Tracking Area Reconfiguration for Sector Load Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Border sectors in cellular wireless communication networks experience high congestion due to frequent tracking area updates from UEs, exacerbated by shared network resources and high-traffic areas, leading to increased reverse link traffic and interference.
Innovation Solution
A RAN entity evaluates sector load and reconfigures tracking areas by increasing their size or modifying border sector configurations to reduce the frequency of tracking area updates, thereby alleviating congestion and interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If tracking areas are configured with standard size and border sectors are used, then network coverage is provided, but reverse link congestion and interference increase due to frequent tracking area updates from UEs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the tracking area into a non-border sector and a border sector, allowing different configurations for different regions. The non-border sector provides coverage without generating TA updates, while the border sector is specifically managed to handle TA update traffic, thereby reducing overall reverse link congestion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different characteristics to different parts of the tracking area. Border sectors are configured with specific properties (such as being assigned to different MMEs or having specialized handling) to manage the TA update traffic locally, preventing it from affecting the entire tracking area and reducing overall interference.
2Loss of information
If tracking area updates are allowed frequently, then UE location tracking is maintained, but reverse link traffic increases leading to network performance degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces border sectors as intermediary zones between tracking areas. These border sectors act as buffers that manage TA update traffic separately, allowing UE location tracking to be maintained while preventing the update traffic from directly impacting core network performance through dedicated handling mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the tracking area configuration and assigning border sectors to different MMEs or handling them specially, the patent separates the location tracking function from the main network traffic flow, maintaining tracking accuracy while protecting overall network performance from degradation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If border sectors are shared between multiple networks, then resource utilization improves, but congestion and interference are exacerbated due to combined TA updates from multiple networks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the border sector management by assigning different border sectors to different MMEs or networks. This segmentation allows multiple networks to share resources while maintaining separate control planes for TA updates, preventing the aggregation of updates from multiple networks from causing excessive congestion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes predetermined assignments of border sectors to specific MMEs or networks before congestion occurs. This preliminary configuration ensures that TA updates from different networks are distributed across different MMEs, preventing simultaneous updates from multiple networks from overwhelming a single point and exacerbating congestion.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and corresponding system is provided to help mitigate sector congestion. In one embodiment of the method, a RAN entity evaluates load among sectors of a tracking area and determines that the load is at least a threshold level of load. In response, the RAN entity enlarges the tracking area. In another embodiment of the method, when the RAN entity makes a decision to reconfigure a tracking area, it may consider one or more factors when determining how to reconfigure. In one example, the RAN entity may identify a particular border sector that has at least a threshold level of load or is a border sector in another network. Responsively, the RAN may reconfigure the tracking area such that the identified border sector is no longer a border sector. Other examples are possible.