Abstract: According to embodiments of the present invention, the user-to-user delay and the zapping delay are reduced by a network element which is configured to provide at least one segment that is a shorter version of the actual segment and where the shorter version of the actual segment begins with a key frame or contains key frames only. By providing the at least one segment being a shorter version of the actual segment, wherein a key frame is inserted in the beginning of the segment, the delay, when zapping to a new channel, can be reduced, since a key frame will be accessible with a reduced time delay. Further the user-to-user delay is also reduced since the segment to be joined is shorter. Hence, the time difference occurring when a first user joins in the beginning of a segment and when another user joins at the end of the segment is reduced when the segments are shorter.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a network node (14, 18, 21) and a method of a network node of controlling data delivery to a mobile terminal (11, 12, 13) in case of data rate throttling after having reached a data download cap. The method comprises the steps of acquiring (S101) the data to be delivered to the mobile terminal, receiving (S102) an indication that a data download cap for the mobile terminal has been reached, and buffering (S103) the acquired data. The method further comprises the step of delivering (S104) the buffered data to the mobile terminal in bursts.

Abstract: A method (300) of a network node for delivering a plurality of simultaneous sessions to a client via a Radio Access Network (RAN) is provided. The method comprises identifying (301) a streaming session, reshaping (302) the streaming session into a sequence of bursts and silent periods, identifying (303) at least one non-time-critical session, reshaping (304) the at least one non-time-critical session into respective sequences of bursts and silent periods, and transmitting (305) the sequences of bursts and silent periods to the RAN. The reshaping (304) of the non-time-critical sessions is performed such that bursts, or silent periods, or both, of the at least one non-time-critical session are aligned with bursts, silent periods, or both, respectively, of the streaming session. By timely aligning the respective bursts and silent periods with each other, the duration of common silent periods may be increased, thereby utilizing air interface resources more efficiently.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for enabling optimisation of the utilisation of the throughput capacity of a first and a second interface of an eNB, where the first and the second interface alternate in having the lowest throughput capacity, and thereby take turns in limiting the combined data throughput over the two interfaces. In the method, data is received over the first interface and then cached in one of the higher layers of the Internet Protocol stack. The output from the cache of data to be sent over the second interface is controlled, based on the available throughput capacity of the second interface. Thereby, the alternating limiting effect of the interfaces is levelled out.

Abstract: Method and apparatus are provided for intelligently rendering media with widget superimposition control. The method comprises determining a program characteristic/type of a program included in a receiving media stream, and controlling superimposition of a widget on a scene of the program in accordance with a widget superimposition rule. The widget superimposition rule is dependent on program characteristic/type to limit visual detraction of the widget from a predetermined content feature of the scene as the scene appears on a display device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods and routing and/or switching devices for determining a path maximum transmission unit MTUP(n) size for transmission paths between edge nodes in a data communications network and for updating routing tables associated with the routing and/or switching devices in said edge nodes, which are linked together with link interfaces L(i) constituting transmission paths P(n) for data packet transmission, each link interface L(i) having a link interface maximum transmission unit MTUL(i) size. The methods involve the acquisition of a link interface maximum transmission unit MTUL(i) size for a link interface L(i), and the updating the routing table by calculating the path maximum transmission unit MTUP(n) size for each destination that involves the link interface L(i) for the acquired link interface maximum transmission unit MTUL(i) size. New link-state protocols for distributing the link interface maximum transmission unit MTUL(i) size is also provided.

Abstract: A system and method that utilize a learning system to maintain a set of geographical locations indicating an area where network data coverage is poor. When it is determined that a client device is moving towards such an area, the client is forced or instructed to switch to a lower delivery bitrate for video segments in order to force the client's Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) playback buffer to fill itself with enough low-quality video segments to enable the client to cross the area without video playback interruption. Thus, the client mobile device may be preemptively forced to choose the lowest bitrate specified in a manifest file for the delivered video segments as the bitrate for downloading video segments when approaching the poor coverage area. Hence, the client device can maintain a minimum level of Quality of Service (QoS) when moving through network areas with poor data coverage.

Abstract: The present invention relates to method and arrangements to measure connectivity between Two Way Active Measurement Protocol TWAMP entities comprising a session-server (15) and session-reflectors (16-23) in a communication network. The method comprises steps like: Dividing in the session—server (15), the session-reflectors (16-23) into at least one defined group (11-14)of session-reflectors (16-17,18-9,20-21,22-23); Transmitting a test session (1;1-4) from the session-server (15) to the session-reflectors(16-7;16-23) by using Source Specific Multicasting, said test session comprising at least one test packet (1a-1c;1a-4c) 1 being destined to at least one session-reflector (16-17;16-23) in at least one defined group (11;11-14); Replying to the at least one test packet (1a-1c;1a-4c) by the at least one session-reflector (16-17;16-23).

Abstract: A method (300) of a network node for delivering a plurality of simultaneous sessions to a client via a Radio Access Network (RAN) is provided. The method comprises identifying (301) a streaming session, reshaping (302) the streaming session into a sequence of bursts and silent periods, identifying (303) at least one non-time-critical session, reshaping (304) the at least one non-time-critical session into respective sequences of bursts and silent periods, and transmitting (305) the sequences of bursts and silent periods to the RAN. The reshaping (304) of the non-time-critical sessions is performed such that bursts, or silent periods, or both, of the at least one non-time-critical session are aligned with bursts, silent periods, or both, respectively, of the streaming session. By timely aligning the respective bursts and silent periods with each other, the duration of common silent periods may be increased, thereby utilizing air interface resources more efficiently.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and an arrangement for the power management of a digital communication line such as a digital subscriber line DSL. A problem addressed by the invention is that the transitioning of the digital subscriber line from a low transmission power state to a high transmission power state can cause disturbance to adjacent lines. This problem is solved by the current invention by an access node AN that is arranged to step-wise increase the power state until the high transmission power state has been reached. The invention also comprises embodiments of monitoring and detecting traffic events that serve as triggers of the transitioning.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a transmitting node for transmitting data to a receiving node over at least one Ethernet link comprising a data communication unit arranged to transmit data over the at least one Ethernet link, and a control unit arranged to control the data communication unit so as to maintain the at least one Ethernet link in a link active state, characterized in that the control unit is arranged to operate in a first IDLE state in which IDLE data packets are transmitted periodically through the data communication unit over the at least one Ethernet link according to at least one predetermined IDLE data packet timing interval, and in said first IDLE state, power down at least one component comprised in the data communication unit in between the periodic transmissions of IDLE data packets. The present invention further relates to a method for use in a transmitting node, a receiving node, a network node and a system.

Abstract: A client terminal and method for receiving Internet Protocol (IP) media packets over an IP distribution network. The client terminal includes a plurality of interfaces to the IP distribution network, the interfaces configured to receive media packets according to multicast, unicast, and peer-to-peer media distribution protocols. A media cache controller determines whether the media packets received over the interfaces are tagged as non-cacheable. If so, the media cache controller passes the media packets to a decoder for decoding and transmission to a video renderer. When the received media packets are not tagged as non-cacheable, the media cache controller caches the media packets in a local cache, and subsequently distributes the cached media packets to another client terminal or to a caching node using the unicast or the peer-to-peer media distribution protocol. Media packets received using one media distribution protocol may be distributed using a different media distribution protocol.

Abstract: A telecommunication node such as a home gateway and a method of routing data packets received from customer premises devices connected to the node. The node includes an operator-configurable service profile table for storing service profiles and a user-configurable customer devices table for storing the source addresses of the customer premises devices and associations between each source address and at least one of the service profiles. The operator controls service provisioning while the user can freely allocate the customer premises devices to different service profiles and can access a plurality of services from the same device.

Abstract: A method and network node for distributing media across an IP network, the network node having multicast and peer-to-peer ingress interfaces, and unicast and peer-to-peer egress interfaces. For each of a plurality of contents, the network node selects an ingress interface and receives media packets representing the content at the selected interface. For each media packet received, the network node determines from information conveyed in the media packet whether that media packet can be cached at the network node and caches the media packet if permitted. When the network node receives a request from a further network node for a given content, the network node selects an egress interface and forwards media packets representing the given content to the further network node over that selected interface. If media packets representing the given content were cached, the cached media packets are forwarded to the further network node.

Abstract: A method of, and an arrangement for handling OAM messages received from at least one originating end-node of a communication network and having the purpose of providing information on the connectivity between a respective originating end-node and a corresponding terminating end-node is provided. The amount of OAM messages forwarded from the first intermediate node to a second intermediate node via a physical link may be limited by forwarding a received OAM message via the physical link in case a link state indicator associated with the physical link is not updated, and by responding to a received OAM message on the basis of the link state indicator without forwarding it via the physical link in case the indicator is updated. The link state indicator may be updated on the basis of the response to an intermediate OAM message, originating at the first intermediate node.

Abstract: A method for an access network node, and the access network node, to provide a user device access to a service enabled by an IMS network, comprising the steps of: setting up an IP tunnel for communication with the user device, sending an authentication request to the user device via the tunnel, receiving a response to the authentication request from the user device via the tunnel, authenticating the user device, sending a registration request comprising an IMPU associated with the user device to an IMS network node, receiving a confirmation message from the IMS network node that the user device is authenticated, sending an authorization confirmation message via the IP tunnel that the user device is authorized, receiving a service request via the IP tunnel from the user device to start the service, sending a service session initiation message to an application server associated with the service.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for enabling optimisation of the utilisation of the throughput capacity of a first and a second interface of an eNB, where the first and the second interface alternate in having the lowest throughput capacity, and thereby take turns in limiting the combined data throughput over the two interfaces. In the method, data is received over the first interface and then cached in one of the higher layers of the Internet Protocol stack. The output from the cache of data to be sent over the second interface is controlled, based on the available throughput capacity of the second interface. Thereby, the alternating limiting effect of the interfaces is levelled out.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an arrangement comprising an Ethernet carrier network, managed by a management system (100) and comprising a number of levels of management domains, each comprising a number of edge nodes (10, 20, 30, 40) and a number of intermediate nodes (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8). Each edge node (10, 20, 30, 40) comprises fault detection of connectivity check messages and fault locating means with holding means (11, 21, 31, 41) adapted to hold path information for the paths to all other edge nodes. A fault detection means of an edge node having detected a fault is adapted to activate edge node fault locating means to locate the fault using the patch information in the edge node holding means to find a first target intermediate node substantially in the middle of the path containing the fault, and to, directly, send a first loop back message to said intermediate node.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a transmitting node for transmitting data to a receiving node over at least one Ethernet link comprising a data communication unit arranged to transmit data over the at least one Ethernet link, and a control unit arranged to control the data communication unit so as to maintain the at least one Ethernet link in a link active state, characterized in that the control unit is arranged to operate in a first IDLE state in which IDLE data packets are transmitted periodically through the data communication unit over the at least one Ethernet link according to at least one predetermined IDLE data packet timing interval, and in said first IDLE state, power down at least one component comprised in the data communication unit in between the periodic transmissions of IDLE data packets. The present invention further relates to a method for use in a transmitting node, a receiving node, a network node and a system.

Abstract: The present invention is arranged to provide an improved way of remote access to locally transmitted multicast television channels. The invention relates to a communication unit for communication of IPTV channels to at least one user unit. It comprises a receiver arranged to receive a set of IPTV channels, and a distribution channel set up unit arranged to set up one separate distribution channel to each user unit so as to distribute one of the IPTV channels in said set of IPTV channels over each distribution channel. The present invention further relates to a method for providing remote access to a first IPTV network.