Idle Mode Carrier Load Balancing via Priority Index
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Solution Overview
Problem
Operator networks face challenges in load balancing across multiple radio frequency carriers, leading to congestion and decreased user experience due to inter-frequency handovers when load balancing is performed after a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection is established, as communication sessions may be dropped or interrupted during handovers.
Innovation Solution
Implementing load balancing in RRC idle mode by estimating the number of mobile devices camping on each carrier, generating an index value based on device initiations, sorting carriers by priority, and sending a carrier order to mobile devices to switch to less congested carriers upon connection release, thereby avoiding congestion and minimizing handovers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If load balancing is performed after RRC connection is established through inter-frequency handover, then traffic can be balanced across multiple carriers, but communication sessions may be dropped or interrupted during handover
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing load balancing before the RRC connection is established. The network selects which carrier the mobile device should camp on in idle mode, and the device uses that pre-selected carrier to initiate the RRC connection. This avoids the need for inter-frequency handover during active communication, thereby preventing communication session drops while still achieving traffic balancing across multiple carriers.
2Productivity
If load balancing is performed after RRC connection is established, then carrier traffic can be distributed, but congestion on random access channel increases due to multiple devices using the same channel to initialize connection
Solution Approach 1:
The network performs load balancing in advance by determining which carrier each mobile device should camp on before connection establishment. This pre-carrier selection distributes devices across different carriers, reducing the number of devices that need to access the random access channel simultaneously, thereby minimizing channel congestion while maintaining effective traffic distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The network uses feedback mechanisms to monitor carrier load and adjust the carrier selection for idle mode devices. By continuously monitoring RRC connection initiation statistics on different carriers, the network can dynamically update carrier recommendations to balance load and avoid congestion on any single carrier's random access channel.
3Productivity
If inter-frequency handover is used for load balancing, then traffic can be shifted between carriers, but user experience decreases due to handover procedure interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary carrier selection in idle mode before the mobile device establishes an RRC connection. This pre-carrier assignment ensures that when the device needs to communicate, it already has an appropriate carrier assigned, eliminating the need for inter-frequency handover during active usage and thereby maintaining smooth user experience while still achieving effective traffic shifting across carriers.
Data Source
AI summary
A base station may establish a wireless connection with a mobile device. The base station may determine an index value for each of a plurality of carriers that may be used for the wireless connection. The index value for a respective carrier may be determined based on a quantity of idle mode devices using the respective carrier in an idle mode. The base station may generate a carrier order that indicates a priority for each of the plurality of frequencies. The carrier order may be generated based on sorting the plurality of carriers based on the index values for the plurality of carriers. The base station may send order information indicating the carrier order to the mobile device via the wireless connection.