RCS Server Multicast Routing for Network Load Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Telecommunications networks experience performance degradation when the number of user equipment (UEs) acting as sources or destinations of content exceeds a certain threshold, due to the inefficiencies of routing unicast messages for 1-to-N and M-to-N services, leading to increased network load and transmission delays.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an improved rich communication services (RCS) server that routes multicast messages instead of unicast messages, creating a multicast group with a shared key for secure communication, and determining UE capabilities to optimize message transmission between UEs capable and incapable of receiving multicast messages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If unicast messages are routed for 1-to-N and M-to-N services, then individual message delivery is ensured, but network load increases and transmission delays occur when the number of UEs exceeds a certain threshold
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple unicast message streams into a single multicast message stream by creating a multicast group with a shared group ID. Instead of routing individual unicast messages from each source UE to each destination UE, the system consolidates these communications into group-level multicast messages that are efficiently distributed to all members of the multicast group, thereby reducing network load while maintaining delivery reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The multicast message mechanism serves multiple functions simultaneously: it enables 1-to-N service (single source to multiple destinations), M-to-N service (multiple sources to multiple destinations), and group communication functionality. This universal approach replaces the need for multiple separate unicast routing operations, improving network productivity while ensuring reliable message delivery for all service types.
2Adaptability or versatility
If unicast messages are used for content distribution, then individual UE communication is maintained, but network performance degrades as the number of source or destination UEs grows above a threshold
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges individual UE communication requirements into group-based multicast communication by assigning a shared group ID to multiple UEs. This allows the network to handle communications efficiently at the group level rather than individually, maintaining adaptability for different communication patterns (1-to-N, M-to-N, M-to-M) while significantly improving network performance when the number of UEs exceeds the threshold.
3Productivity
If multicast messages are implemented, then network load is reduced and transmission delays are minimized, but security key management complexity increases for secure communication
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the security key management function from individual UE pairs and centralizes it at the group level. Instead of each UE pair managing separate security keys, the system uses a single group-level security key associated with the multicast group ID. This extraction simplifies security management by removing the complexity of pairwise key distribution while maintaining secure communication across the entire multicast group.
Data Source
AI summary
An improved telecommunications network that can reduce the network load on a rich communication services (RCS) server and/or local routers that implement 1-to-N and/or M-to-N services is described herein. In particular, the improved telecommunications network may include an improved RCS server that can route secure multicast messages instead of and/or in addition to unicast messages. For example, the improved RCS server can create a multicast group for a group of UEs in response to a request from a UE to create a group of UEs. Creation of the multicast group may include creating a shared multicast group key (SMGK) for the multicast group and/or selecting a security algorithm for the multicast group. The improved RCS server can then distribute the SMGK and/or the selected security algorithm to the UEs such that the UEs can use the SMGK and/or the selected security algorithm to encrypt and/or decrypt messages.