Generic access to the Iu interface

• US 7,852,817 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2007
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ribbon Communications Operating Company, Inc. (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kineto Wireless Incorporated (Ribbon Communications, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tao, Patrick, Gallagher, Michael D., Markovic, Milan, Khetawat, Amit
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khan; Mehmood B
• Application Number:
  US11/778,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20080039087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,249 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a communication system that includes a first licensed wireless communication system, a second generic access network (GAN) that includes a generic access network controller (GANC). The GANC is communicatively coupled to the first communication system through a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) Iu interface. The communication system also includes a user equipment (UE). The GANC includes a UDP protocol layer and a GTP-U protocol layer over the UDP protocol layer of the GANC. The UE includes a UDP protocol layer and a GTP-U protocol layer over said UDP protocol layer of the UE. The UDP protocol layer of the GANC is communicatively coupled to the UDP protocol layer of the UE. The GTP-U protocol layer of the GANC is communicatively coupled to the GTP-U protocol layer of the UE.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a) a first communication system comprising a licensed radio access network and a core network comprising a serving general packet radio service (GPRS) support node (SGSN) and a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) communicatively coupled to the SGSN,

wherein the SGSN comprises;

i) a user datagram protocol (UDP) protocol layer; and

ii) a GPRS tunnelling protocol (GTP-U) protocol layer over said UDP protocol layer of the SGSN;

b) a second generic access network (GAN) comprising a generic access network controller (GANC), wherein the GANC is communicatively coupled to the SGSN of the first communication system through a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) Iu interface; and

c) a user equipment (UE),

wherein the GANC comprises;

i) a UDP protocol layer;

ii) a GTP-U protocol layer over said UDP protocol layer of the GANC;

iii) a remote Internet Protocol (IP) layer below said UDP protocol layer of the GANC; and

iv) an IPSec layer below said remote IP layer of the GANC,

wherein the UE comprises;

i) a UDP protocol layer;

ii) a GTP-U protocol layer over said UDP protocol layer of the UE;

iii) a remote IP layer below said UDP protocol layer of the UE; and

iv) an IPSec layer below said remote IP layer of the UE,

wherein the UDP protocol layer of the GANC is communicatively coupled to the UDP protocol layer of the UE,

wherein the GTP-U protocol layer of the GANC is communicatively coupled to the GTP-U protocol layer of the UE,

wherein the GTP-U protocol layer of the GANC is directly coupled to the GTP-U protocol layer of the SGSN,

wherein the remote IP layer of the GANC is communicatively coupled to the remote IP layer of the UE,

wherein the IPSec layer of the GANC is communicatively coupled to the IPSec layer of the UE, and

wherein the direct coupling of the GTP-U protocol layer of the GANC to the GTP-U protocol layer of the SGSN avoids going through the GGSN.

2. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising a generic IP network comprising a transport IP protocol layer and a set of access protocol layers below the transport IP protocol layer of the generic IP network.

3. The communication system of claim 2, wherein:

a) the GANC further comprises;

i) a transport IP protocol layer below the IPSec layer of the GANC; and

ii) a set of access protocol layers below the transport IP protocol layer of the GANC; and

b) the UE further comprises;

i) a transport IP protocol layer below the IPSec layer of the UE; and

ii) a set of access protocol layers below the transport IP protocol layer of the UE,

wherein the transport IP protocol layer of the GANC is communicatively coupled to the transport IP protocol layer of the UE through the transport IP protocol layer of the generic IP network, wherein the set of access protocol layers of the GANC are communicatively coupled to the set of access protocol layers of the UE through the set of access protocol layers of the generic IP network.

4. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the UDP protocol layer of the GANC is communicatively coupled to the UDP protocol layer of the SGSN.

5. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the GANC further comprises an IP protocol layer below said UDP protocol layer of the GANC, wherein the SGSN further comprises an IP protocol layer below said UDP protocol layer of the SGSN, wherein the IP protocol layer of the GANC is communicatively coupled to the IP protocol layer of the SGSN.

6. The communication system of claim 5, wherein the GANC further comprises a set of data transport lower layers below said IP protocol layer of the GANC, wherein the SGSN further comprises a set of data transport lower layers below said IP protocol layer of the SGSN, wherein the set of data transport lower layers of the GANC is communicatively coupled to the set of data transport lower layers of the SGSN.

7. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the Iu interface is an Iu-ps interface.

8. The communication system of claim 1, wherein user data is carried transparently between the UE and the core network through the SGSN to the GGSN.

9. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the GANC establishes an active GTP-U path between the GANC and the SGSN.

10. The communication system of claim 9, wherein packet switched (PS) user data is carried transparently between the UE and the SGSN through the active GTP-U path.

11. The communication system of claim 10, wherein the PS user data is carried transparently between the UE and the SGSN through a Up interface GTP-U tunnel between the UE and the GANC.

12. The communication system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of UEs, wherein the GANC minimizes a number of active GTP-U paths presented to the SGSN by (i) establishing a plurality of GTP-U tunnels between the plurality of UEs and the GANC and (ii) presenting one active GTP-U path to the SGSN.

13. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the GANC appears to the core network as a UTRAN radio network controller (RNC).

14. The communication system of claim 12, wherein packet switched (PS) user data is carried transparently between the plurality of UEs and the SGSN through the active GTP-U path.

15. The communication system of claim 1, wherein packet switched (PS) user data in GTP-U protocol data unit (PDU) messages are carried transparently between the UE and the core network through the SGSN to the GGSN.

16. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the GANC (i) terminates a Up interface GTP-U tunnel between the UE and the GANC and (ii) terminates an Iu-ps interface GTP-U tunnel between the SGSN and the GANC.

17. A communication system comprising:

a) a first communication system comprising a licensed radio access network and a core network comprising a serving general packet radio service (GPRS) support node (SGSN) and a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) communicatively coupled to the SGSN,

b) a second generic access network (GAN) comprising a generic access network controller (GANC), wherein the GANC is communicatively coupled to the SGSN of the first communication system through a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) Iu interface; and

c) a user equipment (UE),

wherein the GANC comprises;

i) a user datagram protocol (UDP) protocol layer;

ii) a GPRS tunnelling protocol (GTP-U) protocol layer over said UDP protocol layer of the GANC;

iii) a remote Internet Protocol (IP) layer below said UDP protocol layer of the GANC; and

iv) an IPSec layer below said remote IP layer of the GANC,

wherein the UE comprises;

i) a UDP protocol layer;

ii) a GTP-U protocol layer over said UDP protocol layer of the UE;

iii) a remote IP layer below said UDP protocol layer of the UE; and

iv) an IPSec layer below said remote IP layer of the UE,

wherein the UDP protocol layer of the GANC is communicatively coupled to the UDP protocol layer of the UE,

wherein the GTP-U protocol layer of the GANC is communicatively coupled to the GTP-U protocol layer of the UE,

wherein the GTP-U protocol layer of the GANC is directly coupled to a GTP-U protocol layer of the SGSN,

wherein the remote IP layer of the GANC is communicatively coupled to the remote IP layer of the UE,

wherein the IPSec layer of the GANC is communicatively coupled to the IPSec layer of the UE,

wherein the direct coupling of the GTP-U protocol layer of the GANC to the GTP-U protocol layer of the SGSN avoids going through the GGSN,

wherein the GANC (i) terminates a Up interface GTP-U tunnel between the UE and the GANC and (ii) terminates an Iu-ps interface GTP-U tunnel between the SGSN and the GANC, and

wherein the Up interface GTP-U tunnel and the Iu-ps interface GTP-U tunnel are separate tunnels.

18. The communication system of claim 17, wherein the GANC relays packet switched (PS) user data between the Up interface GTP-U tunnel and the Iu-ps interface GTP-U tunnel.

19. The communication system of claim 17, wherein user data is carried transparently between the UE and the core network through the SGSN to the GGSN.

20. A generic access network controller (GANC) of a generic access network (GAN), the GANC for communicatively coupling a user equipment (UE) to a core network of a communication system through a universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) Iu interface, wherein the core network comprises a serving general packet radio service (GPRS) support node (SGSN) and a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) communicatively coupled to the SGSN, the GANC comprising:

a) a user datagram protocol (UDP) layer for communicatively coupling to a UDP protocol layer of the UE;

b) a GPRS tunnelling protocol (GTP-U) protocol layer over said UDP protocol layer of the GANC for (i) communicatively coupling to a GTP-U protocol layer of the UE, the GTP-U protocol layer of the UE being over the UDP protocol layer of the UE, and for (ii) directly coupling to a GTP-U protocol layer of the SGSN, the GTP-U protocol layer of the SGSN being over a UDP protocol layer of the SGSN;

c) a remote Internet Protocol (IP) layer below the UDP protocol layer of the GANC for communicatively coupling to a remote IP layer of the UE, the remote IP layer of the UE being below the UDP protocol layer of the UE; and

d) an IPSec layer below the remote IP layer of the GANC for communicatively coupling to an IPSec layer of the UE, the IPSec layer of the UE being below the remote IP layer of the UE,

wherein the direct coupling of the GTP-U protocol layer of the GANC to the GTP-U protocol layer of the SGSN avoids going through the GGSN.

21. The GANC of claim 20 further comprising:

a transport IP protocol layer below said IPSec layer of the GANC for communicatively coupling to a transport IP protocol layer of the UE through a transport IP protocol layer of a generic IP network; and

a set of access protocol layers below said transport IP protocol layer of the GANC for communicatively coupling to a set of access protocol layers of the UE through a set of access protocol layers of the generic IP network.

22. The GANC of claim 20 further comprising:

a) a Up interface GTP-U tunnel between the UE and the GANC, wherein the Up interface GTP-U tunnel is terminated at the GANC; and

b) an Iu-ps interface GTP-U tunnel between the SGSN and the GANC, wherein the Iu-ps interface GTP-U tunnel is terminated at the GANC.

23. The GANC of claim 22, wherein the GANC relays packet switched (PS) user data between the Up interface GTP-U tunnel and the Iu-ps interface GTP-U tunnel.