Reducing cost of cellular backhaul

• US 20060007919A1
• Filed: 06/09/2005
• Published: 01/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VANU Incorporated
• Original Assignee: VANU Incorporated
• Inventors: Steinheider, Jeffrey, Bose, Vanu
• Granted Patent: US 7,554,960 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/12 between access points and access point controllers

Abstract

Methods and systems for reducing the cost of cellular backhaul are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for backhauling wireless voice and data transmissions, the method comprising:

receiving, at a base station, a wireless transmission;

forwarding the transmission from the base station to a base station controller over a shared network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the base station controller, a second transmission;

forwarding the second transmission to the base station over the shared network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the shared network comprises a non-private network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the shared network comprises the internet.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a jitter buffer at the base station controller; and

using the jitter buffer to compensate for jitter introduced by the shared network.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

providing a jitter buffer at the base station; and

using the jitter buffer to compensate for jitter introduced by the shared network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein forwarding the transmission comprises forwarding the transmission using a secure protocol.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the secure protocol comprises SSL.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a priority of the received transmission; and

forwarding the transmission based on the determined priority.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining a priority comprises:

assigning a first priority to voice transmissions; and

assigning a second priority to data transmissions, wherein the first priority is greater than the second priority.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein forwarding the transmission comprises forwarding the transmission using voice over IP technology.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing decryption of the transmission at the base station controller.

14. The method of claim 2, further comprising performing encryption of the second transmission at the base station controller.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing power control at the base station.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission comprises a transmission from a cellular telephone.

17. A method comprising:

receiving, at a base station, a wireless transmission from a first mobile unit to be routed to a second mobile unit,

determining if the second mobile unit is within a communication range of the base station; and

if the second mobile unit is within the range, locally routing the transmission from the first mobile unit to the second mobile unit at the base station.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising forwarding the transmission from the base station to a base station controller if the second mobile unit is not within the range.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein forwarding the transmission from the base station to the base station controller comprises forwarding the transmission from the base station to the base station controller over a shared network.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the shared network comprises the internet.

21. A system for backhauling wireless voice and data transmissions, the system comprising:

a base station configured to;

receive a wireless transmission; and

forward the transmission to a base station controller over a shared network.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

a base station controller configured to;

receive a second transmission; and

forward the second transmission to the base station over the shared network.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the shared network comprises the internet.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the base station controller comprises a jitter buffer configured to compensate for jitter introduced by the shared network.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the base station comprises a jitter buffer configured to compensate for jitter introduced by the shared network.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the base station is further configured to:

determine a priority of the received transmission; and

forward the transmission based on the determined priority.

27. A system comprising:

a base station configured to;

receive a wireless transmission from a first mobile unit to be routed to a second mobile unit;

determine if the second mobile unit is within a communication range of the base station; and

if the second mobile unit is within the range, locally route the transmission from the first mobile unit to the second mobile unit at the base station.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising a base station controller, wherein the base station is further configured to forward the transmission to the base station controller if the second mobile unit is not within the range.