Maintaining current cell location information in a cellular access network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9769852-B2
Application number	US-201013263911-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2010
Priority date	Apr 23, 2009
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

A method, femto Base Station, and network service node for connecting a User Equipment UE, to local devices in a local network. The femtoBS includes a femtoBS part and a Packet Data Network Gateway, PDN-GW, part comprising a subset of PDN-GW functions. The UE sends a PDN connection request that includes a special Access Point Name, APN, which indicates the request ts for local IP access. The network service node, such as a Mobility Management Entity, MME1 includes a gateway selection mechanism that, based on the special APN1 selects the PDN GW part of the femtoBS device to serve the connection. A route optimization function in the femtoBS shortcuts the traffic between the femtoBS part and the PDN GW part, providing direct access to the local network. The UE may access the Internet through a residential gateway in the local network and a fixed access connection.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio access network of connecting a mobile user equipment (UE) through a femto base station, femtoBS, device, to local devices in a local network, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving in the femtoBS device, a request from the UE to establish a packet-switched data connection for a Packet Data Network (PDN) connection to a 3GPP operator network, the femtoBS device including a femtoBS part, the femto BS part comprising a Home eNodeB, and a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway part and not including a serving gateway (SGW) part, the PDN gateway part comprising a subset of 3GPP operator network PDN gateway functions implemented in, or in communication with, the femtoBS part;
forwarding the connection request to a Mobility Management Entity (MME) in the 3GPP operator network;
determining by the MME that the request is for local IP access;
in response to determining that the request is for local IP access, activating a gateway selection mechanism in the MME, and selecting the PDN gateway part of the femtoBS device to serve the connection;
upon establishment of the connection, routing traffic directly between the femtoBS part and the PDN gateway part of the femtoBS device while bypassing a SGW in the 3GPP operator network, the PDN gateway part providing direct access to the local network;
wherein:
the femtoBS device routes traffic directly between the femtoBS part and the PDN GW part of the femtoBS device by shortcutting first and second GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP) tunnels (S5, S1U) between the femtoBS device and the SGW in the 3GPP operator network, the first GTP tunnel connecting the femtoBS part and the SGW, and the second GTP tunnel connecting the SGW and the PDN GW part;
the shortcutting comprises pairing the first and second GTP tunnels by the femtoBS device, the pairing including:
receiving in a bearer setup message sent over an S1 interface from the MME to the femtoBS device, an identifier being utilized on an S5 interface between the Serving Gateway and the PDN GW part; and
utilizing the S5 identifier to pair the first and second GTP tunnels.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the step of determining that the request is for local IP access includes detecting that the request includes an Access Point Name, APN, that indicates the request is for local IP access.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the request includes an identifier for the UE, and the step of determining that the request is for local IP access includes determining that a subscription associated with the identifier indicates that local IP access should be provided for the UE.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the S5 identifier is a Tunnel Endpoint Identifier (TEID) used for an uplink connection at the PDN GW, which is known by the MME.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the S5 identifier is an International Mobile Station Identifier, IMSI, for the UE together with an Evolved Packet System Bearer Identifier, EBI, being utilized on an S1-C interface between the femtoBS part and the MME.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the local devices in the local network include a residential gateway connected to a fixed access network, wherein the method further comprises providing Internet connectivity through the residential gateway and a fixed access connection.

7. A Femto base station, femtoBS, device operable in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio access network for connecting a mobile user equipment (UE) to local devices in a local network, the femtoBS device comprising:
a memory and a processor coupled to the memory;
a femtoBS part, the femto BS part comprising a Home eNodeB wherein the processor is operable to receive a request from the UE to establish a packet-switched data connection for a Packet Data Network (PDN) connection to a 3GPP operator network and to forward the request to a Mobility Management Entity (MME) in the 3GPP operator network, and not including a serving gateway (SGW) part;
a PDN gateway part implemented in, or in communication with, the femtoBS part, the PDN gateway part comprising a subset of 3GPP operator network PDN gateway functions;
the processor further configured to:
receive from the service node in the 3GPP operator network, an indication that the PDN gateway part of the femtoBS has been selected to serve the data connection; and
bypass a serving gateway (SGW) in the 3GPP operator network by routing traffic directly between the femtoBS part and the PDN gateway part of the femtoBS device upon establishment of the data connection, the PDN gateway part providing direct access to the local network;
wherein to bypass the SGW in the 3GPP operator network includes the processor is configured to:
shortcut first and second GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP) tunnels (S5, S1U) between the femtoBS device and the SGW in the 3GPP operator network, the first GTP tunnel connecting the femtoBS part and the SGW, and the second GTP tunnel connecting the SGW and the PDN GW part; and
pair the first and second GTP tunnels by the femtoBS device wherein to pair the first and second GTP tunnels the processor is configured to:
receive, in a bearer setup message sent over an S1 interface from the MME to the femtoBS device, an identifier being utilized on an S5 interface between the SGW and the PDN GW part; and
pair the first and second GTP tunnels using the identifier;
wherein the identifier is selected from:
a Tunnel Endpoint Identifier (TEID) used for an uplink connection at the PDN GW, which is known by the MME;
a specially defined Access Point Name (APN) utilized in the connection request; and
an International Mobile Station Identifier (IMSI) for the UE together with an Evolved Packet System Bearer Identifier (EBI) being utilized on an S1C interface between the femtoBS part and the MME.

8. The femtoBS device as recited in claim 7 , wherein the connection request includes an indication that the request is for local IP access, wherein the indication is a specially defined Access Point Name, APN.

9. The femtoBS device as recited in claim 7 , wherein the connection request includes an indication that the request is for local IP access, wherein the indication is an identifier for the UE, the identifier being associated with a subscription that indicates that local IP access should be provided for the UE.

10. The femtoBS device as recited in claim 7 , wherein the local devices in the local network include a residential gateway connected to a fixed access network, wherein the processor, via the PDN gateway part, is operable to provide Internet connectivity through the residential gateway and a fixed access connection.

11. A Mobility Management Entity (MME) in an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network in a 3GPP operator network for controlling establishment of a packet-switched data connection for a wireless communication device through a femto base station, femtoBS, device, the MME comprising a memory and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to:
receive, via the femtoBS device, a request by the wireless communication device for a packet-switched data connection to the 3GPP operator network;
determine that the request is for local IP access;
in response to the determination that the request is for local IP access, select a PDN gateway part of the femtoBS device to serve the connection, the PDN gateway part comprising a subset of 3GPP operator network PDN gateway functions, and wherein the femtoBS does not include a serving gateway (SGW) part; and
send an indication to the femtoBS device that the PDN gateway part of the femtoBS device has been selected to serve the conne

Assignees

• Turányi Zoltán Richárd
• Mihály Attila
• Miklós György
• ERICSSON TELEFON AB L M (publ)

Inventors

• Turányi Zoltán Richárd
• Mihály Attila
• Miklós György

Classifications

• H04W8/082

  for traffic bypassing of mobility servers, e.g. location registers, home PLMNs or home agents · CPC title

• H04W76/02 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L12/26

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W28/0268

  using specific QoS parameters for wireless networks, e.g. QoS class identifier [QCI] or guaranteed bit rate [GBR] (negotiating SLA or negotiating QoS H04W28/24) · CPC title

• H04W76/041

  Electricity · mapped topic