IP Multicast Signaling Reduction in LTE Handover
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Solution Overview
Problem
In mobile networks with flat IP architecture, such as SAE/LTE, there is a high volume of signaling required to update the network with the current location of user equipment in active mode, leading to inefficient mobility management and potential bottlenecks.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of IP multicast for data transport in wireless communication networks, where an IP multicast address is allocated and used to send user plane data from a communication gateway to routers in the infrastructure network, allowing efficient data delivery without frequent signaling to the SAE GW, and enabling soft handover through adjacent cell involvement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If unicast data transport is used in flat IP architecture networks, then data delivery is reliable, but network signaling volume increases significantly during handover
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple unicast data streams into a single IP multicast stream. Instead of maintaining separate unicast connections from the gateway to each user equipment, the system merges these into one multicast stream that can be efficiently distributed to multiple recipients, thereby reducing the signaling overhead associated with managing individual unicast sessions during handover events.
Solution Approach 2:
The IP multicast address serves multiple functions: it acts as a universal identifier for the data stream, enables efficient group data delivery, and facilitates seamless handover by allowing any gateway in the network to join the multicast group and continue data transmission without requiring dedicated unicast path reconfiguration.
2Measurement precision
If frequent location updates are performed in flat IP architecture, then user location accuracy is maintained, but network performance degrades due to signaling overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables gateways to autonomously join and leave IP multicast groups based on their current user equipment locations, without requiring centralized control or frequent signaling to the core network. This self-service mechanism allows gateways to independently maintain accurate location information while avoiding the performance degradation caused by frequent centralized location update signaling.
3Manufacturing precision
If unicast sessions are used for each user equipment, then individual data routing is precise, but gateway processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the routing complexity from the gateway by utilizing IP multicast routing protocols that operate independently in the network infrastructure. Instead of the gateway having to manage complex routing decisions for multiple unicast sessions, the system extracts this functionality into the network's multicast routing mechanism, which handles the complex routing automatically based on the multicast address.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method, devices, and a program for using IP multicast addresses for mobile terminals (UE) connected to a communication gateway in a wireless communication network. The IP multicast address is used for updating routers in the infrastructure network of where to transport data to the UE when the UE connects to another communication gateway, this may be updated from the new communication gateway or from a mobility management entity relieving a network gateway (e.g. a SAE gateway) of control traffic reducing the risk of bottle necks in the infrastructure network.