Provision of continuous service in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An embodiment is directed to a system for providing continuous service in a wireless communication network. The system includes a communications management controller, a first DU connected to the communications management controller for communication with a CU, and a second DU. Traffic associated with the first DU is provided as input to an active port of the communications management controller, and the first DU is configured to set an alarm signal indicating the active status of the first DU on a control port of the communications management controller. The communications management controller determines a failure of the first DU based on the alarm signal not being set, automatically switches the input from the active port to a default port of the communications management controller, and redirects traffic associated with the first DU to the second DU, thereby providing continuous service in the wireless communication network.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to Indian Provisional Patent Application No. 202221074615, filed on December 22, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, and more particularly to systems and methods for providing continuous service in wireless communications networks. [Background technology]

[0003] As communications become more sophisticated, there are a large number of subscribers connected to a base station (BS) for various services. The BS cell site includes multiple pieces of equipment. If any of the multiple pieces of equipment at the cell site fails due to reasons such as, but not limited to, software failure or equipment failure, the services provided to subscribers by the communications network will be affected. Therefore, it is very important that communications networks are fault-tolerant.

[0004] Conventionally, a communication fault-tolerant system includes an active system that provides communication services to multiple subscribers and a standby system that is used to handle the switchover process from the active system in the event of a failure in the active system. Thus, the standby system functions as the active system and continues to provide communication services to the subscribers. However, the standby system remains idle the entire time the active system is operating, resulting in the waste of a large amount of resources that could be utilized to enhance subscriber quality of service (QoS). Therefore, it is desirable to provide at least a mechanism that does not suffer from the above-mentioned problems.

[0005] Object of the invention The primary objective of the embodiments herein is to provide a system and method for providing continuous service in a wireless communication network by diverting traffic from a failed DU to another active DU based on an alarm signal. The traffic diversion is implemented using a communication management controller with multiple ports. The proposed method ensures continuous service by the DU even in the event of any type of failure, such as a failure of the lead DU, a malfunction of the lead DU, a failure of any port of the DU, a traffic failure, a power failure in one of the DUs, or even a failure of a passive optical switch used in the communication management controller. Therefore, unlike existing solutions, the proposed method allows a DU to take over traffic from a failed DU under various conditions and provide continuous service to subscribers. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Therefore, embodiments of the present specification disclose a system for providing continuous service in a wireless communication network. The system includes a communication management controller including a plurality of ports, a first DU among a plurality of distributed units (DUs) connected to the communication management controller for communication with a centralized unit (CU), and a second DU among the plurality of DUs connected to the first DU. Traffic associated with the first DU is provided as input to an active port of the communication management controller, and the first DU is configured to set an alarm signal indicating an active status of the first DU to a control port of the communication management controller. The communication management controller is configured to determine a failure of the first DU based on the alarm signal not being set to the control port of the communication management controller, and to automatically switch input from the active port to a default port of the communication management controller. The default port is connected to a second DU. The communication management controller is configured to redirect traffic associated with the first DU to the second DU, thereby providing continuous service in the wireless communication network.

[0007] In one embodiment, the first DU is a lead DU, the first DU hosts LTE and mmWave, and the second DU hosts Sub6 5G NR.

[0008] In one embodiment, the second DU forwards MidHaul (MH) traffic to the first DU via one of the P-CL link and the S-CL link, the first DU forwards the MH traffic to the CU through the communications management controller, and traffic from the CU to the second DU is routed by the first DU to the second DU over one of the P-CL link and the S-CL link.

[0009] In one embodiment, the second DU acts as a lead DU in switching input from the active port to the default port of the communication management controller.

[0010] In one embodiment, the second DU is further configured to determine a priority associated with each of the bands to be served by the second DU and to determine whether a capacity associated with the second DU satisfies a DU capacity threshold. Furthermore, the second DU is configured to perform one of the following in response to determining that the capacity associated with the second DU does not satisfy the DU capacity threshold: limiting a cell capacity of the second DU to simultaneously serve LTE, mmWave, and Sub6; and in response to determining that the capacity associated with the second DU satisfies the DU capacity threshold: shutting down the Sub6 NR to serve at least one of LTE at full capacity.

[0011] Accordingly, embodiments herein disclose a method for providing continuous service in a wireless communication network. The method includes determining, by a communication management controller, that an alarm signal to a control port of the communication management controller is not set. The alarm signal to the control port of the communication management controller indicates an active status of a first distributed unit (DU) among a plurality of DUs. The method also includes determining, by the communication management controller, a failure of the first DU based on the alarm signal to the control port of the communication management controller not being set. Traffic associated with the first DU is provided as input to an active port of the communication management controller. The method also includes automatically switching, by the communication management controller, the input from the active port to a default port of the communication management controller connected to a second DU, and redirecting, by the communication management controller, traffic associated with the first DU toward the second DU, thereby providing continuous service in the wireless communication network.

[0012] These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following description, while indicating preferred embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, is given by way of illustration and not limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.

[0013] The present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts of the various views throughout. Embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the drawings, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a scenario of a cell site with two operating DUs according to the prior art. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram of a system for providing continuous service in a wireless communication network according to an embodiment as disclosed herein. [Figure 3A] FIG. 1 illustrates a cell site scenario with two operational DUs connected to a communications management controller according to an embodiment as disclosed herein. [Figure 3B] FIG. 1 illustrates a scenario of a cell site with a failed DU and a working DU connected to a communications management controller according to an embodiment as disclosed herein. [Figure 3C] FIG. 3C illustrates a scenario traffic management at a cell site with multiple DUs and a failed DU, according to an embodiment as disclosed herein. [Figure 4] 1 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for providing continuous service in a wireless communication network according to an embodiment as disclosed herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The embodiments herein and their various features and advantageous details will be more fully described with reference to non-limiting embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the embodiments herein. Furthermore, the various embodiments described herein are not necessarily mutually exclusive, as some embodiments may be combined with one or more other embodiments to form new embodiments. As used herein, the term "or" refers to a non-exclusive "or" unless otherwise specified. The examples used herein are intended only to facilitate understanding of how the embodiments herein can be practiced and to further enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Therefore, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

[0016] As is conventional in the art, the embodiments may be described and illustrated in terms of blocks that perform a described function(s). These blocks, sometimes referred to herein as units, modules, or the like, may be physically implemented by analog or digital circuits, such as logic gates, integrated circuits, microprocessors, microcontrollers, memory circuits, passive electronic components, active electronic components, optical components, hardwired circuitry, and the like, and may be driven by firmware, if desired. The circuits may be embodied, for example, in one or more semiconductor chips or on a substrate support such as a printed circuit board, and the like. The circuits making up the blocks may be implemented by dedicated hardware, or by a processor (e.g., one or more programmed microprocessors and associated circuitry), or by a combination of dedicated hardware for performing some functions of the block and a processor for performing other functions of the block. Each block of the embodiments may be physically separated into two or more interacting individual blocks without departing from the scope of the present invention. Similarly, the blocks of the embodiments may be physically combined into more complex blocks without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0017] It should be understood that the accompanying drawings are used to facilitate understanding of various technical features, and that the embodiments presented herein are not limited by the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the present disclosure should be interpreted as covering any modifications, equivalents, and alternatives in addition to those specifically described in the accompanying drawings. Although terms such as "first" and "second" may be used to describe various elements in this specification, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are generally used only to distinguish one element from another.

[0018] Therefore, embodiments of the present specification disclose a system for providing continuous service in a wireless communication network. The system includes a communication management controller including a plurality of ports, a first DU among a plurality of distributed units (DUs) connected to the communication management controller for communication with a centralized unit (CU), and a second DU among the plurality of DUs connected to the first DU. Traffic associated with the first DU is provided as input to an active port of the communication management controller, and the first DU is configured to set an alarm signal indicating the active status of the first DU to a control port of the communication management controller. The communication management controller is configured to determine a failure of the first DU based on the alarm signal not being set to the control port of the communication management controller, and to automatically switch the input from the active port to a default port of the communication management controller. The default port is connected to a second DU. The communication management controller is configured to redirect traffic associated with the first DU to the second DU, thereby providing continuous service in the wireless communication network.

[0019] Accordingly, embodiments herein disclose a method for providing continuous service in a wireless communication network. The method includes determining, by a communication management controller, that an alarm signal to a control port of the communication management controller is not set. The alarm signal to the control port of the communication management controller indicates an active status of a first distributed unit (DU) among a plurality of DUs. The method also includes determining, by the communication management controller, a failure of the first DU based on the alarm signal to the control port of the communication management controller not being set. Traffic associated with the first DU is provided as input to an active port of the communication management controller. The method also includes automatically switching, by the communication management controller, the input from the active port to a default port of the communication management controller connected to a second DU, and redirecting, by the communication management controller, traffic associated with the first DU toward the second DU, thereby providing continuous service in the wireless communication network.

[0020] Conventional methods and systems include electronic cross-connects for switching data flow between one or more digital units and one or more remote radio units, but no method or system exists for switching data flow during a DU failure.

[0021] Unlike conventional methods and systems, the proposed method involves using an optical switch to switch the data flow between the lead DU and other DUs in the cell site when a failure occurs in the lead DU, and the optical switch implements a data flow diversion based on an alarm signal.

[0022] Unlike conventional methods and systems, the proposed system is resilient to any form of failure / malfunction in the DU or optical switch. In the presence of a detected failure malfunction in the DU, traffic is automatically diverted to a default path leading to another active DU. To ensure that services are not restricted even in the event of an optical switch failure, traffic from the midhaul is directly connected to the default port. Thus, the proposed system involves cascading multiple DUs, making the system resilient to any kind of failure.

[0023] Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to Figures 1-4, in which like reference characters indicate corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, a preferred embodiment is shown.

[0024] FIG. 1 shows a prior art scenario of a cell site with two active DUs.

[0025] Referring to Figure 1, a cell site including a first DU (2000) and a second DU (3000) is considered, where the first DU (2000) hosts LTE and mmWave, and the second DU (3000) hosts Sub6 5G NR.

[0026] The first DU (2000) is the lead DU and connects to the MH towards the centralization unit (CU) (5000). The second DU (3000) forwards MH traffic to the first DU (2000) via a P-CL link or an S-CL link. That is, the P-CL port of the first DU (2000) is connected to the P-CL port of the second DU (3000). The first DU (2000) forwards traffic associated with the second DU (3000) to the CU (5000). Similarly, traffic from the CU (5000) that needs to be sent to the second DU (3000) is sent towards the second DU (3000) and is routed to the second DU (3000) by the first DU (2000) on the P-CL link or the S-CL link.

[0027] Considering a scenario in which the MH port on the first DU (2000) fails or the first DU (2000) fails, all services at the cell site go down. As a result, the subscriber's user experience is significantly adversely affected. Conventional methods and systems for addressing the above problem include providing a lead DU, i.e., a standby DU for the first DU (2000). The standby DU is inoperable and becomes operable or active only during the failure of the first DU (2000). As a result, resources of the standby DU that could be used to provide services to more users are wasted.

[0028] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a system (1000) for providing continuous service in a wireless communication network according to an embodiment as disclosed herein.

[0029] The system 1000 includes a communications management controller 100, a memory 120, a processor 140, and a communications unit 160. The communications management controller 100 may be implemented by processing circuitry, such as logic gates, integrated circuits, microprocessors, microcontrollers, memory circuits, passive electronic components, active electronic components, optical components, hardwired circuitry, or the like, and may be driven by firmware, if desired. The circuitry may be embodied, for example, in one or more semiconductors.

[0030] The memory 120 is configured to store instructions executed by the processor 140. The memory 120 may include non-volatile storage elements. Examples of such non-volatile storage elements may include magnetic hard disks, optical disks, floppy disks, flash memory, or forms of electrically programmable memories (EPROMs) or electrically erasable and programmable memories (EEPROMs). Furthermore, the memory 120 may, in some examples, be considered a non-transitory storage medium. The term "non-transitory" may indicate that the storage medium is not embodied in a carrier wave or propagating signal. However, the term "non-transitory" should not be interpreted as meaning that the memory 120 is non-removable. In some examples, the memory 120 may be configured to store large amounts of information. In certain examples, the non-transitory storage medium may store data that can change over time (e.g., in random access memory (RAM) or cache).

[0031] The processor 140 is in communication with the memory 120, the communication unit 160, and the communication management controller 100. The processor 140 is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 120 and perform various processes. The processor may include one or more processors, and may be a general-purpose processor such as a central processing unit (CPU), an application processor (AP), a dedicated graphics processing unit such as a graphics processing unit (GPU) or a visual processing unit (VPU), and / or a dedicated artificial intelligence (AI) processor such as a neural processing unit (NPU).

[0032] The communications unit (160) includes standard-specific electronic circuitry that enables wired or wireless communications and is configured to communicate internally between the internal hardware components of the system (1000) and with external devices over one or more networks.

[0033] In one embodiment, the communication management controller (100) may include, for example, but is not limited to, an optical switch. The communication management controller (100) includes an input port (1), an active port (2), a control port (3), and a default port (4). The input port (1) is connected to the CU (5000), and the active port (2) is connected to the MH port of the first DU (2000). The control port (3) is connected to the alarm port of the first DU (2000), and the default port (4) is connected to the MH port of the second DU (3000). The communication management controller (100) provides bidirectional communication between the first DU (2000) and the CU (5000).

[0034] The communication management controller (100) is configured to determine that an alarm signal to the control port (3) of the communication management controller (100) is not set, and therefore determine a failure of the first DU (2000) based on the fact that an alarm signal to the control port (3) of the communication management controller (100) is not set. The failure of the first DU (2000) may be due to various reasons, such as, but not limited to, latency, jitter, complete failure of the first DU (2000), a failure in the communication link, periodic or ad-hoc maintenance of the lead DU, or a time schedule criterion.

[0035] The communication management controller (100) is configured to automatically switch input from the active port (2) to a default port (4) of the communication management controller (100) connected to the second DU (3000) and redirect traffic associated with the first DU (2000) toward the second DU (3000), thereby providing continuous service in the wireless communication network.

[0036] The communication management controller (100) is further configured to determine a priority associated with each band to be served by the second DU (3000) and to determine whether a capacity associated with the second DU (3000) satisfies a DU capacity threshold. The DU capacity threshold may be determined based on the load handling capability of the DU, such as, but not limited to, the number of users, the amount of data traffic, and the number of radio units. Furthermore, when the communication management controller (100) determines that the capacity associated with the second DU (3000) does not satisfy the DU capacity threshold, the communication management controller (100) is configured to limit the cell capacity of the second DU (3000) to simultaneously serve LTE, mmWave, and Sub6. When the communication management controller (100) determines that the capacity associated with the second DU (3000) satisfies the DU capacity threshold, the communication management controller (100) is configured to shut down Sub6 NR to serve LTE at full capacity.

[0037] At least one of the modules / components of the communications management controller 180 may be implemented through an AI model. The functionality associated with the AI ​​model may be implemented through the memory 120 and the processor 140. The one or more processors control the processing of input data according to predefined operating rules or AI models stored in non-volatile and volatile memory. The predefined operating rules or artificial intelligence models are provided through training or learning.

[0038] Here, "provided through learning" means that a predefined behavior rule or AI model of desired characteristics is created by applying a learning process to a plurality of learning data. The learning may be performed on the device itself where the AI ​​according to the embodiment is implemented, and / or may be implemented through a separate server / system.

[0039] An AI model may be composed of multiple neural network layers. Each layer has multiple weight values ​​and performs layer calculations and multiple weight calculations through calculations of the previous layer. Examples of neural networks include, but are not limited to, convolutional neural networks (CNNs), deep neural networks (DNNs), recurrent neural networks (RNNs), restricted Boltzmann machines (RBMs), deep belief networks (DBNs), bidirectional recurrent deep neural networks (BRDNNs), generative adversarial networks (GANs), and deep Q-networks.

[0040] A learning process is a method for training a predetermined target device (e.g., a robot) using a plurality of training data to cause, allow, or control the target device to make decisions or predictions. Examples of learning processes include, but are not limited to, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning.

[0041] While Figure 2 illustrates various hardware components of system 1000, it should be understood that other embodiments are not limited thereto. In other embodiments, system 1000 may include fewer or more components. Furthermore, component labels or names are used for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the scope of the invention. One or more components may be combined together to perform the same or substantially similar functions using system 1000.

[0042] FIG. 3A illustrates a cell site scenario with two operational DUs connected to a communications management controller (100) according to an embodiment as disclosed herein.

[0043] Referring to Figure 3A, the proposed method includes a fully redundant system with a passive optical switch. In Figure 3A, the system (1000) includes a first DU (2000) and a second DU (3000) at a cell site. The first DU (2000) hosts LTE and mmWave, and the second DU (3000) hosts Sub6 5G NR. The first DU (2000) connects to a communication management controller (100) toward a CU (5000). The second DU (3000) forwards MH traffic to the first DU (2000) (via a P-CL / S-CL link), and the first DU (2000) forwards traffic to the CU (5000) through the communication management controller (100). Similarly, traffic from the CU (5000) to the second DU (3000) is routed to the second DU (3000) by the first DU (2000) on the P-CL or S-CL.

[0044] The first DU (2000) is the lead DU, and an alarm signal to the control port (3) of the communication management controller (100) is set during operation of the first DU (2000). The set alarm is an instruction for operation of the first DU (2000). When the alarm signal is set, MH traffic associated with the first DU (2000) is provided as input to the active port (2), and the first DU (2000) is connected to the CU (5000) through the input port (1).

[0045] Although the proposed method is shown for only two DUs or two nodes per site, the same logic can be extended to more than two sites.

[0046] FIG. 3B illustrates a scenario of a cell site with a failed DU and a working DU connected to the communications management controller (100) according to an embodiment as disclosed herein.

[0047] Referring to Figure 3B, a scenario is considered in which a failure occurs in the first DU (2000), which is the lead DU, or a failure occurs in the MH port of the first DU (2000), which affects the service provided to the subscriber by the first DU (2000).

[0048] During a failure of the first DU (2000), no alarm signal is set to the control port (3) of the communication management controller (100). Also, the MH traffic associated with the first DU (2000) provided as input to the active port (2) is disconnected. In the proposed scenario, the communication management controller (100) determines that no alarm is set and moves the MH traffic associated with the first DU (2000) to the default port (4). The default port (4) is connected to the MH port of the second DU (3000), and therefore, the MH traffic from the MH port of the second DU (3000) is provided as input to the default port (4) that communicates with the CU (5000).

[0049] As a result, the second DU (3000) assumes the role of lead DU and takes over the workload of the first DU (2000) (including both LTE bands and mmWave bands). The second DU (3000) may need to limit its cell capacity in order to provide service to all bands including LTE, mmWave, and Sub6.

[0050] Furthermore, the second DU (3000) may completely shut down the Sub6 NR in order to provide LTE service at full capacity. Here, both the first DU (2000) and the second DU (3000) are connected to the RRH via redundant links, so that if a failure occurs in one DU or in one of the links, the other link is used to provide continuous communication. Also, a redundant cascade link exists between the first DU (2000) and the second DU (3000). Therefore, if a failure occurs in one of the SFPs or links (P-CL), the first DU (2000) and the second DU (3000) continue to communicate via the secondary link (S-CL).

[0051] Unlike conventional methods and systems, the proposed system (1000) is fault tolerant to any form of failure / malfunction in the first DU (2000) or optical switch. In the event of a fault or malfunction detected in the first DU (2000), the traffic path is automatically diverted to a default path leading to the second DU (3000). To ensure that service is not restricted even in the event of a total optical switch failure, traffic from the midhaul is directly connected to the default port (4).

[0052] FIG. 3C illustrates a scenario traffic management at a cell site with multiple DUs and a failed DU, according to an embodiment as disclosed herein.

[0053] Referring to Figure 3C, consider a situation in which a second DU (3000), a third DU (4000), and a fourth DU (5000) are all connected to a first DU (2000) for communication with the midhaul. Traffic from CL1 and CL2 of the second DU (3000) is connected to CL1 and CL2 of the first DU (2000). Therefore, during normal operation of both the first DU (2000) and the second DU (3000), traffic from the second DU (3000) travels to the first DU (2000), and then traffic travels to and from the midhaul through the MH port of the first DU (2000), which is connected to the active port (2) of the communication management controller (100). Similarly, CL1 of the third DU (4000) is connected to CL3 of the first DU (2000), and CL2 of the third DU (4000) is connected to CL3 of the second DU (3000). Therefore, traffic from the third DU (4000) travels to the midhaul through the first DU (2000). The same is true for the fourth DU (5000).

[0054] For example, consider a scenario in which a first DU (2000) fails due to a power failure, a port failure, mismanagement in the first DU (2000), or other reasons, and the communication management controller (100) then automatically shifts traffic from the first DU (2000) to the second DU (3000) by diverting traffic from the midhaul to the default port (4). As a result, traffic from the third DU (4000) and the fourth DU (5000) is now communicated to the midhaul through the second DU (3000) instead of the first DU (2000). Therefore, the cascading of multiple DUs allows traffic to be diverted to the next active DU during a failure of the lead DU, so that subscriber service is not affected. Furthermore, the proposed system (1000) addresses any form of single-point failure that could lead to service discontinuity for subscribers by making the system (1000) completely fault-tolerant.

[0055] In one scenario, a failure occurs in the first DU (2000) and the second DU (3000) is set as the lead DU. Then, even if the first DU (2000) may be restored, the second DU (3000) continues to operate as the lead DU using the radio of the first DU (2000) that is currently shifted to the second DU (3000).

[0056] In another scenario, when the first DU (2000) recovers after a failure, the radio of the first DU (2000) is returned from the second DU (3000) to the first DU (2000), and the first DU (2000) returns to its original position as the lead DU. In both of the above scenarios, the first DU (2000) can be recovered remotely using the BMC of the first DU (2000).

[0057] In another scenario, if the second DU (3000) after being set as the lead DU determines that it may not be able to serve all bands, the second DU (3000) may shut down Sub6NR or mmWave, or both, to provide service to the LTE band.

[0058] Therefore, the proposed system (1000) involves cascading multiple DUs which makes the system (1000) fault tolerant to any kind of failure.

[0059] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method (400) for providing continuous service in a wireless communication network according to an embodiment as disclosed herein.

[0060] Referring to FIG. 4, in step 402, the method includes the communications management controller (100) determining that an alarm signal to a control port of the communications management controller (100) is not set.

[0061] In step 404, the method includes the communications management controller (100) determining a failure of the first DU based on an alarm signal to a control port of the communications management controller not being set.

[0062] In step 406, the method includes the communication management controller (100) automatically switching the input from the active port to a default port of the communication management controller connected to the second DU.

[0063] In step 408, the method includes the communication management controller (100) providing continuous service in the wireless communication network by redirecting traffic associated with the first DU (1000) toward the second DU (2000).

[0064] The various actions, functions, blocks, steps, etc. of flow diagram 400 may be performed in the order presented, in a different order, or simultaneously. Furthermore, in some embodiments, some of the actions, functions, blocks, steps, etc. may be omitted, added, modified, skipped, etc., without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0065] An advantage of the proposed method is service continuity, which is a key business requirement. The proposed method guarantees service continuity in case of a failure of one of the nodes. However, in traditional redundant systems, the capacity of one node remains unused until a failure occurs. This is costly in terms of CAPEX (initial deployment) and OPEX (running costs). The proposed method fully utilizes the installed nodes and switches to a minimal service mode in case of a failure.

[0066] The foregoing description of specific embodiments fully reveals the general nature of the embodiments herein, so that others, by applying current knowledge, can easily modify and / or adapt such specific embodiments for various applications without departing from the broader concept; therefore, such adaptations and modifications should, and are intended to, be understood within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It should be understood that the phraseology or terminology used herein is for purposes of description and not limitation. Thus, although the embodiments herein have been described with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be modified and practiced within the scope of the embodiments as described herein.

Claims

1. 1. A system for providing continuous service in a wireless communication network, the system comprising: a communications management controller having a plurality of ports; a first distributed unit (DU) of a plurality of distributed units (DUs) connected to the communication management controller for communication with a centralized unit (CU), wherein traffic associated with the first distributed unit (DU) is provided as an input to an active port of the communication management controller, and the first distributed unit (DU) is configured to set an alarm signal on a control port of the communication management controller indicating an active status of the first distributed unit; At least one second DU among the plurality of DUs connected to the first DU; Equipped with The communication management controller determining that the alarm signal to the control port of the communication management controller is not set; determining a failure of the first DU based on the alarm signal to the control port of the communication management controller not being set; automatically switching the input from the active port to a default port of the communication management controller, the default port being connected to the at least one second DU; and providing continuous service in the wireless communication network by redirecting traffic associated with the first DU toward the at least one second DU. It is configured as follows: system.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first DU is a lead DU, and the first DU and the at least one second DU host at least one band of a plurality of bands.

3. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one second DU forwards midhaul (MH) traffic to the first DU via at least one cascade link (CL) between the first DU and the at least one second DU, the first DU forwards the MH traffic to the CU through the communication management controller, and the traffic from the CU to the at least one second DU is routed by the first DU to the at least one second DU on the at least one CL between the first DU and the at least one second DU.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one second DU functions as a lead DU in switching the input from the active port to the default port of the communication management controller.

5. The at least one second DU comprises: determining a priority associated with each of the bands among the plurality of bands to be served by the at least one second DU, the plurality of bands including LTE, mmWave, and Sub6 5G NR; determining whether a capacity associated with the at least one second DU satisfies a DU capacity threshold; The following, i.e., In response to determining that the capacity associated with the second DU does not meet the DU capacity threshold, limiting cell capacity of the second DU to simultaneously serve the LTE, the mmWave, and the Sub6 5G NR; and In response to determining that the capacity associated with the at least one second DU meets the DU capacity threshold, shutting down the Sub6 5G NR to serve the LTE at full capacity. Implement one of the following: The system of claim 1 further configured to:

6. 1. A method for providing continuous service in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: determining, by a communications management controller, that an alarm signal to a control port of the communications management controller is not set, the alarm signal to the control port of the communications management controller indicating an active status of a first distributed unit (DU) of a plurality of DUs; determining, by the communication management controller, a failure of the first DU based on the alarm signal to the control port of the communication management controller not being set, wherein traffic associated with the first DU is provided as an input to an active port of the communication management controller; automatically switching, by the communication management controller, the input from the active port to a default port of the communication management controller, the default port being connected to at least one second DU; redirecting, by the communication management controller, traffic associated with the first DU toward the at least one second DU, thereby providing continuous service in the wireless communication network; A method comprising:

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the communication management controller comprises a plurality of ports, and the first DU is connected to the communication management controller for communication with a centralization unit (CU).

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first DU is a lead DU, and the first DU and the at least one second DU host at least one band of a plurality of bands.

9. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one second DU forwards midhaul (MH) traffic to the first DU via at least one cascade link (CL) between the first DU and the at least one second DU, the first DU forwards the MH traffic to the CU through the communication management controller, and the traffic from the CU to the at least one second DU is routed by the first DU to the at least one second DU on the at least one CL between the first DU and the at least one second DU.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the at least one second DU functions as a lead DU in switching the input from the active port to the default port of the communication management controller.

11. determining, by the at least one second DU, a priority associated with each of the bands among the plurality of bands to be served by the at least one second DU, wherein the plurality of bands include LTE, mmWave, and Sub6 5G NR; determining, by the at least one second DU, whether a capacity associated with the at least one second DU satisfies a DU capacity threshold; The at least one second DU: In response to determining that the capacity associated with the second DU does not meet the DU capacity threshold, limiting cell capacity of the second DU to simultaneously serve the LTE, the mmWave, and the Sub6 5G NR; and and shutting down the Sub6 5G NR to serve the LTE at full capacity in response to determining that the capacity associated with the second DU meets the DU capacity threshold. and The method of claim 6 further comprising:

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