Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (publ)

Ciena Corporation

Chris Mcevilly

Robert Bengt Skog

Martin Soukup

Diomedes Kastanis

Daniel Molander

Methods and apparatus are provided for processing communications. In one aspect, a method in a first node in a network of delivering content comprises delivering a first portion of the content to a device, receiving a request for a second portion of the content from the device and, responsive to the request and responsive to a determination that the second portion of the content should be delivered to the device from a second node in the network, instructing the device to retrieve the content from the second node.

Methods and apparatus for delivering content

A method in, and a Broadcast Management unit () for providing digital content to a user equipment (), and a method in, and a user equipment () for receiving digital content. The user equipment () is served by a base station () in a cell () of a cellular communications network (). The Broadcast Management unit decides () to provide a digital content by broadcast or multicast in a service area () comprising the cell (), instead of only letting the digital content be available in the service area () by unicast. The Broadcast Management unit provides (-), in response to the decision, broadcast or multicast of the digital content in the service area (), thereby enabling reception of the digital content by the user equipment () via the base station () and by one or more additional user equipments () being served in the service area (). As a result, improvement of performance is enabled in the cellular communications network.

Broadcast management unit and method for providing digital content to a user equipment, user equipment and method for receiving digital content

The teachings herein describe methods and apparatuses for caching content at the 'edge' of a wireless communication network, based on operating one or more RAN caches within the RAN portion of the network under the control of a gateway cache that operates at the packet data network interface level within the CN portion of the network. Each RAN cache operates as subordinate of the gateway cache, based on intercepting content requests from wireless devices operating within the RAN, providing corresponding proxied content requests to the gateway cache, and serving or not serving requested content from the RAN cache in dependence on control signaling from the gateway cache. Such operation permits all decision making to reside in the gateway cache, thereby retaining full visibility for critical billing and lawful intercept functions, while obviating in many instances the need to back haul such content.

Method and apparatus for content caching in a wireless communication network

In a streaming media environment in which multiple channels of media content are available, the present invention reduces the time interval between a user requesting a new channel and the media content of the requested channel being made available to the user.

Growing community of inventors

Bagshot, United Kingdom

Chris Mcevilly