Redirecting handovers in LTE networks

• US 8,644,832 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2010
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Opara, Christopher, Rahman, Moshiur U S
• Primary Examiner(s): AJIBADE AKONAI, OLUMIDE
• Application Number:
  US12/855,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20120040662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,272 Days
• Field of Search: 455/423, 455436-445, 370328-333
• US Class Current: 455/436
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/04 Error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0016 Hand-off preparation specially adapted for end-to-end data sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0022 for transferring data sessions between adjacent core network technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0079 in case of hand-off failure or rejection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/36 due to handover

Abstract

The disclosed subject matter relates to an architecture that can redirect communications upon detection of a handover failure in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. In particular, the architecture can obtain information indicative of a handover failure that is available in a first portion of the LTE network that has no control over the communication path. Furthermore, the architecture can utilize the information to instruct a second portion of the LTE network, one that can control the communication path but conventionally has no access to the information, to reroute the communication path to avoid unresponsive or failing network entities.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, that facilitates execution of the instructions to perform operations, comprising;

identifying a failure associated with a long term evolution network handover procedure based on information received from a serving gateway device of the long term evolution network, wherein the identifying the failure is based on a threshold crossing alarm count associated with an evolved nodeB device utilized for the handover procedure;

generating a failure notification in response to the identifying the failure; and

instructing a mobility management entity of the long term evolution network to select an alternative communication path in response to the failure notification.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the the instructing the mobility management entity to select the alternative communication path comprises instructing the mobility management entity to select an alternate radio access technology for the alternative communication path, wherein the alternate radio access technology differs from a long term evolution-based evolved universal mobile telecommunications system terrestrial radio access network.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the alternate radio access technology is associated with a communications standard that differs from a communications standard associated with long term evolution network.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the instructing the mobility management entity to select an alternative path comprises instructing the mobility management entity prior to a time when a network connection will be lost for a user equipment associated with the handover procedure.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifying the failure is further based on an unavailability condition associated with the evolved nodeB device utilized for the handover procedure.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifying the failure is further based on a degraded air interface between a user equipment and the evolved nodeB device utilized for the handover procedure.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein identifying the failure is further based on a buffer overflow condition or a packet loss condition associated with the evolved nodeB device utilized for the handover procedure.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise instructing the mobility management entity to interact with a home subscriber server by way of non access stratum signaling for determining parameters associated with quality of service or service level agreement.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the handover procedure is directed to a handover initiated by the evolved nodeB device utilized for the handover procedure or a handover initiated by a user equipment.

10. A system, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, that facilitates execution of the instructions to perform operations, comprising;

identifying a failing evolved nodeB device that has been determined to be potentially unable to implement a long term evolution-based handover due to a condition relating to a threshold crossing alarm count associated with the failing evolved nodeB device;

storing information associated with the failing evolved nodeB device; and

instructing a mobility management entity of the long term evolution network to select an alternative communication path in response to a handover request associated with the failing evolved nodeB device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the the identifying the failing evolved nodeB device is further based on a degraded air interface between a user equipment and the failing evolved nodeB device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the identifying the failing evolved nodeB device is further based on a buffer overflow condition or a packet loss condition associated with the failing evolved nodeB device.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the the operations further comprise instructing the mobility management entity to select an alternate radio access technology for the alternative communication path, wherein the alternate radio access technology differs from a long term evolution-based evolved universal mobile telecommunications system terrestrial radio access network.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the alternate radio access technology is associated with a communication standard that is different than a communication standard implemented by the long term evolution network.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprises instructing the mobility management entity to employ the alternate radio access technology to bypass the failing evolved nodeB device in connection with the long term evolution-based handover.

16. A method, comprising:

monitoring, by a system comprising a processor, information received by a serving gateway device of a long term evolution-access network;

employing, by the system, the information for determining a failure associated with a long term evolution handover procedure, wherein the failure is based on a threshold crossing alarm count associated with an evolved nodeB device utilized for the handover procedure;

transmitting, by the system, a failure notification to a mobility management entity in response to the determining the failure; and

employing, by the system, the mobility management entity for selecting an alternative communication path in response to the failure notification.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

selecting a disparate radio access technology for the alternative communication path.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining the failure in connection with a handover initiated by evolved nodeB device or a handover initiated by a user equipment.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the selecting the disparate radio access technology is based on non-access stratum signaling associated with a home subscriber server.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the selecting the alternative communication path comprises selecting the alternate communication path prior to a time that a user equipment associated with the handover procedure will lose an active data path.