Anchorless Mobile Network Access Node Device Administration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Anchorless mobile networks lack mechanisms for device administration services such as traffic monitoring, policy enforcement, and customer billing, which are typically handled by anchor nodes like Service Gateway (SGW) and Packet Gateway (PGW).
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method in an access node of a mobile network to maintain, update, and enforce device administration data, including traffic statistics and operational rules, and synchronize this data with other access nodes, enabling each access point to perform device administration functions normally handled by anchor nodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If anchor nodes (SGW/PGW) are used to provide device administration services, then device administration services (traffic monitoring, policy enforcement, billing) are provided, but network complexity increases and service continuity during handover is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts device administration functions from the traditional anchor nodes (SGW/PGW) and relocates them to the access nodes. This allows access nodes to independently maintain device administration data including traffic statistics and policy rules, eliminating the dependency on anchor nodes for these services and enabling seamless handover without service interruption
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the network functions by separating device administration responsibilities from the core network anchor nodes and distributing them to individual access nodes. Each access node maintains local device administration data structures containing traffic statistics, policy rules, and QoS parameters, enabling independent operation during handover events
2Device complexity
If anchorless network architecture is implemented, then network simplicity and mobility are improved, but device administration services (traffic monitoring, policy enforcement, billing) cannot be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables access nodes to perform self-service for device administration by locally maintaining and updating device administration data. Each access node can independently monitor traffic, enforce policies, and manage QoS parameters without requiring anchor node involvement, thus maintaining service availability in anchorless architectures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by having access nodes pre-establish device administration data structures and synchronize them before handover events occur. This ensures that when a user equipment moves between access nodes, the target access node already has the necessary traffic statistics and policy rules ready, maintaining continuous service availability
3Manufacturing precision
If device administration data is maintained centrally at anchor nodes, then consistent policy enforcement is achieved, but handover latency increases and service continuity is affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by enabling each access node to maintain local copies of device administration data including policy rules and traffic statistics. This allows policy enforcement to occur locally at the access node without requiring centralized anchor node involvement, significantly reducing handover latency while maintaining policy consistency through synchronization mechanisms
4Measurement precision
If traffic statistics are collected and enforced by anchor nodes, then accurate billing and monitoring are provided, but network response time during mobility events increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by having access nodes pre-collect and maintain traffic statistics locally before handover events. The device administration data structure includes accumulated traffic statistics that are ready for immediate billing and monitoring operations, eliminating the need for real-time anchor node involvement during mobility events and thus improving network response time
Data Source
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AI summary
A method in an access node of a Mobile network. The method comprises: maintaining, by the access node, device administration data pertaining to a mobile electronic device, the device administration data including at least one statistic pertaining to traffic to and from the mobile electronic device, and at least one rule for controlling an operation of the mobile electronic device; updating, by the access node, the at least one statistic based on the traffic to and from the mobile electronic device; enforcing, by the access node, the at least one rule based on the at least one statistic; and synchronizing, by the access node, the device administration data pertaining to the mobile electronic device with corresponding second device administration data maintained by a second access node of the Mobile network.