METHOD FOR RE-SELECTING A COMMUNICATION NETWORK

• US 20130265986A1
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Published: 10/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fraunhofer Institut Fokus, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Fraunhofer Institut Fokus, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Pampu, Cornel, Zhou, Qing, Magedanz, Thomas, Vingarzan, Dragos, Coric, Marius Iulian, Diez Albaladejo, Alberto
• Granted Patent: US 9,749,923 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/14 Reselecting a network or an air interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/144 over a different radio air interface technology
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method for re-selecting a communication network. The method comprises receiving a network access request indicating a request to access to a communication network by a communication device, determining upon the basis of the network access request as to whether communication resources of the communication network are available for the communication device, and re-selecting another communication network for the communication device if the communication resources are not available for the communication device.

Claims

1. A method for re-selecting a second communication network, comprising:

receiving a network access request indicating a request to access to a first communication network by a communication device;

determining upon the basis of the network access request as to whether communication resources of the first communication network are available for the communication device; and

re-selecting the second communication network for the communication device if the communication resources are not available for the communication device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication resources are not available for the communication device when at least one of the following conditions is met:

the communication resources provided by the first communication network are not sufficient to support the requested access to the first communication network,

the communication device is not authorized to access to the communication resources of the first communication network, and

the communication resources provided by the first communication network cannot be reserved for the first communication device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the re-selection of the second communication network comprises initiating a handover of the communication device to the second communication network.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting a network re-selection request to the communication device or to a network entity comprising a base station, to initiate the network re-selection.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting information on the second communication network to the communication device or to a network entity comprising a base station or to any access point.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the communication resources comprise at least one of the following:

a data rate,

a bandwidth,

a communication channel,

a communication frequency, and

at least one quality of service parameter.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is executed

by default, or

if a previous resource reservation has failed, or

upon a change of a communication session.

8. A method for accessing a communication network, comprising:

transmitting a network access request towards the communication network to indicate a request to access to the communication network by a communication device;

receiving a network re-selection request over the communication network instructing to re-select a second communication network, in particular instructing to handover to the second communication network; and

re-selecting the second communication network in response to the network re-selection request.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the network access request is transmitted by a policy control function of the communication device or of another network entity.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the network re-selection is initiated by a policy control function of the communication device or of another network entity.

11. A network selector, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a network access request indicating a request to access to a communication network by a communication device;

a resource controller configured to determine upon the basis of the network access request as to whether communication resources of the communication network are available for the communication device; and

a network controller configured to re-select a second communication network for the communication device if the communication resources are not available for the communication device.

12. The network selector according to claim 11, wherein the network controller is configured to transmit a network re-selection request to the communication device to re-select the second communication network.