Idle-Mode Handoff Control in Wireless Data Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
In densifying wireless data communication networks, idle-mode handovers to unauthorized Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs) result in unnecessary data bearers being established and later removed, leading to inefficiencies and increased complexity due to the internal nesting of pico-cell and femto-cell base stations with different tracking areas and PLMNs.
Innovation Solution
A wireless communication network controller processes Tracking Area Updates (TAUs) by requesting authorization from a database to determine if User Equipment (UE) is allowed to use the target tracking area or PLMN, and only establishes bearers if authorization is granted, preventing unauthorized access and reducing unnecessary bearer creation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the network densifies with pico-cell and femto-cell base stations using different tracking areas and PLMNs, then network coverage and capacity are improved, but the number of idle-mode handovers to unauthorized PLMNs increases, causing unnecessary bearer establishment and removal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by checking UE authorization status against the target PLMN before allowing idle-mode handover. The network controller verifies whether the UE is authorized to access the target PLMN's tracking area before establishing data bearers, preventing unnecessary bearer creation in advance and avoiding the complexity of subsequent bearer removal operations
2Speed
If the network establishes data bearers for all idle-mode handovers without authorization checks, then handover speed is improved, but network resources are wasted on unauthorized bearers that are later removed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs authorization verification before bearer establishment, ensuring that data bearers are only created for authorized UEs. This preliminary check prevents network resources from being wasted on unauthorized bearers that would otherwise be established and subsequently removed, optimizing resource utilization without significantly impacting handover speed
3Productivity
If the network performs authorization checks before bearer establishment, then network resource efficiency is improved, but the handover processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The authorization check is performed as a preliminary step before bearer establishment, allowing the network to quickly reject unauthorized handover requests without proceeding to resource-intensive bearer setup. This approach maximizes network resource efficiency by avoiding unnecessary bearer creation while minimizing time loss through efficient authorization verification
Data Source
AI summary
A wireless communication network controls idle-mode handovers for User Equipment (UE). A network controller receives a Tracking Area Update (TAU) from the UE that indicates an idle-mode handover from a source Tracking Area (TA) to a target TA and transfers an authorization request indicating the target TA. An authorization database processes the authorization request to authorize the UE to use the target TA and returns a TA authorization result. When the authorization result is positive, the network controller transfers a create bearer message for the UE to a network gateway. When the authorization result is negative, the network controller transfers a TAU rejection to the UE without transferring the create session message to the network gateway. The TAU may indicate a target Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), and the authorization database authorizes the UE to use the target PLMN to authorize the UE to use the target TA.