Method of controlling packet data traffic

• US 8,189,509 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2006
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Miklós, György, Turányi, Zoltán Richárd
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Riyami, Abdullah
• Application Number:
  US12/224,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20100150057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,269 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230, 370/235, 370/252, 370/328, 370/352, 370/331, 370/338, 370/395.42, 370/389, 370/390, 370/329, 370/349, 370/400, 370/401, 370/467, 370/469, 370/491, 455/406, 455/407, 455/408, 455/422.1, 455/433, 709/203, 709/227, 709/228
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/082 for traffic bypassing of mobility servers, e.g. location registers, home PLMNs or home agents
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

The application relates to a method of controlling packet data traffic of a packet service in a communication network 10, where in accordance with the packet service a communication with a terminal 12 involves a terminal serving entity 101 and a gateway entity 102. Furthermore, a decision entity 103 is provided for performing a decision procedure for deciding whether to process packet data traffic from the terminal 12 in the gateway entity 102 of the network 10, or to tunnel the traffic on to a home communication network 13 of the visiting terminal 12.

Claims

1. A method of controlling packet data traffic of a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) packet service in a communication network, where in accordance with said packet service a communication with a given packet service terminal involves a terminal serving entity supporting said packet service and arranged for performing access control with respect to said given packet service terminal, and a gateway entity supporting said packet service and arranged for providing interworking with other networks, said method comprising:

setting up a communication between a terminal serving entity of said communication network and a visiting packet service terminal visiting said communication network, wherein said terminal serving entity is a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN),

tunneling packet data traffic of said visiting packet service terminal from said terminal serving entity of said communication network to a decision entity in said communication network, said decision entity performing a decision procedure for deciding whether the decision entity tunnels said packet data traffic to a gateway entity of said communication network to process said packet data traffic in said gateway entity of said communication network, or tunnels said packet data traffic on to a home communication network of said visiting packet service terminal, the decision entity being arranged to perform the decision procedure for packet data traffic received from a plurality of different terminal serving entities of the communication network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said decision entity is implemented in said gateway entity of said visited communication network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said decision entity acts as a gateway entity towards said terminal serving entity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said decision entity, if it tunnels said packet data traffic on to a given gateway entity, acts as a terminal serving entity towards said given gateway entity.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said given gateway entity is a gateway entity in the home communication network of said visiting packet service terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said decision entity is configurable by one or both of an operator of said visited communication network and an operator of said home communication network of said visiting packet service terminal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said terminal serving entity, upon the setting up of said communication between said terminal serving entity and said visiting packet service terminal, performs an address query to an address providing entity for an address of an entity to which to tunnel the packet data traffic from said visiting packet service terminal.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said terminal serving entity performs said address query based on an entity identifier that comprises a network identification part for identifying a network, wherein said address providing entity responds to said address query with an address of said decision entity if the network identification part of said address query indicates the home communication network of said visiting packet service terminal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said address providing entity responds to said address query with a first address of said decision entity if the network identification part of said address query indicates the home communication network of said visiting packet service terminal, and with a second address of said decision entity if the network identification part of said address query indicates said visited communication network, said first and second addresses being different.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein packets of said packet data traffic are routed in accordance with an inter-network routing address, and one of said decision entity and said gateway entity assigns for said packet data traffic an inter-network routing address that designates said communication network.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein one of said decision entity and said gateway entity communicates said assigned inter-network routing address to said visiting packet service terminal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said visiting packet service terminal supports an inter-network mobility scheme for mobile devices comprising the use of a home routing address and a care-of routing address, where said visiting packet service terminal uses said assigned inter-network routing address received from said decision entity as a care-of routing address for said packet data traffic.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said inter-network mobility scheme for mobile devices is Mobile IPv6, and said inter-network routing address received from said decision entity is used as an Ipv6 care-of-address.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein one of said decision entity and said gateway entity performs an inter-network routing address replacement in the packet data traffic of said communication, replacing a home inter-network routing address in packets coming from said visiting packet service terminal by said assigned inter-network routing address, and replacing said assigned inter-network routing address in packets sent to said visiting packet service terminal by said home inter-network routing address.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein said communication network is a wireless communication network and said packet service terminal is a wireless terminal.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said gateway entity is a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN).

17. A decision entity for a packet service in a communication network, where in accordance with said packet service a communication with a given packet service terminal involves a terminal serving entity supporting said packet service and arranged for performing access control with respect to said given packet service terminal, and a gateway entity supporting said packet service and arranged for providing interworking with other networks, where said decision entity comprises:

a receiver for receiving tunneled packet data traffic of a visiting packet service terminal from a terminal serving entity of said communication network, wherein said terminal serving entity is a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN)

a controller for performing a decision procedure for deciding whether the decision entity tunnels said packet data traffic from said visiting packet service terminal to a gateway entity of said communication network to process said packet data traffic in said gateway entity of said communication network, or tunnels said packet data traffic on to a home communication network of said visiting packet service terminal, and

the decision entity being arranged to perform the decision procedure for packet data traffic received from a plurality of different terminal serving entities of the communication network.

18. The decision entity of claim 17, wherein said decision entity is implemented in said gateway entity.

19. The decision entity of claim 17, wherein said decision entity is arranged to act as a gateway entity towards said terminal serving entity.

20. The decision entity of claim 17, wherein said decision entity is arranged such that if it tunnels said packet data traffic on to a given gateway entity, it acts as a terminal serving entity towards said given gateway entity.

21. The decision entity of claim 17, wherein said decision entity is configurable by one or both of an operator of said visited communication network and an operator of said home communication network of said visiting terminal.

22. The decision entity of claim 17, wherein packets of said packet data traffic are routed in accordance with an inter-network routing address, and said decision entity comprises an inter-network routing address assigner arranged to assign for said packet data traffic an inter-network routing address that designates said communication network.

23. The decision entity of claim 22, comprising a communicator for communicating an inter-network routing address assigned by said inter-network routing address assigner to said visiting packet service terminal.

24. The decision entity of claim 22, comprising an inter-network routing address replacer for replacing a home inter-network routing address in packet data traffic coming from said visiting packet service terminal by an inter-network routing address assigned by said inter-network routing address assigner, and for replacing said assigned inter-network routing address in packets sent to said visiting packet service terminal by said home inter-network routing address.

25. An address providing entity for a communication network that supports a packet service, where in accordance with said packet service a communication with a given packet service terminal involves a terminal serving entity supporting said packet service and arranged for performing access control with respect to said given packet service terminal, and a gateway entity supporting said packet service and arranged for providing interworking with other networks, said communication network comprising a decision entity configured to receive packet data traffic from said visiting packet service terminal and decide whether the decision entity tunnels said packet data traffic from said visiting packet service terminal in a gateway entity of said communication network to process said packet data traffic in said gateway of said communication network, or tunnels said packet data traffic on to a home communication network of said visiting packet service terminal, said address providing entity comprising:

a receiver for receiving an address query from a terminal serving entity of said communication network, wherein said terminal serving entity is a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) said address query comprising a network identification part, and

a controller for responding to said address query with an address of said decision entity at least if the network identification part of said address query indicates a home communication network of said visiting packet service terminal.

26. The address providing entity of claim 25, wherein said controller is arranged to respond to said address query with a first address of said decision entity if the network identification part of said address query indicates the home communication network of said visiting packet service terminal, and with a second address of said decision entity if the network identification part of said address query indicates said communication network, said first and second addresses being different.