Terrestrial-to-NTN Traffic Offloading During Cellular Congestion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Terrestrial cellular networks experience congestion, leading to reduced network performance, call drops, and increased latency due to insufficient conventional congestion reduction mechanisms, as nearby base stations and networks often reach capacity, leaving no alternative for traffic diversion.
Innovation Solution
Diverting a portion of terrestrial network traffic to non-terrestrial networks, such as satellites, by instructing user equipment to connect and switch between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks based on predefined thresholds and performance metrics, thereby offloading or alternating connections to manage congestion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traffic is diverted to non-terrestrial networks, then network congestion is reduced and performance is improved, but device complexity and connection management overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a network controller as an intermediary that automatically manages traffic diversion between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. The controller monitors network conditions and instructs user equipment to switch networks based on congestion levels, eliminating the need for complex user-side decision-making while optimizing overall network performance
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes network selection parameters based on real-time congestion conditions. When terrestrial network congestion exceeds a threshold, the system changes the operational state by diverting traffic to non-terrestrial networks, and reverses the change when congestion subsides, adapting to varying network conditions
2Reliability
If user equipment switches between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, then service continuity is maintained during congestion, but signal stability and connection reliability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic monitoring of network congestion conditions and periodic switching between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks based on threshold-based triggers. This rhythmic, condition-driven approach maintains service continuity by systematically alternating networks during congestion while avoiding unstable intermediate states
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares for potential congestion by having user equipment capable of connecting to both terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks in advance. When congestion is detected, the switch to the alternative network is already feasible, cushioning against service disruption without requiring unstable rapid switching
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for offloading or switching between terrestrial and non-terrestrial radio access networks (RANs) are provided. Based on a determination that a utilization of a terrestrial base station exceeds a pre-determined threshold, a UE is instructed to connect to one or more nodes of a non-terrestrial network. The UE is instructed to communicate with the non-terrestrial network. The UE may maintain a connection with the terrestrial base station, such as to switch back and forth between the networks, or it may disconnect from the base station in favor of the non-terrestrial connection.