Cisco Technology, Inc.

Eric Philippe Hamel

Mark Grayson

Anton Okmyanskiy

Rajesh S Pazhyannur

Kevin Shatzkamer

Flemming Andreasen

Jonathan David Rosenberg

Jayaraman R Iyer

William Mark Townsley

Ramanathan T Jagadeesan

Chris O'Rourke

Santosh Ramrao Patil

Bich Nguyen

Louis F Menditto

Yoann Desmouceaux

Pierre Pfister

John William Evans

Mickael James Graham

Laurent Andriantsiferana

Anal Srivastava

Hien Thi Thai

David Lake

Andrew G Gasson

David E Dukinfield

Yaacov Arbel

Meir Morgenstern

Stephen Ramsay

Haihong Zhu

Guillaume Gottardi

A user plane selection mechanism is provided that leverages an in-band load balancing scheme, e.g., Segment Routing Load Balancing (SRLB). Information in the form of segment identifiers (complemented by metadata) is passed to the components. As a result, the effective user plane function selection can be done in-band at the transport level.

Resilient in-band mobile core user plane function selection using segment routing load balancing

A serving gateway updates location information for a mobile device based on information in an update bearer request. The serving gateway receives a first update bearer request for a mobile device. The first update bearer request includes a first address associated with a micro cellular service base station to which the mobile device is in communication. The micro cellular service base station is associated with a physical location. The serving gateway sends a location notification to a location server, indicating that the mobile device is physically near the micro cellular service base station. The serving gateway receives a second update bearer request for the mobile device including an address associated with a macro cellular service base station. The serving gateway sends another location notification to the location server indicating that the mobile device is no longer at the physical location of the micro cellular service base station.

Serving gateway-based presence/location detection

A method provided in one embodiment includes receiving, at a first network element, a first message including a first network identifier associated with a first network. The first message further includes an indication of an association of the first network identifier with a first user equipment. The method further includes receiving, by the first network element, a second message indicative of an initiated handover of the first user equipment to a second network. The second message includes a second network identifier associated with the second network. The method further includes determining, by the first network element, whether the second network identifier matches the first network identifier, and terminating the initiated handover by the first network element when the second network identifier does not match the first network identifier.

Handling connected mode mobility from areas bounding multi-operator core network and non-multi-operator core network shared infrastructure

A method is provided in one embodiment and includes receiving a request for a session at a network element; communicating a query for whitelist data to a provisioning element; receiving the whitelist data at the network element; and communicating a message to an access point that communicated the request, where the message is indicative of whether the session is to be accepted or denied based on the whitelist data. In more specific implementations, the network element is a gateway configured to receive the whitelist data via a RADIUS access accept message. In addition, source Internet protocol (IP) address verification associated with the session can be executed before a wireless device associated with the access point is permitted access to a network.

System and method for whitelist management

A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes creating a service flow with an endpoint over a wireless link coupled to a backhaul; notifying a mobility anchor of a location associated with the endpoint; relaying control packets between the endpoint and an access gateway; and relaying bearer packets between the endpoint and the mobility anchor, where the bearer packets are exchanged with the endpoint over a locally terminated bearer tunnel and the bearer packets are exchanged with the mobility anchor using Proxy Mobile Internet Protocol.

System and method for subscriber mobility in a cable network environment

Network operators have deployed multiple network devices to provide stable data services amid a rapid increase in data traffic. One way to balance data load among the multiple network devices is by distributing the user equipments across the multiple network devices using an explicit detach with reattach required procedure. However, the explicit detach with reattach required procedure can disrupt on-going data services of user equipments. This disclosure provides systems and methods of an enhanced explicit detach with reattach required procedure that reduces disruption of on-going data services due to the explicit detach with reattach required procedure.

Systems and methods for gateway relocation

A methodology includes servicing a voice call between mobile User Equipment and an Enterprise Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Services Environment using, at least in part, Voice over Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (VoIMS), detecting that the User Equipment is moving out of range of Radio Access Point (RAP) infrastructure servicing the User Equipment, and in response to detecting, initiating a procedure to hand out the voice call and anchor the voice call in a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) of a macro service provider.

Picocell system with local voice media support

According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method for providing security in a network environment that includes receiving a flow that propagates through an access gateway. The flow is initiated by an end user associated with the flow and propagates through a network. The method also includes receiving accounting information indicative of the termination of the flow. In response, tearing down of the communication associated with the flow is initiated.

System and method for providing security in a network environment using accounting information

Techniques are provided to allow more than a fixed number of radio access point devices to be deployed within a macro cell. At a controller apparatus, a registration request is received from a radio access point device configured to operate in a wireless network to serve one or more wireless client devices in the wireless network in respective relatively small coverage areas. The registration request comprises a macro cell identifier associated with a macro cell base station configured to operate in the wireless network to serve one or more wireless client devices in a relatively large coverage area, a radio access point cell identifier associated with the radio access point device, and a particular primary scrambling code selected for use by the radio access point device. When the particular primary scrambling code is not available for use, methods are provided to allocate it in a shared manner but without degrading handover service.

Scrambling code allocation and hand-in for wireless network radio access points

Methods and systems for providing access class based picocell policy enforcement includes determining whether user equipment registered with a radio access point is known to an enterprise other than a macro telecommunications service provider and eligible for differentiated services, recovering an internet protocol (IP) address associated with communication traffic from the user equipment, confirming that the IP address associated with communication traffic from the user equipment is within a predetermined range, determining whether the IP address associated with communication traffic from the user equipment uniquely identifies an enterprise context, as opposed to a macro telecommunications service context, and when the IP address associated with communication traffic from the user equipment uniquely identifies an enterprise context, causing IP packets received from the Internet to be routed to an enterprise controller that services the user equipment via the radio access point.

Access class based picocell policy enforcement

Techniques are provided herein to allow more than a fixed number of radio access point devices to be deployed within a macro cell. At a controller apparatus, a registration request is received from a radio access point device configured to operate in a wireless network to serve one or more wireless client devices in the wireless network in respective relatively small coverage areas. The registration request comprises a macro cell identifier associated with a macro base station apparatus configured to operate in the wireless network to serve one or more wireless client devices in a relatively large coverage area, a radio access point cell identifier associated with the radio access point device, and a particular primary scrambling code selected for use by the radio access point device. When the particular primary scrambling code is not available for use, methods are provided to allocate it in a shared manner but without degrading handover service.

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving packet flow optimization (PFO) configuration data that associates each rule name of multiple PFO rule names with a corresponding method for processing a data packet in a communications network based on data in a payload of a layer 3 protocol of the data packet. A first policy message is received from a policy management process in the communications network. The first policy message includes rule data that indicates a signaled rule name associated with a particular network address in the communications network. In response to receiving the first policy message, a data packet of the particular network address is processed according to a particular method associated with a particular rule name selected based on the signaled rule name. As a result, a PFO policy is controlled from the policy management process.

Packet flow optimization (PFO) policy management in a communications network by rule name

A method is provided in one example embodiment and includes requesting real-time transfer protocol (RTP) quality metrics to be generated by a network for a specific flow in the network. The method also includes recording the RTP quality metrics and reporting the metrics as accounting data associated with the flow. In more specific embodiments, the accounting data includes a correlator with application level accounting and the accounting data is used for quality monitoring and troubleshooting on a per-subscriber basis, on a per-flow basis, or on a per-call basis. An application function can request RTP quality monitoring with a trigger that identifies if a quality parameter reaches a certain threshold.

System and method for provisioning charging and policy control in a network environment

Anchoring a communication session for a mobile node involves a signaling node that intercepts a routing information request sent by a switching center of a circuit-switched network. The routing information request requests routing information for the communication session. Subscription information associated with the mobile node is retrieved. Whether the mobile node is eligible to be anchored in a packet-switched network is established. Anchoring of the communication session in the packet-switched network is initiated if the mobile node is eligible to be anchored in the packet-switched network.

Dynamically anchoring a communication session in an IP network

In one embodiment, a method for providing correlation of billing entries for a mobile communications network is provided. A correlating network element in a bearer path determines a plurality of billing entries for a flow. One or more of the billing entries may be received from other network elements and includes traffic altering information for a flow. The correlating network element correlates the plurality of billing entries using state information included in the billing entries. The state information is used to determine information in billing entries that may be related, such as billing entries for a single flow. Also, the correlating network element uses the traffic altering information to determine a data volume sent for the flow. A correlated billing entry may then be generated using the data volume for the flow. The correlated billing entry is then sent to a billing system from the correlating network element. Billing entries are not sent from other network elements that may be generating billing entries in a link to the billing system.

Growing community of inventors

Paris, France

Eric Philippe Hamel