Background Traffic Policy Coordination via Analytics

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conflicts between background traffic transfer policies formulated by different policy control network elements for different service network elements lead to network congestion and transmission failures in background traffic.

Innovation Solution

A method where a first policy control network element receives information from a requesting device to determine a background traffic transfer policy for a terminal device, sends this information to a data analytics network element to analyze based on a target policy of another terminal device, and adjusts the policy to avoid conflicts, ensuring non-conflicting policies and preventing transmission failures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If different policy control network elements formulate background traffic transfer policies independently for different service network elements, then each service network element can obtain its requested policy, but policy conflicts occur leading to network congestion and transmission failures

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepolicy formulation flexibilityVSAvoidbackground traffic transmission reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

A data analytics network element is introduced as an intermediary between policy control network elements and service network elements. This intermediary collects background traffic transmission data from multiple sources, analyzes it to determine data analysis results, and provides these results to policy control network elements. This mediator enables centralized coordination without eliminating the distributed policy formulation capability, thus resolving the contradiction between policy flexibility and transmission reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a feedback mechanism where the data analytics network element continuously collects actual background traffic transmission data, analyzes it, and feeds back the analysis results to policy control network elements. These feedback results include information about transmission timing, data volumes, and successful transmission patterns, enabling dynamic policy adjustment that prevents future conflicts while maintaining adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Productivity

If multiple terminal devices transmit background traffic in the same time period according to their respective policies, then each device can transmit its background traffic, but network congestion occurs causing transmission failures

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebackground traffic transmission efficiencyVSAvoidbackground traffic transmission success rate
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The data analytics network element performs preliminary analysis of background traffic transmission data before conflicts occur. It determines analysis results that include recommended transmission timing and data volumes based on historical successful transmissions. Policy control network elements use these preliminary results to proactively adjust policies, scheduling transmissions during periods predicted to have sufficient network capacity, thus preventing congestion before it occurs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4271027A1Network performance information and communication system
Publication Date: 2023.11.01 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP4271027A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4271027A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4271027A1 patent drawingFigure 5A

AI summary

A method for determining a background traffic transfer policy and an apparatus are provided, to resolve a prior-art problem of a background traffic transmission failure caused by a conflict between background traffic transfer policies formulated by different policy control network elements for different service network elements. In the method, a data analytics network element may determine a background traffic transmission data analysis result of a first terminal device based on target background traffic transfer policies of another terminal device (that is, a second terminal device), and may further enable a first policy control network element to determine a background traffic transfer policy of the first terminal device. Therefore, the background traffic transfer policy of the first terminal device is determined by the first policy control network element with reference to the other terminal devices. In this way, the background traffic transfer policy that is of the first terminal device and that is determined by the first policy control network element does not conflict with background traffic transfer policies of the other terminal devices, thereby avoiding a background traffic transmission failure.