Cellular Traffic Offloading Through Broadcast Content Steering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cellular networks face congestion issues due to increasing video traffic and high QoS demands, with current offloading solutions like Wi-Fi not effectively addressing these challenges, and broadcast networks like eMBMS not providing comprehensive relief.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for offloading traffic from a cellular network to a broadcast network using a converged cellular core network with a packet inspection and steering unit, which identifies commonly consumed content streams and offloads them to a unidirectional downlink network based on coverage and capacity, utilizing a Broadcast Offload Packet Core (BO-PC) and analytics engine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If video traffic is delivered over unicast cellular networks, then individual user quality of service is maintained, but network congestion increases and bandwidth availability decreases for other users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a copy of the video content delivery mechanism by introducing broadcast networks as an alternative path. Instead of relying solely on unicast cellular networks, the system copies traffic to broadcast networks where multiple users can receive the same content simultaneously, thereby reducing the load on cellular networks while maintaining QoS for individual users
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the video traffic delivery by separating it into two paths: unicast cellular network for individual user requests and broadcast network for mass distribution. This segmentation allows the system to handle different types of traffic efficiently, reducing congestion on cellular bands while maintaining reliable delivery
2Productivity
If Wi-Fi is used for offloading video traffic, then bandwidth consumption on cellular networks is reduced, but quality of service maintenance becomes more challenging due to resource competition
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a packet inspection and steering unit as an intermediary that sits between the cellular network and the broadcast network. This intermediary automatically identifies video traffic, determines whether broadcast offloading is appropriate, and steers traffic accordingly. This eliminates the need for complex device-level QoS management while achieving effective offloading
3Productivity
If eMBMS broadcast network is used for video delivery, then spectral efficiency is improved, but the service is limited to linear TV and shares spectral resources with cellular traffic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the offloading mechanism dynamic by continuously monitoring traffic patterns, identifying commonly consumed content, and adaptively steering traffic to broadcast networks when conditions are favorable. This dynamic approach allows the system to overcome eMBMS limitations by flexibly selecting which content to offload based on real-time network conditions and user demand
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for offloading traffic from a cellular network to a broadcast network is provided. The offloading mechanism caters to both unicast and broadcast traffic. The system includes a converged cellular core network 102, World Wide Web 110, a CDN 112, a Broadcast Offload Packet Core (BO-PC) 114, a cellular base station 116, a Broadcast Radio Head 118, and a converged UE 120. The converged cellular core network 102 includes an enhanced packet core 104, a policy rules engine 106 and a packet inspection and steering unit 108. The BO-PC 114 includes a Broadcast Proxy 202, a subscriber database 204, a Broadcast Offload Service Center 206, a Broadcast Offload Gateway 208 and an analytics engine 210. For offloading the unicast traffic, the packet inspection and steering unit 108 identifies sessions that are offloaded for supporting offload of the traffic from the converged cellular core network 102 to the broadcast network.