Access independent signaling and control
View Patent ↗Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method, network node, and non-transitory machine-readable storage medium including one or more of the following: enabling communication via a first a second access network, wherein the first access network is a first type and the second access network is a second type; communicating with a first control application via at least one of the first access network and the second access network according to a signaling protocol that is used for the communication without regard for which of the first access network and the second access network are used for the communication, wherein the communication effects a change to service provided via at least one data bearer across at least one of the first access network and the second access network, and communicating via the at least one data bearer to exchange non-control application data with at least one other network device.
1. A user device for network communication, the user device comprising:
a memory;
at least one network interface configured to communicate via a first access network and a second access network, wherein the first access network is a first access network type and the second access network is a second network access type that is different from the first access network type; and
a processor in communication with the memory and the at least one network interface, wherein the processor is configured to communicate with a first control application via both the first access network and the second access network according to a single central set of protocols that federates control signaling for the first access network and the second access network, and the communication effects a change to service provided via at least one data bearer across at least one of the first access network and the second access network, and communicate via the at least one data bearer to exchange non-control application data with at least one other network device.
2. The user device of claim 1 , wherein the change to service provided via at least one data bearer comprises establishing the at least one data bearer.
3. The user device of claim 1 , wherein the memory is configured to store session information created during a previous communication via the first access network with at least one of the first control application and a second control application, and, in communicating with the first control application, the processor is configured to transmit the session information to the first control application without regard for which of the first access network and the second access network are used for the communication.
4. The user device of claim 3 , wherein the signaling protocol that is used for the communication without regard for which of the first access network and the second access network are used for the communication is a signaling protocol of the first access network type.
5. The user device of claim 1 , wherein the first access network is a WiFi access network and the second access network is a long term evolution (LTE) access network.
6. The user device of claim 1 , wherein the control application comprises a machine hosted in a cloud computing datacenter.
7. The user device of claim 1 , wherein the first control application comprises at least one of a radio resource management control application, a mobility management control application, a security control application, a quality of service control application, a charging control application, a network control and monitoring application, and an optimization functions control application.
8. A control application device for controlling network communication of a user device, the control application device comprising:
a memory;
at least one network interface configured to communicate with the user device via a first access network and a second access network, wherein the first access network is a first access network type and the second access network is a second network access type that is different from the first access network type; and
a processor in communication with the memory and the at least one network interface, wherein the processor is configured to communicate with the user device via both the first access network and the second access network according to a single central set of protocols that federates control signaling for the first access network and the second access network, and effecting, based on the communication, at least one change to a service provided via at least one data bearer across at least one of the first access network and the second access network, wherein the at least one data bearer carries non-control application data between the user device and at least one other network device.
9. The control application device of claim 8 , wherein, in effecting the at least one change, the processor effects establishment of the at least one data bearer.
10. The control application device of claim 8 , wherein the memory is configured to store previous session information created during a previous communication via the first access network with the user device, and, in communicating with the user device, the processor is configured to receive session information from the user device and identify a session of the user device by comparing the received session information to the previous session information without regard for which of the first access network and the second access network are used for the communication.
11. The control application device of claim 10 , wherein the signaling protocol that is used for the communication without regard for which of the first access network and the second access network are used for the communication is a signaling protocol of the first access network type.
12. The control application device of claim 8 , wherein in effecting the at least one change, the processor is configured to transmit at least one command to a different network device to effect the at least one change.
13. The control application device of claim 12 , wherein the different network device is a network controller device that supports at least one software defined network protocol.
14. The control application device of claim 8 , wherein the memory, the at least one network interface, and the processor are hardware resources provided by a cloud computing system.
15. The control application device of claim 8 , wherein in communicating with the user device, the processor is configured to communicate with the user device via a signaling gateway that translates communications between the signaling protocol and a legacy protocol supported by the user device.
16. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions for execution by a control application device, the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising:
instructions for enabling general communications with a user device via a first access network and a second access network, wherein the first access network is a first access network type and the second access network is a second network access type that is different from the first access network type;
instructions for communicating with the user device via both the first access network and the second access network according to a single central set of protocols that federates control signaling for the first access network and the second access network; and
instructions for effecting, based on the communication, at least one change to a service provided via at least one data bearer across at least one of the first access network and the second access network, wherein the at least one data bearer carries non-control application data between the user device and at least one other network device.
17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the instructions for effecting the at least one change comprise:
instructions for effecting establishment of the at least one data bearer.
18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the memory stores previous session information created during a previous communication via the first access network with the user device, and the instructions for communicating with the user device comprise:
instructions for identifying session information received from the user device, and the non-transitory machine-readable storage medium further comprises:
instructions for identifying a session of the user device by comparing the received session information to the previous session information without regard for which of the first access network and the second access network are used for the communication.
19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium ice of claim 18 , wherein the signaling protocol that is used for the communication without regard for which of the first access network and the second access network are used for the communication is a signaling protocol of the first access network type.
20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the instructions for effecting the at least one change comprise:
instructions for transmitting at least one command to a different network device to effect the at least one change.
21. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 20 , wherein the different network device is a network controller device that supports at least one software defined network protocol.
22. The control application device of claim 16 , wherein the instructions for communicating with the user device comprise:
instructions for communicating with the user device via a signaling gateway that translates communications between the signaling protocol and a legacy protocol supported by the user device.