MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ARCHITECTURE
A mobile telecommunications architecture is disclosed. A downlink mobile telecommunications signaling message is received via a first communication interface associated with a single shared network controller connection to a mobile switching center (MSC) server. The downlink mobile telecommunications signaling message is mapped to one of a plurality of small scale base stations each of which is configured to perform at least some network controller functions.
Latest BROADCOM CORPORATION Patents:
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/290,870, filed Nov. 3, 2008, now allowed, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/001,749 entitled MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS ARCHITECTURE filed Nov. 2, 2007 which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONTraditionally connectivity to a mobile telecommunications network, such as a mobile telephone network, has been provided via a mobile switching center (MSC), e.g., an MSC server. Each MSC server traditionally connected via network connections to a relatively limited number of radio network controllers (RNC), in UMTS parlance, or base station controllers (BSC) in GSM network terminology. Each such controller typically connected to and controlled a number of macrocellular bases stations, referred to as “node B” in UMTS terminology and as base transceiver stations (BTS) in a GSM network. Each controller typically had a T-1 or similar connection to each base station. Each base station included a large tower or other structure on which one or more transceivers were mounted to provide coverage for users who transited a coverage area or “cell” with which the base station was associated. Since a relatively few number of base station controllers (e.g., RNC or BSC) could support collective a relatively large number of base stations, typically MSC servers (and other MSC's) have been configured to support at most a limited number of controllers (e.g., RNC or BSC), e.g., on the order of 4,000.
In recent years, femtocells and other small scale base stations have been developed and deployed. As used herein the terms “femto access point”, “UMTS access point” or “UAP”, and small scale base station are used interchangeably to refer to a base station that is small in size relative to a traditional macrocellular base station. Each such base station typically provides coverage for a relatively small geographic coverage area, compared to a traditional macrocellular base station, and/or for a restricted and/or otherwise limited set of subscribers.
Various embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.
The invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as a process; an apparatus; a system; a composition of matter; a computer program product embodied on a computer readable storage medium; and/or a processor, such as a processor configured to execute instructions stored on and/or provided by a memory coupled to the processor. In this specification, these implementations, or any other form that the invention may take, may be referred to as techniques. In general, the order of the steps of disclosed processes may be altered within the scope of the invention. Unless stated otherwise, a component such as a processor or a memory described as being configured to perform a task may be implemented as a general component that is temporarily configured to perform the task at a given time or a specific component that is manufactured to perform the task. As used herein, the term ‘processor’ refers to one or more devices, circuits, and/or processing cores configured to process data, such as computer program instructions.
A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the invention is provided below along with accompanying figures that illustrate the principles of the invention. The invention is described in connection with such embodiments, but the invention is not limited to any embodiment. The scope of the invention is limited only by the claims and the invention encompasses numerous alternatives, modifications and equivalents. Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. These details are provided for the purpose of example and the invention may be practiced according to the claims without some or all of these specific details. For the purpose of clarity, technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the invention has not been described in detail so that the invention is not unnecessarily obscured.
Projecting multiple radio network controllers (RNC) or other base station controllers to an MSC server or other MSC as a single logical controller is disclosed. As used herein the UMTS term “radio network controller” or “RNC” is used generically to reference to a UMTS RNC or a corresponding base station controller or other corresponding entity in a non-UMTS network. In some embodiments, each of a plurality of femtocells or other base stations is configured to operation at least in part as a radio network (or other base station) controller. Signaling messages and/or voice/data traffic from a plurality of such base stations is received via an IP or other public or private network and aggregated at a femtocells (or other) gateway (FGW) and provide upstream to an MSC server (or other MSC) via a single, shared RNC connection to the MSC. Downlink messages from the MSC server are mapped to individual femtocells (or other base stations) and each message is provided via the aforementioned network to the femtocell (or other base station) with which the message is associated.
Using the approach disclosed herein each of a very large number of femtocells or other FAP's in the service area of an MSC server may be configured to perform at least some functions traditionally performed by an RNC, potentially exceeding by large margin a maximum number of RNC connections the MSC server may be configured to support, thereby supporting in home or other deployment of a large number of femtocells or other base stations without requiring changes to legacy MSC servers.
Although the foregoing embodiments have been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, the invention is not limited to the details provided. There are many alternative ways of implementing the invention. The disclosed embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive.
Claims
1. A method, comprising:
- receiving, by a gateway configured to aggregate a plurality of radio network controllers over a shared radio network controller connection, uplink messages from respective ones of a plurality of small scale base stations configured to perform functions of the plurality of radio network controllers, the uplink messages comprising data from different sources;
- aggregating, by the gateway, the uplink messages; and
- transmitting, by the gateway, the aggregated uplink messages as a single stream to a mobile switching center (MSC) server via the shared radio network controller connection.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
- receiving, by the gateway, a downlink message; and
- mapping, by the gateway, the downlink message to one of the plurality of small scale base stations.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
- routing the downlink message to the one of the plurality of small scale base stations,
- wherein the mapping, by the gateway, comprises associating a snooped signaling connection control part (SCCP) identifier with a stream control transmission protocol (SCTP) stream that is associated with the one of the plurality of small scale base stations.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the routing further comprises:
- associating the downlink message via a communication protocol stream associated with the one of the plurality of small scale base stations.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein the mapping further comprises:
- reading from the downlink message an identifier associated with the one of the plurality of small scale base stations; and
- establishing a mapping between the identifier and a downlink communication protocol stream associated with the one of the plurality of small scale base stations.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting further comprises:
- presenting the single stream of the aggregated uplink messages as being from a single logical radio network controller.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
- communicating with the MSC server via a private internet protocol (IP) network.
8. A mobile telecommunications gateway, comprising:
- a communication interface associated with a single shared radio network controller connection, wherein the mobile telecommunications gateway aggregates a plurality of radio network controllers over the single shared network controller connection; and
- a processor coupled to the communication interface and configured to: receive from respective ones of a plurality of small scale base stations uplink messages, the uplink messages comprising data from different sources; aggregate the uplink messages; and transmit the aggregated uplink messages as a single stream to a mobile switching center (MSC) server via the single shared radio network controller connection.
9. The mobile telecommunications gateway of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:
- receive, via the communication interface, a downlink message; and
- map the downlink message to one of the plurality of small scale base stations, the small scale base stations being configured to perform functions of the plurality of radio network controllers.
10. The mobile telecommunications gateway of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to associate a snooped signaling connection control part (SCCP) identifier with a stream control transmission protocol (SCTP) stream that is associated with one of the plurality of small scale base stations.
11. The mobile telecommunications gateway of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to establish a mapping between an identifier associated with the one of the plurality of small scale base stations and a downlink communication protocol stream associated with the one of the plurality of small scale base stations.
12. The mobile telecommunications gateway of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to use the identifier to read from a stored data structure corresponding data identifying a downlink communication interface associated with the one of the plurality of small scale base stations.
13. The mobile telecommunications gateway of claim 8, wherein:
- the respective ones of the plurality of small scale base stations comprise femtocells;
- the plurality of radio network controllers comprise universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) radio network controllers; and
- the communication interface comprises a network interface.
14. The mobile telecommunications gateway of claim 8, wherein the shared radio network controller connection comprises at least one of:
- an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) connection;
- an SCTP over internet protocol (IP); or
- another IP or other network connection.
15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having control logic recorded thereon that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform a method for instrumenting software code in a gateway configured to aggregate a plurality of radio network controllers over a shared radio network controller connection, the method comprising:
- receiving uplink messages from respective ones of a plurality of small scale base stations configured to perform functions of the plurality of radio network controllers, the uplink messages comprising data from different sources;
- aggregating the uplink messages; and
- transmitting the aggregated uplink messages as a single stream to a mobile switching center (MSC) server via the shared radio network controller connection.
16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:
- receiving a downlink message; and
- mapping the downlink message to one of the plurality of small scale base stations.
17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising:
- routing the downlink message to the one of the plurality of small scale base stations,
- wherein the mapping comprises associating a snooped signaling connection control part (SCCP) identifier with a stream control transmission protocol (SCTP) stream that is associated with the one of the plurality of small scale base stations.
18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the routing further comprises:
- associating the downlink message via a communication protocol stream associated with the one of the plurality of small scale base stations.
19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the mapping further comprises:
- reading from the downlink message an identifier associated with the one of the plurality of small scale base stations; and
- establishing a mapping between the identifier and a downlink communication protocol stream associated with the one of the plurality of small scale base stations.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the transmitting further comprises:
- presenting the single stream of the aggregated uplink messages as being from a single logical radio network controller.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 23, 2014
Publication Date: Jul 17, 2014
Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION (Irvine, CA)
Inventors: Yan Zhang (Bellevue, WA), Ahmed Tariq (Port Coquitlam)
Application Number: 14/162,379
International Classification: H04W 72/04 (20060101);