Granted Patent B2

US 12,641,505 · App. 16/072,901 · Granted May 26, 2026

Inventors: John Juha Antero Rasanen (Espoo, FI); Pekka Kuure (Espoo, FI)

Assignee: NOKIA SOLUTIONS AND NETWORKS OY

H04W36/12H04W36/0016H04W36/36H04W88/16

Abstract

Claims (60)

1 . A first mobile-edge-computing server, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the computer program code, when executed by the at least one processor, is configured to cause the first mobile-edge-computing server to perform:

detecting a handover of a user equipment, which has an ongoing application session with an application hosted on the first mobile-edge-computing server, from an evolved Node B of the first mobile-edge-computing server to an evolved Node B of a second mobile-edge-computing server, wherein the detecting the handover is based on at least one of signaling related to the handover, information from a radio network information service, control plane signaling between the evolved Node B of the first mobile-edge-computing server and the evolved Node B of the second mobile-edge-computing server, signaling between the evolved Node B of the first mobile-edge-computing server and a mobility management entity, or information about the handover;

determining to maintain the ongoing application session of the user equipment with the application hosted on the first mobile-edge-computing server;

in response to the determining, transmitting, to the second mobile-edge-computing server, a request to route traffic identified by a traffic flow template that originates from the user equipment and is related to the ongoing application session to the first mobile-edge-computing server, and to route traffic that originates from the application hosted on the first mobile-edge-computing server and is related to the ongoing application session to the user equipment, wherein said request comprises an Internet Protocol address of the first mobile-edge-computing server; and

maintaining the ongoing application session of the user equipment with the application hosted on the first mobile-edge-computing server.

2 . The first mobile-edge-computing server according to claim 1 , wherein

the computer program code, when executed by the at least one processor, is configured to cause the first mobile-edge-computing server to perform:

identifying the application of the ongoing application session.

3 . The first mobile-edge-computing server according to claim 2 , wherein, the identifying the application comprises:

identifying a unique internet protocol address of the application.

4 . The first mobile-edge-computing server according to claim 3 , wherein

said unique internet protocol address of said application is unique in a network comprising said first mobile-edge-computing server.

5 . The first mobile-edge-computing server according to claim 1 , wherein

the computer program code, when executed by the at least one processor, is configured to cause the apparatus to perform:

deducing, from application-specific information, whether the ongoing application session can be moved to the second mobile-edge-computing server, wherein the application-specific information indicative of whether said application can tolerate or survive a change of an internet protocol address of said application during the ongoing application session is moved to the second mobile-edge-computing server, or is indicative of uniqueness of said internet protocol address of said application.

6 . The first mobile-edge-computing server according to claim 1 , wherein the computer program code, when executed by the at least one processor, is configured to cause the first mobile-edge-computing server to perform:

identifying a topology of a network based on the information from a radio network information service, the network comprising the first mobile-edge-computing server, the second mobile-edge-computing server, the evolved Node B of the first mobile-edge-computing server and the evolved Node B of the second mobile-edge-computing server,

determining a probability of said handover, and

initiating, based on said topology, procedures to optimize a handover performance by sending at least one request to instantiate an application corresponding to applications hosted on said first mobile-edge-computing server on said second mobile-edge-computing server in said network.

7 . The first mobile-edge-computing server according to claim 1 , wherein the computer program code, when executed by the at least one processor, is configured to cause the apparatus to perform:

identifying said second mobile-edge-computing server based on information on the evolved Node B connected to said second mobile-edge-computing server.

8 . The first mobile-edge-computing server according to claim 1 , wherein the computer program code, when executed by the at least one processor, is configured to cause the first mobile-edge-computing server to perform:

initiating session continuity coordination procedures with the second mobile-edge-computing server.

9 . The first mobile-edge-computing server according to claim 8 , wherein the computer program code, when executed by the at least one processor, is configured to cause the first mobile-edge-computing server to perform:

informing, as part of said session continuity coordination procedures, said second mobile-edge-computing server about the handover, or

providing, as part of said session continuity coordination procedures, to said second mobile-edge-computing server, information on the ongoing application session that is handed over, wherein

said information on the ongoing application session that is handed over includes an identifier of the application, an internet protocol addresses of the user equipment, or the internet protocol addresses of the first mobile-edge-computing server.

10 . A method comprising:

detecting, by a first mobile-edge-computing server, a handover of a user equipment, which has an ongoing application session with an application hosted on the first mobile-edge-computing server, from an evolved Node B of the first mobile-edge-computing server and an evolved Node B of a second mobile-edge-computing server, wherein detecting the handover is based on at least one of signaling related to the handover, information from a radio network information service, control plane signaling between the evolved Node B of the first mobile-edge-computing server and the evolved Node B of the second mobile-edge-computing server, signaling between the evolved Node B of the first mobile-edge-computing server and a mobility management entity, or information about the handover;

determining, by the first mobile-edge-computing server, to maintain the ongoing application session of the user equipment with the application hosted on the first mobile-edge-computing server;

in response to the determining, transmitting, by the first mobile-edge-computing server, to the second mobile-edge-computing server, a request to route traffic identified by a traffic flow template that originates from the user equipment and is related to the ongoing application session to the first mobile-edge-computing server, and to route traffic that originates from the application hosted on the first mobile-edge-computing server and is related to the ongoing application session to the user equipment, wherein said request comprises an Internet Protocol address of the first mobile-edge-computing server; and

maintaining, by the first mobile-edge-computing server, the ongoing application session of the user equipment with the application hosted on the first mobile-edge-computing server.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:

identifying, by the first mobile-edge-computing server, the application of the ongoing application session.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the identifying the application comprises:

identifying a unique internet protocol address of the application.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein

said unique internet protocol address of said application is unique in a network comprising the first mobile-edge-computing server.

14 . The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:

deducing, by the first mobile-edge-computing server, from application-specific information, whether the ongoing application session can be moved to the second mobile-edge-computing server, wherein the application-specific information indicative of whether said application can tolerate or survive a change of an internet protocol address of said application during the ongoing application session moved to the second mobile-edge-computing server, or is indicative of uniqueness of said internet protocol address of said application.

15 . The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:

identifying, by the first mobile-edge-computing server, a topology of a network based on the information from a radio network information service, the network comprising the first mobile-edge-computing server, the second mobile-edge-computing server, the evolved Node B of the first mobile-edge-computing server and the evolved Node B of the second mobile-edge-computing server;

determining, by the first mobile-edge-computing server, a probability of said handover from said first mobile-edge-computing server to said second mobile-edge-computing server; and

initiating, by the first mobile-edge-computing server based on said topology, procedures to optimize a handover performance by sending at least one request to instantiate an application corresponding to applications hosted on said first mobile-edge-computing server on said second mobile-edge-computing server in said network.

16 . The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:

identifying, by the first mobile-edge-computing server, said second mobile-edge-computing server based on information on the evolved Node B connected to said second mobile-edge-computing server.

17 . The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:

initiating, by the first mobile-edge-computing server, session continuity coordination procedures with the second mobile-edge-computing server.

18 . The method according to claim 17 , further comprising:

informing, by the first mobile-edge-computing server as part of said session continuity coordination procedures, said second mobile-edge-computing server about the handover; or

providing, as part of said session continuity coordination procedures, to said second mobile-edge-computing server, information on the ongoing application session that is handed over, wherein

said information on the ongoing application session that is handed over includes an identifier of the application, an internet protocol addresses of the user equipment, or the internet protocol addresses of the first mobile-edge-computing server.

19 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor of a first mobile-edge-computing server, causes the processor to perform:

detecting a handover of a user equipment, which has an ongoing application session with an application hosted on the first mobile-edge-computing server, from an evolved Node B of the first mobile-edge-computing server to an evolved Node B of a second mobile-edge-computing server, wherein detecting the handover is based on at least one of signaling related to the handover, information from a radio network information service, control plane signaling between the evolved Node B of the first mobile-edge-computing server and the evolved Node B of the second mobile-edge-computing server, signaling between the evolved Node B of the first mobile-edge-computing server and a mobility management entity, or information about the handover;

determining to maintain the ongoing application session of the user equipment with the application hosted on the first mobile-edge-computing server;

in response to the determining, transmitting, to the second mobile-edge-computing server, a request to route traffic identified by a traffic flow template that originates from the user equipment and is related to the ongoing application session to the first mobile-edge-computing server, and to route traffic that originates from the application hosted on the first mobile-edge-computing server and is related to the ongoing application session of the user equipment, wherein said request comprises an Internet Protocol address of the first mobile-edge-computing server; and

maintaining the ongoing application session of the user equipment with the application hosted on the first mobile-edge-computing server.

Continuity (2)

References Cited (52)