Sprint Communications Comapny L.p.

Sprint Spectrum L.p.

Rajat Kumar

Talat Jamshidi

Suryanarayanan Ramamurthy

Jay Cole

Wen Xue

Saravana Velusamy

Krishna Sitaram

Siddharth S Oroskar

Jasinder P Singh

Nitesh Manchanda

Suryan Ramamurthy

To help manage resources in a cellular wireless communication system, a base station may track air interface resource allocation for each UE the base station is serving with a call and may identify one or more of the UEs or calls as candidates for handover from the base station on grounds that air interface resource allocation to each of the identified one or more UEs is high. Upon receipt of a request from a UE to initiate a new call, the base station may then predict based at least on that UE's channel quality what the air interface resource allocation rate will be for the requested call. And if the predicted rate for the given UE is threshold low, the base station may select one of the candidate UEs and force a handover of the selected UE's call from the base station.

Managing calls based on resource allocation

In accordance with the disclosed methods and systems, while providing a service that enables user equipment devices (UEs) being served by a first network to engage in signaling with a second network via the first network, a controller or other network entity may detect an error condition associated with the service, such as a threshold-high level of signaling or an interface failure. In response to detecting the error condition, base stations in the first network may then direct one or more UEs being served by the first network to refrain from using the given service. As a result, the one or more UEs may refrain from using the given service and may instead use another approach to engage in signaling with the second network, which may enable the one or more UEs to circumvent the error condition until it gets remedied.

Method and system for addressing an error condition associated with a service that enables user equipment devices being served by a first access network to engage in signaling with a second access network

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for managing bearers are provided. In a current telecommunications system, a maximum number of bearers are available to simultaneously support various services. By utilizing different internet protocol addresses from differing networks, the maximum number of bearers may be increased. Specifically, by registering a user device with both an IPv4 and IPv6 network, with different IP addresses associated with the respective bearers, a user device may access an additional number of bearers in excess of the previous maximum number of bearers available.

Managing bearers

A first home packet gateway (PGW) device may receive a binding update message on behalf of a wireless communication device (WCD). The first home PGW device may be associated with a first pool of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, and the WCD may be assigned a particular IP address. It may be determined that the first pool of IP addresses does not include the particular IP address, and that the particular IP address is included in a second pool of IP addresses that is associated with a second home PGW device. Possibly in response to determining that the particular IP address is included in the second pool of IP addresses that is associated with the second home PGW device, the first home PGW device may forward the binding update message to the second home PGW device.

Binding update forwarding between packet gateways

A method is disclosed to help keep a UE's network identifier available for reassignment to that UE even after that UE engages in a particular type of handover. In accordance with the method, a network may make a determination that a UE should engage in a particular type of handover. In response to making this determination, the network may terminate the UE's active connection. However, based on the particular type of handover in which the network determined that the UE should engage, the network may also reserve the network identifier assigned for the UE's active connection.

Network identifier reservation in response to handoff

A method and system for responding to a call-teardown request generated, for instance, as a result of a user equipment device (UE) losing coverage of a first serving radio access network (RAN) while the UE is engaged in a call with another party. A signaling intermediary receives the call-teardown message en route from a first call server to a second call server and responsively determines whether the UE is now served by a second RAN. Responsive to determining that the UE is served by the second RAN, the intermediary arranges for establishment of a new call connection with the UE via the second RAN and for linking of the new call connection with an existing leg of the call with the other party, and the intermediary discards the call-teardown message rather than forwarding it along to the second call server.

Control over call connection in response to call-teardown request

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for prioritizing a handover from an LTE network to a legacy network are provided. The method includes receiving, at a management component, a message from a mobile device. The message communicates a capability type associated with the mobile device. Based, in part, on this capability type, the management component assigns a priority to the mobile device. According to the assigned priority, the management component prioritizes the handover of the mobile device from the LTE network to the legacy network. This method reduces the latency for network handovers of mobile devices that are assigned a high priority.

Prioritization of network handovers

Examples disclosed herein provide systems, methods, and software for responding to data balance queries for a wireless device. In one example, a method of operating a communication system includes initiating a data balance query for a wireless device and transferring the query to a packet data network gateway. In response to the query, the packet data network gateway and an online charging server are configured to transfer data usage information to a prepaid management system. In turn, the prepaid management module is configured to update the account for the wireless device based on the data usage information, and provide a data balance response to the wireless device.

Accurate user data information

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for managing communication links are provided. A bridging interface that is automatically created between two or more packet gateways during a failed communications link is described. The bridging interface may be utilized during the communications link such that a user experience is not negatively impacted. Temporary ownership of internet protocol addresses may be transferred among packet gateways such that sessions are not terminated during the transfer.

Managing communication links

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for bridging communications are provided. Interfaces between multiple high speed gateways exist but are only capable of use during handovers between varying cell towers, are manually configured, and only communicate signaling information. A bridging interface that is automatically created between two or more high speed gateways during a failed communications link is described. The bridging interface is capable of communicating both signal and data information and is associated with a single cell tower. The bridging interface may be utilized during the communications link such that a user experience is not negatively impacted.

Bridging communications

A gateway may respond to a data-connection request, relating to a request to establish a packet data connection for a requesting wireless communication device (WCD), based on a request rate determined from the number of other data-connection requests that the gateway has received during a particular period of time. If the request rate is below a first threshold, the gateway may initiate an authentication process to authenticate the requesting WCD and either accept or reject the data-connection request based on whether the authentication process is successful or unsuccessful. If the request rate is greater than the first threshold and less than a second threshold, the gateway may accept the data-connection request without initiating the authentication process. If the request rate is greater than the second threshold, the gateway may reject the data-connection request without initiating the authentication process.

Method and system for managing a flood of data-connection requests

A first service request, on behalf of a wireless communication device (WCD) may be received. The first WCD may be served by a first base station of a first wireless network provider, and may be subscribed to a second wireless network provider. A home packet gateway (PGW) device, with which to establish an inter-provider bearer path for the first WCD, may be identified. The inter-provider bearer path may include the first base station, a first serving gateway (SGW) device, and the home PGW device. The home PGW device may be operated by the second wireless network provider. In response to determining that the home PGW device is unresponsive, a backup PGW device may be identified. The backup PGW device may be operated by the first wireless network provider. The first SGW device may be instructed to establish intra-provider bearer paths that include the backup PGW device.

Packet gateway assignment based on network connectivity

Examples disclosed herein provide systems, methods, and software for directing access nodes to offload users based on congestion. In one example, a method of operating a home access node includes determining that wireless usage in the home access node meets a congestion threshold. The method further includes, in response to meeting the congestion threshold, communicating an offload request to a roaming access node requesting that the roaming access node assist with serving a plurality of wireless devices. The method also includes receiving a response from the roaming access node indicating that the roaming access node can assist with serving the plurality of wireless devices, and directing at least a subset of the plurality of wireless devices to the roaming access node until an offload capacity specified by the roaming access node is reached.

Wireless device offload

A method and system for preserving context records is disclosed. The method is operable in a communication system including a wireless network serving user equipment devices (UEs), where the wireless network stores, for each UE served by the wireless network, a context record for the UE. The method involves the wireless network detecting a trigger condition comprising a condition selected from the group consisting of (i) a threshold number of context release messages being transmitted between at least two network entities in the wireless network, wherein the threshold number is greater than one and (ii) a network entity beginning a shut-down process. The method further involves, in response to detecting the trigger condition, the wireless network (i) detaching from the wireless network each UE being served by the wireless network at the time of detecting the trigger condition but (ii) preserving the context records for the detached UEs.

Method and system for preserving context records

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for delaying authentication of a mobile device following a radio link failure, and thereby enabling the mobile device to quickly attach to a current control component associated with a network, are provided. The method includes receiving, at the current control component, a message indicating that the radio link failure occurred at a previous control component. Upon receiving the message, the mobile device is attached to the current control component. Authentication of the mobile device is delayed such that authentication of the mobile device is initiated subsequent to the attaching of the mobile device to the current control component. This delayed authentication ensures that a communication session in which the mobile device was engaged prior to the radio link failure is uninterrupted.

Growing community of inventors

Kansas City, MO, United States of America

Rajat Kumar