CMTS Policy Engine for Subscriber-Level Bandwidth Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Broadband service providers face network congestion issues due to unfair utilization of network resources by certain subscribers, which disrupts service for others and lacks effective management solutions.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a system and method using a Policy Engine that monitors usage data, detects congestion conditions, and sends PacketCable Multimedia (PCMM) instructions to regulate bandwidth by identifying contributing cable modems, allowing for dynamic service changes without modifying modem configurations or adding hardware, enabling real-time enforcement of network policies and usage management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If certain subscribers over-utilize network resources, then their service quality is improved, but network congestion occurs and service quality for other subscribers deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating service treatment based on individual subscriber behavior. The system identifies specific subscribers causing congestion and applies targeted policy actions (such as bandwidth throttling or traffic shaping) only to those specific subscribers rather than affecting all subscribers uniformly. This allows high-usage subscribers to maintain their service quality while preventing their excessive usage from degrading the service quality of other subscribers.
2Productivity
If traditional network management policies are applied, then network congestion can be managed, but service changes require modem configuration modifications, reboots, or additional hardware
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a policy enforcement point (PEP) as an intermediary component between the network and the modem. This PEP handles all policy decisions and service modifications centrally, allowing the system to change subscriber services by manipulating traffic at the network level rather than requiring direct modem configuration changes. The modem simply forwards traffic according to standard protocols, eliminating the need for complex modem firmware modifications or reboots.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical approaches to service modification (which involve physical modem reconfiguration, firmware updates, or hardware additions) with a software-based traffic manipulation approach. By using packet filtering, traffic shaping, and virtual routing techniques at the network level, the system achieves service changes without touching the modem's physical configuration, thereby simplifying the overall system architecture.
3Productivity
If blanket network policies are applied to all subscribers, then network congestion is managed uniformly, but fair share and acceptable use policy enforcement is violated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by moving from uniform blanket policies to differentiated service treatment. The system continuously monitors individual subscriber usage patterns and automatically identifies those exceeding acceptable thresholds. Targeted policy actions are then applied only to these specific subscribers, allowing fair enforcement of acceptable use policies while maintaining high service quality for compliant subscribers. This granular approach ensures that network resources are allocated fairly based on actual usage behavior rather than applying punitive measures to all users.
Data Source
AI summary
At least one aspect is directed to managing policies to control network assets in real-time by dynamically enforcing policies based on a variety of detected conditions including service quality, subscriber usage, network performance, bandwidth, and events. The systems and methods described herein can enforce policy actions using the PacketCable Multimedia (PCMM) protocol, which is supported by Cable Modem Termination Systems (CMTS). The present solution can monitor IPDR usage data and SNMP network utilization data to determine conditions about the network and provide PCMM instructions to a CMTS to control network resources on an individual subscriber level. By providing PCMM instructions to a CMTS, the present solution can make service changes to individual modems without modifying the modem's configuration file, requiring a modem reboot, or the installation of additional hardware in the operator's network.