Multicast Message Transmission for Base Stations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for transmitting messages to multiple base stations within a telecommunications network are inefficient, particularly during emergencies when network disruption and high traffic occur, leading to prolonged transmission times and increased retransmissions.
Innovation Solution
The method involves identifying and using multicast IP addresses associated with base stations covering a specific geographical area, allowing simultaneous message transmission to all relevant base stations, reducing traffic and ensuring timely delivery, with mechanisms for acknowledging receipt and determining efficient retransmission strategies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sequential unicast messages are sent to each base station, then message delivery reliability is maintained, but transmission time increases significantly and network load increases during emergencies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual unicast messages into a single multicast message that can be delivered to multiple base stations simultaneously. The controller generates one multicast message containing the alert information and sends it to a group of base stations identified by a multicast address, rather than sending separate unicast messages to each base station. This merging approach maintains delivery reliability while dramatically reducing transmission time and network load during emergency situations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a universal multicast message format that can serve multiple base stations with different coverage areas simultaneously. The single multicast message structure is designed to be universally applicable across multiple recipients, allowing the same message to be delivered to numerous base stations without requiring individual message customization for each recipient.
2Device complexity
If sequential unicast messages are sent to each base station, then individual message tracking is simplified, but network traffic increases and retransmissions are required during high load periods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual message transmissions into a single multicast transmission. Instead of generating and tracking numerous separate unicast messages to individual base stations, the system generates one multicast message that is delivered to multiple base stations simultaneously. This approach reduces network traffic and energy consumption while the controller maintains a single record of the multicast message sent, simplifying overall message tracking despite the increased number of recipients.
3Device complexity
If centralized control is used for message transmission, then message routing is simplified, but transmission speed decreases when communicating with large numbers of base stations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the contradiction between centralized control and transmission speed by merging multiple individual routing operations into a single multicast routing operation. The centralized controller maintains simplified routing logic by using a single multicast address to identify the group of base stations, eliminating the need for complex individual routing decisions for each base station. This approach preserves the simplicity of centralized control while achieving fast simultaneous delivery to multiple recipients.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of transmitting a message to user equipment within a telecommunications network, a controller operable to transmit a message to user equipment within a telecommunications network, a base station and a computer program product are disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: receiving a message having message content to be transmitted to user equipment within a predefined geographical area of the telecommunications network; identifying at least one multicast IP address designated as being associated with base stations providing telecommunications coverage with user equipment within the predefined geographical area; and transmitting the message content within at least one multicast message, each multicast message using a corresponding one of the at least one multicast IP address, over an IP network to base stations providing telecommunications coverage within the predetermined geographical area for onward transmission to user equipment. In this way, each base station identified by the multicast IP address will simultaneously receive the message, rather than each individual base station needing to have its own dedicated message sent to each base station sequentially. This not only significantly speeds the time taken for identified base stations to receive the message, it also reduces the amount of traffic required since the message is transmitted in a multicast manner. Furthermore, only those base stations which are associated with the multicast IP address will act on the message, all other base stations may ignore it. This helps to ensure that the message is only relayed to user equipment in a particular geographical region, rather than being delivered to all user equipment supported by all base stations associated with a particular controller.