Mobile communications

• US 20030125028A1
• Filed: 11/20/2002
• Published: 07/03/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange Personal Communications Services Limited (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Reynolds, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,149,524 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/24 Reselection being triggered by specific parameters

Abstract

A method of, apparatus for and a computer program for controlling handover of a mobile station conducting a communications session in a mobile communications network, the network including a plurality of radio access domains, the method comprising: receiving a trigger indicating a requirement for handover; testing at least one possible handover meeting said requirement against network policy; and controlling handover in accordance with said requirement and said network policy.

Claims

1. A method of controlling handover of a mobile station conducting a communications session in a mobile communications network, the network including a plurality of radio access domains, the method comprising:

receiving a trigger indicating a requirement for handover;

testing at least one possible handover meeting said requirement against network policy said network policy being defined by data received from a server hierarchically above the radio access domains; and

controlling handover in accordance with said requirement and said network policy.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said data is accessible to a network entity controlling handover.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, comprising assigning a priority to said requirement, assigning a priority to network policy, and controlling handover in accordance with a relationship between the said priorities.

4. A method according to claim 1 or 2, comprising assigning a priority to the communications session, assigning a priority to network policy, and controlling handover in accordance with a relationship between the said priorities.

5. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein said requirement is a user-specified requirement.

6. A method according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein said requirement is a network-specified requirement.

7. A method according to any preceding claim, comprising not conducting handover if, whilst one or more handovers meeting the said requirement exist, no handover exists meeting network policy.

8. A method according to any preceding claim, comprising conducting handover in accordance with quality of service requirements in addition to network policy and said requirement.

9. A method according to any preceding claim, comprising conducting handover in accordance with quasi-static user-specified preferences in addition to network policy and said requirement.

10. A method according to any preceding claim, comprising altering network policy with time in order to alter the radio access characteristics of communications sessions conducted by mobile stations operating in the mobile communications system, under the control of the network operator.

11. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein said handover required or controlled involves handing over the mobile station between said radio access domains.

12. Apparatus adapted to perform the method of any preceding claim.

13. A computer program for performing the method of any of claims 1 to 11.

14. A method of conducting handover in a mobile communications network, said method comprising conducting handover in accordance with a handover algorithm which takes network policy data as an input during a handover decision process.