Services Node Aggregating Radio Nodes to Reduce EPC Signaling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current LTE network architectures face challenges in efficiently managing user equipment mobility and aggregating communications interfaces between radio nodes and packet core networks, leading to increased complexity and signaling load on the Evolved Packet Core (EPC).
Innovation Solution
A Services Node (SN) acts as an aggregation node, coordinating multiple radio nodes and functioning as a virtual enhanced NodeB (eNB) to the packet core network, handling user equipment mobility and micro-mobility events locally, thereby reducing the signaling impact on the EPC and hiding the complexity of managing multiple radio nodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If multiple radio nodes are directly connected to the EPC, then network coverage and capacity are improved, but signaling load and complexity of the EPC increase
Solution Approach 1:
The Services Node (SN) acts as an intermediary between multiple radio nodes and the EPC. It aggregates communication interfaces and mobility management functions, allowing multiple radio nodes to be managed indirectly through the SN rather than requiring direct EPC connections for each node, thus reducing EPC complexity while maintaining network coverage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple radio node interfaces and mobility management functions into a single Services Node. By merging these functions at the SN level, the system reduces the number of direct connections to the EPC and consolidates management overhead, thereby reducing EPC complexity while preserving network coverage capabilities
2Measurement precision
If each radio node manages mobility independently, then mobility control precision is improved, but overall signaling load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges mobility management functions from multiple radio nodes into the Services Node. The SN handles mobility control for multiple radio nodes centrally, maintaining precise mobility control while reducing duplicate signaling to the EPC by consolidating mobility management at the SN level
3Measurement precision
If the EPC directly manages all radio nodes, then mobility management accuracy is improved, but processing time and signaling overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments mobility management functions by separating them into two levels: the Services Node handles local mobility management for multiple radio nodes, while the EPC maintains overall network control. This segmentation allows accurate mobility management to occur at the SN level without requiring all decisions to traverse the EPC, thereby reducing processing time and signaling overhead while maintaining accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
A services node (SN) is provided that functions as a local, premise-based gateway that anchors and aggregates a group of radio nodes (RNs). Accordingly, the SN absorbs the functionalities of conventional mobility management entities (MMEs), as well as serving and packet data network gateways, where the SN appears as a single virtual eNB to a macrocellular core network. As a result, complexity associated with aggregating and controlling a large number of RNs (performed by the SN) is hidden from the core network. Additionally, micro-mobility between individual RNs controlled by an SN is completely handled at a local enterprise gateway level, thus significantly reducing mobility-related signaling from impacting an MME pool in the code network. Moreover local data offloading is made possible via the SN.