Converged Core Network Integrating Wireless and Wireline Functions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wireless and wireline communication networks operate as separate entities, leading to significant complexity and cost due to different authentication methods, data management techniques, accounting systems, and session management policies, resulting in inefficient integration and high operational expenses.
Innovation Solution
A converged core communication network that integrates both wireless and wireline networks, enabling shared authentication, unified data management, and common Quality of Service (QoS) traffic management policies, while being backward compatible with legacy systems to minimize infrastructure changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wireless and wireline communication networks operate as separate entities with different protocols and management systems, then each network can be optimized for its specific protocol and operations, but the overall system complexity increases significantly and integration costs rise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges separate wireless and wireline core networks into a unified converged core network that handles both wireless (3GPP) and wireline (3GPP2) protocols through shared network functions including authentication, authorization, accounting, and policy control, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining protocol-specific optimization
Solution Approach 2:
The converged core network implements universal network functions that can serve multiple protocol types simultaneously, such as a unified policy control function that manages both 3GPP and 3GPP2 networks, and a common charging system that handles billing for both wireless and wireline services through standardized interfaces
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate authentication and accounting systems are used for wireless and wireline networks, then each system can be tailored to its specific requirements, but operational costs increase and integration becomes inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universal authentication and accounting systems within the converged core network that can handle both 3GPP and 3GPP2 protocols through standardized interfaces, allowing a single authentication mechanism to verify users across wireless and wireline networks while maintaining protocol-specific customization capabilities
3Reliability
If different data management and session management policies are implemented for wireless and wireline networks, then each network can be optimized for its specific operations, but the cost of maintaining separate management systems increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines separate data management and session management systems into unified management functions within the converged core network, where a single data management system handles subscriber profiles and data sessions for both wireless and wireline networks, and a unified session management system controls session establishment and teardown across both network types through standardized interfaces
Data Source
AI summary
A method for supporting communication links includes (a) supporting a wireless communication link using a plurality of network functions logically linked via a common interface, (b) supporting a wireline communication link using a wireline access network, and (c) sharing one or more of the plurality of network functions with the wireline access network. A converged core communication network includes a memory subsystem and a processing subsystem configured to execute instructions stored in the memory subsection to perform the method for supporting communication links.