Dynamic network slice-switching and handover system and method

• US 10,555,134 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2019
• Issued: 02/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2017
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaw, Venson, Dowlatkhah, Sangar
• Primary Examiner(s): Mirza, Adnan M
• Application Number:
  US16/287,678
• Publication Number:
  US 20190200174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 342 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/122 of virtualised topologies, e.g. software-defined networks [SDN] or network function virtualisation [NFV]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1051 Group master selection mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/06 Reselecting a communication resource in the serving access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/13 Cell handover without a predetermined boundary, e.g. virtual cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/26 by agreed or negotiated communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/36 for reassigning the resources associated with the released connections

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, accessing a network service by a first portion of network operating within a first wireless spectrum, wherein the network service includes control and data forwarding operations of the first portion of the network that are separate and configured to facilitate forwarding of user data via the data forwarding operations. A second network is identified operating within a second wireless spectrum. A redirection is facilitated of the forwarding of the user data via the data forwarding operations to the second portion of the network responsive to a request initiated via the control operations. The request is made without interrupting the forwarding of the user data. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A mobile 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;

identifying a mobile service supported by a first wireless access point operating within a first radio frequency spectrum, wherein the mobile service comprises control plane operations and data plane operations of the first wireless access point, wherein the control plane operations are separate from the data plane operations and configured to facilitate a forwarding of user data via the data plane operations;

identifying a second wireless access point operating within a second radio frequency spectrum, wherein the first radio frequency spectrum comprises one of a managed frequency spectrum and an un-managed frequency spectrum, and wherein the second radio frequency spectrum comprises a different one of the managed frequency spectrum and the un-managed frequency spectrum; and

facilitating a redirection of the forwarding of the user data via the data plane operations to the second wireless access point, responsive to a request initiated via the control plane operations, the request being made without interrupting the forwarding of the user data via the data plane operations of the first wireless access point.

2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the facilitating of the redirection of the forwarding of the user data via the data plane operations to the second wireless access point further comprises a reconfiguration of the mobile device.

3. The mobile device of claim 2, wherein the reconfiguration of the mobile device comprises a reconfiguration of a radio, an antenna or both, processing wireless signals within the first radio frequency spectrum to processing wireless signals within the second radio frequency spectrum.

4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the facilitating of the redirection of the forwarding of the user data via the data plane operations from the first wireless access point to the second wireless access point further comprises redirecting control plane operations and user plane operations to a different logical network slice.

5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the first wireless access point operating within the first radio frequency spectrum comprises a 3GPP mobile network.

6. The mobile device of claim 5, wherein the 3GPP mobile network comprises a 5G mobile network comprising a plurality of logical network slices configurable to accommodate the control plane operations and the data plane operations.

7. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the request initiated via the control plane operations occurs responsive to the identifying of the second wireless access point operating within the second radio frequency spectrum.

8. The mobile device of claim 7, wherein the identifying of the second wireless access point operating within the second radio frequency spectrum further comprises receiving a message via the control plane operations of the first wireless access point identifying the second wireless access point.

9. A method, comprising:

accessing, by a processing system including processor, a mobile service by a first portion of a wireless network operating within a first radio frequency spectrum, wherein the mobile service comprises control operations and data forwarding operations of the first portion of the wireless network, wherein the control operations are separate from the data forwarding operations and configured to facilitate a forwarding of user data via the data forwarding operations;

identifying, by the processing system, a second portion of the wireless network operating within a second radio frequency spectrum, wherein the first radio frequency spectrum comprises one of a managed frequency spectrum and an un-managed frequency spectrum, and wherein the second radio frequency spectrum comprises a different one of the managed frequency spectrum and the un-managed frequency spectrum; and

facilitating, by the processing system, a redirection of the forwarding of the user data via the data forwarding operations to the second portion of the wireless network, responsive to a request initiated via the control operations, the request being made without interrupting the forwarding of the user data via the data forwarding operations of the wireless network.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the facilitating of the redirection of the forwarding of the user data via the data forwarding operations to the second portion of the wireless network further comprises a reconfiguration of a mobile device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the reconfiguration of the mobile device comprises a reconfiguration of a radio, an antenna or both, processing wireless signals within the first radio frequency spectrum to processing wireless signals within the second radio frequency spectrum.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the first portion of the wireless network comprises a first logical network slice and the second portion of the wireless network comprises a second logical slice.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the first portion of the wireless network operating within the first radio frequency spectrum comprises a 3GPP mobile network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the 3GPP mobile network comprises a 5G mobile network comprising a plurality of logical network slices configurable to accommodate the control operations and the data forwarding operations.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the request initiated via the control operations, occurs responsive to the identifying of the second portion of the wireless network operating within the second radio frequency spectrum.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the identifying of the second portion of the wireless network operating within the second radio frequency spectrum further comprises receiving, by the processing system, a message via the control operations of the first portion of the wireless network identifying the second portion of the wireless network.

17. A non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:

accessing a network service by a first portion of a network operating within a first wireless spectral region, wherein the network service comprises control operations and data forwarding operations of the first portion of the network, wherein the control operations are separate from the data forwarding operations and configured to facilitate a forwarding of user data via the data forwarding operations;

identifying a second portion of the network operating within a second wireless spectral region, wherein the first wireless spectral region comprises one of a managed wireless spectral region and an un-managed wireless spectral region, and wherein the second wireless spectral region comprises a different one of the managed wireless spectral region and the un-managed wireless spectral region; and

facilitating a redirection of the forwarding of the user data via the data forwarding operations to the second portion of the network, responsive to a request initiated via the control operations, the request being made without interrupting the forwarding of the user data via the data forwarding operations.

18. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the facilitating of the redirection of the forwarding of the user data via the data forwarding operations to the second portion of the network further comprises a reconfiguration of a mobile device.

19. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the reconfiguration of the mobile device comprises a reconfiguration of a radio, an antenna or both, processing wireless signals within the first wireless spectral region to processing wireless signals within the second wireless spectral region.

20. The non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the first portion of the network comprises a first logical network slice and the second portion of the network comprises a second logical slice.