Traffic monitoring for regulating states of a terminal

1. A method comprising: a) monitoring, by a node of a packet switched core network, a traffic pattern relating to a terminal; and b) regulating states of the terminal according to the monitored traffic pattern, wherein the monitored traffic pattern comprises a keep alive message pattern relating to keep alive messages transmitted by the terminal; and

further comprising, between monitoring and regulating, detecting a keep alive pattern and deriving from the detected keep alive pattern a keep-alive profile including information about at least two of a keep alive frequency, a keep alive direction, and keep alive L3/L4 characteristics regarding an internet protocol address/port number.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of regulating states comprises setting a timer of the terminal.

3. A method according to claim 2 , wherein the setting of the timer defines a period after which the terminal shifts to a state having a lower power consumption, if the terminal is inactive during the period.

4. A method according to claim 3 , wherein if a frequency of the keep alive messages decreases, a length of the period is increased.

5. A method according to claim 3 , wherein if a frequency of the keep alive messages increases, a length of the period is decreased.

6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the terminal is a mobile terminal.

7. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising storing data indicative of the monitored traffic pattern in the node.

8. A method according to claim 7 , wherein the node is a first controller node having a connection with the terminal.

9. A method according to claim 8 , further comprising transmitting the data to a second controller node when the terminal establishes a connection with the second controller node.

10. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the node is having a connection with the terminal.

11. A method according to claim 10 , wherein the controller node sends an indication of a timer setting to the terminal in an attached accept message, a routing area accept message or a dedicated timer modification message.

12. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising monitoring, by the node of the packet switched core network, mobility of the terminal.

13. A method according to claim 12 , comprising setting a timer according to the monitored mobility of the terminal and the monitored traffic pattern of the terminal.

14. A method according to claim 12 , wherein if mobility of the terminal decreases, a length of a period of inactivity after which the timer expires is increased.

15. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the monitored traffic pattern comprises a level of paging traffic associated with the terminal.

16. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising setting a periodic routing area update timer for the terminal according to at least one of the monitored traffic pattern and mobility of the terminal.

17. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the node of the packet switched core network comprises a serving general purpose radio service support node.

18. An apparatus configured to: a) monitor a traffic pattern relating to a terminal; and b) regulate states of the terminal according to the monitored traffic pattern, wherein the apparatus comprises a node of a packet switched core network, wherein the monitored traffic pattern comprises a keep alive message pattern relating to keep alive messages transmitted by the terminal; and

further configured, between monitoring and regulating, to detect a keep alive pattern and deriving from the detected keep alive pattern a keep-alive profile including information about at least two of a keep alive frequency, a keep alive direction, and keep alive L3/L4 characteristics regarding an internet protocol address/port number.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18 , which is configured to regulate states by setting a timer of the terminal.

20. An apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the node of the packet switched core network comprises a serving general purpose radio service support node.

21. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium embodied with a computer program comprising a set of instructions which when executed by a processor in a node of a packet switched core network of a communications system, causes the node of the packet switched core network to a) monitor a traffic pattern relating to a terminal, and b) regulate states of the terminal according to the monitored traffic pattern, wherein the monitored traffic pattern comprises a keep alive message pattern relating to keep alive messages transmitted by the terminal; and

further between monitoring and regulating, to detect a keep alive pattern and deriving from the detected keep alive pattern a keep-alive profile including information about at least two of a keep alive frequency, a keep alive direction, and keep alive L3/L4 characteristics regarding an internet protocol address/port number.

22. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 21 , wherein the node of the packet switched core network comprises a serving general purpose radio service support node.

23. A method comprising: a) monitoring. by a node of a packet switched core network, a traffic pattern relating to a terminal; and b) regulating states of the terminal according to the monitored traffic pattern, wherein the monitored traffic pattern comprises a keep alive message pattern relating to keep alive messages transmitted by the terminal; and

further comprising, between monitoring and regulating. detecting a keep alive pattern and deriving from the detected keep alive pattern a keep-alive profile including information about at least two of a paging frequency, a keep alive direction, and keep alive L3/L4 characteristics regarding an internet protocol address/port number.