User notification of cellular service impairment

摘要

When a user of a mobile device attempts to use an application having high data demands, the mobile device queries its cellular data provider to determine currently available data transfer rates, based on the geographic location of the mobile device and the demands on the cellular base station from which the mobile device is being served. If the base station is experiencing data congestion, which is likely to result in a less than optimum user experience, the mobile device displays a warning to the user suggesting that the user postpone usage of the application or try using the application in a different geographic location that is experiencing less congestion.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
establishing, by a wireless communication device, a data connection between the wireless communication device and a wireless data provider, the wireless communication device being in a geographic area that is served by the wireless data provider; streaming, by an application of the wireless communication device, video through the data connection and displaying the video to a user of the wireless communication device; querying, by the application of the wireless communication device, the wireless data provider regarding a data transfer rate that is currently available from the wireless data provider in the geographic area of the wireless communication device; receiving, by the application of the wireless communication device, an indication from the wireless data provider regarding the data transfer rate that is currently available from the wireless data provider in the geographic area, the data transfer rate being dependent at least in part on demand for data by multiple wireless communication devices in the geographic area; based at least on the data transfer rate, displaying, by the application of the wireless communication device, a notification to expect degraded video streaming; and displaying, by the application of the wireless communication device, a message in conjunction with the notification, the message offering to reward the user for postponing the streaming and/or encouraging the user to stream the video at a different location.