Traffic steering across radio access technologies and radio frequencies utilizing cell broadcast messages

• US 9,549,343 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2012
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2012
• 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.), AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cui, Zhi, Brisebois, Arthur Richard, Chen, Ye, Tong, Yonghui
• Primary Examiner(s): Sabouri, Mazda
• Application Number:
  US13/707,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20140162626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,503 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0861 between base stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel

Abstract

Concepts and technologies are described herein for traffic steering across radio access technologies and radio frequencies utilizing cell broadcast messages. According to one aspect disclosed herein, a base station can collect load information of the base station. The base station can also generate a cell broadcast message that includes the load information. The base station can also send the cell broadcast message to a target mobile device. The target mobile device can be configured to determine, based at least in part upon the load information, which radio access network of a plurality of radio access networks to connect to.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

collecting, by a first base station, first load information of the first base station, the first load information of the first base station comprising radio link load utilization information of the first base station and transport link load utilization information of the first base station, the first load information further comprising both first historic network load information obtained based upon network load experienced by the first base station in a past time and first current network load information obtained based upon network load experienced by the first base station in near real-time;

collecting, by the first base station, from a second base station, second load information of the second base station, the second load information comprising both second historic network load information obtained based upon network load experienced by the second base station in a past time and second current network load information obtained based upon network load experienced by the second base station in near real-time;

collecting, by the first base station, from a WI-FI access point, third load information of the WI-FI access point, the third load information comprising both third historic network load information obtained based upon network load experienced by the WI-FI access point in a past time and third current network load information obtained based upon network load experienced by the WI-FI access point in near real-time;

generating, by the first base station, a system information block message comprising the first load information of the first base station, the second load information of the second base station, and the third load information of the WI-FI access point; and

sending, by the first base station, the system information block message to a target mobile device configured to determine, based at least in part upon the first load information of the first base station, the second load information of the second base station, and the third load information of the WI-FI access point, which radio access network of a plurality of radio access networks to connect to.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first base station operates in a first radio access network and the second base station operates in a second radio access network different from the first radio access network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first base station utilizes a first radio access technology and the second base station utilizes a second radio access technology different from the first radio access technology.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first base station utilizes a first frequency and the second base station utilizes a second frequency different from the first frequency.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second load information of the second base station is collected by the first base station via a self-optimizing network feature.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising learning, by the first base station, fourth load information broadcast by a third base station, wherein the third base station overlaps in radio range with the first base station.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the first load information of the first base station, the second load information of the second base station, and the third load information of the WI-FI access point are sent, via the system information block message, in a priority order in which the target mobile device should select from the plurality of radio access networks, wherein the priority order is based on the first load information of the first base station, the second load information of the second base station, the third load information of the WI-FI access point, a radio access technology of the first base station, a radio access technology of the second base station, a frequency band utilized by the first base station, and a frequency band utilized by the second base station.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting, by the first base station, from the second base station, the second load information of the second base station comprises collecting, by the first base station, from the second base station, the second base station being system information block incompatible and therefore cannot provide the system information block message to the target mobile device.

7. A first base station comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising

collecting first load information of the first base station, the first load information of the first base station comprising radio link load utilization information of the first base station and transport link load utilization information of the first base station, the first load information further comprising both first historic network load information obtained based upon network load experienced by the first base station in a past time and first current network load information obtained based upon network load experienced by the first base station in near real-time,

collecting, from a second base station, second load information of the second base station, the second load information comprising both second historic network load information obtained based upon network load experienced by the second base station in a past time and second current network load information obtained based upon network load experienced by the second base station in near real-time,

collecting, from a WI-FI access point, third load information of the WI-FI access point, the third load information comprising both third historic network load information obtained based upon network load experienced by the WI-FI access point in a past time and third current network load information obtained based upon network load experienced by the WI-FI access point in near real-time,

generating a system information block message comprising the first load information of the first base station, the second load information of the second base station, and the third load information of the WI-FI access point, and

sending the system information block message to a target mobile device configured to determine, based at least in part upon the first load information of the first base station, the second load information of the second base station, and the third load information of the WI-FI access point, which radio access network of a plurality of radio access networks to connect to.

8. The first base station of claim 7, wherein the first base station operates in a first radio access network and the second base station operates in a second radio access network different from the first radio access network.

9. The first base station of claim 7, wherein the first base station utilizes a first radio access technology and the second base station utilizes a second radio access technology different from the first radio access technology.

10. The first base station of claim 7, wherein the first load information of the first base station, the second load information of the second base station, and the third load information of the WI-FI access point are sent, via the system information block message, in a priority order in which the target mobile device should select from the plurality of radio access networks, wherein the priority order is based on the first load information of the first base station, the second load information of the second base station, the third load information of the WI-FI access point, a radio access technology of the first base station, a radio access technology of the second base station, a frequency band utilized by the first base station, and a frequency band utilized by the second base station.

11. The first base station of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise learning fourth load information broadcast by a third base station, wherein the third base station overlaps in radio range with the first base station.

12. The first base station of claim 7, wherein the first base station utilizes a first frequency and the second base station utilizes a second frequency different from the first frequency.

13. A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a first base station, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

collecting first load information of the first base station, the first load information of the first base station comprising radio link load utilization information of the first base station and transport link load utilization information of the first base station, the first load information further comprising both first historic network load information obtained based upon network load experienced by the first base station in a past time and first current network load information obtained based upon network load experienced by the first base station in near real-time;

collecting, from a second base station, second load information of the second base station, the second load information comprising both second historic network load information obtained based upon network load experienced by the second base station in a past time and second current network load information obtained based upon network load experienced by the second base station in near real-time;

collecting, from a WI-FI access point, third load information of the WI-FI access point, the third load information comprising both third historic network load information obtained based upon network load experienced by the WI-FI access point in a past time and third current network load information obtained based upon network load experienced by the WI-FI access point in near real-time;

generating a system information block message comprising the first load information of the first base station and the second load information of the second base station; and

sending the system information block message to a target mobile device configured to determine, based at least in part upon the first load information of the first base station, the second load information of the second base station, and the third load information of the WI-FI access point, which radio access network of a plurality of radio access networks to connect to.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first base station operates in a first radio access network and the second base station operates in a second radio access network different from the first radio access network.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first base station utilizes a first radio access technology and the second base station utilizes a second radio access technology different from the first radio access technology.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first base station utilizes a first frequency and the second base station utilizes a second frequency different from the first frequency.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise learning third load information broadcast by a third base station, wherein the third base station overlaps in radio range with the first base station.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first load information of the first base station and the second load information of the second base station are sent, via the system information block message, in a priority order in which the target mobile device should select from the plurality of radio access networks, wherein the priority order is based on the first load information of the first base station, the second load information of the second base station, the third load information of the WI-FI access point, a radio access technology of the first base station, a radio access technology of the second base station, a frequency band utilized by the first base station, and a frequency band utilized by the second base station.