Methods and systems to dynamically extend wireless service assurance capability

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, detecting that first user equipment is communicating with a first wireless access point, the communicating with the first wireless access point being via a first radio access technology, and the communicating with the first wireless access point using a first radio access technology packet format; detecting whether the first user equipment will be transitioning to communicating with a second wireless access point, the communicating with the second wireless access point being via a second radio access technology, and the communicating with the second wireless access point using a second radio access technology packet format, the second radio access technology being a different radio access technology than the first radio access technology, and the second radio access technology packet format being a packet format different than the first radio access technology packet format; and responsive to a detection that the first user equipment will be transitioning to communicating with the second wireless access point, encapsulating data that would have otherwise been in one or more packets according to the first radio access technology packet format into one or more other packets according to the second radio access technology packet format, the one or more other packets facilitating a communication between the first user equipment and the second wireless access point. Other embodiments are disclosed.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A device comprising:
 a processing system including a processor; and   a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
 detecting whether first user equipment that is communicating with a first wireless access point will be transitioning to communicating with a second wireless access point, wherein the communicating with the first wireless access point is via a first radio access technology, wherein the communicating with the first wireless access point uses a first radio access technology packet format, wherein the communicating with the second wireless access point is via a second radio access technology, wherein the communicating with the second wireless access point uses a second radio access technology packet format, wherein the second radio access technology is a different radio access technology than the first radio access technology, and wherein the second radio access technology packet format is a packet format different than the first radio access technology packet format; and 
 responsive to a detection that the first user equipment will be transitioning to communicating with the second wireless access point, performing a repackaging process by encapsulating data that would have otherwise been in one or more packets according to the first radio access technology packet format into one or more other packets according to the second radio access technology packet format, wherein the one or more other packets facilitate a communication between the first user equipment and the second wireless access point, wherein the repackaging process comprises selecting a selected form, wherein the selected form is one of a first form in which a single packet of the first radio access technology packet format is encapsulated within two packets of the second radio access technology packet format, a second form in which two packets of the first radio access technology packet format are encapsulated within one packet of the second radio access technology packet format, and a third form in which a single packet of the first radio access technology packet format is encapsulated within a single packet of the second radio access technology packet format, and wherein the selected form is selected based upon radio conditions related to the first radio access technology and the second radio access technology. 
   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first wireless access point comprises a first base station; and   the second wireless access point comprises a second base station.   
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first radio access technology comprises one generation of radio access technology; and   the second radio access technology comprises another generation of radio access technology, the another generation of radio access technology being a prior generation of radio access technology as compared to the one generation of radio access technology.   
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 3 , wherein:
 the one generation of radio access technology is a 6th generation of radio access technology; and   the another generation of radio access technology is one of a 5th generation of radio access technology, a 4th generation of radio access technology, or a combination thereof.   
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 responsive to the detection that the first user equipment will be transitioning to communicating with the second wireless access point, causing the second wireless access point to engage in the communication with the first user equipment via use of the one or more other packets.   
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 5 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 responsive to the causing the second wireless access point to engage in the communication with the first user equipment, terminating a prior communication between the first user equipment and the first wireless access point.   
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 responsive to the detection that the first user equipment will be transitioning to communicating with the second wireless access point, causing the first user equipment to engage in the communication with the second wireless access point via use of the one or more other packets.   
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 responsive to the causing the first user equipment to engage in the communication with the second wireless access point, terminating a prior communication between the first user equipment and the first wireless access point.   
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise, subsequent to the detecting whether the first user equipment will be transitioning to communicating with the second wireless access point, detecting that the first user equipment has transitioned to communicating with the second wireless access point. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise detecting a location of the first user equipment, and wherein the detecting whether the first user equipment will be transitioning to communicating with the second wireless access point is based at least in part upon the location of the first user equipment. 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise determining a predicted future location of the first user equipment, wherein the determining the predicted future location of the first user equipment comprises determining the predicted future location based at least in part upon the location that is detected, wherein the detecting whether the first user equipment will be transitioning to communicating with the second wireless access point is based at least in part upon the predicted future location of the first user equipment, and wherein the detecting the location of the first user equipment comprises detecting the location based upon a global positioning system (GPS) signal, based upon a wireless triangulation of the first user equipment, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 detecting whether second user equipment that is communicating with the first wireless access point will be transitioning to communicating with the second wireless access point, wherein the communicating of the second user equipment with the first wireless access point is via the first radio access technology, wherein the communicating of the second user equipment with the first wireless access point uses the first radio access technology packet format, wherein the communicating of the second user equipment with the second wireless access point is via the second radio access technology, and wherein the communicating of the second user equipment with the second wireless access point uses the second radio access technology packet format; and   responsive to another detection that the second user equipment will be transitioning to communicating with the second wireless access point, encapsulating other data that would have otherwise been in one or more additional packets according to the first radio access technology packet format into one or more other additional packets according to the second radio access technology, the one or more other additional packets facilitating communication between the second user equipment and the second wireless access point.   
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein the first user equipment comprises a first smartphone, a first laptop computer, a first tablet computer, or any combination thereof, and wherein the second user equipment comprises a second smartphone, a second laptop computer, a second tablet computer, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 detecting whether second user equipment that is communicating with the first wireless access point will be transitioning to communicating with a third wireless access point, wherein the communicating of the second user equipment with the first wireless access point is via the first radio access technology, wherein the communicating of the second user equipment with the first wireless access point uses the first radio access technology packet format, wherein the communicating with the third wireless access point is via the second radio access technology, and wherein the communicating with the third wireless access point uses the second radio access technology packet format; and   responsive to another detection that the second user equipment will be transitioning to communicating with the third wireless access point, encapsulating other data that would have otherwise been in one or more additional packets according to the first radio access technology packet format into one or more other additional packets according to the second radio access technology, the one or more other additional packets facilitating communication between the second user equipment and the third wireless access point.   
     
     
         15 . A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
 determining whether a mobile communication device that is communicating with a first base station via one generation of radio access technology will be transitioning to communicating with a second base station, the determining resulting in a determination, wherein the communicating with the first base station uses a first radio access technology packet format, wherein the communicating with the second base station is via another generation of radio access technology, wherein the one generation of radio access technology is a subsequent generation of radio access technology relative to the another generation of radio access technology, wherein the communicating with the second base station uses a second radio access technology packet format, and wherein the second radio access technology packet format is a packet format different from the first radio access technology packet format; and   responsive to the determination being that the mobile communication device will be transitioning to communicating with the second base station, performing a repackaging process by encapsulating data that would have otherwise been in one or more packets conforming to the first radio access technology packet format into one or more other packets conforming to the second radio access technology packet format, wherein the one or more other packets facilitate communication between the mobile communication device and the second base station, wherein the repackaging process comprises selecting a selected form, wherein the selected form is one of a first form in which a single packet of the first radio access technology packet format is encapsulated within two packets of the second radio access technology packet format, a second form in which two packets of the first radio access technology packet format are encapsulated within one packet of the second radio access technology packet format, and a third form in which a single packet of the first radio access technology packet format is encapsulated within a single packet of the second radio access technology packet format, and wherein the selected form is selected based upon radio conditions related to the one generation of radio access technology and the another generation of radio access technology.   
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the operations further comprise determining that the mobile communication device has transitioned to communicating with the second base station; and   the determining that the mobile communication device has transitioned to communicating with the second base station is based upon receipt of first data from the mobile communication device, based upon receipt of second data from the second base station, or any combination thereof.   
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the mobile communication device comprises a smartphone, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         18 . A method comprising:
 engaging, by a mobile communication device having a processing system including a processor, in a wireless communication with a first base station, the mobile communication device comprising a smartphone, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, or any combination thereof, the wireless communication being via one generation of radio access technology, the wireless communication using packets according to a radio access technology packet format; and   engaging, by the mobile communication device, in another wireless communication with another base station, the another wireless communication being via a different generation of radio access technology, the another wireless communication using other packets according to a different radio access technology packet format, and the another wireless communication utilizing one or more packets of the different radio access technology packet format that have as a result of a repackaging process encapsulated therein data that would have otherwise been in one or more other packets of the radio access technology packet format, the repackaging process having selected a selected form, the selected form being one of a first form in which a single packet of the radio access technology packet format is encapsulated within two packets of the different radio access technology packet format, a second form in which two packets of the radio access technology packet format are encapsulated within one packet of the different radio access technology packet format, and a third form in which a single packet of the radio access technology packet format is encapsulated within a single packet of the different radio access technology packet format, and the selected form being selected based upon radio conditions related to the one generation of radio access technology and the different generation of radio access technology.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein:
 the mobile communication device engages in the another wireless communication after the mobile communication device had engaged in the wireless communication;   the wireless communication comprises a communication session with a service; and   the another wireless communication comprises the communication session with the service.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein:
 the wireless communication is terminated after the mobile communication device engages in the another wireless communication; and   the service comprises a 6th generation wireless service.