Method and Apparatus for Establishing Transport Channels for a Femtocell

• US 20080261596A1
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ribbon Communications Operating Company, Inc. (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kineto Wireless Incorporated (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tao, Patrick, Gupta, Rajeev, Gallagher, Michael D., Markovic, Milan, Khetawat, Amit
• Granted Patent: US 8,150,397 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/041 Key generation or derivation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/122 Counter-measures against attacks; Protection against rogue devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/04 Interfaces between hierarchically different network devices

Abstract

Some embodiments are implemented in a communication system that includes a first wireless communication system and a second wireless communication system that includes a Femtocell access point (FAP) and a network controller that can communicatively couple the FAP to the first wireless communication system. In some embodiments, the network controller can communicatively couple to the first wireless communication system through a UTRAN Iu interface. Some embodiments provide a resource management method that determines that a user equipment (UE) has roved in a region serviced by the FAP. The FAP includes a generic access resource control (GA-RC) protocol sub-layer. The method creates a separate GA-RC state dedicated to the UE in the GA-RC protocol sub-layer. The method also sets the GA-RC state dedicated to the UE to a deregistered state to indicate that the UE is not registered to use the services of the second wireless communication system.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A communication system comprising:

a) a wireless first communication system comprising a general packet radio service (GPRS) support node (GSN); and

b) a second communication system comprising a network controller and a FAP communicatively coupled to the network controller, the network controller communicatively coupling the second communication system to the wireless first communication system; and

wherein the GSN comprises a GTP-U protocol layer, wherein the FAP comprises a GTP-U layer communicatively coupled to the GTP-U protocol layer of the GSN.

22. The communication system of claim 21, wherein the GSN further comprises a UDP protocol layer below the GTP-U layer of the GSN, wherein the FAP further comprises a UDP protocol layer below the GTP-U layer of the GSN, wherein the UDP protocol layer of the FAP is communicatively coupled to the GTP-U protocol layer of the GSN.

23. The communication system of claim 21, wherein the FAP terminates a GTP-U tunnel between the FAP and the GSN.

24. The communication system of claim 21, wherein the network controller is communicatively coupled to the wireless first communication network through a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) Iu interface

25. The communication system of claim 21, wherein the GSN is a serving general packet radio service (GPRS) support node (SGSN).

26. The communication system of claim 21, wherein the GSN is a gateway general packet radio service (GPRS) support node (GGSN).

27. A Femtocell access point (FAP) of a first communication network, the first communication network further comprising a network controller communicatively coupling the FAP to a wireless second communication network comprising a general packet radio service (GPRS) support node (GSN), the FAP comprising:

a) a UDP protocol layer for communicatively coupling the FAP with a UDP layer of the GSN; and

b) a GTP-U protocol layer over said UDP protocol layer for communicatively coupling the FAP with a GTP-U layer of the GSN;

wherein the FAP directly terminates a GTP-U tunnel between the FAP and the GSN.

28. The FAP of claim 27, wherein the GSN is a serving general packet radio service (GPRS) support node (SGSN).

29. The FAP of claim 27, wherein the GSN is a gateway general packet radio service (GPRS) support node (GGSN).

30. A method comprising:

a) receiving a request at a Femtocell access point of a first communication network to activate a transport channel between the FAP and a core component of a second communication network, wherein the request comprises an identification of said core component as the identification of an end point of the transport channel, wherein the request comprises an IP address of said core component as an end point IP address of an end point of the transport channel;

b) activating a transport channel between the FAP and the core network component; and

c) sending a set of GTP-U messages directly from the FAP to the core component of the second communication network through the transport channel.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the core component of the second communication network is a serving general packet radio service (GPRS) support node (SGSN).

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the core component of the second communication network is a gateway general packet radio service (GPRS) support node (GGSN).

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the identification of the core component of the second communication network comprises a TEID of said core component.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein the FAP receives said request from a network controller communicatively coupling the FAP to the second communication network.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the network controller is communicatively coupled to the second communication system through a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) Iu interface.

36. The method of claim 30, further comprising receiving at the FAP a set of GTP-U messages directly from core component of the second communication network.

37. The method of claim 30, wherein the transport channel comprises a GTP-U tunnel for transporting the GTP-U messages.

38. The method of claim 30, wherein the core component of the second communication system supports a plurality of packet data protocol (PDP) contexts for GTP-U messages, the method further comprising establishing a separate GTP-U transport channel for each of a plurality of active PDP contexts.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the FAP is for communicatively coupling a plurality of user equipments (UEs) to the core component of the second communication network, the method further comprising establishing a separate transport channel for each of a plurality of active PDP contexts for each UE.

40. The method of claim 30, wherein the FAP is for communicatively coupling a plurality of user equipments (UEs) to the core component of the second communication network, the method further comprising establishing a separate transport channel for each UE that requires GTP-U messages to and from the second communication network.