Abstract: In a multi flow HSDPA system comprising a RNC (402) and a plurality of NodeB's (404, 406), the present disclosure includes (re-) use of original active queue management, AQM, based congestion control, ABCC for a primary link (421). For every detected congestion, an end-user IP packet is destroyed. ABCC is not used for the secondary link (422), which means that application level TCP will not be informed about congestion on the secondary link (422). The radio link control, RLC, protocol data units, PDU, (432) are distributed among links based on the congestion status of the links. If secondary link (422) is congested then more packets will be transmitted on the primary link (421). This makes it possible to use TCP compatible congestion control for multi flow HSDPA, without the drawback that would result from TCP reacting unnecessarily on flow bitrate decrease.

Abstract: It is presented a method performed in a first radio base station, RBS, in communication with a radio network controller, RNC. The RNC is configured for multi-flow HSDPA, High-Speed Downlink Packet Access, operation and packet data units, PDUs, are communicated toward a user equipment, UE, node via the first RBS and at least one second RBS. The method comprises: detecting PDU drop events and/or loss events; and communicating information from the RBS to the RNC, notifying of each detected PDU drop event and/or loss event. A corresponding RBS and RNC are also presented.

Abstract: A method of handling a data packet stream at different communication protocol layer levels of a communication protocol layer stack of an UMTS communication device is provided. The method comprises: Receiving a data packet stream at the communication device; Determining whether, in case of a loss of a data packet of the data packet stream, it is possible to retransmit the lost data packet to the communication device; and immediately transmitting data packets of the data packet stream succeeding the lost data packet from a MAC protocol layer level to a RLC protocol layer level if it is determined that the lost data packet cannot be retransmitted to the communication device, and otherwise storing data packets of the data packet stream succeeding the lost data packet for a third period of time at the MAC protocol layer level, which third period of time is longer than the second time period.

Abstract: A multi-mode congestion control is employed in a transport network interconnecting a radio access node and a control node of a communication network. The transport network employs a window-based state providing a window-based congestion control mode for a data flow. This mode involves notifying an application level transport protocol implemented in a sending source of the communication network of any detected congestion event. If a congestion event in the transport network is detected a switch to a rate-based state is performed. The rate-based state provides a rate-based congestion control mode involving transmitting a rate-reducing message from the radio access node to the control node to trigger a reduction in the bitrate of the data flow in response to the detected congestion event.

Abstract: A method for use in a Transport Network, TN, in a Radio Access Network, RAN, in an HSPA enabled cellular system. The method comprises inspecting and/or queuing data frames which are sent over at least part of the TN between a Radio Network Controller, RNC, and a NodeB in the cellular system, and using the inspected and queued data frames to identify flows in said at least part of the TN and to detect congestion in said at least part of the TN. The method further comprises taking a congestion control action using identified flows and/or detected congestion in said at least part of the TN.

Abstract: Congestion is detected in a radio access transport network that includes radio network controllers and base stations. Data packet flows associated with mobile radio communications are controlled in the radio access transport network by a corresponding flow control entity. Each flow is monitored for congestion in the transport network. A flow control action is determined in response to the detected congestion. Performance of the flow control action is delayed for a predetermined delay period before the flow control action may be performed. Delaying flow control action after congestion is detected allows other affected flows to detect or be notified of the congestion, thereby making congestion detection more fair.

Abstract: The present invention proposes a solution in the area of HSDPA flow control. It proposes an improvement to transport network congestion detection and avoidance. The improvement proposes to use a measurement of incoming bitrate to determine the reduction of bitrate after a transport network congestion event. The advantage is that high bitrate reduction is only used when it is necessary; otherwise only small bitrate reduction is used, which results in small oscillation, and consequently higher transport network utilization.

Abstract: A method of preparing data packets for transport over a telecommunications transport network is disclosed. The data packets relate to different ones of a plurality of services. The method includes inspecting each of the data packets to identify the service to which the data packet relates. The identified service of the packet is mapped to a Quality of Service (QoS) type. A bandwidth profiling scheme is applied to the data packets, the profiling scheme identifying and marking each data packet according to whether or not the data packet conforms with a predetermined committed information rate for the QoS type. The marked data packets are forwarded for transport through the transport network. Related devices are also disclosed.

Abstract: A Radio Network Controller, an RNC (105), for an HSPA enabled cellular access system. The RNC is arranged to be connected to a Radio Base Station (110) by a Transport Network (120) through which the RNC (105) sends and receives traffic to and from UEs (115). The RNC (105) comprises a function (210) for Radio Link Control, RLC, for the UEs, and is arranged to detect congestion in the Transport Network (120) to or from each UE. The RNC (105) is arranged to, when detecting congestion in the Transport Network (120) to or from a UE (115), use its RLC function (210) to discard an RLC Service Data Unit, SDU, in a receive buffer, the receive buffer being in the UE (115) if the congestion is in the direction to the UE (115) and in the RNC (105) if the congestion is in the direction from the UE (115).

Abstract: A method is provided for transporting data packets over a telecommunications transport network. The data packets are carried by a plurality of bearers, the bearers each carrying data packets that relate to different ones of a plurality of services. In the method a multi-level bandwidth profiling scheme is applied to the data packets of each bearer. A series of information rates are assigned to a bearer, the profiling scheme identifying and marking each data packet of the bearer based on a desired resource sharing according to the minimum information rate with which the packet is conformant. The marked data packets are forwarded for transport through the transport network. If there is insufficient bandwidth available in the transport network to transport all data packets, data packets identified by the profiling and marked as only being conformant with a higher information rate are discarded before any data packets marked as being conformant with a lower information rate.

Abstract: A system, method, and network node for dynamically controlling throughput over an air interface between a mobile terminal and a radio telecommunication system. A Gateway GPRS Service Node (GGSN) receives a plurality of traffic flows for the mobile terminal and uses a Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) module to determine a target delay class for each traffic flow. The GGSN signals the target delay class of each traffic flow to a Radio Network Controller (RNC) utilizing per-packet marking within a single radio access bearer (RAB). The RNC defines a separate virtual queue for each delay class on a per-RAB basis, and instructs a Node B serving the mobile terminal to do the same. The Node B services the queues according to packet transmission delays associated with each queue. A flow control mechanism in the Node B sets a packet queue length for each queue to optimize transmission performance.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and an arrangement in a communication network node (15) of achieving an optimal initial shaping rate for a new packet flow on a transport network between said communication network node (15) and a second communication network node (10) in a communication network system. The shaping rates of ongoing packet flows on said transport network are determined. And, based on said determined shaping rates of ongoing packet flows, an initial shaping rate for said new packet flow is selected so as to obtain a maximized fairness among all shaping rates.

Abstract: Congestion is detected in a radio access transport network including one or more radio network controllers each coupled to one or more radio base stations. Multiple data packet flows are each associated with a mobile radio terminal communication, and each flow is controlled in the radio access transport network by a corresponding flow control entity. They are monitored for congestion in the transport network. If a congestion area in the transport network is detected for one of the monitored data packet flows, then a determination is made whether other monitored data packet flows share the detected congestion area. Congestion notification information is communicated to the flow control entities corresponding to the other monitored data packet flows that share the detected congestion area. Based on the congestion notification information, the informed flow control entities may take a flow control action, e.g., to enable fair sharing of communications resources in the transport network.

Abstract: A radio base station (RBS) is described herein that detects when a high-speed downlink shared channel (HS-DSCH) data frame (110) is lost after it was transmitted by a radio network controller (RNC) over a transport link (Iub) towards the RBS (104). To accomplish this, the RBS (104) upon receiving a HS-DSCH data frame (110) inspects a frame sequence number (302) located within the received HS-DSCH data frame (110) to determine if the frame sequence number (302) is in sequence with a frame sequence number (302) located within a previously received HS-DSCH data frame (110). If the two frame sequence numbers (302) are not in sequence, then one or more HS-DSCH data frames (110) that were previously transmitted towards the radio base station (104) have been lost.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided to resolve the Iub transport network congestion efficiently for HSDPA by dynamic adjustment of the transmit window of the RLC. The RLC protocol is extended with congestion control functionality. The Iub TN and Uu congestion detection method in the Node-B signals the congestion to the RNC, and this congestion indication is used by RLC to react on the congestion situation. In the RNC, the transmission window of the RLC is adjusted to control the flow rate. When congestion is detected, the RLC transmission window size is decreased. When there is no congestion, then the RLC transmission window size is increased automatically. Different types of congestion are distinguished and are handled in different ways. Alternatively, congestion control is achieved without any modification in the RLC layer from the existing standard. Here, RLC STATUS PDUs are used to change the RLC transmission window size.

Abstract: A method and network node for dynamically controlling throughput over an air interface between a mobile terminal and a radio telecommunication system. The method detects a type of service being utilized by the mobile terminal, and dynamically selects a target delay for the traffic between a base station and the mobile terminal. The detecting may be done by a Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) engine implemented in a core network node such as a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN). When the mobile terminal activates a delay-sensitive service, the target delay is dynamically changed to a smaller value to reduce latency. When the mobile terminal deactivates all delay-sensitive services, the target delay is dynamically changed to a larger value to increase throughput.

Abstract: A network includes a first node and a second node and data frames are transmitted from the first node to the second node. Each of the data frames carry information belonging to one of a plurality of data flows. In a flow control unit (125) there is an estimate or measure determining unit (1201) for determining for each of the data flows, at the ends of first time periods having a predetermined first length, an estimate of or a measure representing the total number of received data frames that have been faulty during the first time period. A reference calculating unit (1101) is connected to the estimate or measure determining unit for calculating, based on the determined estimate or measure, a bandwidth capacity reference value determining the currently maximum allowable bandwidth for transmission from the data transmitting node to the data receiving node. The first node can be a radio network controller and the second node a radio base station, the data frames forwarded in an HS-DSCH over an Iub interface.

Abstract: A method for detecting congestion in a transport network is provided. The congestion detection utilizes flow control including relative bitrate. The method comprises counting the number of detected frame loss events for a flow. The method further comprises determining if the number of detected frame losses is greater than or equal to a corresponding threshold, wherein the threshold used is an individual threshold for the flow set taking into account relative bitrate weights of the flow, and detecting transport network congestion for the flow when the number of detected frame losses is greater than or equal to the corresponding threshold.

Abstract: A mechanism is provided to resolve the Iub transport network congestion efficiently for HSDPA by dynamic adjustment of the transmit window of the RLC. The RLC protocol is extended with congestion control functionality. The Iub TN and Uu congestion detection method in the Node-B (120) signals the congestion to the RNC (110), and this congestion indication is used by RLC to react on the congestion situation. In the RNC (110), the transmission window of the RLC is adjusted to control the flow rate. When congestion is detected, the RLC transmission window size is decreased. When there is no congestion, then the RLC transmission window size is increased automatically. Different types of congestion are distinguished and are handled in different ways. Alternatively, congestion control is achieved without any modification in the RLC layer from the existing standard. Here, RLC STATUS PDUs are used to change the RLC transmission window size.

Abstract: In one aspect, a method and apparatus are disclosed that can provide an efficient and robust HSDPA flow control solution. The RNC (110) can receive information regarding allowed data rate from the Node-B (120) for a data flow in a downlink direction. Based on the received data rate information and optionally based on other predetermined considerations, the RNC (110) adjusts the RLC PDU transmission window size for the data flow. When the RLC PDU transmission window is properly sized, reaction to congestion can be performed quicker relative to the existing Iub flow control.