Abstract: In one aspect, the invention provides an adaptive admission control method. In some embodiments, this method includes: (a) storing an admission control threshold value (ACTV) for a GBR capacity partition; (b) for at least a plurality of GBR bearers included in the GBR partition, determining a first performance value for the GBR bearer and determining whether the first performance value for the GBR bearer exceeds a first configured threshold; (c) determine a first percentage value identifying the percentage of GBR bearers included in the GBR capacity partition whose first performance value exceeds the first configured threshold; (d) comparing the first percentage value to a first performance threshold value; and (e) using the result of the comparison in determining whether the ACTV should be increased, decreased or remain the same.

Abstract: The invention relates to a first communication device arranged to provide congestion indications to a second communication device. The first communication device comprises a control unit arranged to determine to apply an indicating congestion mechanism on a first radio bearer to the second communication device based on a quality of service setting of the first radio bearer. The control unit is further arranged to set a congestion threshold value and a first drop threshold value of a packet buffer associated to the first determined radio bearer. The congestion threshold value indicates that when buffered packets in the packet buffer exceeds the set congestion threshold value the control unit is arranged further to transmit over a transmitting arrangement at least one congestion indication to the second communication device.

Abstract: A modified token bucket algorithm in a rate shaping function of a wireless communication network allows for the “borrowing” of tokens, creating the possibility of a token debt, or a token bucket with a negative Token Bucket Counter (TBC) value. In this modified algorithm, an incoming packet is passed along so long as the TBC is positive, even if the packet must “borrow” some tokens, driving the TBC negative. Subsequent incoming packets are stalled until the TBC reaches a positive value. In one embodiment, the modified token bucket algorithm is not applied to a separate rate shaper, but rather to a queue size limiter that operates with a scheduler on a single queue. The inventive scheduler and queue size limiter deliver fewer, larger packets for transmission, allowing for more efficient packing within transmission frames (reducing or eliminating required padding), and allowing other traffic to be scheduled, thus increasing system throughput.