Nortel Networks Corporation

Goran Janevski

Risvan Coskun

Jagdish Venkata Sonti

Bill W Gage

William Anthony Gage

Shahid Rasul Chaudry

Hongyi Li

Gary W Kenward

Ahmed Reza

Hamid Mahmood Syed

Henry S Lee

Gerard R Pieris

Donna D Xu

The present invention facilitates a handoff between cellular and wireless local area networks (WLANs). To facilitate a WLAN interface with the cellular network, a proxy packet control function (P-PCF) establishes a data tunnel to a packet data serving node (PDSN), as well as a WLAN association with a mobile terminal. The WLAN association is a tunnel, and is preferably implemented via an Access Router acting as a liaison between the proxy PCF and an Access Point. The Access Router and the proxy PCF establish an IP tunnel, which carries the WLAN user's PPP traffic. Handoffs between the cellular and WLAN networks are facilitated by effecting a same-PDSN, inter-PCF handoff wherein the communication session with the mobile terminal is effectively changed from between the PDSN and the proxy PCF to between the PDSN and a PCF associated with a base station controller facilitating the cellular access, and vice versa.

Efficient handoffs between cellular and wireless local area networks

The invention provides a novel protocol suite for supporting micro-mobility within a radio access network (RAN). The protocol suite and comprises three separate protocols, namely a Mobile Registration Protocol, a Handoff Affected Router Discovery Protocol (HARDP) and a Mobile Location Update Protocol. The Mobile Registration Protocol is used to register mobile terminals within a RAN while the Mobile Location Update Protocol is used to update mobile terminal reachability during a handoff. The HARDP protocol is used at network boot-up time to identify a subset of routers that needs to be updated when a mobile terminal handoff occurs between two neighboring radio access nodes.

Methods and apparatus for supporting micro-mobility within a radio access network

Within a hard handoff procedure of a mobile terminal from a first radio sector to a second radio sector, a handoff manager requests the allocation of network resources associated with the second radio sector for the mobile terminal. If the second radio sector does not have sufficient network resources to support the mobile terminal, the handoff manager instructs the mobile terminal to switch into a dormant mode. By doing this, the handoff manager can delay the disconnection of the packet data session until there is sufficient network resources or until an internal packet data protocol error occurs due to a request timing out. In the case that sufficient resources become available, the handoff manager instructs the mobile terminal to return to a connected mode. One advantage of this procedure is the reduced need to re-establish a data packet session in cases that there is a temporary lack of sufficient network resources during a hard handoff.

Apparatus and method for hard handoff of data packet transmissions

A technique for prioritization of access and paging in cellular communications systems. In the downlink direction, where a single Paging Channel is configured, a plurality of queues are created corresponding to individual services or groups of services with the same priority. Page attempts are assigned to the appropriate queue according to a pre-determined service-to-queue mapping. Pages from the queues are sent on the Paging Channel in accordance with a pre-determined dequeuing algorithm. Where multiple Paging Channels are used, page attempts are assigned to the appropriate Paging Channel according to a pre-determined service-to-Paging Channel mapping. In the uplink direction, where a single Access Channel is configured, each mobile station includes in the Access Message a parameter representing the number of consecutive unsuccessful access attempts which have been initiated by the mobile station. This information is received by the base station and used to enable/disable services according to a predetermined priority. Which services are enabled/disabled is broadcast to each mobile station in the cell as a parameter in the Access Parameters Message. Mobile stations seeking to access services which have been disabled abandon their access attempts. Where multiple Access Channels are configured, services are mapped to the Access Channels according a pre-determined service-to-Access Channel mapping. Mobile stations initiate access attempts on the Access Channels as determined by the service-to-Access Channel mapping.

Service prioritized access and paging

A radio link adapter for wireless transmission of multimedia data through a communication link between a radio access network (RAN) and a mobile station (MS), is provided. The information flow is constantly monitored to determine an information element (IE) type of service requirements and for allocating paired radio link adapters (RLAs) designed to fit the respective type of service requirements. A connection end may be initially established in the RAN or in the MS. An analyser monitors the link, detects the type of service (ToS) required, and dynamically allocates the appropriate type of RLA to the connection. There is no need to recreate the connection when selecting the adapter for transporting various types of services and therefore, the transport of the information flow of a specific ToS over the communication link is optimized, while maintaining the end-to-end quality of service (QoS).

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Nepean, Canada

Goran Janevski