Abstract: The invention relates to a method for paging a group of MTC devices, and for transmitting parameter information to the MTC devices using the paging mechanism. MTC devices are grouped together and a different group ID per group to which the MTC device belongs is assigned to the MTC device. A specific group paging resource indication is determined for each group wherein each MTC device is assigned one of the group paging resource indications. The network pages MTC devices of a group by transmitting a paging message at the corresponding channel resources and including the corresponding group ID. Additionally, the group paging resource indications of several groups of MTC devices can be aligned in such a way with the transmissions and re-transmissions by the network, that the different groups respectively receive the transmission and re-transmissions of the paging message.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for ensuring IP session continuity upon a handover of a mobile node to a non-3GPP network, wherein an ongoing IP session of the mobile node goes via a packet data network gateway. For non-3GPP networks it is necessary to discover a security gateway and to then establish the corresponding tunnels to the ePDG to form the new data path; a security tunnel between the mobile node and the security gateway, and an IP tunnel between the packet data network gateway and the security gateway. In order to prepare the handover to possible non-3GPP accesses, the two tunnels are pre-established, however maintained deactivated until their use is actually needed. Accordingly, when handing over to the non-3GPP network, the IP session may be continued without any significant interruption by activating the already established tunnels.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for a context transfer in a communication network including a plurality of heterogeneous access networks, wherein a mobile terminal is attached to one of the access networks. Further, the present invention relates to a context transfer manager performing the method. Moreover, the present invention relates to a mobile terminal specially adapted to perform the provided method for a context transfer. To facilitate a context transfer between heterogeneous access networks, the present invention introduces a context transfer manager generating at least one context based on capabilities and parameters associated to the mobile terminal and capabilities and parameters of the neighboring access networks taking into account the respective access technology. Further the context transfer manager is common to the heterogeneous access networks in the communication network and performs the context transfers related to a particular mobile terminal.

Abstract: The present invention relates to device triggering in case of a congestion control. A triggering server transmits a device trigger request to a terminal over a communication network including a serving network node. The network node evaluates whether the connection can be established from the terminal to the server, including determining whether the network is congested and/or whether a back-off timer is running and/or the remaining time of the back-off timer at the terminal. Then the network node transmits a delivery delay indication to a device triggering control server to provide it with the delivery delay indication indicating at least one of impossibility of establishing the connection to the server after the trigger or a data transmission delay.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for improved context transfer in heterogeneous networks is presented. Context information is collected from source entities in a first access network by a context transfer manager and transmitted to a context transfer manager of a second access network which forwards the context information to target entities therein. In one of the context transfer managers at least a part of the context information is translated from a format supported in the first access network to another format supported in the second access network. The method may be carried out proactively preceding a handover or reactively following a handover. In one embodiment, context transfer within one access domain is performed directly between access routers, whereas context transfer between different access domains is performed via the context managers. In another embodiment, beacons from access points are counted in order to determine candidates for a pending handover.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for configuring a context for a connection delivering a packet data service to a mobile terminal via a target wireless access network. The mobile terminal is initially connected to an originating wireless access network and the packet data service may be provided to the mobile terminal via the originating wireless network. Moreover, the invention provides an authentication server, a packet data gateway and a packet data service support node which participate in the context configuration method. To provide a method that allows establishing connection for packet service delivery to a mobile terminal from a wireless access network, as for example a UMTS, as fast as possible the invention suggests to preconfigure service provision of the packet data service via the target wireless access network by establishing a context prior to the mobile terminal connecting to the target wireless access network.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and system for policy control in a data packet network comprising a user equipment, a gateway and a home policy control node. The method comprises the steps of establishing a session between the user equipment and an application function. Then a session identifier is generated by the user equipment, and the same session identifier is generated by the home policy control node. The user equipment requests bearer establishment from the data packet network and marks bearer establishment packets with said session identifier. The gateway derives a user equipment identifier from the bearer establishment packets and determines policy decisions based on the session identifier and the user equipment identifier. The user equipment marks data packets sent over the established bearer with the session identifier; and the gateway applies policy and charging information for the session to the marked data packets.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method, mobile node and computer-readable medium for establishing (or pre-establishing) a secure tunnel to an ePDG to prepare for a mobile node attachment or handover to another access network. To reduce the delay of a handover or upon attachment of a mobile node to an access network implied by mechanisms to discover a ePDG, the mobile node maintains a reachability list that can be consulted to identify an ePDG or ePDGs that are reachable in the target access network, i.e. to which the mobile node may establish a secure tunnel. If the mobile node can identify a reachable ePDG for a given access network from the reachability list, the mobile node (pre-)establishes a secure tunnel to the ePDG upon attaching to the given access network. In alternative solutions DNS, DHCP or other mechanism can be used to provide the mobile node with information on ePDGs in its vicinity.

Abstract: A method for a handover of a mobile node from a non-3GPP to a 3GPP network, and of a mobile node, which is located in a non-3GPP/3GPP network. The handover is improved by discovering an appropriate MME and registering the mobile node at the discovered mobility management entity (MME), in advance. This includes to first determine the location of the mobile node in the non-3GPP network, so as to be able to detect an MME in the vicinity of the mobile node's location. The 3GPP contexts are then transmitted to the new MME before the handover is performed. Moreover, the Serving-Gateway in the 3GPP network is changed before performing a handover, thereby accelerating the handover. When a handover gets likely, the mobile node's location is determined and a new Serving-Gateway is selected. The data path is changed to go via the new Serving-Gateway.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for establishing by a mobile node an additional session via a connection to a packet data network in a mobile communication network and a mobile node and a packet data network gateway adapted to perform this method. In order to suggest optimized home link detection by a mobile node one aspect of the invention is to delay the decision on whether the mobile node is located on the home link or not. In conventional home link detection, the mobile node checks before sending any binding update on an access interface whether its prefix of the local IP address configured on that access interface is matching a home address prefix received during bootstrapping. According to one aspect of the invention, this home link detection is delayed in that home link detection is based on comparing a home address prefix received during bootstrapping and the advertised local prefix of a router advertisement received after bootstrapping.

Abstract: The invention relates to optimizing a data path between two communication nodes. A route optimization agent (ROA) is determined in the current network of the second communication node, preferably on the data path between the two communication nodes. Then, an IP tunnel is established between the first communication node and the ROA, the IP tunnel and the corresponding security association of said IP tunnel being based on the home address of the first communication node in its home network. The first communication node may have two IP tunnels based on the same home address, one to its home agent and one to the ROA. Corresponding routing entries and binding cache entries need to be established in the ROA and the first communication node so that all data packets between the two communication nodes are exchanged via the established IP tunnel over the ROA.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for route optimisation of packet switched data transmissions between a first mobile node and a second mobile node in a mobile communication system comprising a plurality of access networks. The method comprises the step of transmitting return routability protocol packets and data packets. The return routability protocol packets and data packets are analysed, and at least part of an address comprised in headers of the return routability protocol packets and data packets is removed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for improved context transfer in heterogeneous networks is presented. Context information is collected from source entities in a first access network by a context transfer manager and transmitted to a context transfer manager of a second access network which forwards the context information to target entities therein. In one of the context transfer managers at least a part of the context information is translated from a format supported in the first access network to another format supported in the second access network. The method may be carried out proactively preceding a handover or reactively following a handover. In one embodiment, context transfer within one access domain is performed directly between access routers, whereas context transfer between different access domains is performed via the context managers. In another embodiment, beacons from access points are counted in order to determine candidates for a pending handover.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for trust relationship detection between a core and access network for a user equipment. The gist is that a security tunnel establishment procedure is used so one entity, be it part of the core network or be it the user equipment itself, is provided with information to determine whether the access network is trusted or untrusted. The information may comprise a first IP address/prefix, which is initially assigned to the user equipment, upon attaching to the access network. The necessary information may further comprise a second IP address/prefix, which is an address/prefix that is allocated at a trusted entity of the core network. Depending which entity determines the trust relationship of the access network, it might be necessary to transmit either the first IP address/prefix or the second IP address/prefix or the first and the second IP address/prefix using the security tunnel establishment procedure.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an improved method for handover of a mobile node from E-UTRAN to UTRAN in a scenario where SMS is the only service of the mobile node. The improved handover method allows saving radio resources by establishing the signalling connection for SMS exchange in the target network, and avoiding the data connection in the target network, since it is not used. The MME takes the decision to establish or not the data connection in the target UTRAN, and accordingly instructs the SGSN and UE to set the corresponding PDP contexts for the data connection to a “preserved” state, so as to avoid the establishment of same. Embodiments further relate to improved SMS delivery for IDLE mode UEs that activate ISR so as to avoid the involvement of the MSC server. Instead, packet-switched domain nodes are to be involved only.

Abstract: Methods for detaching a mobile terminal from a mobile communication network. Furthermore, the invention also relates to a mobile terminal and a mobility management entity that perform these methods. The invention is inter alia applicable to a 3GPP LTE-A system following the Evolved Packet System (EPS) architecture. The invention proposes that the detach procedure of a mobile terminal is triggered by the mobile terminal being transferred into idle state. The mobility management entity can trigger the detach procedure in response to this event. The detach procedure may be deferred by a given time span. A detach timer may be configured in the mobile terminal and the mobility entity for this purpose, and upon expiry of the detach timer in the mobile terminal and the mobility management entity, both silently delete the context information related to the mobile terminal's user plane and control plane to detach the mobile terminal.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method performed by a home agent serving a mobile node in a home network upon attachment of a mobile node to the home network as well as to the home agent. The invention also relates to a method for enabling simultaneous use of a plurality of interfaces by a mobile node being attached to a home network through one of the plurality of interfaces and to at least one foreign network through at least another interface of the plurality of interfaces. Moreover, the invention provides a mobile node and a proxy acting on behalf of the mobile node. To enable a mobile node to use a home network and at least one foreign network for communications the invention suggests the registration of the mobile node's home address or of a network node's address within its home network as a care-of address in the home network.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for discovering a home agent serving a mobile node upon the mobile node changing its mobility management scheme in a packet-switched network and the implementation of such method in a mobile node or home agent. In order to propose a home agent discover scheme that maintains session continuity in a seamless manner upon a mobile node changing its mobility management scheme, a mobile node comprises information on its location prior to changing the mobility management scheme to one of the first signaling messages transmitted upon changing the mobility management scheme (home agent discovery message). The receiving node uses this information to identify the home agent serving the mobile node or to provide a hint to the home agent where the mobile node is registered in a response message to the mobile node.

Abstract: The current invention relates to a method for a network attachment procedure and a user equipment in a wireless mobile network, the wireless mobile network comprising a user equipment with a temporary identity and at least one mobility management entity. The method comprises the steps of providing an estimation whether the user equipment is unknown at the mobility management entity and sending the user equipment's temporary identity during the network attachment procedure. If the user equipment has been estimated to be unknown at the at least one mobility management entity, the user equipment's identity is sent during the network attachment procedure. These steps are carried out by the user equipment.

Abstract: In node management in a packet-switched network, a first node acts as a proxy for a second node. Both nodes have network-layer addresses at the network layer and link-layer addresses at the link layer. The first node receives a request to receive and forward packets addressed to the second node's network-layer address. The same network-layer address is associated with the first and the second node, and the first and the second node have distinct link-layer addresses. The first node advertises to nodes attached to the packet-switched network the first node's link-layer address as a destination address for the second node's network-layer address; the second node does not advertise. The first node receives in response to advertising, packets destined to the second node's network-layer address having the first node's link-layer address and forwards packets addressed to the second node's network-layer address to the second node using its link-layer address.