Method for improving quality of service management in a mobile packet radio communication cellular system

• US 20050096063A1
• Filed: 03/06/2003
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Muniere, Vincent
• Granted Patent: US 8,005,477 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/452.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/26 by agreed or negotiated communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/24 Transfer of terminal data

Abstract

Method of improving quality of service management in a packet mode cellular mobile radio system, in which method: in the event of a change of cell from an old cell to a new cell, information on a quality of service profile negotiated in the old cell is transferred to the new cell, and an additional quality of service management procedure is also provided, to prevent degraded quality of service if the quality of service profile negotiated in the old cell may not be offered in the new cell.

Claims

1. Method of improving quality of service management in a packet mode cellular mobile radio system, in which method:

in the event of a change of cell from an old cell to a new cell, information on a quality of service profile negotiated in the old cell is transferred to the new cell, and

an additional quality of service management procedure is also provided, to prevent degraded quality of service if the quality of service profile negotiated in the old cell may not be offered in the new cell.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein said transfer of quality of service profile information is requested by a core network entity, in particular a serving GPRS support node (SGSN), of a radio access network entity, in particular a base station subsystem (BSS).

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein the quality of service profile information transferred corresponds to a base station subsystem context associated with a mobile station and liable to contain a plurality of packet flow contexts (PFC).

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the quality of service profile negotiated in the old cell for each packet flow context (PFC) corresponds to an aggregate BSS QoS profile (ABQP).

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein as soon as there is a base station subsystem context for a mobile station in the old cell, a radio access network entity, in particular a base station subsystem (BSS), assumes that the aggregate BSS QoS profile (ABQP) that has been negotiated in the old cell for each packet flow context (PFC) is required in the new cell by a core network entity, in particular a serving GPRS support node (SGSN).

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein said additional quality of service management procedure comprises:

a step whereby a radio access network entity, in particular a base station subsystem (BSS), communicates to a core network entity, in particular a serving GPRS support node (SGSN), information relating to the feasibility of said transfer of quality of service profile information.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein said additional quality of service management procedure comprises:

a step whereby a radio access network entity, in particular a base station subsystem (BSS), communicates to a core network entity, in particular a serving GPRS support node (SGSN), information indicating if the packet flow context(s) (PFC(s)) of a mobile station may be transferred to the new cell or not.

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein said additional quality of service management procedure comprises:

a step whereby, if quality of service profile information may not be transferred, a new packet flow context creation procedure for the new cell is executed, said context being characterized by a quality of service profile adapted to the new cell, and said adaptation taking account of the quality of service profile that the radio access network indicates it is able to offer in the new cell.

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein a core network entity, in particular a serving GPRS support node (SGSN), and a radio access network entity, in particular a base station subsystem (BSS), communicate information necessary for implementing said method by means of a procedure for transferring to the new cell data waiting in the old cell.

10. Method according to claim 9, wherein said procedure is a “

FLUSH-LL”

procedure.

11. Method according to claim 10, wherein said information communicated by said core network entity to said radio access network entity is transmitted in a “

FLUSH-LL PDU”

message.

12. Method according to claim 10, wherein said information communicated by said radio access network entity to said core network entity is transmitted in a “

FLUSH-LL-ACK PDU”

message.

13. Core network entity for a packet mode cellular mobile radio system, in particular a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) entity, comprising means adapted to implement a method according to claim 1.

14. Radio access network entity for a packet mode cellular mobile radio system, in particular a base station subsystem (BSS) entity, comprising means adapted to implement a method according to claim 1.