Group Congestion Reporting in RAN Using Aggregated UE Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current network congestion management systems face inefficiencies in managing network resources, particularly in 3GPP environments, due to the need for per-UE session establishment and lack of standardized access to user profiles, leading to excessive signaling and inaccurate congestion level determination.
Innovation Solution
The system facilitates group reporting of user equipment congestion information by aggregating cell-level congestion data and sending it to Policy and Charging Rules Functions (PCRFs) without requiring per-UE sessions, using Diameter Routing Agents (DRAs) to reduce signaling traffic and improve data accuracy by considering subscription profiles and current connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If per-UE session establishment is used for congestion reporting, then individual UE congestion information can be obtained, but signaling traffic increases and system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple UE congestion reports into a single aggregated congestion report that includes congestion information for multiple UEs. This merging approach reduces the number of individual sessions required while maintaining comprehensive congestion monitoring, thereby reducing signaling traffic and session management complexity without sacrificing the ability to track individual UE congestion status.
2Loss of information
If per-UE sessions are established for congestion reporting, then detailed congestion data can be collected, but excessive signaling traffic is generated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent aggregates congestion information from multiple UEs into a single report structure that includes identifiers for each UE and their respective congestion levels. This approach transmits complete congestion data for all monitored UEs in one signaling message, eliminating the need for multiple individual reports and significantly reducing signaling traffic overhead while preserving all necessary congestion information.
3Device complexity
If standardized access to user profiles is not available, then congestion level determination can be simplified, but accuracy of congestion assessment deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary component that accesses user profiles and retrieves relevant subscription information. This intermediary then provides the necessary profile data to the congestion reporting mechanism, enabling accurate congestion level determination based on user-specific parameters without requiring direct profile access in the congestion reporting path, thus maintaining accuracy while managing complexity through separation of concerns.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method is provided in one example embodiment and may include receiving load information for a plurality of cells of a Radio Access Network (RAN); determining, for each of a plurality of user equipment (UE) in each cell, identification information for each UE and an Access Point Name (APN) to which each UE is connected; identifying, from a plurality of policy servers, each policy server that serves each APN to which each UE in each cell of the plurality of cells is connected; and sending, to each of a particular policy server, congestion information comprising: an identity for each cell having UE that are connected to each APN served by the particular policy server; the corresponding congestion level for each of the cells; and a per-cell UE list identifying each of a plurality of UE connected to each of APNs served by the particular policy server.