Information Exchange Between a Mobile Transport Network and a Core Network

• US 20180184311A1
• Filed: 06/15/2015
• Published: 06/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Fiaschi, Giovanni, Dahlfort, Stefan, Smith, Anton, Terrill, Stephen
• Granted Patent: US 10,531,319 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/042 comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0252 per individual bearer or channel dynamic wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/045 between access point and backbone network device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/14 between access point controllers and backbone network device

Abstract

A method (100) is disclosed, the method being performed in a network controller of a Mobile Transport Network. The Mobile Transport Network comprises communication links interconnecting network entities of a cellular Radio Access Network (RAN) and a core network. The method comprises receiving, from a network entity in the core network, an indication of traffic load within the RAN or between the RAN and the core network (102). Also disclosed is a method (200), performed in a network entity of a core network, the core network being connected to a cellular RAN by a Mobile Transport Network. The Mobile Transport Network comprises communication links interconnecting network entities of the core network and the RAN. The method (200) comprises sending to a network controller of the Mobile Transport Network an indication of traffic load within the RAN or between the RAN and the core network (202). Also disclosed are a network controller (300, 500), a core network entity (400, 600) and a computer program product configured to carry out methods in a network controller a core network entity.

Claims

1-54. -54. (canceled)

55. A method, performed in a network controller of a Mobile Transport Network, the Mobile Transport Network comprising communication links interconnecting network entities of a cellular Radio Access Network, RAN, and a core network, the method comprising receiving, from a network node in the core network, an indication of traffic load within the RAN or between the RAN and the core network.

56. A method as claimed in claim 55, wherein receiving an indication of traffic load within the RAN or between the RAN and the core network comprises receiving a message over a GPRS Tunnelling Protocol based interface from the network node in the core network.

57. A method as claimed in claim 56, wherein the message is a GTPv2-C protocol message.

58. A method as claimed in claim 55, further comprising aggregating the received indication of traffic load with other received indications of traffic load within the RAN or between the RAN and the core network.

59. A method as claimed in claim 58, wherein aggregating comprises aggregating the received indication of traffic load with other received indications of traffic load over at least one interface within the RAN or between the RAN and the core network.

60. A method as claimed in claim 55, wherein the indication of traffic load within the RAN or between the RAN and the core network comprises at least one bearer channel request or release.

61. A method as claimed in claim 60, wherein the indication further comprises at least one capacity requirement for the at least one bearer channel request or release.

62. A method as claimed in claim 55, further comprising optimising resources within the Mobile Transport Network according to the received indication of traffic load within the RAN or between the RAN and the core network.

63. A method as claimed in claim 55, further comprising receiving topological information of the RAN.

64. A method as claimed in claim 63, wherein the topological information is received from an operations and management node of the core network.

65. A method as claimed in claim 63, wherein the topological information is received from at least one core network node.

66. A method as claimed in claim 65, wherein the topological information is received in an S1-AP message.

67. A method as claimed in claim 55, further comprising sending, to the network node in the core network, status information for the Mobile Transport Network.

68. A method as claimed in claim 67, wherein the status information comprises congestion information.

69. A method as claimed in claim 68, wherein the congestion information comprises Access Point Name congestion information.

70. A method as claimed in claim 68, wherein the congestion information comprises aggregated congestion information which is aggregated over at least one interface between the RAN and the core network.

71. A method as claimed in claim 55, wherein the core network node is at least one of a Serving GPRS Support Node, SGSN, or a Mobility Management Entity (MME).

85. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, configure a network controller to perform operations corresponding to the method of claim 55.

72. A method performed in a node of a core network coupled to a Radio Access Network (RAN) and a Mobile Transport Network, the Mobile Transport Network comprising communication links interconnecting network entities of the core network and the RAN, the method comprising:

sending, to a network controller of the Mobile Transport Network, an indication of traffic load within the RAN or between the RAN and the core network.

73. A method as claimed in claim 72, wherein sending an indication of traffic load within the RAN or between the RAN and the core network comprises sending a message to the network controller of the Mobile Transport Network over a GPRS Tunnelling Protocol based interface.

74. A method as claimed in claim 73, wherein the messages are GTPv2-C protocol messages.

75. A method as claimed in claim 72, wherein the indication of traffic load within the RAN or between the RAN and the core network comprises at least one bearer channel request or release.

76. A method as claimed in claim 75, wherein the indication further comprises at least one capacity requirement for the at least one bearer channel request or release.

77. A method as claimed in claim 72, further comprising sending topological information of the RAN to the network controller of the Mobile Transport Network.

78. A method as claimed in claim 72, wherein the topological information is sent by the core network node in an S1-AP message.

79. A method as claimed in claim 72, further comprising receiving status information for the Mobile Transport Network from the network controller of the Mobile Transport Network.

80. A method as claimed in claim 79, wherein the status information comprises congestion information.

81. A method as claimed in claim 72, wherein the congestion information comprises Access Point Name congestion information.

82. A method as claimed in claim 80, wherein the congestion information comprises aggregated congestion information which is aggregated over at least one interface between the RAN and the core network.

83. A method as claimed in claim 72, further comprising optimising mobile service requests on the basis of the received status information.

84. A method as claimed in claim 72, wherein the network node comprises at least one of a Serving GPRS Support Node, SGSN, or a Mobility Management Entity (MME).

86. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, configure a network node to perform operations corresponding to the method of claim 72.

87. A network controller of a Mobile Transport Network, the Mobile Transport Network comprising communication links interconnecting network entities of a cellular Radio Access Network (RAN) and a core network, the network controller comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive, from a network node in the core network, an indication of traffic load within the RAN or between the RAN and the core network.

88. A network controller as claimed in claim 87, wherein the receiving unit is configured to receive a message over a GPRS Tunnelling Protocol based interface.

89. A network controller as claimed in claim 87, further comprising an aggregating unit configured to aggregate the received indication of traffic load with other received indications of traffic load within the RAN or between the RAN and the core network.

90. A network controller as claimed in claim 89 wherein the aggregating unit is configured to aggregate the received indication of traffic load with other received indications of traffic load within the RAN or between the RAN and the core network over at least one interface between the RAN and the core network.

91. A network controller as claimed in claim 87, further comprising an optimizing unit configured to optimize resources within the Mobile Transport Network according to the received indication of traffic load within the RAN or between the RAN and the core network.

92. A network controller as claimed in claim 87, further comprising a topology unit configured to receive topological information of the RAN.

93. A network controller as claimed in claim 92, wherein the topological information is received from an operations and management node of the core network.

94. A network controller as claimed in claim 92, wherein the topological information is received from the at least one core network node.

95. A network controller as claimed in claim 94, wherein the topological information is received in an S1-AP message.

96. A network controller as in claim 87, further comprising a transmitting unit configured to send to the network node in the core network status information for the Mobile Transport Network.

97. A network controller as claimed in claim 96, wherein the status information comprises congestion information.

98. A network node of a core network, the core network being connected to a cellular Radio Access network (RAN) by a Mobile Transport Network, the Mobile Transport Network comprising communication links interconnecting network entities of the core network and the RAN, the network node comprising:

a transmitting unit for sending, to a network controller of the Mobile Transport Network, an indication of traffic load within the RAN or between the RAN and the core network.

99. A network node as claimed in claim 98, wherein the transmitting unit is configured to send a message including the indication of traffic load within the RAN or between the RAN and the core network over a GPRS Tunnelling Protocol based interface to the network controller of the Mobile Transport Network.

100. A network node as claimed in claim 99, wherein the message is a GTPv2-C protocol messages.

101. A network node as claimed in claim 98, further comprising a topology unit configured to send topological information of the RAN to the network controller of the Mobile Transport Network.

102. A network node as claimed in claim 101, wherein the topological information is sent in an S1-AP message.

103. A network node as claimed in claim 98, further comprising a status unit configured to receive status information for the Mobile Transport Network from the network controller of the Mobile Transport Network.

104. A network node as claimed in claim 103, wherein the status information comprises congestion information.

105. A network node as claimed in claim 98, further comprising an optimizing unit configured to optimize mobile service requests on the basis of the received status information.

106. A network node as claimed in claim 98, wherein the network node comprises at least one of a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) or a Mobility Management Entity (MME).