Video streaming at mobile edge

1. A system comprising:

a processor operating as a mobile network edge node; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:

facilitating establishing a first control channel with a first mobile wireless device, the first control channel being a dedicated channel to receive context information including first context information and to transmit policy information including a first policy and policy decisions, wherein the first control channel is not utilized to communicate video content;

obtaining the first context information from the first mobile wireless device through the first control channel;

determining the first policy according to the first context information, wherein the first policy assigns a first video streaming bit rate to the first mobile wireless device based on the first context information;

providing the first policy to the first mobile wireless device over the first control channel, causing the first mobile wireless device to implement the first policy to control a first video streaming session between the first mobile wireless device and a media server over a first data channel that is distinct from the first control channel, wherein the first data channel does not transmit the context information and does not transmit the policy information, and wherein the media server is operated by a content provider and is separate from the mobile network edge node;

receiving second bitrate switching information from a second mobile wireless device engaged in a second video streaming session to the second mobile wireless device from the media server over a second data channel, wherein the first and second mobile wireless devices compete for throughput;

receiving additional context information and first bitrate switching information from the first mobile wireless device through the first control channel, the first bitrate switching information indicating switching from utilizing the first video streaming bit rate by the first mobile wireless device during at least a portion of the first video streaming session; and

revising the first policy based on the first context information, the first bitrate switching information and the second bitrate switching information.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first context information includes information about the first mobile wireless device.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first context information includes information about a capability of the first mobile wireless device selected from the group consisting of a screen size of the first mobile wireless device, a screen resolution of the first mobile wireless device, a processor of the first mobile wireless device, and a memory capacity of the first mobile wireless device.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first context information includes information about an ambient lighting at the first mobile wireless device.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first context information includes information about a network connection of the first mobile wireless device.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first context information includes information about a first user of the first mobile wireless device.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the first context information includes information about an engagement of the first user with the first mobile wireless device.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the first context information includes an indication of whether the first user is looking at the first mobile wireless device.

9. The system of claim 1 , the operations further comprising:

obtaining second context information from the second mobile wireless device through a second control channel;

determining a second policy according to the first context information and the second context information, wherein the second policy assigns a second video streaming bit rate to the second mobile wireless device based on the second context information; and

providing the second policy to the second mobile wireless device over the second control channel, causing the second mobile wireless device to implement the second policy to control the second video streaming session, wherein the first context information is different from the second context information, wherein the first policy is different from the second policy such that the first video streaming bit rate is different than the second video streaming bit rate.

10. A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:

receiving first context information from a first mobile wireless device through a first control channel, the first control channel being a dedicated channel to receive context information including first context information and to transmit policy information including a first policy and policy decisions, wherein the first control channel is not utilized to communicate video content;

determining a first policy according to the first context information, wherein the first policy assigns a first video streaming bit rate for communications between the first mobile wireless device and a media server over a first data channel based on the first context information;

transmitting the first policy to the first mobile wireless device over the first control channel, wherein upon receipt of the first policy the first mobile wireless device implements the first policy;

receiving first bitrate switching information from the first mobile wireless device through the first control channel, the first bitrate switching information indicating switching from utilizing the first video streaming bit rate by the first mobile wireless device during at least a portion of a video streaming session;

receiving second bitrate switching information from a second mobile wireless device engaged in a second video streaming session to the second mobile wireless device from the media server over a second data channel, wherein the first and second mobile wireless devices compete for throughput;

revising the first policy based on the first context information, the first bitrate switching information and the second bitrate switching information; and

providing the first policy to the first mobile wireless device over the first control channel, causing the first mobile wireless device to implement the first policy to control a first video streaming session between the first mobile wireless device and a media server over a first data channel that is distinct from the first control channel, wherein the first data channel does not transmit the context information and does not transmit the policy information, and wherein the media server is operated by a content provider and is separate from a mobile network edge node.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the first context information includes information about the first mobile wireless device selected from the group consisting of an ambient lighting at the first mobile wireless device, a screen size of the first mobile wireless device, a screen resolution of the first mobile wireless device, a processor of the first mobile wireless device, and a memory capacity of the first mobile wireless device.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 10 , wherein the first context information includes information about a first user of the first mobile wireless device.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the first context information includes information about an engagement of the first user with the first mobile wireless device.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 10 , the operations further comprising:

receiving second context information from the second mobile wireless device through a second control channel;

determining a second policy according to the second context information, wherein the second policy assigns a second video streaming bit rate for communications between the second mobile wireless device and the media server over a second data channel based on the second context information; and

transmitting the first policy to the first mobile wireless device over the first control channel, wherein upon receipt of the first policy the first mobile wireless device implements the first policy, wherein the first context information is different from the second context information, wherein the first policy is different from the second policy such that the first video streaming bit rate is different than the second video streaming bit rate.

15. A method comprising:

sending first context information from a first mobile wireless device through a first control channel to a network server, the first control channel being a dedicated channel to transmit context information including first context information and to receive policy information including a first policy and policy decisions, wherein the first control channel is not utilized to communicate video content;

receiving a first policy at the first mobile wireless device from the network server, wherein the first policy assigns a first video streaming bit rate to the first mobile wireless device based on the first context information;

implementing the first policy to control a first video streaming session between the first mobile wireless device and a media server over a first data channel;

sending first bitrate switching information from the first mobile wireless device to the network server through the first control channel, the first bitrate switching information indicating switching from utilizing the first video streaming bit rate by the first mobile wireless device during at least a portion of the first video streaming session;

receiving over the first control channel, a revised first policy from the network server, the revised first policy based on the first context information, the first bitrate switching information and second bitrate switching information obtained from a second mobile wireless device engaged in a second video streaming session with the media server over a second data channel, wherein the first and second data channels compete for a common bandwidth; and

implementing the revised first policy to control a first video streaming session between the first mobile wireless device and a media server over a first data channel that is distinct from the first control channel, wherein the first data channel does not transmit the context information and does not transmit the policy information, and wherein the media server is operated by a content provider and is separate from a mobile network edge node.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

monitoring and storing a history of a number of switches from utilizing the first video streaming bit rate by the first mobile wireless device during the first video streaming session; and

generating the first bitrate switching information according to the history of the number of switches,

wherein the first context information includes information about a capability of the first mobile wireless device selected from the group consisting of a screen size of the first mobile wireless device, a screen resolution of the first mobile wireless device, a processor of the first mobile wireless device, and a memory capacity of the first mobile wireless device.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising monitoring and storing a time of a last video streaming bit rate switch, wherein the generating the first bitrate switching information is based in part on the time of the last video streaming bit rate switch.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first context information includes information about a first user of the first mobile wireless device, information about an ambient lighting at the first mobile wireless device, or a combination thereof.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the first context information includes information about an engagement of the first user with the first mobile wireless device.

20. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:

obtaining second context information from the second mobile wireless device through a second control channel;

determining a second policy according to the first context information and the second context information, wherein the second policy assigns the second video streaming bit rate to the second mobile wireless device based on the second context information; and

providing the second policy to the second mobile wireless device over the second control channel, causing the second mobile wireless device to implement the second policy to control the second video streaming session to the second mobile wireless device from the media server over a second data channel, wherein the first context information is different from the second context information, wherein the first policy is different from the second policy such that the first video streaming bit rate is different than the second video streaming bit rate.