Apparatus, system and method of user-equipment (UE) centric traffic routing
View Patent ↗Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems of User Equipment (UE) centric access network selection. For example, a node B may transmit to a User Equipment (UE) a cellular communication message over a cellular communication medium, the message including a value of a predefined parameter, which is based on a cellular network load of a cellular network.
1. A user equipment (UE), comprising:
a wireless communication unit to receive, from a node B of a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) offload information including a WLAN offload threshold; and
a controller to control traffic steering from the UMTS to a WLAN at least in part based on a comparison between a measured signal strength value and the WLAN offload threshold.
2. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the WLAN offload threshold comprises a received signal code power (RSCP) threshold of the UMTS, and the measured signal strength value is measured cellular signal strength.
3. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the WLAN offload threshold comprises a WLAN received signal strength indication (RSSI) threshold, and the measured signal strength value is a measured RSSI value with regard to the WLAN.
4. The UE of claim 1 , wherein if the WLAN offload information is received as a dedicated information element, then the UE is in a Forward Access Channel (CELL-FACH) state or a Dedicated Channel (CELL-DCH) state.
5. The UE of claim 1 , wherein if the WLAN offload information is included in a system information block (SIB), then the UE is in a Cell Paging Channel (CELL_PCH) state, a UMTS Registration Area (URA) Paging Channel (URA_PCH) state, or a Forward Access Channel (CELL-FACH) state.
6. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the WLAN offload threshold is at least a part of a system information block (SIB) message or a radio resource control (RRC) message.
7. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the WLAN offload information is to be received from the node B via an upper layer.
8. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the WLAN offload threshold comprises a load threshold value of a WLAN load.
9. A node B of a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), the node B comprising:
a wireless communication unit to transmit, to a user equipment (UE), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) offload information including a WLAN offload threshold to be used by the UE to steer traffic from the UMTS to a WLAN based on a signal strength value; and
a controller to control the wireless communication unit to transmit the WLAN offload information to the UE.
10. The node B of claim 9 , wherein the WLAN offload threshold comprises a received signal code power (RSCP) threshold of the UMTS.
11. The node B of claim 9 , wherein the WLAN offload threshold comprises a WLAN received signal strength indication (RSSI) threshold.
12. The node B of claim 9 , wherein the wireless communication unit is to transmit the WLAN offload information when the UE is in a Forward Access Channel (CELL-FACH) state or a Dedicated Channel (CELL-DCH) state.
13. The node B of claim 9 , wherein the wireless communication unit is to transmit the WLAN offload information when the UE is in a Cell Paging Channel (CELL_PCH) state, a UMTS Registration Area (URA) Paging Channel (URA_PCH) state, or a Forward Access Channel (CELL-FACH) state.
14. The node B of claim 9 , wherein the WLAN offload threshold is at least a part of a system information block (SIB) message or a radio resource control (RRC) message.
15. The node B of claim 9 , wherein the wireless communication unit is to transmit the WLAN offload information to the UE via an upper layer.
16. The node B of claim 9 , wherein the WLAN offload threshold comprises a load threshold value of a WLAN load.
17. A user equipment (UE) to be used in a wireless network, the UE comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the UE to:
receive, from a node B of a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) offload information including a WLAN offload threshold; and
control traffic steering from the UMTS to a WLAN at least in part based on a comparison between a measured signal strength value and the WLAN offload threshold.
18. The UE of claim 17 , wherein the WLAN offload threshold comprises a received signal code power (RSCP) threshold of the UMTS, and the measured signal strength value is measured cellular signal strength.
19. The UE of claim 17 , wherein the WLAN offload threshold comprises a WLAN received signal strength indication (RSSI) threshold, and the measured signal strength value is a measured RSSI value with regard to the WLAN.
20. The UE of claim 17 , wherein the WLAN offload information is to be received when the UE is in a Forward Access Channel (CELL-FACH) state or a Dedicated Channel (CELL-DCH) state.
21. The UE of claim 17 , wherein the WLAN offload information is to be received when the UE is in a Forward Access Channel (CELL-FACH) state, a Cell Paging Channel (CELL_PCH) state, or a UMTS Registration Area (URA) Paging Channel (URA_PCH) state.
22. The UE of claim 17 , wherein the WLAN offload threshold is at least a part of a system information block (SIB) message or a radio resource control (RRC) message.
23. A node B of a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), the node B comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the node B to:
transmit, to a user equipment (UE), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) offload information including a WLAN offload threshold, to be used by the UE to steer traffic from the UMTS to a WLAN based on a signal strength value.
24. The node B of claim 23 , wherein the WLAN offload threshold comprises a received signal code power (RSCP) threshold of the UMTS.
25. The node B of claim 23 , wherein the WLAN offload threshold comprises a WLAN received signal strength indication (RSSI) threshold.
26. The node B of claim 23 , wherein the WLAN offload threshold is at least a part of a system information block (SIB) message or a radio resource control (RRC) message.