Wireless relay backhaul selection in a data communication network
A wireless base station establishes a wireless backhaul link for a wireless relay to a data network core. A network gateway establishes a wireline backhaul link for the wireless relay to the data network core. The data network core transfers backhaul status data for the backhaul links to the wireless relay. The wireless relay uses the backhaul status data to select the wireless backhaul link or the wireline backhaul link for user data. The wireless base station exchanges wireless user data with the wireless relay when the wireless relay selects the wireless backhaul link. The network gateway exchanges wireline user data with the wireless relay when the wireless relay selects the wireline backhaul link. The data network core exchanges the wireless user data with the wireless base station and exchanges the wireline user data with the network gateway.
1. A method of operating a data communication network to control wireless relay backhaul, the method comprising:
a wireless base station exchanging wireless attachment signaling with a wireless relay to establish a wireless backhaul link for the wireless relay to a data network core;
a network gateway exchanging wireline attachment signaling with the wireless relay to establish a wireline backhaul link for the wireless relay to the data network core;
the data network core determining backhaul status data for the wireless backhaul link and for the wireline backhaul link and transferring the backhaul status data to the wireless relay, wherein the wireless relay uses the backhaul status data to select the wireless backhaul link or the wireline backhaul link for user data communications;
the wireless base station exchanging wireless user data with the wireless relay when the wireless relay selects the wireless backhaul link based on the backhaul status data;
the network gateway exchanging wireline user data with the wireless relay when the wireless relay selects the wireline backhaul link based on the backhaul status data; and
the data network core exchanging the wireless user data with the wireless base station and exchanging the wireline user data with the network gateway.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the data network core transferring the backhaul status data to the wireless relay comprises the data network core transferring the backhaul status data to the wireless relay over Long Term Evolution (LTE) S1-Mobility Management Entity (MME) signaling that traverses the wireless backhaul link.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the data network core transferring the backhaul status data to the wireless relay comprises the data network core transferring the backhaul status data to the wireless relay over Long Term Evolution (LTE) S1-Mobility Management Entity (MME) signaling that traverses the wireline backhaul link.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the data network core transferring the backhaul status data to the wireless relay comprises the data network core transferring the backhaul status data to the wireless relay over Long Term Evolution (LTE) Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling that traverses the wireless backhaul link.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the data network core transferring the backhaul status data to the wireless relay comprises the data network core transferring the backhaul status data to the wireless relay over Long Term Evolution (LTE) Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling that traverses the wireline backhaul link.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the backhaul status data comprises wireless backhaul capacity data.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the backhaul status data comprises wireline backhaul capacity data.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the backhaul status data comprises wireless backhaul usage credit data.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the backhaul status data comprises wireline backhaul usage credit data.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the data network core comprises a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network core.
11. A operating a data communication network to control wireless relay backhaul, the data communication network comprising:
a wireless base station configured to exchange wireless attachment signaling with a wireless relay to establish a wireless backhaul link for the wireless relay to a data network core;
a network gateway configured to exchange wireline attachment signaling with the wireless relay to establish a wireline backhaul link for the wireless relay to the data network core;
the data network core configured to determine backhaul status data for the wireless backhaul link and for the wireline backhaul link and to transfer the backhaul status data to the wireless relay, wherein the wireless relay is configured to use the backhaul status data to select the wireless backhaul link or the wireline backhaul link for user data communications;
the wireless base station configured to exchange wireless user data with the wireless relay when the wireless relay selects the wireless backhaul link based on the backhaul status data;
the network gateway configured to exchange wireline user data with the wireless relay when the wireless relay selects the wireline backhaul link based on the backhaul status data; and
the data network core configured to exchange the wireless user data with the wireless base station and exchange the wireline user data with the network gateway.
12. The data communication network of claim 11 wherein the data network core is configured to transfer the backhaul status data to the wireless relay over Long Term Evolution (LTE) S1-Mobility Management Entity (MME) signaling that traverses the wireless backhaul link.
13. The data communication network of claim 11 wherein the data network core is configured to transfer the backhaul status data to the wireless relay over Long Term Evolution (LTE) S1-Mobility Management Entity (MME) signaling that traverses the wireline backhaul link.
14. The data communication network of claim 11 wherein the data network core wherein the data network core is configured to transfer the backhaul status data to the wireless relay over Long Term Evolution (LTE) Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling that traverses the wireless backhaul link.
15. The data communication network of claim 11 wherein the data network core is configured to transfer the backhaul status data to the wireless relay over Long Term Evolution (LTE) Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling that traverses the wireline backhaul link.
16. The data communication network of claim 11 wherein the backhaul status data comprises wireless backhaul capacity data.
17. The data communication network of claim 11 wherein the backhaul status data comprises wireline backhaul capacity data.
18. The data communication network of claim 11 wherein the backhaul status data comprises wireless backhaul usage credit data.
19. The data communication network of claim 11 wherein the backhaul status data comprises wireline backhaul usage credit data.
20. The data communication network of claim 11 wherein the data network core comprises a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network core.