MME Paging Cancellation During Mobility

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Solution Overview

Problem

In 3GPP LTE networks, the current tracking area update (TAU) procedure often results in delayed call reception and increased call failure rates due to ineffective paging mechanisms, especially when user equipment (UE) moves between eNodeB coverage areas, leading to failed paging signals and unnecessary resource wastage.

Innovation Solution

The proposed solution involves the target MME recognizing the UE's movement through the TAU procedure, allowing it to directly trigger or request the setup of a user plane bearer, and inform the S-GW to cancel previous paging attempts, thereby reducing call reception delay and resource wastage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the current TAU procedure is used, then the network can handle UE mobility, but paging signals are delivered late or failed and downlink data is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepaging delivery reliabilityVSAvoidcall reception delay
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The source MME proactively cancels paging at the S-GW before the UE completes handover to the target eNodeB. By anticipating the paging failure risk during mobility and pre-canceling the paging indication, the system prevents data loss and reduces delays without waiting for actual paging failure confirmation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If paging is transmitted during UE mobility, then call reception can be attempted, but network resources are wasted due to failed paging signals

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecall reception efficiencyVSAvoidnetwork resource wastage
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses feedback from the TAU procedure to determine paging cancellation. When the source MME receives a TAU request indicating the UE is moving to a different tracking area, it uses this feedback information to cancel pending paging operations, thereby avoiding wasted network resources on futile paging transmissions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If the S-GW buffers downlink data during paging, then data can be delivered later, but data is lost when paging fails and UE moves

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedownlink data delivery reliabilityVSAvoiddata transmission delay
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The source MME takes preliminary anti-action by canceling paging at the S-GW before data transmission failures occur. By proactively removing the paging indication during the TAU procedure, the system prevents the scenario where data would be buffered indefinitely or lost due to UE mobility, thereby improving both reliability and reducing eventual delivery delays.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Data Source

PatentEP2908582B1Processing paging by a server managing mobility to prevent, in case of paging failure, loss of downlink data buffered in a serving gateway
Publication Date: 2019.06.19 LG ELECTRONICS INC
  • EP2908582B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2908582B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2908582B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention provides a method for processing paging from a server managing mobility in a mobile communication network. The method comprises: receiving from a network node a notification with respect to downlink data to be relayed to user equipment; transmitting a paging signal with respect to the user equipment to one or more base stations; receiving a context request with respect to the user equipment from a different server; recognizing that the paging will fail if the context request with respect to the terminal is received before receiving a reply to the paging; relaying a context reply to the different server depending on the recognition; and transmitting a processing request message with respect to the downlink data to the network node.