Multi-operator Radio Access Network Usage Record Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cellular network technologies lack efficient methods for identifying the correct cellular core network associated with a user endpoint and transmitting accurate usage records across multiple networks, leading to challenges in network optimization, cost control, and monetization, especially in private cellular networks.
Innovation Solution
The system identifies a first cellular core network associated with a user endpoint from among multiple networks and generates a usage record that includes an identifier of the user endpoint, quality class indicators, and radio access network resource utilization metrics. This record is then transmitted to either the first cellular core network or a second cellular core network, enabling better visibility and control for network optimization and billing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a shared radio access network is used to support multiple cellular core networks, then network resource utilization and cost efficiency are improved, but it becomes difficult to identify which core network is associated with a user endpoint and to transmit accurate usage records
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the usage record into multiple parts: a first usage record portion containing information about the user endpoint and radio access network usage, and a second usage record portion containing the identifier of the first cellular core network. This segmentation allows the shared RAN to track usage while maintaining association with the correct core network through the second portion of the record.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a usage record as an intermediary mechanism that carries information between the shared radio access network and the cellular core networks. The usage record includes core network identifiers that act as mediators to link user endpoint activity to the correct core network, enabling accurate billing and tracking without requiring dedicated RAN infrastructure for each operator.
2Measurement precision
If usage records are transmitted to multiple cellular core networks, then billing accuracy and network optimization are improved, but network complexity and communication overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary information from the usage record to be transmitted to each core network. The first usage record portion contains essential user endpoint and radio access network usage information, while the second portion contains the core network identifier. This extraction approach ensures that each core network receives only the specific data needed for its operations, reducing unnecessary communication overhead while maintaining billing accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A processing system of a radio access network may obtain an attach request from a user equipment to the radio access network, identify a first cellular core network of a first mobile network operator associated with the user equipment from among a plurality of cellular core networks of a plurality of mobile network operators in communication with the radio access network, generate a first record that includes an identifier of the user equipment, at least one quality class indicator, and at least one radio access network resource utilization metric for a utilization of the radio access network by the user equipment associated with the at least one quality class indicator, and transmit the first record to at least one of: the first cellular core network of the first mobile network operator or a second cellular core network of a second mobile network operator of the plurality of network operators.