Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (publ)

Juan-Antonio Ibanez

Frode Bjelland

Susana Fernandez Alonso

Per Hans Willars

Maria Belen Pancorbo Marcos

Jose Javier Pastor Balbás

Stephen Christopher Terrill

Patrik Rask

Belen Pancorbo Marcos

There is disclosed a method and a network node for handling signals transmitted from one or more wireless devices in a wireless network when Time Division Duplex (TDD) is employed such that two successive uplink subframes of a radio frame are separated by an intermediary time interval. The signals are received during a subframe reserved for uplink transmissions, and a sending time interval with a length of at least a subframe is selected. Then, the received signals are sent to a transport network such that the signals are distributed over the selected sending time interval instead of being sent virtually at the same time as in conventional procedures. Thereby, the signals will be distributed over a longer time when arriving at the transport network which will have time to handle the signals properly such that any loss of packets can be avoided or at least reduced.

Method and network node for handling signals transmitted from wireless devices

For maintaining a certain quality of service for a certain type of data traffic, the data traffic may be directed to a corresponding bearer established with respect to a user equipment. By sending probe packets on the bearer and/or on a further bearer and receiving a response packets returned in response to the probe packets, a parameter corresponding to a time period between sending a probe packet and receiving the corresponding response packet can be measured. On the basis of the measured parameter, a bearer control procedure with respect to the user equipment is initiated. This bearer control procedure may for example include directing data packets of selected data traffic from one bearer to another bearer, modification of at least one quality of service parameter of a bearer, and/or establishing or releasing a bearer.

Bearer control on the basis of probing

A method for an application function (AF) device in a wireless cellular network including the steps of determining with a processing unit whether an application service requires confirmation that a transmission path for corresponding application service media is available to progress set up of an application service session. There is the step of sending a message generated by the processing unit through a network interfacing unit to a policy and charging rule function (PCRP) server to indicate whether the application service requires confirmation that the transmission path for the corresponding application service media is available. An application function (AF) device in a wireless cellular network including a processing unit which determines whether an application service requires confirmation that a transmission path for corresponding application service media is available to progress set up of an application service session. The AF device includes a network interfacing unit that sends a message generated by the processing unit to a policy and charging rule function (PCRF) server indicating whether the application service requires confirmation that the transmission path for the corresponding application service media is available. A method for a policy and charging rule function (PCRF) server in a wireless cellular network. A policy and charging rule function (PCRF) server in a wireless cellular network.

Resources allocation flexibility

Methods of re-establishing a connection between a radio network node and a core network having a control plane entity and a user plane entity in a communication network and of detecting faulty communication paths or re-started entities in such networks are provided. A control-plane entity sends an event in accordance with a media gateway control protocol to the user-plane entity that orders the user-plane entity to notify the control-plane entity when user-plane traffic is received from another network node or when a faulty path or re-started peer is discovered. In response to an order by the control-plane entity, a connection between the radio network node and the user-plane entity can be re-established. Heartbeat messages and heartbeat acknowledgment messages are sent through a communication path, and if a heartbeat acknowledgment message has not been received, the control-plane entity is notified of the faulty path. The heartbeat acknowledgment messages may include re-start counter values that are used to discover re-started peers.

Communication management in networks having split control planes and user planes

A method in a communication system of transferring control of a user-plane entity from a first control-plane entity to a second control-plane entity is provided. The user-plane entity sends a set of identifying parameters to the first control-plane entity, which subsequently sends the set of identifying parameters to the second control-plane entity. The second control-plane entity determines if it can control the user-plane entity. If the second control-plane entity can control the user-plane entity, then the second control-plane entity sends an indication to the user-plane entity that a change in control-plane entities has occurred and that at least some resources of the user-plane entity that were controlled by the first control-plane entity are to be controlled by the second control-plane entity. The resources may be allocated to a mobile terminal and the change in control entity may be the result of a change in location of the mobile terminal.

Communication management in mobile networks having split control planes and user planes

A method of facilitating charging for communication in a telecommunication network, such as a network supporting GPRS, that has a node split into a control-plane entity and a user-plane entity includes the step of sending, from the control-plane entity to the user-plane entity, an event in accordance with a media gateway control protocol. The event orders the user-plane entity to notify the control-plane entity when a predetermined volume of communication has occurred. The method further includes the steps of determining, by the user-plane entity, whether the predetermined volume has occurred, and notifying the control-plane entity when that has occurred. The predetermined volume may be a number of octets, and the user-plane entity may notify the control-plane entity by sending a notify command in accordance with the media gateway control protocol. Also, the volume of communication may be selected such that signaling between the control-plane and user-plane entities is controlled, and the control-plane and user-plane entities may be a node supporting a general packet radio service. The network may be a traditional circuit-switched network that uses packet bearers and the predetermined volume of communication may be a predetermined number of octets or packets. The user-plane entity may be pre-provisioned with the event.

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Solna, Sweden

Juan-Antonio Ibanez