IP based voice communication in a mobile communications system

• US 7,792,935 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2001
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Karjanlahti, Juha
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THUONG
• Application Number:
  US10/204,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20030187926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,190 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 455/416, 455/435, 455518-520, 455/521, 370/340, 370351-356, 370/390, 370493-495
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/185 wireless packet-switched
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/187 combining circuit and packet-switched, e.g. GPRS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

An IP-based group communication feature in a mobile communication network is based on the pre-established logical connections established between a gateway node (GGSN) and members of a group in the mobile communication network. No separate call establishment procedures using VoIP signaling are used for connecting a user equipment (UE) logically to group(s), but the procedure is preferably based on the normal logical connection establishment signaling (e.g. PDP context creation) as used for data service. The UE implements a host supporting the IP multicasting, and the next IP layer peer for the UE host is located in the gateway node. The gateway node provides an IP interface towards an external multicast router so that the UE host looks like a normal IP host supporting IP multicasting. The IP-based voice traffic is mapped and transferred over pre-established connections between the gateway and the UEs of the specific group.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

creating at least one group of user nodes for internet protocol based group communication in a mobile communications system, each group having a group identifier and a multicast address for identifying the group, wherein the multicast address of the group is also utilized as a group identifier;

pre-establishing separate packet data protocol contexts between a network apparatus and each user node registered to the group, wherein a user node is registered to a group based upon at least an access point name indicated in a registration request received from the user node, wherein pre-establishing separate packet data protocol contexts comprises creating a packet data protocol context for each user node registered to the group, and establishing logical connections between the network apparatus and the user nodes registered to the group;

mapping, by the network apparatus, the packet data protocol contexts to the multicast address of the group;

routing, by the network apparatus, packets addressed to the multicast address of the group, wherein the packets addressed to the multicast address are transferred over the packet data protocol contexts mapped to the multicast address of the group; and

supporting internet protocol multicasting procedures between the network apparatus and an internet protocol multicasting server, comprising converting, by the network apparatus, group registrations made in a packet data protocol context layer into internet protocol multicast registrations in an internet protocol user layer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, the group identifier is identifying the packet data protocol contexts belonging to the same group.

3. The method according to claim 2, comprising identifying

a set of groups by means of an access point name.

4. The method according to claim 1, comprising

the network apparatus requesting the multicast address for the group identifier from another node in the mobile communications system when a first packet data protocol context for the group is pre-established.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein group registration in the packet data protocol layer contains the group identifier and an access point name-which identifies said another node.

6. An apparatus comprising

at least one processor;

and

at least one memory including computer program code, where the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to at least;

create at least one group of user nodes for internet protocol based group communication in a mobile communications system, each group having a group identifier and a multicast address for identifying the group, wherein the multicast address of the group is also utilized as a group identifier;

pre-establish separate packet data protocol contexts between a gateway node and each user node registered to the group, wherein a user node is registered to a group based upon at least an access point name indicated in a registration request received from the user node, wherein pre-establishing separate packet data protocol contexts comprises creating a packet data protocol context for each user node registered to the group, and establishing logical connections between the gateway node and the user nodes registered to the group;

map the packet data protocol contexts to the multicast address of the group; and

route packets addressed to the multicast address of the group, wherein the packets addressed to the multicast address are transferred over the packet data protocol contexts mapped to the multicast address of the group; and

support internet protocol multicasting procedures between said gateway node and an internet protocol multicasting server, wherein said gateway node is arranged to convert group registrations made in a packet data protocol context layer into internet protocol multicast registrations in an internet protocol user layer.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the group identifier is identifying the packet data protocol contexts belonging to the same group.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein an identifier for a set of groups comprises an access point name.

9. The apparatus according to claim 6, comprising said gateway node being arranged to request the multicast address for the group identifier from another node in the mobile communications system when a first packet data protocol context for the group is pre-established.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the group registration in the packet data protocol layer contains the group identifier and an access point name which identifies said another node in the mobile communications system.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the another node is a domain name server.