RAN-WLAN Aggregation via Reliable Transport Protocol
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current RAN-WLAN radio aggregation technologies face challenges in ensuring reliable user-plane data packet delivery and flow control, leading to potential packet losses and instability in dual connectivity scenarios, which can impact higher layer protocols and overall network performance.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method that uses a reliable transport protocol, such as SCTP, for user-plane data forwarding between the RAN and WLAN, with performance feedback mechanisms to enable flow control and optimize data flow based on real-time performance metrics, ensuring reliable packet delivery and resource allocation between networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If user-plane data packets are forwarded over WLAN without a reliable transport protocol, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability of packet delivery deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a WLAN transport layer as an intermediary between the RAN network element and the terminal. This transport layer provides reliable packet delivery mechanisms (acknowledgments, retransmissions, sequencing) specifically for the WLAN path, while leaving the upper PDCP layer unchanged. The intermediary handles the reliability requirements without complicating the existing cellular protocol stack.
2Productivity
If flow control mechanism is implemented for user-plane data forwarding, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements flow control through a feedback mechanism where the WLAN transport layer monitors packet delivery performance (throughput, loss rate, delay) and provides feedback to the RAN network element. Based on this feedback, the RAN dynamically adjusts the data forwarding rate to the WLAN, optimizing productivity while keeping the control mechanism manageable through standardized feedback loops.
3Reliability
If performance feedback mechanism is added for flow control, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The WLAN transport layer performs self-service by autonomously monitoring its own packet delivery performance and generating feedback reports. It measures throughput, packet loss, and delay metrics independently and provides this information to the RAN without requiring complex external monitoring systems. The terminal also participates by reporting received packet status, enabling the WLAN transport layer to self-assess delivery reliability.
Data Source
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AI summary
There are provided measures for enabling/realizing interface functionality for RAN-WLAN radio aggregation, i.e. radio level integration/aggregation between a cellular radio access network and a wireless area network. Such measures exemplarily comprise user-plane data forwarding from a cellular radio access network over a wireless local area network to a terminal, both the cellular radio access network and the wireless local area network providing radio level connectivity for the terminal, wherein in the user-plane data forwarding user-plane data packets according to a cellular data convergence protocol are transported, at least partly, using a reliable transport protocol over the wireless local area network to the terminal, providing feedback on performance of user-plane data packets transport using the reliable transport protocol, at least partly, from the wireless local area network to the cellular radio access network, and executing flow control on the basis of the performance feedback.