Telecom Access Point Control Plane Cloud Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cellular telecommunications networks face high maintenance and resource wastage due to centralized infrastructure, which is not ideal for meeting increasing demand for high-volume data applications, and deploying cloud infrastructure is challenging due to incompatibility with traditional communication protocols designed for reliable hardware.
Innovation Solution
Deploying part or all of the cellular telecommunications network using cloud infrastructure with a new communications protocol that encapsulates control messages and adds failure recovery features, allowing for decentralized computing and efficient resource use by integrating control and data planes within a data center.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional centralized infrastructure is used to ensure network reliability, then network reliability is maintained, but infrastructure cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the control plane functions into multiple virtual machine instances deployed across distributed data center nodes. Each control plane module (MME, HSS, PCRF, etc.) is virtualized and can be independently instantiated, allowing the system to distribute control functions across multiple locations rather than relying on a single centralized infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements universal data center infrastructure that can host multiple telecom network functions simultaneously. The same physical data center resources (computing, storage, networking) can serve multiple control plane functions and multiple operator networks, reducing overall infrastructure complexity while maintaining reliability through virtualization.
2Reliability
If dedicated hardware is deployed to ensure high reliability, then network reliability improves, but maintenance burden and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-healing mechanisms where the system automatically detects control plane failures and triggers restoration procedures without human intervention. The orchestration system monitors the health of virtual machine instances and automatically initiates failover to backup instances or triggers reconfiguration, reducing the maintenance burden on network providers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates virtual copies of control plane functions through virtual machine instances. Instead of maintaining multiple physical hardware systems, the system uses software-based copies that can be rapidly deployed and managed. These virtual instances can be replicated across data center nodes, providing redundancy without the complexity of managing dedicated hardware for each function.
3Productivity
If cloud infrastructure is deployed to reduce cost and improve scalability, then resource efficiency improves, but compatibility with traditional communication protocols deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer in the form of a custom communication protocol that bridges cloud-based control plane functions and traditional telecom network elements. This protocol encapsulates control messages and adds failure recovery features, allowing cloud infrastructure to interact with legacy equipment without requiring changes to either side's core functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies communication parameters by implementing a new protocol format that includes additional fields for failure detection and recovery. The protocol extends traditional communication mechanisms with timer-based acknowledgment and message retransmission parameters, enabling cloud-based control planes to maintain compatibility while adding resilience features.
4Productivity
If control plane functions are virtualized to improve scalability, then resource utilization improves, but system complexity in managing virtual instances increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the orchestration system continuously monitors the performance and health of virtual machine instances. Based on this feedback, the system dynamically adjusts resource allocation, triggers failover procedures, or initiates instance reconfiguration. This automated feedback loop simplifies the management of virtual instances by reducing the need for manual intervention.
Data Source
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AI summary
In various examples there is a telecommunications network access point of a telecommunications network in which the control plane is implemented using a data center comprising a plurality of interconnected computation nodes. The access point comprises a memory holding a log of encapsulated control messages the control messages being messages of a control protocol of the telecommunications network. The access point has a processor configured, for a control message to be sent by the access point to a node in the data center, to: generate a message identifier; encapsulate the control message in a packet of a communications protocol of the data center, add the message identifier to a header of the encapsulated control message; send the encapsulated control message to the node of the data center; and store a record of the encapsulated control message and node of the control plane in the log.