Bandwidth Management Policy Adaptation for IP Traffic
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Solution Overview
Problem
The wireless industry faces a bandwidth crunch due to increasing data demands from billions of smartphone users, with existing ad-hoc data offloading and tariffing schemes offering only partial relief and lacking scalability for broad deployments, necessitating more efficient and robust solutions for managing bandwidth across multiple access networks.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of policy-driven bandwidth management (BWM) systems that adapt rules based on performance metrics to manage internet protocol (IP) traffic across different radio access technologies (RAT), enabling multi-access flow management and bandwidth aggregation by interacting with access network discovery and selection function (ANDSF) and policy control and charging (PCC) entities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If ad-hoc data offloading and tariffing schemes are implemented, then partial bandwidth relief is achieved, but scalability for broad deployments is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments bandwidth management into hierarchical levels: network-level policies for broad deployment patterns and device-level adaptive rules for local optimization. This segmentation enables scalable deployment where core network elements enforce standardized policies while edge devices autonomously adapt to local conditions, resolving the scalability limitation of ad-hoc schemes.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention implements dynamic policy adaptation where bandwidth management rules are not static but continuously adjusted based on real-time performance metrics, network conditions, and user behavior patterns. This dynamic approach enables the system to scale from small to large deployments by adapting policies to varying network sizes and conditions rather than requiring complete redesign.
2Productivity
If centralized control of network resources is implemented, then efficient bandwidth utilization is achieved, but real-time decision-making distribution is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces policy decision points (PDPs) and policy enforcement points (PEPs) as intermediary elements between centralized network control and distributed device operations. PDPs make centralized policy decisions based on network-wide objectives, while PEPs at network edges and devices enforce these policies in real-time with local autonomy, bridging the gap between centralized efficiency and distributed responsiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements local quality by allowing different parts of the network to enforce policies with varying degrees of centralization. Core network elements maintain centralized control for strategic resource allocation, while access networks and user devices exercise local autonomy for tactical real-time decisions, optimizing both overall efficiency and local responsiveness simultaneously.
3Ease of manufacture
If policy rules are statically configured, then implementation simplicity is maintained, but adaptability to changing network conditions is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs preliminary action by pre-configuring policy templates and rule structures that define the framework for bandwidth management. These static templates provide implementation simplicity and ease of deployment, while embedded metric collection and evaluation mechanisms enable automatic adaptation to changing network conditions without requiring complete policy redesign, thus maintaining both simplicity and adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems and apparatus for managing and/or enforcing one or more policies for managing internet protocol (“IP”) traffic among multiple accesses of a network in accordance with a policy for managing bandwidth among the multiple accesses are disclosed. Among the methods, systems and apparatus is a method that may include obtaining performance metrics associated with the multiple accesses. The method may also include adapting one or more rules of one or more the policies for managing IP traffic among the plurality of accesses based, at least in part, on the performance metrics and the policy for managing bandwidth among the plurality of accesses. The method may further include managing IP traffic associated with at least one wireless transmit and/or receive unit (“WTRU”) among the plurality of accesses responsive to the adapted rules.