CLOUD-BASED TELECOMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE

• US 20140153481A1
• Filed: 12/04/2012
• Published: 06/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Draznin, Sagiv, Chang, Patricia R., Kotecha, Lalit R.
• Granted Patent: US 8,989,000 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing

Abstract

A cloud-based telecommunications infrastructure may include one or more cloud-based network instances that each provide telecommunications services to mobile devices. A proxy may be used to select, based on initial communications from the mobile devices, one of the cloud-based network instances to service the mobile devices. Communications to the mobile devices may then be routed to the selected cloud-based network instances.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more devices, a request, from a mobile device, to use services of a telecommunications network;

selecting, by the one or more devices, from a plurality of cloud-based network instances that each provide functionality of telecommunications network resources, one of the plurality of cloud-based network instances to service the mobile device; and

routing, by the one or more devices, communications with the mobile device through the selected cloud-based network instance.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the cloud-based network instances each provide functionality of network devices in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the cloud-based network instances each provide functionality corresponding to at least one of a mobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (SGW), or a packet data network gateway (PGW) in the LTE network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more devices are implemented by computing resources that are offered as a service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cloud-based network instances are implemented at data centers that are located remotely from a base station that services the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting of the one of the plurality of cloud-based network instances further includes:

selecting the one of the plurality of cloud-based network instances based on load associated with the plurality of cloud-based network instances.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting of the one of the plurality of cloud-based network instances further includes:

selecting the one of the plurality of cloud-based network instances based on at least one of a user subscription level, time, date, location of the mobile device, or type of radio access network associated with the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting of the one of the plurality of cloud-based network instances further includes:

looking up information, relating to the mobile device, via a request to a home subscriber server (HSS); and

selecting the one of the plurality of cloud-based network instances based on the information looked-up via the HSS.

9. A computer-readable medium containing instructions, for execution by one or more processors, the instructions including:

instructions to receive a request, from a mobile device, to use services of a telecommunications network;

instructions to select from a plurality of cloud-based network instances that each provide functionality of telecommunications network resources, one of the plurality of cloud-based network instances to service the mobile device; and

instructions to route communications with the mobile device through the selected cloud-based network instance.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the cloud-based network instances each provide functionality of network devices in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the cloud-based network instances each provide functionality corresponding to at least one of a mobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (SGW), or a packet data network gateway (PGW) in the LTE network.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions, to select from the plurality of cloud-based network instances, are implemented at data centers that are located remotely from a base station that services the mobile device.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions, for execution by the one or more processors, further include:

instructions to select the one of the plurality of cloud-based network instances based on load associated with the plurality of cloud-based network instances.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the instructions, to select the one of the plurality of cloud-based network instances, further includes:

instructions to look up information, relating to the mobile device, via a request to a home subscriber server (HSS); and

instructions to select the one of the plurality of cloud-based network instances based on the information looked-up via the HSS.

15. A system comprising:

a plurality of cloud-based network instances to each provide functionality of telecommunications network resources to one or more devices; and

a proxy to;

select, based on communications from a particular device, of the one or more devices, one of the plurality of cloud-based network instances to service the particular device, and

route communications associated with the particular device through the selected cloud-based network instances.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a cloud management component to;

monitor load experienced by the plurality of cloud-based network instances; and

create, based on the monitored load, one or more new cloud-based network instances.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the cloud management component is further to:

expand, based on the monitored load, capacity of one or more of the cloud-based network instances.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the proxy is implemented in a cloud-based network instance.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of cloud-based network instances each provide functionality of network devices in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the cloud-based network instances each provide functionality corresponding to at least one of a mobility management entity (MME), a serving gateway (SGW), or a packet data network gateway (PGW) in the LTE network.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the proxy is further to select the one of the plurality of cloud-based network instances based on communications from the particular device that relate to initial attachment of the particular device to a network.