Method for handover in wireless communications network comprising a number of sub-networks

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for carrying out a handover process in a wireless network, wherein the wireless network comprises at least a first and a second base stations belonging each to a different subnet associated of that wireless network and communicating through a first and a second gateways or foreign agents, respectively, and wherein the first base station is used as a serving base station currently in communication with at least one mobile subscriber station (MS). The method provided comprises a step of determining a traffic conveying entity as an intermediate anchoring point, and when the MS moves to a second subnet which comprises the second base station, a path is established for conveying traffic to / from that MS from / to a remote destination. The path comprises the intermediate anchoring point and the first gateway (or the first foreign agent).

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11 / 747,020, filed May 10, 2007, which is hereby incorporated by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to mobile wireless communications and, in particular, to the improvement of communications of mobile terminals operative in mobile IP based wireless communications networks other than their native networks.LEGEND[0003]The following are the meanings of certain abbreviations used hereinafter in the description of the invention:[0004]ASN—Access Service Network (e.g. as used by the WiMAX Forum)[0005]BS—Base Station[0006]CSN—Connectivity Service Network (e.g. as used by the WiMAX Forum)[0007]DIT—Data Integrity Tree[0008]DPA—Data Path Anchoring[0009]GW—Gateway[0010]HO—Handover[0011]IP—Internet Protocol[0012]MS—Mobile Subscriber Station (also used as mobile terminal)[0013]NAS—Network Access ServerBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0014]Mobile units, e.g. telephones...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This approach enables efficient management of hierarchical data paths, reducing latency and optimizing network capacity utilization during handovers, thereby improving the flexibility and performance of mobile wireless communications.

Problems solved by technology

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, one of the problems characterizing mobile networks is, that mobile nodes may replace rather frequently their respective traffic attachment points (as they are typically associated with the corresponding NAS) in the access network.

This problem is more common for distributed networks, in which the network access server (NAS) may reside in any of the base stations associated with a specific network.

However, the main unsolved problem associated with all the solutions discussed above, is, how to effectively manage such hierarchical data paths.

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