Abstract: A service group based dynamic optimization of WWAN and WLAN aggregation in user equipment (UE) is described. The UE has a first radio access technology (RAT) interface associated with a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) based interface that is served by a corresponding base station (BS), and a second RAT interface associated with a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) based interface that is served by an Access Point (AP), wherein, for downlink communications, the first and second RAT interfaces are aggregated. Each UE belongs to at least one service group, wherein the UE performs service group based dynamic optimization of WWAN and WLAN aggregation, with flow split ratios and resource allocation between RAT interfaces being jointly optimized for each service group and each RAT interface.

Abstract: User equipments (UEs) that have multiple radio access technologies (RATs) are grouped together so that each group may be subjected to its own set of medium access (MAC) protocols for each RAT, while a flow destined for a UE may be communicated via one or multiple aggregated RAT interfaces on the said UE. The network operator or service provider that serves a plurality of subscribers defines a service group for said plurality of subscribers and controls the corresponding virtualized MACs for the said service group.

Abstract: Disclosed within is a communication architecture for medium access control (MAC) layer virtualization, where the architecture is made up of: a physical MAC layer, a plurality of physical resource blocks (RBs) associated with the MAC layer, a plurality of virtual medium access control (vMAC) layers, where each vMAC layer corresponds to a separate service group, with each service group programming its own scheduling logic in each vMAC layer, and a plurality of virtual resource blocks (vRBs) associated with each vMAC layer, where the vRBs are filled with data packets according to the scheduling logic in each vMAC instance. The physical MAC layer virtualizes the RBs as vRBs and assigns them to each vMAC layer according to a service level agreement associated with each service group, and each vMAC maps traffic flows of subscribers associated with it onto the assigned vRBs.

Abstract: One or both end points of the communication and a network controller of a software defined network (SDN) agree on a definition of a traffic flow that varies as a function of time, where communicating end points vary one or more fields of the packet headers at the sender side before sending the flow packets to the network according to an agreed upon procedure with the network controller. The network controller dynamically updates the forwarding tables in forwarding elements such that whenever source node transitions into the next epoch, and thus alter the header fields, a corresponding forwarding rule is already installed onto the forwarding elements along the route of the packet towards the other end point of the communication, referred to as destination node.

Abstract: A system and method implemented at a base station: assesses, for each channel in an unlicensed frequency spectrum for use by the base station, a list of quality of service (QoS) class indicator (QCI) values, receives a packet flow having an associated packet flow QCI value, identifies at least one channel in the unlicensed frequency spectrum having the associated packet flow QCI value in its list of QCI values, and allows the packet flow in the unlicensed frequency spectrum on the at least one channel identified, where the packet flow is allowed in the unlicensed frequency spectrum for any of the following: for the uplink, for the downlink, or for both uplink and downlink.

Abstract: Any one of the following dual connectivity attributes is assigned to a group profile of each service group: (1) macro cell only (serving both data/control planes via a macro cell base station.), (2) small cell only (serving data/control planes via a small cell base station), (3) dual connectivity enabled-A (serving data plane of UEs via a small cell base station, and serving control plane via a macro cell base station), and (4) dual connectivity enabled-B (serving data plane via both a macro cell base station and a small cell base station, and serving control plane via a macro cell base station), wherein the RAN controller calculates and sets the optimal splitting between the macro cell base station and the small cell base station dynamically, such that desired load balancing is achieved.

Abstract: Base stations as well as Radio Access Network (RAN) controllers have embedded communication agents that are responsible from control messaging between these entities that enable creation and management of RAN Slices. At a given time, it is possible that multiple active RAN slices co-exist on the same base station, where each RAN slice may run its own scheduler, its own admission control and have its own handoff management parameter values.

Abstract: Any one of the following dual connectivity attributes is assigned to a group profile of each service group: (1) macro cell only (serving both data/control planes via a macro cell base station.), (2) small cell only (serving data/control planes via a small cell base station), (3) dual connectivity enabled-A (serving data plane of UEs via a small cell base station, and serving control plane via a macro cell base station), and (4) dual connectivity enabled-B (serving data plane via both a macro cell base station and a small cell base station, and serving control plane via a macro cell base station).

Abstract: Disclosed within is a communication architecture for medium access control (MAC) layer virtualization, where the architecture is made up of: a physical MAC layer, a plurality of physical resource blocks (RBs) associated with the MAC layer, a plurality of virtual medium access control (vMAC) layers, where each vMAC layer corresponds to a separate service group, with each service group programming its own scheduling logic in each vMAC layer, and a plurality of virtual resource blocks (vRBs) associated with each vMAC layer, where the vRBs are filled with data packets according to the scheduling logic in each vMAC instance. The physical MAC layer virtualizes the RBs as vRBs and assigns them to each vMAC layer according to a service level agreement associated with each service group, and each vMAC maps traffic flows of subscribers associated with it onto the assigned vRBs.

Abstract: Base stations as well as Radio Access Network (RAN) controllers have embedded communication agents that are responsible from control messaging between these entities that enable creation and management of RAN Slices. At a given time, it is possible that multiple active RAN slices co-exist on the same base station, where each RAN slice may run its own scheduler, its own admission control and have its own handoff management parameter values.

Abstract: Base stations as well as Radio Access Network (RAN) controllers have embedded communication agents that are responsible from control messaging between these entities that enable creation and management of RAN Slices. At a given time, it is possible that multiple active RAN slices co-exist on the same base station, where each RAN slice may run its own scheduler, its own admission control and have its own handoff management parameter values.

Abstract: Base stations as well as Radio Access Network (RAN) controllers have embedded communication agents that are responsible from control messaging between these entities that enable creation and management of RAN Slices. At a given time, it is possible that multiple active RAN slices co-exist on the same base station, where each RAN slice may run its own scheduler, its own admission control and have its own handoff management parameter values.

Abstract: User equipments (UEs) that have multiple radio access technologies (RATs) are grouped together so that each group may be subjected to its own set of medium access (MAC) protocols for each RAT, while a flow destined for a UE may be communicated via one or multiple aggregated RAT interfaces on the said UE. The network operator or service provider that serves a plurality of subscribers defines a service group for said plurality of subscribers and controls the corresponding virtualized MACs for the said service group.

Abstract: A service group based dynamic optimization of WWAN and WLAN aggregation in user equipment (UE) is described. The UE has a first radio access technology (RAT) interface associated with a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) based interface that is served by a corresponding base station (BS), and a second RAT interface associated with a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) based interface that is served by an Access Point (AP), wherein, for downlink communications, the first and second RAT interfaces are aggregated. Each UE belongs to at least one service group, wherein the UE performs service group based dynamic optimization of WWAN and WLAN aggregation, with flow split ratios and resource allocation between RAT interfaces being jointly optimized for each service group and each RAT interface.

Abstract: Any one of the following dual connectivity attributes is assigned to a group profile of each service group: (1) macro cell only (serving both data/control planes via a macro cell base station.), (2) small cell only (serving data/control planes via a small cell base station), (3) dual connectivity enabled-A (serving data plane of UEs via a small cell base station, and serving control plane via a macro cell base station), and (4) dual connectivity enabled-B (serving data plane via both a macro cell base station and a small cell base station, and serving control plane via a macro cell base station).

Abstract: Any one of the following dual connectivity attributes is assigned to a group profile of each service group: (1) macro cell only (serving both data/control planes via a macro cell base station.), (2) small cell only (serving data/control planes via a small cell base station), (3) dual connectivity enabled-A (serving data plane of UEs via a small cell base station, and serving control plane via a macro cell base station), and (4) dual connectivity enabled-B (serving data plane via both a macro cell base station and a small cell base station, and serving control plane via a macro cell base station), wherein the RAN controller calculates and sets the optimal splitting between the macro cell base station and the small cell base station dynamically, such that desired load balancing is achieved.

Abstract: A joint optimization module (jointly optimizing MRO and MLB) includes: (a) an interpolator receiving a measurement report containing: signal strength/quality values, other performance indicator values, and load values reported by each base station; identifying one or more time instances that lack measurements (of signal strength/quality, performance indicator, or load values), and interpolating values for such time instances; (b) a storage unit storing the received measurement report and interpolated measurement values; (c) a MLB unit receiving the measurement report and outputting optimized HO parameters from a load balancing perspective to an optimizer; (d) a MRO unit receiving the measurement report and outputting optimized HO parameters based on reducing HO related link failures; and (e) an optimizer optimizing, jointly for both MLB and MRO, one or more HO parameters per user group based on the stored measurement reports and interpolated measurement values, the MLB module output, and the MRO module output

Abstract: Base stations as well as Radio Access Network (RAN) controllers have embedded communication agents that are responsible from control messaging between these entities that enable creation and management of RAN Slices. At a given time, it is possible that multiple active RAN slices co-exist on the same base station, where each RAN slice may run its own scheduler, its own admission control and have its own handoff management parameter values.

Abstract: A hand over (HO) parameter optimization module includes: (a) an interpolator that receives a measurement report comprising: (1) signal strength or signal quality values as measured by an user equipment (UE), (2) performance indicator values as measured by the UE, and (3) load values associated with at least one base station that serves the UE, identifying one or more time instances that lack signal strength, signal quality, performance indicator, or load values, and interpolating values for the identified one or more time instances; (b) storage that stores the received measurement report and interpolated values; and (c) an optimizer that optimizes one or more HO parameters per group based on stored measurement reports and interpolated values.

Abstract: A system and method implemented at a base station: assesses, for each channel in an unlicensed frequency spectrum for use by the base station, a list of quality of service (QoS) class indicator (QCI) values, receives a packet flow having an associated packet flow QCI value, identifies at least one channel in the unlicensed frequency spectrum having the associated packet flow QCI value in its list of QCI values, and allows the packet flow in the unlicensed frequency spectrum on the at least one channel identified, where the packet flow is allowed in the unlicensed frequency spectrum for any of the following: for the uplink, for the downlink, or for both uplink and downlink.