Handling User Plane Congestion

Abstract

In accordance with some embodiments, when UPCON congestion is detected, service data flows (SDFs) may be adjusted to account for the problem and to avoid denial of service. In accordance with some embodiments, a priority scheme may be implemented in which certain users or certain types of data are given priority and in some cases maximum bit rates (MBRs) may be imposed for either particular users or certain types of data. Once the congestion alleviates, regular service data flows may be again permitted.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a non-provisional application claiming priority from provisional application Ser. No. 61/752,386, filed Jan. 14, 2013, hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

This relates generally to cellular telephone networks.

Mobile operators are experiencing significant increases in user data traffic. For some operators, user data traffic has more than doubled annually for several years. Although the data capacity of networks has increased significantly, the observed increase in user traffic outpaces the growth in capacity. This results in increased network congestion and in a degraded user service experience.

Radio Access Network (RAN) user plane congestion (UPCON) occurs when the demand for RAN resources to transfer user data exceeds the capacity to deliver the user with the expected quality of service. UPCON can be triggered by user plane congestion due to the full use of the cell capacity and user plane congestion due to 3GPP RAN to Evolved Packet Core (EPC) interface capacity limitations. See 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) SA2, Release 12.

In the user plane congestion scenario, UPCON occurs when the traffic volume exceeds the capacity of the cell. This may happen because the number of devices in a cell generating user plane traffic total the cell capacity and then an additional or existing user equipment attempts to generate additional user plane traffic.

User plane congestion due to RAN to EPC interface capacity occurs when the user plane data volume of all the devices being served exceeds the actual capacity of the RAN to EPC interface. This potentially impacts all the involved user equipment. This congestion may lead to excessive data rate reduction or service denial. Even though each cell may have the necessary capacity to support the user equipment it is serving, the capacity of the interface has an impact on each user equipment and may, in the worse case, actually prevent equipment from being offered any capacity at all.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments are described with respect to the following figures:

FIG. 1 is a high level architectural depiction of one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram for one embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram for another embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram for still another embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram for yet another embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart for one embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a system depiction for one embodiment; and

FIG. 8 is a front elevation for one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with some embodiments, when UPCON congestion is detected, service data flows (SDFs) may be adjusted to account for the problem and to avoid denial of service. In accordance with some embodiments, a priority scheme may be implemented in which certain users or certain types of data are given priority and in some cases maximum bit rates (MBRs) may be imposed for either particular users or certain types of data. Once the congestion alleviates, regular service data flows may be again permitted.

A service class indicator may be used for communicating the change in priorities. A service class indicator (SCI) is defined in 3GPP TS 29.281 [120] and enables the Gateway General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Node (GGSN)/Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW) to provide the A/Gb mode GSM EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN) access with an indication in the downlink user plane packet to assist the A/Gb mode GERAN access in providing specific radio resource management (RRM) treatment to improve radio resource control and the overall performance of the GERAN. While generally the SCI is only used in GERAN networks, comparable embodiments can be implemented in other networks.

In some embodiments, an SCI can be used to prioritize service classes. It may be added to a header and a packet may be prioritized based on the SCI and the header. This packet may be transferred further downstream on the GERAN side based on that priority. Thus in some embodiments radio resource prioritization can be based on the SCI.

When an UPCON is detected, some flows may be given higher priority. While this may adversely affect other flows, it may be necessary to prevent denial of service. In addition, some users may be given higher priority and some data types may be given higher or lower priority. For example when an UPCON is identified, the priority of video data may be reduced to free up bandwidth.

In one embodiment, the bit 8 of the service class indicator allows the system to set or not set the priorities. For example when the bit 8 is equal to 1, a standardized service class indicator may be utilized without changing prioritization. But when the bit 8 is set equal to zero, then the bits 1 to 7 are used to set the priorities for various users or data types of a service data flow.

Thus, rules may be recorded which become activated when a given UPCON is detected. The service class indicator can act as the identity of the SDF level quality of service (QoS) rule or may be mapped to the identity of the SDF level quality of service rules. Thus, the identity of the SDF level quality of service rule may be named as an SQI or SDF quality of service identity. The SQI can be an SCI or mapped to SCI.

The SQI may be part of the packet data protocol (PDP) context or Evolved Packet System (EPS) Bearer Context allocated by the P-GW/GGSN and may be transferred from the P-GW/GGSN to the Serving gateway (S-GW), Service GPRS support node (SGSN), and E-UTRAN Node B (eNB) in sequence during Policy and Charging Control (PCC) rule provision procedures.

For each service data flow, the following information elements of the SDF context may be included: SQI, traffic flow template (TFT), Uncongested SDF QoS, SDF maximum bit rate, congested SDF QoS or SDF maximum bit rate (SMBR). The SDF maximum bit rate means the maximum bit rate for the service data flow. If the value of the SMBR of the congested SDF QoS is set to zero, this means the designated SDFs will be cut off when the RAN UPCON event is detected. The SDF context may be part of the EPS Bearer Context or the PDP context.

FIG. 1 shows an architectural reference model for the non-roaming architecture for 3GPP accesses. Other architectures may also be used including a single gateway configuration option and a roaming architecture with roam routed traffic.

In the non-roaming architecture 10, the user equipment 12 may be coupled over an LTE connection to an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) 14. The E-UTRAN is coupled to a serving gateway 16 in turn coupled to a packet data network (PDN) gateway 15. The PDN gateway 15 is coupled to the operator's Internet protocol services 20.

The PDN gateway 15 and operator's Internet protocol services 20 are connected to the Policy Charging and Rules Function (PCRF) 22. The gateway 15 may include processor 34 and interface 36, coupled to processor 34, to transmit an indicator to initiate a bit rate charge to the serving gateway 16. The serving gateway 16 is coupled to a UTRAN 30 and SGSN 28 is coupled to a GERAN 32 and a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 24. The MME 24 is, in turn, coupled to home subscriber server (HSS) 26. See 3GPP TS 23.401 VII.60 (2013-06).

The SDF context is transferred to the E-UTRAN using the following procedure. Specifically as shown in FIG. 2, a conventional attach procedure as defined in clause 5.3.2.1 of TS 23.401 may be used wherein the context is transferred in steps 15-17 via access point name (APN)—Aggregate Maximum Bit Rate (AMBR). The AMBR is a subscription parameter stored per APN in the HSS. It limits the aggregate bit rate that can be expected to be provided across all non-guaranteed bit rate (GBR) bearer and across all PDN connections of the same APN. Each non-GBR bearer could potentially use the whole APN-AMBR (e.g. when no other non-GBR bearers carry traffic). The P-GW enforces the APN-AMBR in the downlink. The UE and P-GW enforce the APN-AMBR on the uplink.

A UE/user needs to register with the network to receive services that require registration. This registration is described as Network Attachment. The always-on Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity for UE/users of the EPS is enabled by establishing a default EPS bearer during Network Attachment. The PCC rules applied to the default EPS bearer may be predefined in the PDN GW and activated in the attachment by the PDN GW itself. The attach procedure may trigger one or multiple Dedicated Bearer Establishment procedures to establish dedicated EPS bearer(s) for that UE. During the attach procedure, the UE may request for an IP address allocation.

During the initial attach procedure the Mobile Equipment (ME) Identity is obtained from the UE. The MME operator may check the ME Identity with an Equipment Identity Register (EIR). The MME passes the International ME Identity (IMEISV) to the HSS and to the PDN GW.

During the initial attach procedure, if the MME supports single radio voice call continuity (SRVCC) and if any of the conditions described in step 8 in FIG. 2 are satisfied, the MME informs the HSS with the UE SRVCC capability.

In order to limit load on the network, only when performing an E-UTRAN attach with a new Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) (i.e. not the registered PLMN or an equivalent PLMN of the registered PLMN), a UE configured to perform attach with International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) at PLMN change (see 3GPP TS 24.368 [69]) may identify itself by its IMSI instead of any stored temporary identifier.

This procedure may also be used to establish the first PDN connection over E-UTRAN when the UE already has active PDN connections over a non-3GPP access network and wants to establish simultaneous PDN connections to different APNs over multiple accesses.

In the following, the numbers along the left column correspond to step numbers in FIG. 2:

• 1. The UE initiates the Attach procedure by the transmission, to the eNodeB, of an attach request.
  • If the UE has valid security parameters, the attach request message may be integrity protected by the Non-Access Stratum-medium access control (NAS-MAC) in order to allow validation of the UE by the MME. A Security Key Identifier (KSIASME), Non-access Stratum (NAS) sequence number and NAS-Medium Access Control (MAC) are included if the UE has valid EPS security parameters. NAS sequence number indicates the sequential number of the NAS message. If the UE does not have a valid EPS security association, then the attach request message is not integrity protected. In this case the security association is established in step 5a. The UE network capabilities indicate also the supported NAS and security algorithms. PDN type indicates the requested IP version (IPv4, IPv4/IPv6, IPv6). Protocol Configuration Options (PCO) may be used to transfer parameters between the UE and the PDN GW, and may be sent transparently through the MME and the Serving GW. The Protocol Configuration Options may include the Address Allocation Preference indicating that the UE prefers to obtain an IPv4 address only after the default bearer activation by means of Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)v4. A “bearer” is a basic traffic separation element that enables differential treatment of traffic with differential QoS requirements. It is in accordance with clause 5.4.1 of TS 23.401. If the UE intends to send PCO which require ciphering or send an APN, or both, the UE shall set the Ciphered Options Transfer Flag and send PCO or Access Point Name (APN) or both only after authentication and NAS security setup have been completed. If the UE has UTRAN or GERAN capabilities, it may send the network request support UE (NRSU) in the PCO to indicate the support of the network requested bearer control in UTRAN/GERAN. The UE sends the extended TFT Support UE (ETFTU) in the PCO to indicate the support of the extended TFT filter format. Request Type may be included in the ESM message container and indicates “Handover” (HA) when the UE has already an activated PDN GW/HA due to mobility with non-3GPP accesses. Attach Type indicates whether it is an EPS attach or a combined EPS/IMSI attach or an Emergency Attach.
• 2. The eNodeB derives the MME from the RRC parameters carrying the old Globally Unique MME Identifier (GUMMEI) and the indicated Selected Network. If that MME is not associated with the eNodeB or the old GUMMEI is not available, the eNodeB selects an MME as described in clause 4.3.8.3 of TS 23.401 on “MME selection function”. The eNodeB forwards the Attach Request message to the new MME contained in a 51-MME control message (Initial UE message) together with the Selected Network Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) access mode, CSG ID, Local Gateway (L-GW) address, and Tracking Area Identity (TAI) plus E-UTRAN Cell Mobile Identifier (ECGI) of the cell from where it received the message to the new MME. CSG ID is provided if the UE attaches via a CSG cell or hybrid cell. CSG access mode is provided if the UE attaches via a hybrid cell. If the CSG access mode is not provided but the CSG ID is provided, the MME shall consider the cell as a CSG cell. If the eNodeB has a collocated L-GW, it includes the L-GW address in the Initial UE message to the MME.
• 3. If the UE identifies itself with Globally Unique Temporary Identity (GUTI) and the MME has changed since detach, the new MME determines the type of the old node, i.e. MME or SGSN, as specified in clause 4.3.19, uses the GUTI received from the UE to derive the old MME/SGSN address, and sends an Identification Request (old GUTI, complete Attach Request message) to the old MME/SGSN to request the IMSI. If the request is sent to an old MME, the old MME first verifies the Attach Request message by NAS MAC and then responds with Identification Response (IMSI, MM Context). If the request is sent to an old SGSN, the old SGSN first verifies the Attach Request message by the P-TMSI signature and then responds with Identification Response (MM Context). If the UE is not known in the old MME/SGSN or if the integrity check or P-TMSI signature check for the Attach Request message fails, the old MME/SGSN responds with an appropriate error cause.
  • The additional GUTI in the Attach Request message allows the new MME to find any already existing UE context stored in the new MME when the old GUTI indicates a GUTI mapped from a packet TMSI (P-TMSI) and routing area identity (RAI).
• 4. If the UE is unknown in both the old MME/SGSN and new MME, the new MME sends an Identity Request to the UE to request the IMSI. The UE responds with Identity Response (IMSI).
• 5a. If no UE context for the UE exists anywhere in the network, if the Attach Request (sent in step 1) was not integrity protected, or if the check of the integrity failed, then authentication and NAS security setup to activate integrity protection and NAS ciphering may be mandatory in one embodiment. Otherwise it is optional. If NAS security algorithm is to be changed, the NAS security setup is performed in this step. The authentication and NAS security setup functions are defined in clause 5.3.10 on “Security Function”.
  • After step 5a, all NAS messages shall be protected by the NAS security functions (integrity and ciphering) indicated by the MME unless the UE is emergency attached and not successfully authenticated.
• 5b. The International ME Identity (IMEISV) shall be retrieved from the UE. The ME identity shall be transferred encrypted unless the UE performs Emergency Attach and cannot be authenticated.
  • In order to minimise signalling delays, the retrieval of the ME Identity may be combined with NAS security setup in step 5a. The MME may send the ME Identity Check Request (ME Identity, IMSI) to the EIR. The EIR shall respond with ME Identity Check Ack (Result). Dependent upon the Result, the MME decides whether to continue with this Attach procedure or to reject the UE. For an Emergency Attach, the IMEI check to the EIR may be performed. If the IMEI is blocked, operator policies determine whether the Emergency Attach procedure continues or is stopped.
• 6. If the UE has set the Ciphered Options Transfer Flag in the Attach Request message, the Ciphered Options i.e. PCO or APN or both, shall now be retrieved from the UE.
  • In order to handle situations where the UE may have subscriptions to multiple PDNs, if the Protocol Configuration Options contains user credentials, then the UE should also send the APN to the MME.
• 7. If there are active bearer contexts in the new MME for this particular UE (i.e. the UE re-attaches to the same MME without having properly detached before), the new MME deletes these bearer contexts by sending Delete Session Request (LBI) messages to the gateways involved. The gateways acknowledge with Delete Session Response (Cause) message. If a PCRF is deployed, the PDN GW employs an IP-CAN Session Termination procedure to indicate that resources have been released.
• 8. If the MME has changed since the last detach, or if there is no valid subscription context for the UE in the MME, or if the UE provides an IMSI or the UE provides an old GUTI which doesn't refer to a valid context in the MME, or for some network sharing scenario if the PLMN-ID of the TAI supplied by the eNodeB is different from that of the GUTI in the UE's context, the MME sends an Update Location Request (MME Identity, IMSI, ME Identity (IMEISV), MME Capabilities, Update Location Request-Flags (ULR-Flags), Homogeneous Support of IMS Voice over PS Sessions, UE SRVCC capability, equivalent PLMN list) message to the HSS. The MME capabilities indicate the MME's support for regional access restrictions functionality. ULR-Flags indicates “Initial-Attach-Indicator” as this is an Attach procedure. The inclusion of the equivalent PLMN list indicates that the MME supports the inter-PLMN handover to a CSG cell in an equivalent PLMN using the subscription information of the target PLMN. The “Homogenous Support of IMS Voice over PS Sessions” indication (see clause 4.3.5.8A) may not be included unless the MME has completed its evaluation of the support of “IMS Voice over PS Session” as specified in clause 4.3.5.8.
• 9. The HSS sends Cancel Location (IMSI, Cancellation Type) to the old MME. The old MME acknowledges with Cancel Location Ack (IMSI) and removes the MM and bearer contexts. If the ULR-Flags indicates “Initial-Attach-Indicator” and the HSS has the SGSN registration, then the HSS sends Cancel Location (IMSI, Cancellation Type) to the old SGSN. The Cancellation Type indicates the old MME/SGSN to release the old Serving gateway resource.
• 10. If there are active bearer contexts in the old MME/SGSN for this particular UE, the old MME/SGSN deletes these bearer contexts by sending Delete Session Request (LBI) messages to the gateways involved. The gateways return Delete Session Response (Cause) message to the old MME/SGSN. If a PCRF is deployed, the PDN GW employs an IP-Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) Session Termination procedure as defined in TS 23.203[6] to indicate that resources have been released.
• 11. The HSS acknowledges the Update Location message by sending an Update Location Ack (IMSI, Subscription data) message to the new MME. The Subscription Data contain one or more PDN subscription contexts. Each PDN subscription context contains an ‘EPS subscribed QoS profile’ and the subscribed APN aggregate maximum bit rate (AMBR) (see clause 4.7.3). The new MME validates the UE's presence in the (new) TA. If due to regional subscription restrictions or access restrictions (e.g. CSG restrictions) the UE is not allowed to attach in the TA or due to subscription checking fails for other reasons, the new MME rejects the Attach Request with an appropriate cause. If all checks are successful then the new MME constructs a context for the UE. If the APN provided by the UE is not allowed by subscription, or the Update Location is rejected by the HSS, the new MME rejects the Attach Request from the UE with an appropriate cause.
• 12. For an Emergency Attach the MME applies the parameters from MME Emergency Configuration Data for the emergency bearer establishment performed in this step and any potentially stored IMSI related subscription data are ignored by the MME.
  • If the UE performs Initial or Handover Attach via a CSG cell and there is no subscription for that CSG or the CSG subscription is expired the MME shall reject the Attach Request with an appropriate cause. If the UE has this CSG ID and associated PLMN on its Allowed CSG list the UE shall remove the CSG ID and associated PLMN from the list when receiving this reject cause.
  • If a subscribed PDN address is allocated for the UE for this APN, the PDN subscription context contains the UE's IPv4 address and/or the IPv6 prefix and optionally the PDN GW identity. If the PDN subscription context contains a subscribed IPv4 address and/or IPv6 prefix, the MME indicates it in the PDN address. For Request Type indicating “Initial request”, if the UE does not provide an APN, the MME shall use the PDN GW corresponding to the default APN for default bearer activation. If the UE provides an APN, this APN shall be employed for default bearer activation. For Request Type indicating “Handover”, if the UE provides an APN, the MME shall use the PDN GW corresponding to the provided APN for default bearer activation, If the UE does not provide an APN, and the subscription context from HSS contains a PDN GW identity corresponding to the default APN, the MME shall use the PDN GW corresponding to the default APN for default bearer activation. The case where the Request Type indicates “Handover” and the UE does not provide an APN, and the subscription context from HSS does not contain a PDN GW identity corresponding to the default APN constitutes an error case. If the Request Type indicates “Initial request” and the selected PDN subscription context contains no PDN GW identity the new MME selects a PDN GW as described in clause 4.3.8.1 on PDN GW selection function (3GPP accesses). If the PDN subscription context contains a dynamically allocated PDN GW identity and the Request Type does not indicate “Handover” the MME may select a new PDN GW as described in clause PDN GW selection function, e.g. to allocate a PDN GW that allows for more efficient routing.
  • The new MME selects a Serving GW as described in clause 4.3.8.2 on Serving GW selection function and allocates an EPS Bearer Identity for the Default Bearer associated with the UE. Then it sends a Create Session Request (IMSI, MSISDN, MME TEID for control plane, PDN GW address, PDN Address, APN, RAT type, Default EPS Bearer QoS, PDN Type, APN-AMBR, EPS Bearer Identity, Protocol Configuration Options, Handover Indication, ME Identity (IMEISV), User Location Information (ECGI), UE Time Zone, User CSG Information, MS Info Change Reporting support indication, Selection Mode, Charging Characteristics, Trace Reference, Trace Type, Trigger Id, OMC Identity, Maximum APN Restriction, Dual Address Bearer Flag, the Protocol Type over S5/S8, Serving Network) message to the selected Serving GW. User CSG Information includes CSG ID, access mode and CSG membership indication.
  • The RAT type is provided in this message for the later PCC decision. The subscribed APN-AMBR for the APN is also provided in this message. The MSISDN is included if provided in the subscription data from the HSS. Handover Indication is included if the Request Type indicates handover. Selection Mode indicates whether a subscribed APN was selected, or a non-subscribed APN sent by the UE was selected. Charging Characteristics indicates which kind of charging the bearer context is liable for. The MME may change the requested PDN type according to the subscription data for this APN as described in clause 5.3.1.1. The MME shall set the Dual Address Bearer Flag when the PDN type is set to IPv4v6 and all SGSNs which the UE may be handed over to are Release 8 or above supporting dual addressing, which is determined based on node pre-configuration by the operator. The Protocol Type over S5/S8 is provided to Serving GW which protocol should be used over S5/S8 interface.
  • The Maximum APN Restriction denotes the most stringent restriction as required by any already active bearer context. If there are no already active bearer contexts, this value is set to the least restrictive type (see clause 15.4 of TS 23.060 [7]). If the P-GW receives the Maximum APN Restriction, then the P-GW shall check if the Maximum APN Restriction value does not conflict with the APN Restriction value associated with this bearer context request. If there is no conflict the request shall be allowed, otherwise the request shall be rejected with sending an appropriate error cause to the UE.

If the MME requires the eNB to check whether the UE radio capabilities are compatible with the network configuration (e.g. whether the SRVCC or frequency support by the UE matches that of the network) to be able to set the IMS voice over PS Session Supported Indication (see clause 4.3.5.8), then the MME may send a UE Radio Capability Match Request to the eNB as defined in clause 5.3.14.

• 13. The Serving GW creates a new entry in its EPS Bearer table and sends a Create Session Request (IMSI, MSISDN, APN, Serving GW Address for the user plane, Serving GW Tunnel Endpoint Identifier (TEID) of the user plane, Serving GW TEID of the control plane, RAT type, Default EPS Bearer QoS, PDN Type, PDN Address, subscribed APN-AMBR, EPS Bearer Identity, Protocol Configuration Options, Handover Indication, ME Identity, User Location Information (ECGI), UE Time Zone, User CSG Information, MS Info Change Reporting support indication, Selection Mode, Charging Characteristics, Trace Reference, Trace Type, Trigger Id, Operation and Maintenance Centre (OMC) Identity, Maximum APN Restriction, Dual Address Bearer Flag, Serving Network) message to the PDN GW indicated by the PDN GW address received in the previous step. After this step, the Serving GW buffers any downlink packets it may receive from the PDN GW without sending a Downlink Data Notification message to the MME until it receives the Modify Bearer Request message in step 23 below. The Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Digital Network Number (MSISDN) is included if received from the MME.
• 14. If dynamic PCC is deployed and the Handover Indication is not present, the PDN GW performs an IP-CAN Session Establishment procedure as defined in TS 23.203 [6], and thereby obtains the default PCC rules for the UE. This may lead to the establishment of a number of dedicated bearers following the procedures defined in clause 5.4.1 in association with the establishment of the default bearer.
  • The IMSI, APN, UE IP address, User Location Information (ECGI), UE Time Zone, Serving Network, RAT type, APN-AMBR, Default EPS Bearer QoS, ETFTU (if ETFTU is not provided it means UE and/or the PDN GW does not support the extended TFT filter format) are provided to the PCRF by the PDN GW if received by the previous message. The User Location Information and UE Time Zone are used for location based charging. For emergency attached UEs which are unauthenticated the PDN GW provides the IMEI as the UE Identity instead of IMSI, to the PCRF. If the PCRF decides that the PDN connection may use the extended TFT filter format, it may return the ETFTN indicator to the PDN GW for inclusion in the protocol Configuration Options returned to the UE.
  • The PCRF may modify the APN-AMBR and the QoS parameters (QCI and ARP) associated with the default bearer in the response to the PDN GW as defined in TS 23.203 [6].
  • If dynamic PCC is deployed and the Handover Indication is present, the PDN GW executes a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) Initiated IP-CAN Session Modification procedure with the PCRF as specified in TS 23.203 [6] to report the new IP-CAN type. Depending on the active PCC rules, the establishment of dedicated bearers for the UE may be required. The establishment of those bearers shall take place in combination with the default bearer activation. This procedure can continue without waiting for a PCRF response. If changes to the active PCC rules are required, the PCRF may provide them after the handover procedure is finished.
  • In both cases (Handover Indication is present or not), if dynamic PCC is not deployed, the PDN GW may apply local QoS policy. This may lead to the establishment of a number of dedicated bearers for the UE following the procedures defined in clause 5.4.1 in combination with the establishment of the default bearer.
  • If the CSG information reporting triggers are received from the PCRF, the PDN GW should set the CSG Information Reporting Action IE accordingly.
• 15. The P-GW creates a new entry in its EPS bearer context table and generates a Charging Id for the Default Bearer. The new entry allows the P-GW to route user plane PDUs between the S-GW and the packet data network, and to start charging. The way the P-GW handles charging characteristics that it may have received is defined in TS 32.251 [44].
  • The PDN GW returns a Create Session Response (PDN GW Address for the user plane, PDN GW TEID of the user plane, PDN GW TEID of the control plane, PDN Type, PDN Address, EPS Bearer Identity, EPS Bearer QoS, Protocol Configuration Options, Charging Id, Prohibit Payload Compression, APN Restriction, Cause, MS Info Change Reporting Action (Start) (if the PDN GW decides to receive UE's location information during the session), CSG Information Reporting Action (Start) (if the PDN GW decides to receive UE's User CSG information during the session), APN-aggregate maximum bit rate (AMBR) message to the Serving GW. The aggregate maximum bit rate (AMBR) is adjusted based on congestion. The PDN GW takes into account the received PDN type, the Dual Address Bearer Flag and the policies of operator when the PDN GW selects the PDN type to be used as follows. If the received PDN type is IPv4v6 and both IPv4 and IPv6 addressing is possible in the PDN but the Dual Address Bearer Flag is not set, or only single IP version addressing for this APN is possible in the PDN, the PDN GW selects a single IP version (either IPv4 or IPv6). If the received PDN type is IPv4 or IPv6, the PDN GW uses the received PDN type if it is supported in the PDN, otherwise an appropriate error cause will be returned. The PDN GW allocates a PDN Address according to the selected PDN type. If the PDN GW has selected a PDN type different from the received PDN Type, the PDN GW indicates together with the PDN type IE a reason cause to the UE why the PDN type has been modified, as described in clause 5.3.1.1. PDN Address may contain an IPv4 address for IPv4 and/or an IPv6 prefix and an Interface Identifier. If the PDN has been configured by the operator so that the PDN addresses for the requested APN may be allocated by usage of DHCPv4 only, or if the PDN GW allows the UE to use DHCPv4 for address allocation according to the Address Allocation Preference received from the UE, the PDN Address may be set to 0.0.0.0, indicating that the IPv4 PDN address shall be negotiated by the UE with DHCPv4 after completion of the Default Bearer Activation procedure. For external PDN addressing for IPv6, the PDN GW obtains the IPv6 prefix from the external PDN using either RADIUS or Diameter client function. In the PDN Address field of the Create Session Response, the PDN GW includes the Interface Identifier and IPv6 prefix. The PDN GW sends Router Advertisement to the UE after default bearer establishment with the IPv6 prefix information for all cases.
  • If the PDN address is contained in the Create Session Request, the PDN GW shall allocate the IPv4 address and/or IPv6 prefix contained in the PDN address to the UE. The IP address allocation details are described in clause 5.3.1 on “IP Address Allocation”. The PDN GW derives the Bearer Control Mode (BCM) based on the NRSU and operator policy. The PDN GW derives whether the extended TFT filter format is to be used based on the ETFTU, ETFTN received from the PCRF and operator policy. Protocol Configuration Options contains the BCM, ETFTN as well as optional PDN parameters that the P-GW may transfer to the UE. These optional PDN parameters may be requested by the UE, or may be sent unsolicited by the P-GW. Protocol Configuration Options are sent transparently through the MME.
• 16. The Serving GW returns a Create Session Response (PDN Type, PDN Address, Serving GW address for User Plane, Serving GW TEID for 51-U User Plane, Serving GW TEID for control plane, EPS Bearer Identity, EPS Bearer QoS, PDN GW addresses and TEIDs (GTP-based S5/S8) or GRE keys (PMIP-based S5/S8) at the PDN GW(s) for uplink traffic, Protocol Configuration Options, Prohibit Payload Compression, APN Restriction, Cause, MS Info Change Reporting Action (Start), CSG Information Reporting Action (Start), APN-AMBR) message to the new MME.
• 17. If an APN Restriction is received, then the MME may store this value for the Bearer Context and the MME shall check this received value with the stored value for the Maximum APN Restriction to ensure there are no conflicts between values. If the Bearer Context is accepted, the MME may determine a (new) value for the Maximum APN Restriction. If there is no previously stored value for Maximum APN Restriction, then the Maximum APN Restriction may be set to the value of the received APN Restriction.
  • If the MS Info Change Reporting Action (Start) and/or the CSG Information Reporting Action (Start) are received for this bearer context, then the MME shall store this for the bearer context and the MME shall report to that P-GW via the S-GW whenever a UE's location and/or User CSG information change occurs that meets the P-GW request, as described in clause 15.1.1a of TS 23.060 [7].
  • The MME determines the UE AMBR to be used by the eNodeB based on the subscribed UE-AMBR and the APN-AMBR for the default APN, see clause 4.7.3.
  • The new MME sends an Attach Accept (APN, GUTI, PDN Type, PDN Address, TAI List, EPS Bearer Identity, Session Management Request, Protocol Configuration Options, NAS sequence number, NAS-MAC, IMS Voice over PS session supported Indication, Emergency Service Support indicator, LCS Support Indication) message to the eNodeB. GUTI is included if the new MME allocates a new GUTI. This message is contained in an S1_MME control message Initial Context Setup Request. This S1 control message also includes the AS security context information for the UE, the Handover Restriction List, the EPS Bearer QoS, the UE-AMBR, EPS Bearer Identity, as well as the TEID at the Serving GW used for user plane and the address of the Serving GW for user plane. In addition, if the PDN connection is established for Local IP Access, the 51 control message includes a Correlation ID for enabling the direct user plane path between the HeNB and the L-GW.
  • In the Attach Accept message, the MME does not include the IPv6 prefix within the PDN Address. The MME includes the EPS Bearer QoS parameter QCI and APN-AMBR into the Session Management Request. Furthermore, if the UE has UTRAN or GERAN capabilities and the network supports mobility to UTRAN or GERAN, the MME uses the EPS bearer QoS information to derive the corresponding PDP context parameters QoS Negotiated (R99 QoS profile), Radio Priority, Packet Flow Id and TI and includes them in the Session Management Request. If the UE indicated in the UE Network Capability it does not support BSS packet flow procedures, then the MME shall not include the Packet Flow Id. Handover Restriction List is described in clause 4.3.5.7 “Mobility Restrictions”. The MME sets the IMS Voice over PS session supported Indication as described in clause 4.3.5.8. LCS Support Indication indicates whether the network supports the EPC-MO-LR and/or CS-MO-LR as described in TS 23.271 [57].
  • If the UE initiates the Attach procedure at a hybrid cell, the MME shall check whether the CSG ID is contained in the CSG subscription and is not expired. The MME shall send an indication whether the UE is a CSG member to the RAN along with the 51-MME control message. Based on this information the RAN may perform differentiated treatment for CSG and non-CSG members.
  • If the MME or PDN GW has changed the PDN Type, an appropriate reason cause shall be returned to the UE as described in clause 5.3.1.1.
• 18. The eNodeB sends the RRC Connection Reconfiguration message including the EPS Radio Bearer Identity to the UE, and the Attach Accept message will be sent along to the UE. The UE shall store the QoS Negotiated, Radio Priority, Packet Flow Id and TI, which it received in the Session Management Request, for use when accessing via GERAN or UTRAN. The APN is provided to the UE to notify it of the APN for which the activated default bearer is associated. For further details, see TS 36.331[37]. The UE may provide EPS Bearer QoS parameters to the application handling the traffic flow(s). The application usage of the EPS Bearer QoS is implementation dependent. The UE shall not reject the RRC Connection Reconfiguration on the basis of the EPS Bearer QoS parameters contained in the Session Management Request.
  • If the attach procedure is initiated by manual CSG selection and occurs via a CSG cell, the UE upon receiving the Attach accept shall check if the CSG ID and associated PLMN of the cell where the UE has sent the Attach Request message is contained in its Allowed CSG list. If the CSG ID and associated PLMN is not in the UE's Allowed CSG list, the UE shall add the CSG ID and associated PLMN to its Allowed CSG list. Manual CSG selection is not supported when an emergency service has been initiated.
• 19. The UE sends the RRC Connection Reconfiguration Complete message to the eNodeB. For further details, see TS 36.331 [37].
• 20. The eNodeB sends the Initial Context Response message to the new MME. This Initial Context Response message includes the TEID of the eNodeB and the address of the eNodeB used for downlink traffic on the S1_U reference point.
  • The MME shall be prepared to receive this message either before or after the Attach Complete message (sent in step 22).
  • If the Correlation ID was included in the Initial Context Setup Request message, the eNodeB shall use the included information to establish direct user plane path with the L-GW and forward uplink data for Local IP Access accordingly.
• 21. The UE sends a Direct Transfer message to the eNodeB, which includes the Attach Complete (EPS Bearer Identity, NAS sequence number, NAS-MAC) message.
• 22. The eNodeB forwards the Attach Complete message to the new MME in an Uplink NAS Transport message.
  • After the Attach Accept message and once the UE has obtained a PDN Address, the UE can then send uplink packets towards the eNodeB which will then be tunneled to the Serving GW and PDN GW. If the UE requested for a dual address PDN type (IPv4v6) to a given APN and was granted a single address PDN type (IPv4 or IPv6) by the network with a reason cause indicating that only single IP version per PDN connection is allowed sent together with the PDN type, the UE should request for the activation of a parallel PDN connection to the same APN with a single address PDN type (IPv4 or IPv6) other than the one already activated. If the UE receives no reason cause in step 18 in response to an IPv4v6 PDN type and it receives an IPv6 Interface Identifier apart from the IPv4 address or 0.0.0.0 in the PDN Address field, it considers that the request for a dual address PDN was successful. It can wait for the Router Advertisement from the network with the IPv6 prefix information or it may send Router Solicitation if necessary.
• 23. Upon reception of both, the Initial Context Response message in step 20 and the Attach Complete message in step 22, the new MME sends a Modify Bearer Request (EPS Bearer Identity, eNodeB address, eNodeB TEID, Handover Indication) message to the Serving GW.
• 23a. If the Handover Indication is included in step 23, the Serving GW sends a Modify Bearer Request (Handover Indication) message to the PDN GW to prompt the PDN GW to tunnel packets from non 3GPP IP access to 3GPP access system and immediately start routing packets to the Serving GW for the default and any dedicated EPS bearers established.
• 23b. The PDN GW acknowledges by sending Modify Bearer Response to the Serving GW.
• 24. The Serving GW acknowledges by sending Modify Bearer Response (EPS Bearer Identity) message to the new MME. The Serving GW can then send its buffered downlink packets.
• 25. After the MME receives Modify Bearer Response (EPS Bearer Identity) message, if Request Type does not indicate handover and an EPS bearer was established and the subscription data indicates that the user is allowed to perform handover to non-3GPP accesses, and if the MME selected a PDN GW that is different from the PDN GW identity which was indicated by the HSS in the PDN subscription context, the MME shall send a Notify Request including the APN and PDN GW identity to the HSS for mobility with non-3GPP accesses. The message shall include information that identifies the PLMN in which the PDN GW is located.
  • If the ME identity of the UE has changed and step 8 has not been performed, the MME sends a Notify Request (ME Identity) message to inform the HSS of the updated ME identity.
• 26. The HSS stores the APN and PDN GW identity pair and sends a Notify Response to the MME.

FIG. 2 is a user plane congestion due to 3GPP RAN to EPC interface capacity limitation.

As another alternative, the Steps 15-17 may be replaced by the dedicated bearer activation sequence shown in FIG. 3. The SDF contexts are delivered to the eNB via Steps 1, 2, 3 and 4. SDF represent the IP packets related to a user service, like web browsing or email. SDF are bound to specific bearers based on policies defined in the network operator.

The numbers along the left column correspond to the step numbers in FIG. 3:

• 1. If dynamic PCC is deployed, the PCRF sends a PCC decision provision (QoS policy) message to the PDN GW. This corresponds to the initial steps of the PCRF-Initiated IP-CAN Session Modification procedure or to the PCRF response in the PCEF initiated IP-CAN Session Modification procedure as defined in TS 23.203 [6], up to the point that the PDN GW requests IP-CAN Bearer Signalling. The PCC decision provision message may indicate that User Location Information and/or UE Time Zone Information is to be provided to the PCRF as defined in TS 23.203[6]. If dynamic PCC is not deployed, the PDN GW may apply local QoS policy.
• 2. The PDN GW uses this QoS policy to assign the EPS Bearer QoS, i.e., it assigns the values to the bearer level QoS parameters QCI, ARP, GBR and MBR; see clause 4.7.3. The PGW generates a Charging Id for the dedicated bearer. The PDN GW sends a Create Bearer Request message (IMSI, Precoding Type Indicator (PTI), EPS Bearer QoS, TFT, S5/S8 TEID, Charging Id, LBI, Protocol Configuration Options) to the Serving GW, the Linked EPS Bearer Identity (LBI) is the EPS Bearer Identity of the default bearer. The Procedure Transaction Id (PTI) parameter is only used when the procedure was initiated by a UE Requested Bearer Resource Modification Procedure—see clause 5.4.5. Protocol Configuration Options may be used to transfer application level parameters between the UE and the PDN GW (see TS 23.228[52]), and are sent transparently through the MME and the Serving GW.
• 3. The Serving GW sends the Create Bearer Request (IMSI, PTI, EPS Bearer QoS, TFT, S1-TEID, PDN GW TEID (GTP-based S5/S8), LBI, Protocol Configuration Options) message to the MME. If the UE is in ECM-IDLE state the MME will trigger the Network Triggered Service Request from step 3 (which is specified in clause 5.3.4.3). In that case the following steps 4-7 may be combined into Network Triggered Service Request procedure or be performed standalone.
• 4. The MME selects an EPS Bearer Identity, which has not yet been assigned to the UE. The MME then builds a Session Management Request including the PTI, TFT, EPS Bearer QoS parameters, Protocol Configuration Options, the EPS Bearer Identity and the Linked EPS Bearer Identity (LBI). If the UE has UTRAN or GERAN capabilities and the network supports mobility to UTRAN or GERAN, the MME uses the EPS bearer QoS parameters to derive the corresponding PDP context parameters QoS Negotiated (R99 QoS profile), Radio Priority, Packet Flow Id and TI and includes them in the Session Management Request. If the UE indicated in the UE Network Capability it does not support BSS packet flow procedures, then the MME shall not include the Packet Flow Id. The MME then signals the Bearer Setup Request (EPS Bearer Identity, EPS Bearer QoS, Session Management Request, S1-TEID) message to the eNodeB.
• 5. The eNodeB maps the EPS Bearer QoS to the Radio Bearer QoS. It then signals a RRC Connection Reconfiguration (Radio Bearer QoS, Session Management Request, EPS RB Identity) message to the UE. The UE shall store the QoS Negotiated, Radio Priority, Packet Flow Id and TI, which it received in the Session Management Request, for use when accessing via GERAN or UTRAN. The UE NAS stores the EPS Bearer Identity and links the dedicated bearer to the default bearer indicated by the Linked EPS Bearer Identity (LBI). The UE uses the uplink packet filter (UL TFT) to determine the mapping of traffic flows to the radio bearer. The UE may provide the EPS Bearer QoS parameters to the application handling the traffic flow. The application usage of the EPS Bearer QoS is implementation dependent. The UE may not reject the RRC Connection Reconfiguration on the basis of the EPS Bearer QoS parameters contained in the Session Management Request in one embodiment.
• 6. The UE acknowledges the radio bearer activation to the eNodeB with a RRC Connection Reconfiguration Complete message.
• 7. The eNodeB acknowledges the bearer activation to the MME with a Bearer Setup Response (EPS Bearer Identity, S1-TEID) message. The eNodeB indicates whether the requested EPS Bearer QoS could be allocated or not.
  • The MME shall be prepared to receive this message either before or after the Session Management Response message (sent in step 9).
• 8. The UE NAS layer builds a Session Management Response including EPS Bearer Identity. The UE then sends a Direct Transfer (Session Management Response) message to the eNodeB.
• 9. The eNodeB sends an Uplink NAS Transport (Session Management Response) message to the MME.
• 10. Upon reception of the Bearer Setup Response message in step 7 and the Session Management Response message in step 9, the MME acknowledges the bearer activation to the Serving GW by sending a Create Bearer Response (EPS Bearer Identity, S1-TEID, User Location Information (ECGI)) message.
• 11. The Serving GW acknowledges the bearer activation to the PDN GW by sending a Create Bearer Response (EPS Bearer Identity, S5/S8-TEID, User Location Information (ECGI)) message.
• 12. If the dedicated bearer activation procedure was triggered by a PCC Decision Provision message from the PCRF, the PDN GW indicates to the PCRF whether the requested PCC decision (QoS policy) could be enforced or not, allowing the completion of the PCRF-Initiated IP-CAN Session Modification procedure or the PCEF initiated IP-CAN Session Modification procedure as defined in TS 23.203 [6], after the completion of IP-CAN bearer signalling. If requested by the PCRF the PDN GW indicates User Location Information and/or UE Time Zone Information to the PCRF as defined in TS 23.203 [6].

Next as shown in FIG. 4, a dedicated bearer modification may be used in place of Steps 15-17. Then SDF context are delivered to the eNB via Steps 1, 2, 3 and 4. A more complete definition and description is contained in Clause 5.4.2.1 of TS 23.401.

Finally, user equipment requested PDN connectivity may be used to transfer the context via the depicted Steps 4, 5, 6 and 7 to eNB. Steps are defined in Clause 5.10.2 of TS 23.401.

Referring to FIG. 5, in accordance with another embodiment, the AMBR can be transferred by user equipment requested PDN connectivity as shown in FIG. 5. The SDF contexts are delivered to the eNB via Steps 4, 5, 6 and 7. The steps are defined in Clause 5.10.2 of TS 23.401.

For the UTRAN/GERAN case, SDF context can be delivered to the RNC/BSS from GGSN via S-GW and SGSN during PDP context activation procedure as defined in Clause 9.2 of TS 23.060 and the PDP context modification procedure as defined in Clause 9.2.3 of TS 23.060.

There are many possible techniques for detecting congestion. Generally congestion detection is RAN node implemented. According to one technique the radio downlink packets may be monitored. If more packets are going into a given buffer and buffering is going on faster than what is going out, then congestion can be detected.

Referring to FIG. 6, in accordance with one embodiment, a sequence 40 for handling congestion may be implemented in software, firmware and/or hardware. In software and firmware embodiments it may be implemented by computer executed instructions stored in one or more non-transitory computer readable media such as magnetic, optical or semiconductor storages.

The sequence 40 may begin by detecting congestion as indicated at diamond 42. If congestion is detected, the appropriate rule for handling the congestion may be located as indicated in block 44. For example, the AMBR may be reduced to accommodate the congestion. The AMBR could be reduced for a particular user or a particular class of service such as video.

Then the QCI is modified as indicated in block 46 to communicate the change as indicated in block 46. Next, the AMBR is adjusted as indicated in block 48.

Thereafter a check at diamond 50 determines whether the congestion still exists. If so, the AMBR may be adjusted back to where it was before the congestion was detected as indicated in block 52.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a block diagram of an information handling system in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. Information handling system 800 of FIG. 7 may tangibly embody one or more of any of the network elements or devices as shown in and described with respect to FIGS. 1 to 6, with greater or fewer components depending on the hardware specifications of the particular device or network element. Although information handling system 800 represents one example of several types of computing platforms, information handling system 800 may include more or fewer elements and/or different arrangements of elements than shown in FIG. 7, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in these respects.

In one or more embodiments, information handling system 800 may include an applications processor 810 and a baseband processor 812. Applications processor 810 may be utilized as a general purpose processor to run applications and the various subsystems for information handling system 800. Applications processor 810 may include a single core or alternatively may include multiple processing cores wherein one or more of the cores may comprise a digital signal processor or digital signal processing core. Furthermore, applications processor 810 may include a graphics processor or coprocessor disposed on the same chip, or alternatively a graphics processor coupled to applications processor 810 may comprise a separate, discrete graphics chip. Applications processor 810 may include on board memory such as cache memory, and further may be coupled to external memory devices such as synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) 814 for storing and/or executing applications during operation, and NAND flash 816 for storing applications and/or data even when information handling system 800 is powered off. In general, any of the memory devices of information handling system 800 may comprise an article of manufacture having instructions stored thereon that cause a processor of the information handling system 800 to execute the instructions to implement any method or process wholly or in part as described herein. Baseband processor 812 may control the broadband radio functions for information handling system 800. Baseband processor 812 may store code for controlling such broadband radio functions in a NOR flash 818. Baseband processor 812 controls a wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver 820 which is used for modulating and/or demodulating broadband network signals, for example for communicating via a Wi-Fi, LTE or WiMAX network or the like as discussed herein. The WWAN transceiver 820 couples to one or more power amps 822 respectively coupled to one or more antennas 824 for sending and receiving radio-frequency signals via the WWAN broadband network. The baseband processor 812 also may control a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver 826 coupled to one or more suitable antennas 828 and which may be capable of communicating via a Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and/or an amplitude modulation (AM) or frequency modulation (FM) radio standard including an IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n standard or the like. It should be noted that these are merely example implementations for applications processor 810 and baseband processor 812, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in these respects. For example, any one or more of SDRAM 814, NAND flash 816 and/or NOR flash 818 may comprise other types of memory technology such as magnetic memory, chalcogenide memory, phase change memory, or ovonic memory, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect.

In one or more embodiments, applications processor 810 may drive a display 830 for displaying various information or data, and may further receive touch input from a user via a touch screen 832 for example via a finger or a stylus. An ambient light sensor 834 may be utilized to detect an amount of ambient light in which information handling system 800 is operating, for example to control a brightness or contrast value for display 830 as a function of the intensity of ambient light detected by ambient light sensor 834. One or more cameras 836 may be utilized to capture images that are processed by applications processor 810 and/or at least temporarily stored in NAND flash 816. Furthermore, applications processor may couple to a gyroscope 838, accelerometer 840, magnetometer 842, audio coder/decoder (CODEC) 844, and/or global positioning system (GPS) controller 846 coupled to an appropriate GPS antenna 848, for detection of various environmental properties including location, movement, and/or orientation of information handling system 800. Alternatively, controller 846 may comprise a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) controller. Audio CODEC 844 may be coupled to one or more audio ports 850 to provide microphone input and speaker outputs either via internal devices and/or via external devices coupled to information handling system via the audio ports 850, for example via a headphone and microphone jack. In addition, applications processor 810 may couple to one or more input/output (I/O) transceivers 852 to couple to one or more I/O ports 854 such as a universal serial bus (USB) port, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port, a serial port, and so on. Furthermore, one or more of the I/O transceivers 852 may couple to one or more memory slots 856 for optional removable memory such as secure digital (SD) card or a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in these respects.

Referring now to FIG. 8, an isometric view of an information handling system 900 of FIG. 7 that optionally may include a touch screen in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. FIG. 8 shows an example implementation of information handling system 800 of FIG. 7 tangibly embodied as a cellular telephone, smartphone, or tablet type device or the like. The information handling system 900 may comprise a housing 910 having a display 830 which may include a touch screen 832 for receiving tactile input control and commands via a finger or fingers 916 of a user and/or a via stylus 918 to control one or more applications processors 810. The housing 910 may house one or more components of information handling system 800, for example one or more applications processors 810, one or more of SDRAM 814, NAND flash 816, NOR flash 818, baseband processor 812, and/or WWAN transceiver 820. The information handling system 800 further may optionally include a physical actuator area 920 which may comprise a keyboard or buttons for controlling information handling system via one or more buttons or switches. The information handling system 900 may also include a memory port or slot 856 for receiving non-volatile memory such as flash memory, for example in the form of a secure digital (SD) card or a subscriber identity module (SIM) card. Optionally, the information handling system 800 may further include one or more speakers and/or microphones 924 and a connection port 854 for connecting the information handling system 900 to another electronic device, dock, display, battery charger, and so on. In addition, information handling system 800 may include a headphone or speaker jack 928 and one or more cameras 836 on one or more sides of the housing 910. It should be noted that the information handling system 800 of FIG. 8 may include more or fewer elements than shown, in various arrangements, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect.

The following clauses and/or examples pertain to further embodiments:

One example of an embodiment may be a method including in response to detection of radio access network user plane congestion, changing a first priority of at least one of a particular user or data type, using a service data flow quality of service indicator to signal said priority change, and in response to detection of the termination of said congestion, changing priority back to the first priority. The method may include changing a maximum bit rate in response to said congestion. The method may also include providing a service data flow quality of service based rule for handling congestion. The method may also include providing said rule as part of PDP context or EPS bearer context. The method may also include specifying a maximum uncongested and congested bit rate for a service data flow. The method may also include using an attach procedure to signal said priority change. The method may also include using dedicated bearer activation to signal the priority change. The method may also include using dedicated bearer modification to signal the priority change. The method may also include using user equipment requested packet data network connectivity to signal the priority change.

In another example, one or more non-transitory computer readable media may store instructions to implement a sequence to signal radio access network user plane congestion using a service data flow quality of service indicator, reduce a bit rate in response to said service class indicator, and apply a service data flow quality of service based rule for handling congestion. The medium may also include decreasing a maximum bit rate in response to said congestion. The medium may also include providing a service data flow quality of service based rule for handling congestion. The medium may also include providing said rule as part of PDP context or EPS bearer context. The medium may also include specifying a maximum uncongested and congested bit rate for a service data flow. The medium may also include using an attach procedure to signal said priority change. The medium may also include using dedicated bearer activation to signal the priority change. The medium may also include using dedicated bearer modification to signal the priority change. The medium may also include using user equipment requested packet data network connectivity to signal the priority change.

Another example may be an apparatus that includes a processor to receive an indication of user plane congestion and, in response, locate a rule for handling the congestion, and an interface to transmit an indicator to initiate a bit rate change in response to said congestion. The apparatus may also transmit an indicator to change a maximum bit rate in response to said congestion. The apparatus may also transmit a service class indicator to initiate a bit rate change. The apparatus may also locate a service data flow based rule for handling congestion. The apparatus may also use an attach procedure to signal said priority change. The apparatus may also use dedicated bearer activation to initiate the change. The apparatus may also use dedicated bearer modification. The apparatus may also use user equipment requested packet data network connectivity to initiate the change. The apparatus may also use touch screen display, keyboard, antenna, and an application processor.

References throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one implementation encompassed within the present disclosure. Thus, appearances of the phrase “one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be instituted in other suitable forms other than the particular embodiment illustrated and all such forms may be encompassed within the claims of the present application.

While a limited number of embodiments have been described, those skilled in the art will appreciate numerous modifications and variations therefrom. It is intended that the appended claims cover all such modifications and variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

in response to detection of radio access network user plane congestion, changing a first priority of at least one of a particular user or data type;

using a service data flow quality of service indicator to signal said priority change; and

in response to detection of the termination of said congestion, changing priority back to the first priority.

2. The method of claim 1 including changing a maximum bit rate in response to said congestion.

3. The method of claim 1 including providing a service data flow quality of service based rule for handling congestion.

4. The method of claim 3 including providing said rule as part of PDP context or EPS bearer context.

5. The method of claim 4 including specifying a maximum uncongested and congested bit rate for a service data flow.

6. The method of claim 1 including using an attach procedure to signal said priority change.

7. The method of claim 1 including using dedicated bearer activation to signal the priority change.

8. The method of claim 1 including using dedicated bearer modification to signal the priority change.

9. The method of claim 1 including using user equipment requested packet data network connectivity to signal the priority change.

10. One or more non-transitory computer readable media storing instructions to implement a sequence comprising:

signaling radio access network user plane congestion using a service data flow quality of service indicator;

reducing a bit rate in response to said service class indicator; and

applying a service data flow quality of service based rule for handling congestion.

11. The medium of claim 10, said sequence including decreasing a maximum bit rate in response to said congestion.

12. The medium of claim 10, said sequence including providing a service data flow quality of service based rule for handling congestion.

13. The medium of claim 12, said sequence including providing said rule as part of PDP context or EPS bearer context.

14. The medium of claim 13, said sequence including specifying a maximum uncongested and congested bit rate for a service data flow.

15. The medium of claim 10, said sequence including using an attach procedure to signal said priority change.

16. The medium of claim 10, said sequence including using dedicated bearer activation to signal the priority change.

17. The medium of claim 10, said sequence including using dedicated bearer modification to signal the priority change.

18. The medium of claim 10, said sequence including using user equipment requested packet data network connectivity to signal the priority change.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a processor to receive an indication of user plane congestion and, in response, locate a rule for handling the congestion; and

an interface to transmit an indicator to initiate a bit rate change in response to said congestion.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, said interface to transmit an indicator to change a maximum bit rate in response to said congestion.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, said interface to transmit a service class indicator to initiate a bit rate change.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, said interface to locate a service data flow based rule for handling congestion.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, said interface to use an attach procedure to signal said priority change.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, said interface to use dedicated bearer activation to initiate the change.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, said interface to use dedicated bearer modification.

26. The apparatus of claim 19, said interface to use user equipment requested packet data network connectivity to initiate the change.

27. The apparatus of claim 19 including using touch screen display, keyboard, antenna, and an application processor.