Connection type handover of voice over internet protocol call based on resource type

• US 7,970,400 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2005
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Backstrom, Martin, Larsson, Anders
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz; Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Islam; Mohammad K
• Application Number:
  US11/298,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20060268849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,024 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370352-356, 4554521-4522, 375/66, 375/132
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/713 using frequency hopping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• 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 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/304 due to measured or perceived resources with higher communication quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/10 adapted for application session management, e.g. SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] connection management H04W76/00; arrangements for session management H04L67/14

Abstract

A telecommunications network comprises a base station node (28) which provides plural sets of radio transmission resources (52) for communicating with mobile stations (30) in a cell (40). At least one set (52₁) of radio transmission resources of the cell is a non-hopping set of radio transmission resources including a resource which may carry the BCCH, and other sets (52₁-52_n) of radio transmission resources of the cell are hopping sets of radio transmission resources. A base station controller (26) node schedules calls comprising voice over internet protocol packet flows on the non-hopping sets of radio transmission resources in accordance with capacity of the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources. When the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources lacks capacity for a further call with a mobile station, the base station controller (26) node requests that the call be changed from a voice over internet protocol packet flow to a circuit switched connection.

Claims

1. A method of operating a telecommunications network comprising:

configuring at least one set of radio transmission resources of a cell as a non-hopping set of radio transmission resources;

configuring other sets of radio transmission resources of the cell as hopping sets of radio transmission resources;

scheduling calls comprising voice over internet protocol packet flows on the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources in accordance with capacity of the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources;

determining whether the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources lacks capacity for a further call with a mobile station by determining whether any non-hopping resource is currently available for allocation to the new call; and

when the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources lacks capacity for the further call with a mobile station, requesting that the further call be changed from a voice over internet protocol packet flow to a circuit switched connection hopping resource of the cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources comprise radio transmission resources provided by a non-hopping transceiver and wherein the radio transmission resources provided by the non-hopping transceiver comprise timeslots on a frequency upon which the non-hopping transceiver operates, and wherein the hopping sets of radio transmission resources comprise radio transmission resources provided by respective hopping transceivers and wherein the radio transmission resources provided by the hopping transceivers comprise timeslots on respective frequencies upon which the hopping transceivers operate.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing at least one radio transmission resource of the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources for a broadcast control channel (BCCH), and using other radio transmission resources of the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources for the calls comprising voice over internet protocol packet flows.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein requesting that the further call be changed from the voice over internet protocol packet flow to the circuit switched connection comprises requesting the mobile station to perform a packet-switch to circuit-switch handover and thereby reattach the call as a circuit switch call on one of the hopping sets of radio transmission resources of the cell.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the hopping sets of radio transmission resources have higher reuse among other cells of the network than the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the calls comprising voice over internet protocol packet flows comprise EDGE VoIP flows.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising changing the further call to a hopping radio transmission resource of the cell.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising utilizing at least one timeslot of the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources for a broadcast control channel (BCCH), and using other timeslots of the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources for the calls comprising voice over internet protocol packet flows.

9. A method of operating a telecommunications network comprising:

configuring a transmitter with radio transmission resources including at least one radio transmission resource for a broadcast control channel (BCCH);

scheduling calls comprising voice over internet protocol packet flows on the radio transmission resources of the transmitter in accordance with capacity of the transmitter;

determining whether a non-hopping set of radio transmission resources lacks capacity for a further call with a mobile station by determining whether any non-hopping resource is currently available for allocation to the further call; and

when the transmitter having the radio transmission resource for the broadcast control channel (BCCH) lacks capacity for the further call with a mobile station, requesting that the further call be changed from a voice over internet protocol packet flow to a circuit switched connection hopping radio transmission resource of the cell.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the radio transmission resources of the transmitter comprise non-hopping resources, and further comprising utilizing at least one timeslot of the non-hopping radio transmission resources for the broadcast control channel (BCCH), and using other timeslots of the non-hopping radio transmission resources for the calls comprising voice over internet protocol packet flows.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein requesting that the further call be changed from the voice over internet protocol packet flow to the circuit switched connection comprises requesting the mobile station to perform a packet-switch to circuit-switch handover and thereby reattach the call as a circuit switch call other radio transmission resources.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising changing the further call to a hopping radio transmission resource of the cell.

13. A telecommunications network comprising:

a base station node configured to provide plural sets of radio transmission resources for communicating with mobile stations in a cell, at least one set of radio transmission resources of the cell being a non-hopping set of radio transmission resources and other sets of radio transmission resources of the cell being hopping sets of radio transmission resources;

a packet control unit configured to schedule calls comprising voice over internet protocol packet flows on the non-hopping sets of radio transmission resources in accordance with capacity of the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources;

to determine whether a non-hopping set of radio transmission resources lacks capacity for a further call with a mobile station by determining whether any non-hopping resource is currently available for allocation to the further call; and

which, when the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources lacks capacity for a further call with a mobile station, to request that the further call be changed from a voice over internet protocol packet flow to a circuit switched connection hopping resource of the cell.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources comprise radio transmission resources provided by a non-hopping transceiver and wherein the radio transmission resources provided by the non-hopping transceiver comprise timeslots on a frequency upon which the non-hopping transceiver operates, and wherein the hopping sets of radio transmission resources comprise radio transmission resources provided by respective hopping transceivers and wherein the radio transmission resources provided by the hopping transceivers comprise timeslots on respective frequencies upon which the hopping transceivers operate.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the packet control unit is configured to utilize at least one radio transmission resource of the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources for a broadcast control channel (BCCH), and the packet control unit is configured to utilize other radio transmission resources of the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources for the calls comprising voice over internet protocol packet flows.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the packet control unit is further configured to utilize at least one timeslot of the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources for a broadcast control channel (BCCH), and wherein the packet control unit is configured to utilize other timeslots of the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources for the calls comprising voice over internet protocol packet flows.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein, to request that the further call be changed from a voice over internet protocol packet flow to a circuit switched connection, the packet control unit is configured to request the mobile station to perform a packet-switch to circuit-switch handover and thereby reattach the further call as a circuit switch call on one of the hopping sets of radio transmission resources of the cell.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the hopping sets of radio transmission resources have higher reuse among other cells of the network than the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the calls comprising voice over internet protocol packet flows comprise EDGE VoIP flows.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the packet control unit is at least partially situated at a base station controller node.

21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the packet control unit is at least partially situated at a base station node.

22. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the packet control unit is at least partially situated at a GPRS Support Node.

23. A packet control unit for a telecommunications network which comprises plural sets of radio transmission resources for communicating with mobile stations in a cell, at least one set of radio transmission resources of the cell being a non-hopping set of radio transmission resources and other sets of radio transmission resources of the cell being hopping sets of radio transmission resources, and wherein the packet control unit is arranged to schedule calls comprising voice over internet protocol packet flows on the non-hopping sets of radio transmission resources in accordance with capacity of the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources;

to determine whether a non-hopping set of radio transmission resources lacks capacity for a further call with a mobile station by determining whether any non-hopping resource is currently available for allocation to the further call; and

when the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources lacks capacity for a further call with a mobile station, to request that the further call be changed from a voice over internet protocol packet flow to a circuit switched connection hopping resource of the cell.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources comprise radio transmission resources provided by a non-hopping transceiver and wherein the radio transmission resources provided by the non-hopping transceiver comprise timeslots on a frequency upon which the non-hopping transceiver operates, and wherein the hopping sets of radio transmission resources comprise radio transmission resources provided by respective hopping transceivers and wherein the radio transmission resources provided by the hopping transceivers comprise timeslots on respective frequencies upon which the hopping transceivers operate.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the packet control unit is configured to utilize at least one radio transmission resource of the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources for a broadcast control channel (BCCH), and the packet control unit is configured to utilize other radio transmission resources of the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources for the calls comprising voice over internet protocol packet flows.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein, to request that the further call be changed from a voice over internet protocol packet flow to a circuit switched connection, the packet control unit is configured to request the mobile station to perform a packet-switch to circuit-switch handover and thereby reattach the further call as a circuit switch call on one of the hopping sets of radio transmission resources of the cell.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the hopping sets of radio transmission resources have higher reuse among other cells of the network than the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources.

28. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the calls comprising voice over internet protocol packet flows comprise EDGE VoIP flows.

29. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the packet control unit is at least partially situated at a base station controller node.

30. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the packet control unit is at least partially situated at a base station node.

31. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the packet control unit is at least partially situated at a GPRS Support Node.

32. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the packet control unit is further configured to utilize at least one timeslot of the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources for a broadcast control channel (BCCH), and wherein the packet control unit is configured to utilize other timeslots of the non-hopping set of radio transmission resources for the calls comprising voice over internet protocol packet flows.