Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods are disclosed herein using a pre-interleaving process to be performed at the transmitter. Data is rearranged at the transmitter, and the rearranged data is transmitted over the communication channel in an order that is more suitable for parallel processing at the decoder. Because processing at the transmitter is bit-wise rather than the multi-bit, soft-decision information at the decoder, pre-interleaving may reduce use system resources when compared to a re-interleaving process at the decoder.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for allowing a single platform to recognize and process both Diameter messages and Radius messages. A gateway is provided for translating Radius messages received from a wireline device into NASReq messages. A Diameter Proxy Agent receives both Diameter messages from a wireless device and the NASReq messages from the gateway. The Diameter Proxy Agent selects a PCRF to which to pass a NASReq message, and upon receipt of a NASReq message the PCRF either creates or updates a NASReq session object. By recognizing and processing Radius messages, wireline services can be offered at the same time as wireless services without requiring the use of a second platform. In addition, use of the PCRF server to support wireline services offers much better scalability than that offered by traditional AAA servers.

Abstract: A load balancing communications network configured to communicate with multiple data terminals includes: a first data terminal and a second data terminal; a gateway including: a source data receiver module adapted to receive first source data representing video content and second source data representing broadband data content; a pre-coder module adapted to pre-code the first source data using pre-coding schemes to generate sets of representation data; and an ACM module adapted to associate the sets of representation data with coding and modulation schemes; and a transceiver module adapted to generate a first transmission by applying the coding and modulation schemes to the sets of representation data, generate a second transmission from the second source data, and communicate the first transmission to the first data terminal and the second transmission to the second data terminal over a satellite link.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method for managing subscriber usage in a mobile network by a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) including: receiving a credit control request (CCR) message from a policy and enforcement rules function (PCEF) for an application; determining if a Sy connection to an online charging system (OCS) is necessary to implement the CCR; determining if a Sy session is present; sending an application authorization request (AAR) message to the OCS; binding a counter to the application; determining a policy to apply based upon the application; and sending a credit control answer (CCA) message to the PCEF to effect the policy.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method performed by a policy and charging rules node for managing usage of a subscriber. The method may include: defining a primary metering policy having a first applicability condition and a first quota; defining a secondary metering policy having attributes including a second applicability condition and at least one inherited attribute that references an attribute of the primary metering policy; determining that the second metering policy is applicable when the first applicability condition and the second applicability condition are true; selecting the secondary metering policy as an active metering policy; and managing subscriber usage according to the attributes of the secondary metering policy.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method for determining the usage of a subscriber to mobile and fixed line services including: receiving subscriber usage information from a fixed line network; receiving subscriber usage information from a mobile network; computing a usage metric based upon the received subscriber usage information from the fixed line network and the mobile network and rating factor information; comparing the usage metric to a predetermined usage threshold; determining a usage policy action; and transmitting a usage policy action message.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method of managing usage of a service. The method may include: defining a plurality of metering policies associated with the service; assigning an applicability condition to each of the plurality of metering policies; assigning a quota to each of the plurality of metering policies; selecting an applicable first metering policy for a subscriber session based on the applicability condition; measuring usage of the service according to the first metering policy; comparing the usage against the quota of the first metering policy; and selecting an applicable second metering policy for the subscriber session based on the applicability condition assigned to the second metering policy if the usage exceeds the quota of the first metering policy. Various exemplary embodiments relate to a network node for managing subscriber usage. The network node may include: a metering policy storage; a limit selector; an interface; and a processor.

Abstract: A network access unit includes: a source data receiver module adapted to receive multiple first source data representing respective video content and second source data representing broadband data content; a network control module adapted to receive link condition data and configuration data, calculate priority data based on the link condition data and the configuration data, and use the priority data to generate a master schedule including program data indicating that some but not all of the multiple first source data are to be transmitted; a pre-coder module adapted to pre-code respective first source data using respective pre-coding schemes to generate respective sets of representation data, if the program data is determined to indicate that the respective first source data is to be transmitted; and an ACM module adapted to associate, for each first source data indicated for transmission, the respective sets of representation data with respective coding and modulation schemes.

Abstract: A network access unit of a communications network includes: a source data receiver module to receive first source data representing video content and second source data; a network control module to receive link condition data and configuration data, calculate priority data based on the link condition data and the configuration data, use the priority data to generate a master schedule indicating a first coding and modulation scheme for a first layer of the first source data and a second coding and modulation scheme for a second layer of the first source data, wherein at least one of the coding and modulation schemes for a next sequence is fixed relative to a present sequence; a pre-coder module to pre-code the first source data using pre-coding schemes to generate sets of representation data; and an ACM module to associate the sets of representation data with the coding and modulation schemes.

Abstract: A network access unit includes: a source data receiver module to receive multiple first source data representing video content and second source data representing broadband data content; a network control module to generate a master schedule indicating whether each first source data is to be transmitted with one or two layers; a pre-coder module to pre-code each first source data using a first pre-coding scheme to generate a first set of representation data, and if the first source data is to be transmitted with two layers, to pre-code the first source data using a second pre-coding scheme to generate a second set of representation data; and an ACM module to associate each first set of representation data with a first coding and modulation scheme, and associate, for each first source data to be transmitted with two layers, the second set of representation data with a second coding and modulation scheme.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices are described for providing predictive adaptive communications. Embodiments include a network access unit, in communication with multiple data terminals, and adapted to determine geospatial and other network data (e.g., current capability and position information relating to a designated one of the data terminals, map data, etc.), and to generate a link condition prediction as a function of the network data. The network access unit may then adaptively encode source data (e.g., using adaptive coding and modulation of hierarchically pre-coded data) to preempt impacts of changing link conditions on communications with the designated data terminal as a function of the link condition prediction.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to a session management node. A session management node may include: a receiver configured to receive an accounting message; a session information storage that includes a record of accumulated network usage of the subscriber; a session manager configured to determine a Quality of Service (QoS) for the subscriber based upon the subscriber's accumulated network usage and an update time; and a transmitter configured to send an authorization message to the NAS. A session management node may also include: a configurable NAS profile; a usage reporter; a policy engine; and a reauthorization scheduler. Various exemplary embodiments may relate to a method of authorizing QoS based on subscriber usage and current time period. The method may include: receiving an accounting message; monitoring the usage of the subscriber; authorizing a QoS; and transmitting an authorization message. Subscriber network usage may be associated with a monitoring key and/or rating factor.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to a session management node. A session management node may include: a receiver that receives an accounting message indicating network usage of a subscriber, the message including at least one field; a NAS profile that maps the accounting message to a type of usage based on the field; a session information storage that includes a record of accumulated network usage for the type of usage; and a usage reporter that updates the subscriber's accumulated network usage. Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method of measuring network usage of a subscriber. The method may include: receiving an accounting message; determining a type of usage; and monitoring the subscriber's usage according to the type of usage. In various exemplary embodiments, various messages including vendor specific fields may be mapped to the same type of usage. A rating factor for monitoring may be assigned to a type of usage.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node including one or more of the following: determining, by the session management node, a next task time for a session; storing the next task time; waiting for a period of time; after waiting, determining whether a task should be performed with respect to the session based on the next task time; and if the task should be performed with respect to the session, sending a message to at least one other node in the subscriber network including an indication that the task should be performed with respect to the session.

Abstract: Header information is used to facilitate coarse frequency and frame recovery. The coarse frequency and frame recovery is thereafter utilized to perform adaptive phase and frequency synchronization on a frame-by-frame basis. In one aspect, a frame identifier in a physical layer header of the digitized signal is utilized to estimate a first phase associated with the frame identifier. The remaining portion of the physical layer header is utilized to estimate a second phase associated with the remaining portion. The first phase estimate and the second phase estimate are combined to generate a first combined phase estimate.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node including one or more of the following: determining a session to roll over; determining whether usage monitoring at a usage monitoring node is currently disabled for the session; and if usage monitoring at the usage monitoring node is currently disabled for the session, sending a message from the session management node to the usage monitoring node, wherein the message includes an instruction to enable usage monitoring for the session. Various alternative embodiments additionally include one or more of the following: waiting for a length of time to receive a usage report at the session management node from the usage monitoring node; wherein the step of sending a message from the session management node to the usage monitoring node is only performed when a usage report is not received during the length of time.

Abstract: In an optical transmission system which utilizes polarization multiplexing, a receiver includes an adaptive equalizer which is adjusted at turn-up such that two polarization modes at the equalizer output are time aligned. The adaptive equalizer may be reset in a directed manner in response to an indication that one polarization mode is present at both the first and second outputs. Further, the dominant filters taps of the adaptive equalizer are maintained near a middle of a tap index range. The receiver may also include an interpolation function upstream of the adaptive equalizer and a symbol timing error estimation function that feeds a control signal back to the interpolation function, wherein the interpolation function causes the adaptive equalizer function and symbol timing error estimation function to receive an integer number of samples per symbol.

Abstract: Soft bit metric generation computational complexity can be reduced by identifying and utilizing only the dominant terms in a reliability calculation such as a logarithmic likelihood ratio (LLR). The dominant terms are those terms for which the signs of the x and y components match those of channel outputs of the channel outputs. One technique for identifying the dominant terms is by determining the most likely transitions from two consecutive channel output samples Values for the dominant terms can be estimated by either the joint reliability of two consecutive samples of the in-phase component (x1,x2) or by the joint reliability of two consecutive samples of the quadrature components (y1,y2).

Abstract: Satellite communication methods and systems are disclosed. Various embodiments employ dummy bursts to monitor the communication channel between a user terminal and a hub. In some embodiments, dynamic link adaptation can also be employed to optimize channel performance. In some embodiments, the link margin can be estimated based on the signal quality of a traffic or dummy burst that is received at the hub and compared with a threshold value. If the link margin is less than a first/low threshold then the hub can instruct the terminal to change any of various communication parameters according to a predetermined algorithm to mitigate channel fading. If the link margin is greater than a second/high threshold then the hub can instruct the terminal to change any of various communication parameters according to a predetermined algorithm to reduce overcompensation for channel fading.

Abstract: Systems, devices, processors, and methods are described for joint detection of frequency and unique word (UW) location(s) for burst transmissions. Embodiments receive a wireless signal. Frequency detection is performed, resulting in multiple possible frequency correlation peaks. A subset of the correlation peaks are each used to perform trial frequency corrections, thereby generating a set of trial sequences. A UW correlation is performed on each of the trial sequences to generate a maximum UW correlation value for each trial sequence. The UW correlation value and the frequency correlation peak value are weighted and combined to generate a joint detection correlation value. The trial sequence having largest joint detection correlation value may indicate the correct transmission frequency and UW location. The jointly detected information may then be used to identify the frequency and start time of the burst transmission, which may then be demodulated, decoded, etc. to recover its payload data.