Central Office Identifier-Based Switching for Broadband Access Routing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional broadband access network architectures rely heavily on backbone infrastructure nodes for routing traffic, leading to inefficiencies, especially when handling regional traffic, as they require involvement of core infrastructure nodes even for local traffic, resulting in slow transmission and increased redundancy needs.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a method where central office points of delivery act as both ingress and egress routers, and provide identifier-based switch router functionality, allowing direct routing of marked data packets between central office points without relying on backbone infrastructure, using multiprotocol label switching technology to manage traffic within a connection-oriented manner.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If conventional backbone infrastructure nodes are used for routing traffic, then network coverage and connectivity are ensured, but transmission speed decreases and redundancy increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransmission speedVSAvoidnetwork complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the network into access domain (central office points) and wide area network domain (backbone infrastructure). By introducing identifier-based routing within the access domain, local traffic is handled independently without requiring backbone involvement, thus improving transmission speed while maintaining manageable network complexity through domain separation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an identifier-based switching mechanism as an intermediary layer between traditional IP routing and backbone infrastructure. This intermediary enables direct routing between central office points using simplified identifier matching, bypassing complex backbone routing for local traffic and improving speed without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If backbone infrastructure nodes are involved in regional traffic routing, then network connectivity is maintained, but transmission efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetraffic handling efficiencyVSAvoidtransmission delay
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by pre-establishing identifier-based routing paths between central office points before traffic arrives. When traffic needs to be routed regionally, the identifier already contains routing information, enabling immediate forwarding without querying backbone routing tables, thus improving productivity and eliminating transmission delay.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the routing function from the backbone infrastructure for local traffic by implementing identifier-based switching at central office points. This extraction allows regional traffic to be handled locally without backbone involvement, improving traffic handling efficiency and eliminating the time loss associated with backbone routing for regional traffic.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Productivity

If central office points act as both ingress and egress routers with identifier-based switching, then regional traffic efficiency improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveregional traffic efficiencyVSAvoidcentral office complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies universality by enabling central office points to perform multiple functions: traditional ingress/egress routing plus identifier-based switching. By making central office points multi-functional, the system achieves high regional traffic efficiency without adding separate dedicated devices, and the complexity increase is amortized across existing infrastructure rather than concentrated in new components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4161028B1Method for operating a broadband access network of a telecommunications network comprising a plurality of central office points of delivery, broadband access network or telecommunications network, central office point of delivery, system, program and computer-readable medium
Publication Date: 2024.09.25 DEUTSCHE TELEKOM AG
  • EP4161028B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4161028B1 patent drawingFigure 3~5

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for operating a broadband access network of a telecommunications network comprising a plurality of central office points of delivery, wherein each one of the plurality of central office points of delivery comprises a transport functionality or service and has or is connected to an access functionality being realized by means of a plurality of access nodes that terminate physical subscriber lines serving end users of the telecommunications network, wherein, regarding a specific central office point of delivery, the respective transport functionality or service acts as an ingress router and/or an egress router to a wide area network domain, wherein the wide area network domain handles and/or transports marked data packets in a connection oriented manner, and wherein, in order to operate the broadband access network for providing the access functionality associated with the plurality of central office points of delivery, the transport functionality or service of the specific central office point of delivery, in addition to acting as ingress router and/or as egress router, provides an identifier-based switch router functionality of or towards the wide area network domain such that: -- in a first step, the specific central office point of delivery receives marked data packets from a first central office point of delivery, and -- in a second step, transmits the marked data packets to a second central office point of delivery.