Method and system for efficient management of a communication system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9781655-B2
Application number	US-201314085781-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2013
Priority date	Nov 20, 2013
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

A method that incorporates the subject disclosure may include, for example, identifying, by a network device comprising a processor, a bearer path through a communication network for carrying internet protocol packets associated with a calling session between a first mobile device and a second mobile device and activating, by the network device, a bridging bearer path at a nearest network element to generate a direct tunnel for carrying the internet protocol packets associated with the calling session and to modify the bearer path to a shortest bearer path, where the nearest network element comprises a network element that is communicatively coupled to both the first mobile device and the second mobile device and that is closest to the first mobile device and the second mobile device. Other embodiments are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobility management entity device, comprising:
a processing system including a processor; and
a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
receiving a calling message indicating a calling session between a first mobile device and a second mobile device;
retrieving first network information associated with the first mobile device and second network information associated with the second mobile device according to the calling message;
identifying a bearer path through a communication network for carrying internet protocol packets associated with the calling session according to the first network information and the second network information;
determining a first rate of movement of the first mobile device according to the first network information and a second rate of movement of the second mobile device according to the second network information;
determining whether the first rate of movement and the second rate of movement are less than a threshold;
determining whether the calling session qualifies for shortening of the bearer path according to the first rate of movement of the first mobile device and the second rate of movement of the second mobile device being less than the threshold, wherein the shortening reduces a number of required elements in the bearer path;
comparing the first network information and the second network information to criteria for provisioning a target bearer path resulting in a comparison;
determining that the first mobile device and the second mobile device are to remain in a same mobility management entity group according to the first rate of movement, the second rate of movement and the comparison;
identifying a base station communicatively coupled to both the first mobile device and second mobile device, and communicatively coupled to a cellular network and identifying a wireless local area network (LAN) access point communicatively coupled to both the first mobile device and second mobile device, and communicatively coupled to a wireless LAN;
selecting a network element that is communicatively coupled to both the first mobile device and the second mobile device and that is closest to the first mobile device and the second mobile device to identify a nearest network element according to the calling session qualifying for bearer path shortening, wherein the wireless LAN access point is selected as the network element based on the wireless LAN access point using less system resources than the base station for communication between the first mobile device and the second mobile device;
identifying that the first mobile device and the second mobile device have a common coder-decoder (CODEC);
determining if the nearest network element comprises a transcoder-free bridging bearer path; and
activating the transcoder-free bridging bearer path responsive to identifying the common CODEC to generate a direct tunnel for carrying the internet protocol packets associated with the calling session and to modify the bearer path to a shortest bearer path.

2. The mobility management entity device of claim 1 , wherein the nearest network element comprises an evolved node B that serves both the first mobile device and the second mobile device.

3. The mobility management entity device of claim 2 , wherein the calling session qualifies for bearer path shortening if the first mobile device and the second mobile device are associated with the mobility management entity device and with a first packet data network gateway of the communication network.

4. The mobility management entity device of claim 1 , wherein the calling message comprises a session invitation protocol INVITE message that is routed to a proxy-call session control function of the communication network according to a default bearer path.

5. The mobility management entity device of claim 1 , wherein the transcoder-free bridging bearer path comprises a wireless communication link.

6. The mobility management entity device of claim 1 , wherein the nearest network element comprises an X2 link between a first evolved node B that serves the first mobile device and a second evolved node B that serves the second mobile device.

7. The mobility management entity device of claim 1 , wherein the nearest network element comprises a packet data network gateway that serves both the first mobile device and the second mobile device.

8. The mobility management entity device of claim 7 , wherein the transcoder-free bridging bearer path comprises a real-time transport protocol over a general packet radio service tunneling protocol supported by the packet data network gateway.

9. The mobility management entity device of claim 1 , wherein the calling session is a voice-over-internet protocol calling session.

10. The mobility management entity device of claim 1 , wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device belong to a service provider of the communication network.

11. The mobility management entity device of claim 1 , wherein the first mobile device and the second mobile device are associated with the mobility management entity device and with a first packet data network gateway of the communication network and wherein the processor further performs operations comprising:
receiving first location information for the first mobile device; and
determining whether the first mobile device will remain associated with the mobile management entity device and the first packet data network gateway according to the first location information.

12. The mobility management entity device of claim 1 , wherein the target bearer path is the shortest bearer path.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
identifying a bearer path through a communication network for carrying internet protocol packets associated with a calling session between a first mobile device and a second mobile device;
retrieving first network information associated with the first mobile device and second network information associated with the second mobile device according to the calling session;
determining a first rate of movement of the first mobile device according to the first network information and a second rate of movement of the second mobile device according to the second network information;
determining whether the first rate of movement and the second rate of movement are less than a threshold;
determining whether the calling session qualifies for bearer path shortening according to the first rate of movement of the first mobile device and the second rate of movement of the second mobile device being less than the threshold;
comparing the first network information and the second network information to criteria for provisioning a target bearer path resulting in a comparison;
determining that the first mobile device and the second mobile device are to remain in a same mobility management entity group according to the first rate of movement, the second rate of movement and the comparison;
identifying that the first mobile device and the second mobile device have common a coder-decoder (CODEC);
identifying a base station communicatively coupled to both the first mobile device and second mobile device, and communicatively coupled to a cellular network and identifying a wireless local area network (LAN) access point communicatively coupled to both the first mobile device and second mobile device, and communicatively coupled to a wirele

Assignees

• At & T Mobility Ii Llc
• At & T Mobility Ii Llc

Inventors

• Lee Bo
• Brisebois Arthur
• Luu Adrianne

Classifications

• H04W40/34 Primary

  Modification of an existing route · CPC title

• H04L65/608

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L45/12

  Shortest path evaluation · CPC title

• H04L65/65

  Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP] · CPC title

• H04L65/1069

  Session establishment or de-establishment · CPC title