Associating Unit Bearer Prioritization for Network Congestion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mobile networks face congestion issues during events, leading to decreased usability as all applications are treated with the same priority, failing to differentiate between application features, resulting in inefficient traffic prioritization.
Innovation Solution
An associating unit sets up bearers with different priority levels in the communications network based on user preferences, allowing prioritization of specific application features, such as Facebook notifications over news feed updates, to optimize data traffic during congestion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If all applications are treated with the same priority in a congested network, then network management is simplified, but user experience deteriorates as critical features cannot be prioritized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments applications into different priority levels (first priority, second priority, third priority) based on user preferences and network conditions. This segmentation allows the network to treat different applications differently during congestion, ensuring critical features maintain service quality while less critical features are throttled or dropped, thus resolving the contradiction between simplified management and reliable user experience.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically changes network parameters (bearer priority levels, traffic routing) based on network congestion status and user-defined preferences. When congestion is detected, the system adjusts bearer assignments and traffic priorities in real-time, allowing critical applications to maintain high-priority bearers while non-critical applications are shifted to lower-priority bearers, thereby maintaining reliability without requiring complex manual management.
2Reliability
If priority-based bearer setup is implemented during network congestion, then user experience is improved, but network complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by establishing user preferences and application priority mappings before network congestion occurs. The associating unit stores user-defined preferences regarding which applications should be prioritized during congestion events. This preliminary configuration allows the network to quickly activate pre-planned priority schemes when congestion is detected, avoiding the need for complex real-time decision-making and reducing operational complexity while maintaining service reliability.
3Productivity
If traffic prioritization is implemented at the application level, then data efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an associating unit as an intermediary component that mediates between the network core and mobile terminals for bearer association decisions. This intermediary handles the complexity of traffic prioritization by automatically matching applications to appropriate bearers based on stored user preferences and current network conditions, thereby improving data transmission efficiency without requiring complex traffic management logic to be distributed across multiple network elements or terminal devices.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method performed by an associating unit, for setting up bearers in a communications network being congested is provided. The associating unit serves a mobile terminal comprising an application related to communication over the communications network. The associating unit, a network node and the mobile terminal operate in the communications network. The associating unit receives (301) information from the network node. The information is about a current congestion level of the communications network. The associating unit further receives (302) a selected preference level for the application from the mobile terminal. When the communications network is congested, the associating unit sets up (303), a set of bearers with different levels of priority in the communications network, based on the current congestion level of the communications network. This is performed by associating a bearer with its priority level with the application based on the selected preference level of the application. The bearer is set up for the application in mobile terminal for communication over the communications network.