MME Congestion Synchronization via Release Assistance Indication
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Solution Overview
Problem
In 5G communication systems, the Mobility Management Entity (MME) is forced to process control plane data even when congested, leading to increased resource usage and potential dropping of critical exception data due to lack of congestion synchronization between the User Equipment (UE) and the network.
Innovation Solution
The method involves using Release Assistance Indication IE in ESM Data Transport messages to indicate whether additional downlink or uplink data transmissions are expected, allowing the MME to reject or accept control plane data and synchronize congestion status with the UE, thereby managing back-off timers dynamically to prioritize and handle exception data effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the MME processes all control plane data even when congested, then the network maintains service availability, but the resource usage increases and critical exception data may be dropped
Solution Approach 1:
The network performs preliminary congestion assessment before processing control plane data. The MME evaluates its congestion status in advance and proactively sends back-off timer information to the UE, preventing the UE from sending data that would exacerbate congestion. This preliminary action avoids the need to process non-critical data under congested conditions, preserving resources for critical exception data while maintaining service availability.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the MME rejects control plane data during congestion, then resource usage is reduced, but congestion status synchronization between UE and network becomes problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The MME provides feedback to the UE about the network's congestion status through back-off timer information included in NAS messages. When the MME is congested, it sends a back-off timer value to the UE, which the UE uses to withhold non-critical data transmissions. This feedback mechanism ensures both the UE and network have synchronized understanding of the congestion status, preventing information loss while enabling resource management.
3Reliability
If the UE sends exception data during back-off timer period, then critical data transmission is maintained, but network congestion may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The network applies different quality treatments to different types of data. Exception data is identified by specific indicators (e.g., RRC establishment cause set to mo-exception data) and is granted priority processing regardless of the back-off timer status. The MME processes exception data locally with high priority while maintaining the back-off timer mechanism for non-critical data. This local quality differentiation ensures critical data transmission reliability while minimizing impact on overall network productivity through selective processing.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a communication method and system for converging a 5th-Generation (5G) communication system for supporting higher data rates beyond a 4th-Generation (4G) system with a technology for Internet of Things (IoT). The present disclosure may be applied to intelligent services based on the 5G communication technology and the IoT-related technology. A method of handling control plane data in a wireless network. The method comprises sending, by a user entity (UE), a non-access stratum (NAS) message along with an indication data to a mobility management (MM) core network entity. The MM core network entity processes the received NAS message and the indication data. The MM core network entity determines status of network congestion upon processing the processed NAS message. Sending, by the MM core network entity, a response to the UE based on at least one of the processed indication data and the determined network congestion.