Dynamically adjusting network services stratum parameters based on access and/or connectivity stratum utilization and/or congestion information

• US 10,382,336 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2017
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Nasielski, John Wallace, Horn, Gavin Bernard, Lee, Soo Bum, Faccin, Stefano, Walton, Jay Rodney
• Primary Examiner(s): Elallam, Ahmed
• Application Number:
  US15/838,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20180102972A1
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5025 by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/11 Identifying congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0289 Congestion control load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12

Abstract

A method, operational at a network device, for conveying congestion information across different strata of a multi-strata network is provided. An indication is obtained that a congestion level for at least one of a radio access network node and a core network node of a network has changed. Consequently, a one or more service parameters for a plurality of services, operating at a service stratum, are updated or adjusted on a per service basis based on the congestion level indication. The one or more service parameters are provided or sent to, at least one of, a node operating at a service stratum or a user device that obtains services over the network.

Claims

1. A method operational at a network device for managing network congestion, comprising:

obtaining a first congestion information for a radio access network node operating at an access stratum of a network;

obtaining a second congestion information for a core network node operating at a connectivity stratum of the network;

determining, based on the first congestion information and the second congestion information, that a congestion level of the access stratum, or connectivity stratum, or both has changed; and

indicating an updated congestion level to a connectivity stratum server that provides service level information to a service stratum, where the service level information includes updated service costs, as a function of the congestion level, for providing a plurality of services over the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the access stratum includes a radio access network that enables a user device to communicate with the network, and the connectivity stratum includes at least one core network configured to host a session for the user device to carry at least one of a plurality of services over the connectivity stratum and the access stratum.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the congestion level is based on at least a physical resource congestion for the radio access network node and a control or signaling traffic congestion for the core network node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the service costs are updated only if the congestion level of the access stratum and/or connectivity stratum has changed more than a threshold amount from a previous congestion level.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of services include two or more of:

a voice service, a video service, audio/content streaming service, and a web browsing service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the congestion level of the access stratum and/or connectivity stratum is based on at least two different types of congestion.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated service costs include an adjusted first cost of a first service while leaving a second cost of a second service unchanged.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated service costs include an adjusted first cost of a first service that is adjusted more than an adjusted second cost of a second service.

9. A network device, comprising:

a network interface for communicating over a network;

a processing circuit coupled to the network interface and configured to;

obtain a first congestion information for a radio access network node operating at an access stratum of the network;

obtain a second congestion information for a core network node operating at a connectivity stratum of the network;

determine, based on the first congestion information and the second congestion information, that a congestion level of the access stratum, or connectivity stratum, or both has changed; and

indicate an updated congestion level to a connectivity stratum server that provides service level information to a service stratum, where the service level information includes updated service costs, as a function of the congestion level, for providing a plurality of services over the network.

10. The network device of claim 9, wherein the access stratum includes a radio access network that enables a user device to communicate with the network, and wherein the connectivity stratum includes at least one core network configured to host a session for the user device to carry at least one of a plurality of services over the connectivity stratum and the access stratum.

11. The network device of claim 10, wherein the congestion level is based on at least a physical resource congestion for the radio access network node and a control or signaling traffic congestion for the core network node.

12. The network device of claim 9, wherein the service costs are updated only if the congestion level of the access stratum and/or connectivity stratum has changed more than a threshold amount from a previous congestion level.

13. The network device of claim 9, wherein the plurality of services include two or more of:

a voice service, a video service, audio/content streaming service, and a web browsing service.

14. The network device of claim 9, wherein the congestion level of the access stratum and/or connectivity stratum is based on at least two different types of congestion.

15. A network device, comprising:

means for obtaining a first congestion information for a radio access network node operating at an access stratum of a network;

means for obtaining a second congestion information for a core network node operating at a connectivity stratum of the network;

means for determining, based on the first congestion information and the second congestion information, that a congestion level of the access stratum, or connectivity stratum, or both has changed; and

means for indicating an updated congestion level to a connectivity stratum server that provides service level information to a service stratum, where the service level information includes updated service costs, as a function of the congestion level, for providing a plurality of services over the network.

16. The network device of claim 15, wherein the access stratum includes a radio access network that enables a user device to communicate with the network, and the connectivity stratum includes at least one core network configured to host a session for the user device to carry at least one of a plurality of services over the connectivity stratum and the access stratum.

17. The network device of claim 16, wherein the congestion level is based on at least a physical resource congestion for the radio access network node and a control or signaling traffic congestion for the core network node.

18. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having one or more instructions which when executed by a processing circuit causes the processing circuit to:

obtain a first congestion information for a radio access network node operating at an access stratum of a network;

obtain a second congestion information for a core network node operating at a connectivity stratum of the network;

determine, based on the first congestion information and the second congestion information, that a congestion level of the access stratum, or connectivity stratum, or both has changed; and

indicate an updated congestion level to a connectivity stratum server that provides service level information to a service stratum, where the service level information includes updated service costs, as a function of the congestion level, for providing a plurality of services over the network.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the access stratum includes a radio access network that enables a user device to communicate with the network, and the connectivity stratum includes at least one core network configured to host a session for the user device to carry at least one of a plurality of services over the connectivity stratum and the access stratum.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the congestion level is based on at least a physical resource congestion for the radio access network node and a control or signaling traffic congestion for the core network node.