Communication service for machine-to-machine devices
When machine-to-machine (M2M) devices attach to a mobile communication network, the associated communication session can be treated differently than the attachment of other devices. For example, upon determining that a subscriber device that attaches to a communication network is an M2M device and has completed a given network transaction, the M2M device can be immediately detached without waiting on expiration of an inactivity timer. As another example, upon determining that a subscriber device that attaches to a communication network is an M2M device, the M2M device can be excluded from various signaling procedures such as load-balancing procedures.
1. An access point device, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
determining that a subscriber device, which has attached to the access point device to communicate machine data, is a machine-to-machine device;
in response to a determination that the machine data has been communicated, detaching the machine-to-machine device independently of an inactivity timer that effectuates the detaching when the inactivity timer has reached a threshold time; and
purging state information relating to the machine-to-machine device independently of the inactivity timer.
2. The access point device of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise transmitting, to a network device, purge data representative of an instruction to purge state data relating to the machine-to-machine device independently of the inactivity timer.
3. The access point device of claim 2 , wherein the network device is selected from a group comprising: a serving gateway device, a packet data network gateway device, and a mobility management entity device; and wherein the state data is selected from a group comprising: an IP anchor state of the machine-to-machine device, a mobility anchor state of the machine-to-machine device, a mobility state of the machine-to-machine device, a handover state of the machine-to-machine device, and a tracking area of the machine-to-machine device.
4. The access point device of claim 1 , wherein the detaching the machine-to-machine device is further based on a security protocol.
5. The access point device of claim 4 , wherein the operations further comprise ignoring, based on the security protocol, a request from the machine-to-machine device to attach to the access point device.
6. The access point device of claim 5 , wherein the security protocol indicates the request is to be ignored in response to a determination that the request has not been made with respect to a defined schedule.
7. The access point device of claim 5 , wherein the security protocol indicates the request is to be ignored in response to a determination that the machine data is greater in size than a defined threshold size.
8. The access point device of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise: in response to the determination that the subscriber device is the machine-to-machine device, excluding the machine-to-machine device from participation in a network signaling procedure.
9. The access point device of claim 8 , wherein the network signaling procedure relates to measurement and reporting associated with a load-balancing procedure.
10. The access point device of claim 1 , wherein the determination that the subscriber device is the machine-to-machine device is based on data selected from a group comprising: first data representative of a level of service provisioned for the subscriber device, second data representative of an Internet protocol address associated with the subscriber device, third data representative of a media access control address associated with the subscriber device, fourth data representative of a device category as defined by a third generation partnership project specification, and fifth data representative of a machine-to-machine indicator received from the subscriber device that indicates the subscriber device is the machine-to-machine device.
11. A method, comprising:
determining, by a system comprising a processor, that a subscriber device, which attaches to an access point device to communicate machine data, is a machine-to-machine device;
determining, by the system, that the machine data has been communicated;
determining, by the system, that the machine-to-machine device has been detached from the access point device independently of an inactivity timer that causes a detaching upon expiration of an inactivity timer; and
purging, by the system, state information relating to the machine-to-machine device independently of the inactivity timer.
12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising transmitting, by the system, purge data to a network device, wherein the purge data is representative of an instruction to purge state data relating to the machine-to-machine device independently of the inactivity timer.
13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising activating, by the system, a security procedure in response to a request, by the machine-to-machine device, to attach to the access point device.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the security procedure indicates the request to attach to the access point device is to be ignored in response to a determination that the request is not according to a defined schedule.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the security procedure indicates the request to attach to the access point device is to be ignored in response to a determination that the machine data is larger than a defined size threshold.
16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, in response to the determination that the subscriber device is the machine-to-machine device, excluding, by the system, the machine-to-machine device from participation in a network signaling procedure.
17. A machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
determining that a subscriber device that has attached to an access point device to communicate machine data is a machine-to-machine device;
determining that the machine data has been communicated;
determining that the machine-to-machine device has been detached from the access point device independently of an inactivity timer that triggers a detaching procedure upon expiration of an inactivity timer; and
purging state information relating to the machine-to-machine device independently of the inactivity timer.
18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the operations further comprise communicating purge data to a network device, and wherein the purge data is representative of an instruction to purge, independently of the inactivity timer, state data relating to the machine-to-machine device.
19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the operations further comprise activating a security procedure in response to a request, by the machine-to-machine device, to attach to the access point device.
20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 19 , wherein the security procedure indicates the request to attach to the access point device is to be ignored in response to a determination that the request is received at a time not specified by a defined schedule.