Method and device for quality of service regulation

• US 10,673,649 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2017
• Issued: 06/02/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: La Roche, Humberto Jose, O'Connor, Desmond Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Gelin, Jean A
• Application Number:
  US15/791,603
• Publication Number:
  US 20190123935A1
• Time in Patent Office: 952 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• 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 41/0896 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 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5051 Service on demand, e.g. definition and deployment of services in real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

In accordance with various implementations, a method is performed at a gateway with one or more processors, non-transitory memory, and a data interface. The method includes: obtaining a request to instantiate a tunnel for data from a guest service provider (GSP) to a user device that traverses an operator network; determining whether the request satisfies tunneling criteria, where the tunneling criteria at least includes a first criterion associated with intrinsic information associated with the operator network and a second criterion associated with extrinsic information that characterizes network resources of the network operator based on a relationship between the operator network and the GSP; instantiating the tunnel in response to determining that the request satisfies the tunneling criteria, where instantiating the tunnel includes the gateway transmitting tunnel instructions to other nodes of the operator network; and routing the data through the tunnel to transmit the data to the user device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at a gateway node of an operator network, the gateway node including one or more processors, non-transitory memory, and a data interface;

obtaining a quality of service request to instantiate a tunnel to communicatively couple the gateway node of the operator network and a gateway node of a guest service provider for a data flow from the guest service provider to a user device that traverses the operator network, wherein the guest service provider is external to the operator network and the operator network comprises one or more access networks to which the user device is connected;

determining whether the quality of service request satisfies tunneling criteria, wherein the tunneling criteria at least includes a first criterion associated with intrinsic information that corresponds to a characterization of network resources of the operator network and a second criterion associated with extrinsic information that quantitatively characterizes at least one of an allotment or a service criterion of network resources of the operator network that are allocated to the guest service provider based on a predefined relationship between the operator network and the guest service provider;

instantiating the tunnel to communicatively couple the gateway node of the operator network and the gateway node of the guest service provider for the data flow between the operator network and the guest service provider in response to determining that the quality of service request satisfies the tunneling criteria, wherein instantiating the tunnel for the data flow includes the gateway node of the operator network transmitting tunnel instructions to other nodes of the operator network; and

routing the data flow through the tunnel in order to transmit the data flow to the user device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, transmitting a tunnel rejection message to the guest service provider in response to determining that the quality of service request does not satisfy the tunneling criteria.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the intrinsic information associated with the operator network corresponds to at least one of:

spectral usage within at least a portion of the operator network, bandwidth usage within at least a portion of the operator network, or proximity of the user device to an access node of at least one access network within the operator network that services the user device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the extrinsic information corresponds to at least one of:

a usage allotment associated with the predefined relationship between the operator network and the guest service provider, a bandwidth allotment associated with the predefined relationship between the operator network and the guest service provider, a latency criterion associated with the predefined relationship between the operator network and the guest service provider, or a quality of service criterion associated with the predefined relationship between the operator network and the guest service provider.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the guest service provider corresponds to one of a roaming partner, a mobile virtual network operator, an application provider, or an enterprise.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein routing the data flow through the tunnel corresponds to the operator network transmitting the data flow to the user device via one of an LTE mobile access network or a 5G mobile access network.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising, modifying one or more tunnel attributes of the tunnel for the data flow in response to detecting a change to at least one of the intrinsic information or the extrinsic information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the tunnel for the data flow is instantiated according to a general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol (GTP).

9. A device of an operator network comprising:

a data interface;

one or more processors;

a non-transitory memory; and

one or more programs stored in the non-transitory memory, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to;

obtain a quality of service request to instantiate a tunnel to communicatively couple the device of the operator network and a gateway node of a guest service provider for a data flow from the guest service provider to a user device that traverses the operator network, wherein the guest service provider is external to the operator network and the operator network comprises one or more access networks to which the user device is connected;

determine whether the quality of service request satisfies tunneling criteria, wherein the tunneling criteria at least includes a first criterion associated with intrinsic information that corresponds to a characterization of network resources of the operator network and a second criterion associated with extrinsic information that quantitatively characterizes at least one of an allotment or a service criterion of network resources of the operator network that are allocated to the guest service provider based on a predefined relationship between the operator network and the guest service provider;

instantiate the tunnel to communicatively couple the gateway node of the operator network and the gateway node of the guest service provider for the data flow between the operator network and the guest service provider in response to determining that the quality of service request satisfies the tunneling criteria, wherein instantiating the tunnel for the data flow includes the device transmitting tunnel instructions to other nodes of the operator network; and

route the data flow through the tunnel in order to transmit the data flow to the user device.

10. The device of the operator network of claim 9, wherein the one or more programs cause the device of the operator network to transmit a tunnel rejection message to the guest service provider in response to determining that the quality of service request does not satisfy the tunneling criteria.

11. The device of the operator network of claim 9, wherein the intrinsic information associated with the operator network corresponds to at least one of:

spectral usage within at least a portion of the operator network, bandwidth usage within at least a portion of the operator network, or proximity of the user device to an access node of at least one access network within the operator network that services the user device.

12. The device of the operator network of claim 9, wherein the extrinsic information corresponds to at least one of:

a usage allotment associated with the predefined relationship between the operator network and the guest service provider, a bandwidth allotment associated with the predefined relationship between the operator network and the guest service provider, a latency criterion associated with the predefined relationship between the operator network and the guest service provider, or a quality of service criterion associated with the predefined relationship between the operator network and the guest service provider.

13. The device of the operator network of claim 9, wherein the one or more programs cause the device of the operator network to route the data flow through the tunnel by the operator network transmitting the data flow to the user device via one of an LTE mobile access network or a 5G mobile access network.

14. The device of the operator network of claim 9, wherein the one or more programs cause the device of the operator network to modify one or more tunnel attributes of the tunnel for the data flow in response to detecting a change to at least one of the intrinsic information or the extrinsic information.

15. A non-transitory memory storing one or more programs, which, when executed by one or more processors of a gateway node of an operator network with a data interface, cause the gateway node to:

obtain a quality of service request to instantiate a tunnel to communicatively couple the gateway node of the operator network and a gateway node of a guest service provider for a data flow from the guest service provider to a user device that traverses the operator network, wherein the guest service provider is external to the operator network and the operator network comprises one or more access networks to which the user device is connected;

determine whether the quality of service request satisfies tunneling criteria, wherein the tunneling criteria at least includes a first criterion associated with intrinsic information that corresponds to a characterization of network resources of the operator network and a second criterion associated with extrinsic information that quantitatively characterizes at least one of an allotment or a service criterion of network resources of the operator network that are allocated to the guest service provider based on a predefined relationship between the operator network and the guest service provider;

instantiate the tunnel to communicatively couple the gateway node of the operator network and a gateway node of a guest service provider for the data flow between the operator network and the guest service provider in response to determining that the quality of service request satisfies the tunneling criteria, wherein instantiating the tunnel for the data flow includes the gateway node transmitting tunnel instructions to other nodes of the operator network; and

route the data flow through the tunnel in order to transmit the data flow to the user device.

16. The non-transitory memory of claim 15, wherein the one or more programs cause the gateway node of the operator network to transmit a tunnel rejection message to the guest service provider in response to determining that the quality of service request does not satisfy the tunneling criteria.

17. The non-transitory memory of claim 15, wherein the intrinsic information associated with the operator network corresponds to at least one of:

spectral usage within at least a portion of the operator network, bandwidth usage within at least a portion of the operator network, or proximity of the user device to an access node of at least one access network within the operator network that services the user device.

18. The non-transitory memory of claim 15, wherein the extrinsic information corresponds to at least one of:

a usage allotment associated with the predefined relationship between the operator network and the guest service provider, a bandwidth allotment associated with the predefined relationship between the operator network and the guest service provider, a latency criterion associated with the predefined relationship between the operator network and the guest service provider, or a quality of service criterion associated with the predefined relationship between the operator network and the guest service provider.

19. The non-transitory memory of claim 15, wherein the one or more programs cause the gateway node of the operator network to route the data flow through the tunnel by the operator network transmitting the data flow to the user device via one of an LTE mobile access network or a 5G mobile access network.

20. The non-transitory memory of claim 15, wherein the one or more programs cause the gateway node of the operator network to modify one or more tunnel attributes of the tunnel for the data flow in response to detecting a change to at least one of the intrinsic information or the extrinsic information.