Network Handover Latency Reduction via Channel Availability Query
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network handovers in mobile telecommunications often result in unnecessary latency due to blind channel assignment, where user devices are transferred to overloaded channels, leading to additional time in identifying and reassigning new channels.
Innovation Solution
The transferring network queries the receiving network to identify available channels, reducing latency by associating the user device with the least overloaded channel or sector based on its location, rather than blindly assigning channels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If blind channel assignment is used during network handover, then the handover process is simple and fast to initiate, but the user device may be transferred to overloaded channels causing additional latency for identifying and reassigning channels
Solution Approach 1:
The receiving network performs preliminary channel availability queries before the handover is executed. The transferring network sends a handover request to the receiving network, which responds with information about available channels and their current load status. This preliminary action allows the source network to identify suitable channels in advance, avoiding the need for post-handover channel reassignment and reducing latency.
2Measurement precision
If channel availability is queried before handover, then channel assignment accuracy is improved and latency is reduced, but the handover process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces network control entities (eNodeB, MME, serving gateway) as intermediaries that manage the channel availability query process. These intermediaries handle the complexity of communicating with multiple networks, managing channel information databases, and coordinating handover decisions. By delegating these functions to specialized network components, the complexity is centralized rather than distributed across all handover participants.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for network handovers are provided. An eNodeB of a fourth generation mobile telecommunications network identifies available channels of a third generation mobile telecommunications network in which to handover user devices. Once an available channel is identified, the user device may be handed off to the available channel without unnecessary latency.