MBMS PDP Context Segmentation for Signaling Optimization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current MBMS services require users to manually activate and deactivate each service individually, leading to a tedious process and a significant burden on network resources due to the need for multiple PDP contexts per UE, which complicates simultaneous service management and increases latency.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a system where a single control plane PDP context handles signaling for all MBMS sessions and a separate user plane PDP context manages user data, allowing users to activate or deactivate services more efficiently by creating and managing these contexts within the network, reducing the number of PDP contexts required and optimizing network resource usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple PDP contexts are created for each MBMS service to enable simultaneous service management, then service management capability is improved, but network resource burden and device complexity increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice management capabilityVSAvoidnumber of PDP contexts
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the PDP context into two distinct types: control plane PDP context for signaling management and user plane PDP context for data transmission. This segmentation allows the system to maintain one control plane context for multiple MBMS services while using separate user plane contexts only when needed for data transfer, thereby reducing the total number of contexts required while preserving service management capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The control plane PDP context is designed to serve multiple MBMS services simultaneously, making it a universal context that handles signaling for all joined services. This multi-functionality eliminates the need to create separate PDP contexts for each service, reducing network resource burden while maintaining the ability to manage multiple services.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Measurement precision

If manual activation and deactivation of each MBMS service is implemented, then service control precision is improved, but user operation complexity and time consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice control precisionVSAvoiduser operation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements self-service by allowing the UE to automatically join multiple MBMS services without manual activation commands. The control plane PDP context automatically manages signaling for all joined services, and the system handles service activation/deactivation based on user preferences stored in the context, eliminating tedious manual operations while maintaining precise service control through the structured context management.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If separate PDP contexts are created for each MBMS service to ensure service independence, then service isolation is improved, but network signaling overhead and latency increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice independenceVSAvoidsignaling latency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the control plane signaling for multiple MBMS services into a single control plane PDP context. This consolidation reduces signaling overhead and latency by eliminating redundant control plane setup for each service, while service independence is maintained through separate user plane PDP contexts that are created only when data transmission is required for specific services.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP1987693B1Handling multiple point-to-multipoint services
Publication Date: 2016.12.07 NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
  • EP1987693B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP1987693B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP1987693B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

For enabling multiple point-to-multipoint (PTM) services in a radio communication network system, when joining sessions relating to multiple PTM services is requested by a user equipment first, a first context between the user equipment and network elements providing the multiple PTM services is created, wherein the first context relates to signalling, and when activation of one of the sessions for which the first context has been created is requested by the user equipment first, a second context between the user equipment and network elements providing an PTM service of the multiple PTM services is created, to which PTM service the session relates, wherein the second context relates to user data of the PTM service.