network of a second type which is not yet established.