MMS Notification Delivery via Data Service Trigger
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Solution Overview
Problem
MMS message delivery to a UE may fail due to the UE being powered off or having data services turned off, making it unclear which is the cause of failure.
Innovation Solution
An MMSC sends an MMS notification and, upon expiration of a threshold time without a download request, transmits a data-service-trigger message to switch the UE from data-service off to on mode, enabling data communication and re-sending the MMS notification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the UE has data service turned off to save energy, then energy consumption is reduced, but MMS message delivery fails
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by sending an MMS notification message to the UE before the actual data transfer. This notification is delivered through the control plane (SMS infrastructure) which remains functional even when data service is off. The notification contains a URL that the UE can use later to download the MMS content once data service is reactivated, thus bridging the gap between energy-saving mode and reliable message delivery.
2Loss of energy
If the UE is in idle mode without established data connection to save resources, then network resources are conserved, but MMS content cannot be downloaded
Solution Approach 1:
The MMS delivery process is segmented into two distinct phases: (1) notification delivery via control plane (SMS) which works in idle mode, and (2) content download via user plane (HTTP) which occurs when the UE is active. This segmentation allows the notification to be delivered without requiring data connection, while the actual content transfer only consumes network resources when necessary.
Solution Approach 2:
The MMSC acts as an intermediary by storing the MMS content and providing a URL that the UE can access later. The notification message serves as an intermediary carrier, delivering the essential information (URL) through the control plane infrastructure, which remains operational even when data services are disabled.
3Reliability
If SMS control channel is used to deliver MMS notification, then delivery can occur in idle mode, but the UE cannot download content without data connection
Solution Approach 1:
The UE is designed to automatically respond to MMS notification messages by extracting the URL and initiating an HTTP request to download the content. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for complex manual configuration or intervention, allowing the UE to seamlessly transition from receiving control-plane notification to executing user-plane data transfer.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for enabling MMS message delivery to a recipient device. An MMSC receives and stores MMS message content to be delivered to the recipient device, and the MMSC responsively sends to the recipient device an MMS-notification message carrying an address of the MMS message content stored at the MMSC and then receives a reply indicating that the recipient device received the MMS-notification message. The MMSC then detects that, after the MMSC received the reply, (i) at least a predefined threshold amount of time has passed and (ii) the MMSC has not yet received from the recipient device a request to download the MMS message content. And responsive to at least the detecting, the MMSC then sends to the recipient device a data-service-trigger message that triggers turning on data service of the recipient device, thus enabling MMS-message delivery to the recipient device.