Resource allocation in a radio access network
View Patent ↗In a radio access network, techniques for enabling the network to provide a service availability guarantee to a user of a premium service without requiring the network to identify a priority level of a connection with an access terminal associated with the premium service user prior to connection establishment.
1. A method comprising:
enabling a radio access network to provide a service availability guarantee to a user of a premium service without requiring the radio access network to identify, prior to connection establishment, a priority level of a connection with an access terminal associated with the user; wherein enabling the radio access network to provide the service availability guarantee comprises:
establishing the connection with the access terminal;
classifying the connection as having a low priority level;
maintaining the connection for a period of time while the priority level is identified; and
upgrading the connection to a high priority level if the priority level is identified as the high priority level, the high priority level being a higher priority level relative to the low priority level.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein enabling the radio access network to provide the service availability guarantee further comprises:
establishing a session for the access terminal on the radio access network; and
identifying the priority level based on session information.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein establishing the session comprises:
establishing the session prior to connection establishment.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein establishing the session comprises:
establishing the session after connection establishment.
5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the session information comprises an activated service identifier.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the activated service identifier comprises a premium service identifier or a regular service identifier.
7. The method of claim 2 wherein enabling the radio access network to provide the service availability guarantee further comprises:
identifying the priority level as one of at least two priority levels.
8. The method of claim 2 wherein enabling the radio access network to provide the service availability guarantee further comprises:
identifying the priority level as the low priority level or the high priority level.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein enabling the radio access network to provide the service availability guarantee further comprises:
allocating a resource of the radio access network to the connection based on the priority level.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein enabling the radio access network to provide the service availability guarantee further comprises:
determining whether a resource of the radio access network is to be allocated to the connection based on the priority level.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein enabling the radio access network to provide the service availability guarantee further comprises:
determining whether a resource of the radio access network is available for allocation to the connection based on the priority level.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein enabling the radio access network to provide the service availability guarantee further comprises:
terminating the connection if the priority level cannot be identified within the period of time.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein enabling the radio access network to provide the service availability guarantee further comprises:
terminating a first connection in order to reclaim an allocated resource of the radio access network for subsequent allocation to a second connection, the second connection having a relatively higher priority level than the first connection.
14. A computer readable storage medium that stores executable instructions for use at a radio node controller of a radio access network, the computer readable storage medium being a tangible medium, the instructions for causing one or more processors to:
provide a service availability guarantee to a user of a premium service without requiring the radio access network to identify, prior to connection establishment, a priority level of a connection with an access terminal associated with the user; wherein providing the service availability guarantee comprises:
establishing the connection with the access terminal;
classifying the connection as having a low priority level;
maintaining the connection for a period of time while the priority level is identified; and
upgrading the connection to a high priority level if the priority level is identified as the high priority level, the high priority level being a higher priority level relative to the low priority level.
15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein providing the service availability guarantee further comprises:
determining whether a resource of the radio access network is to be allocated to the connection based on the priority level.
16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein providing the service availability guarantee further comprises:
determining whether a resource of the radio access network is available for allocation to the connection based on the priority level.
17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein providing the service availability guarantee further comprises:
terminating the connection if the priority level cannot be identified within the period of time.
18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein providing the service availability guarantee further comprises:
terminating a first connection in order to reclaim an allocated resource of the radio access network for subsequent allocation to a second connection, the second connection having a relatively higher priority level than the first connection.
19. A radio access network device in a radio access network, comprising:
memory configured to store instructions for execution; and
one or more processors configured to execute the instructions, the instructions for causing the one or more processors to:
provide a service availability guarantee to a user of a premium service without requiring the radio access network to identify, prior to connection establishment, a priority level of a connection with an access terminal associated with the user; wherein providing the service availability guarantee comprises:
establishing the connection with the access terminal;
classifying the connection as having a low priority level;
maintaining the connection for a period of time while the priority level is identified; and
upgrading the connection to a high priority level if the priority level is identified as the high priority level, the high priority level being a higher priority level relative to the low priority level.
20. The radio access network device of claim 19 , wherein the radio access network device comprises a radio network controller.
21. The radio access network device of claim 19 , wherein the radio access network device comprises a radio node.
22. The radio access network device of claim 19 , wherein providing the service availability guarantee further comprises:
determining whether a resource of the radio access network is to be allocated to the connection based on the priority level.
23. The radio access network device of claim 19 , wherein providing the service availability guarantee further comprises:
determining whether a resource of the radio access network is available for allocation to the connection based on the priority level.
24. The radio access network device of claim 19 , wherein providing the service availability guarantee further comprises:
terminating the connection if the priority level cannot be identified within the period of time.
25. The radio access network device of claim 19 , wherein providing the service availability guarantee further comprises:
terminating a first connection in order to reclaim an allocated resource of the radio access network for subsequent allocation to a second connection, the second connection having a relatively higher priority level than the first connection.
26. A method comprising:
enabling a radio access network to provide a service availability guarantee to a user of a premium service without requiring the radio access network to identify, prior to connection establishment, a priority level of a connection with an access terminal associated with the user; wherein enabling the radio access network to provide the service availability guarantee comprises:
establishing the connection with the access terminal;
maintaining the connection for a period of time while the priority level is identified; and
terminating the connection if the priority level cannot be identified within the period of time.
27. A computer readable storage medium that stores executable instructions for use at a radio node controller of a radio access network, the computer readable storage medium being a tangible medium, the instructions for causing one or more processors to:
provide a service availability guarantee to a user of a premium service without requiring the radio access network to identify, prior to connection establishment, a priority level of a connection with an access terminal associated with the user; wherein providing the service availability guarantee comprises:
establishing the connection with the access terminal;
maintaining the connection for a period of time while the priority level is identified; and
terminating the connection if the priority level cannot be identified within the period of time.
28. A radio access network device in a radio access network, comprising:
memory configured to store instructions for execution; and
one or more processors configured to execute the instructions, the instructions for causing the one or more processors to:
provide a service availability guarantee to a user of a premium service without requiring the radio access network to identify, prior to connection establishment, a priority level of a connection with an access terminal associated with the user; wherein providing the service availability guarantee comprises:
establishing the connection with the access terminal;
maintaining the connection for a period of time while the priority level is identified; and
terminating the connection if the priority level cannot be identified within the period of time.