Mobile communication method, mobile communication system, and corresponding apparatus
View Patent ↗The present invention introduces a method for the network to optimize the route for user's local IP access, without affecting the access to operator's core network. With this mechanism, no excessive signalling is needed for the optimization. The present invention is also applicable to the corporate network that has multiple home NodeBs or home eNodeBs. Finer grain control on the services to be provided over different home NodeB or home eNodeB is also possible. Further, path optimization and continuation of the service upon handover can be controlled, and hence flexibility of the service can be secured.
1. A mobile terminal including one or more processors comprising memory and being configured to be connected to a local IP network, comprising:
an obtaining unit configured to receive, through an operator network, optimization information sent from a gateway in the local IP network, the optimization information comprising service information describing, for each of multiple access nodes, one or more associated services in the local IP network that can be accessed by the mobile terminal through said access node;
a selecting unit configured to select one of the multiple access nodes based on the service information; a deciding unit configured to decide based on the obtained optimization information whether a path optimization to the local IP network through the access node selected by the selecting unit is to be performed, wherein the deciding includes determining whether a cell ID associated with the selected access node matches a cell ID on a list of cell ID contained in the optimization information; and
an instructing unit configured to send an instruction of path optimization to the selected access node when the deciding unit decides the path optimization through the selected access node is to be performed;
wherein the obtaining unit is further configured to obtain a token generated by the access node selected by the selecting unit, and the instructing unit is configured to send to the selected access node the instruction of path optimization that includes the obtained token.
2. A path optimization method to be performed between a gateway in a local IP network, capable of performing path optimization for the local IP network, and a mobile terminal capable of connecting to the local IP network, the path optimization method comprising:
a sending step performed at the gateway of generating optimization information and sending the optimization information through an operator network to the mobile terminal;
an obtaining step performed at the mobile terminal of receiving the optimization information, the optimization information comprising service information describing, for each of multiple access nodes, one or more associated services in the local IP network that can be accessed by the mobile terminal through said access node;
a selecting step performed at the mobile terminal of selecting one of the multiple access nodes based on the service information;
a deciding step performed at the mobile terminal of deciding, based on the obtained optimization information, whether a path optimization to the local IP network through the access node selected in the selecting step is to be performed, wherein the deciding includes determining whether a cell ID associated with the selected access node matches a cell ID on a list of cell IDs contained in the optimization information;
an instructing step performed at the mobile terminal of sending an instruction of path optimization to the selected access node when the deciding step decides the path optimization through the selected access node is to be performed; and
a path optimizing step, performed at the selected access node, of receiving the instruction of path optimization from the mobile terminal and establishing an optimized path to the local IP network;
wherein the obtaining step includes obtaining a token generated by the access node selected in the selecting step, and the instructing step includes sending to the selected access node the instruction of path optimization that includes the obtained token.