Abstract: In one aspect, the present invention advantageously provides far greater granularity in adjusting the maximum (schedulable) uplink bit rates of users than is directly available from a defined grant table that is used for making scheduled uplink grants to those users. As a non-limiting example, the EUL scheduler in a NodeB in a WCDMA network calculates the “effective” bit rate desired for one or more users over a given time interval, and determines the pattern of scheduling grants to make from the grant table over that interval, to produce the desired effective bit rate(s). This capability enables the EUL scheduler to make relatively fine fractional adjustments to the aggregate uplink data rate for a plurality of users, thus allowing much more precise reductions in the aggregate uplink data rate of those users. The EUL scheduler makes these more precise adjustments, for example, in response to indications of congestion on the backhaul connection between the NodeB and its supporting RNC.

Abstract: The invention discloses a method (200, 300, 400) for traffic control in a cellular telephony system (100) comprising a number of cells, each cell comprising at least one Radio Base Station, RBS, (170). The system (100) comprises at least one Radio Network Controller, RNC, (110 130 150), for the control of a number of Radio Base stations. The traffic between an RBS and an RNC comprises a number of flows. The invention is intended for the control of flows from the Radio Base Stations to their RNC. The method uses one control function for each flow from each of said Radio Base Stations, and also comprises a congestion detection function (220) which detects the presence or absence of congestion in the traffic from an RBS to an RNC, and which, upon detection of congestion reduces the bit rate of the congested traffic, and in the absence of congestion, increases the bit rate of the previously congested traffic.

Abstract: In one aspect, a mechanism is provided to resolve the Iub transport network congestion in the uplink direction by using the transmission window of the RLC to control the transfer rate of the flow. The RNC (110) detects the Iub TN congestion for the flow in the uplink. The EUL flow control running in the RNC (110) calculates the RLC transmission window size for the UE for the flow and the calculated RLC transmission window size is signaled to the peer RLC entity in the UE (130) through an RLC STATUS PDU.

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. A determining unit (911) determines at periodically repeated times, for each of the data flows, whether there are more data frames in the first node waiting to be transmitted. A capacity allocating unit (919) allocates for each of those data flows for which no data frames have been waiting to be transmitted for a predetermined time period, only a small amount of the totally available bitrate or bandwidth for transmission from the first node to the second node. It also allocates for each of the remaining data flows, for transmission from the first node to the second node, a share of the rest of the totally available bitrate or bandwidth, so that the sum of the shares for all said remaining data flows is equal to the rest.

Abstract: A method of controlling the rate of traffic flow through an Iub interface of a Radio Network Controller is described. The method includes obtaining a licensed rate, which defines the maximum throughput permitted through the Iub interface, at the Radio Network Controller. The rate of traffic flow through the Iub interface and all Iu interfaces of the Radio Network Controller is measured, and the extent to which packet switched traffic flow through the Iub interface exceeds the licensed rate identified. If the packet switched traffic flow through the Iub interface exceeds the licensed rate, packets are dropped from traffic flow through the Iub interface to reduce the traffic flow to the licensed rate.

Abstract: Each of a plurality of data frames transmitted from a first node to a second node carry information belonging to one of a plurality of data flows. A determining unit determines at periodically repeated times, for each of the data flows, whether there are more data frames in the first node waiting to be transmitted. A capacity allocating unit allocates for each of those data flows for which no data frames have been waiting to be transmitted for a predetermined time period only a small amount of the totally available bandwidth for transmission from the first node to the second node. It also allocates for each of the remaining data flows a share of the rest of the totally available bandwidth such that the sum of the shares for all said remaining data flows is equal to the rest.

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: 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: 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: For a mobile radio connection having at least two uplink flows, a determination is made whether one of the uplink flows from a non-serving cell has a better radio link quality than another of the uplink flows from a serving cell. A congestion condition in the radio access transport network is monitored for those uplink flows. If congestion in the radio access transport network for the non-serving cell uplink flow is detected when that uplink flow is associated with the better radio link quality, then a message is generated for transmission to the mobile radio terminal to reduce a rate at which the mobile radio terminal transmits data for the connection to the radio access transport network rather than the non-serving cell discarding uplink data packets.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for controlling, according to an additive increase multiplicative decrease (AIMD) principle, the bandwidth sharing among contending traffic flows over a transport network between a radio network controller and a radio base station. According to the method, a relative bit-rate (RBR) is determined (210) for each traffic flow; and the bit-rates of said traffic flows are controlled (220) such that additive increase operations of said AIMD principle depend on the respective RBR of each traffic flow. Embodiments of the invention strive at supporting Gold, Silver and Bronze HSDPA and/or EUL bit-rate subscriptions over a single TN QoS class.

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: 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: The invention discloses a method for detecting and controlling traffic congestion in a wireless telecommunications system (100, 300, 400) comprising at least a first node (130, 330, 430) such as a Radio Base Station, and at least one second node (110, 310, 410) such as a Radio Network Controller, the system also comprising a Transport Network, TN (120, 320, 420), for conveying traffic between said first and second nodes, in which system (100, 300, 400) the traffic can comprise one or more flow. The method comprises the use of one flow control function (315, 415) per each of said flows, said one flow control function (315, 415) comprising a congestion detection and control function. In addition, the congestion detection function acts to reduce the traffic on said flow before the system becomes congested.

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: The present invention is related to a method, base station (RBS) and computer program for quickly recovering from a detected congestion over the air interface. First the current bitrate at the which the air interface congestion has been detected is stored as a new reference bitrate. Thereafter, the base station (RBS) requests a reduction of the bitrate associated with the air interface. When the congestion condition has subsided the base station (RBS) requests a boost of the bitrate associated with the air interface up to the stored new reference bitrate. When finally the new reference bitrate has been reached, the base station (RBS) requests a linear increase of the bitrate associated with the air interface.

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: For a mobile radio connection having at least two uplink flows, a determination is made whether one of the uplink flows from a non-serving cell has a better radio link quality than another of the uplink flows from a serving cell. A congestion condition in the radio access transport network is monitored for those uplink flows. If congestion in the radio access transport network for the non-serving cell uplink flow is detected when that uplink flow is associated with the better radio link quality, then a message is generated for transmission to the mobile radio terminal to reduce a rate at which the mobile radio terminal transmits data for the connection to the radio access transport network rather than the non-serving cell discarding uplink data packets.

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.

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.