Reducing time period of data travel in a wireless network
Examples of methods, systems, and computer program products relating to supervising data in a wireless network are disclosed. At least part of a system may be located between a packet data network and a base station, and/or may be at least logically separate from the base station. The system may be capable of evaluating the service provided by the base station, and may be capable of determining whether or not any action should consequently be performed. Examples of an action may include an action which may not necessarily affect en-route data packets such as outputting a report, and/or an action which may affect en-route data packets such as delaying packets, not delaying packets, and/or stopping the delaying of packets. An action which affects data packets may or may not affect data packets uniformly. An action may or may not result in an improvement in quality of user experience.
1. A method of reducing a time period for a packet to travel to a respective user equipment in a wireless network comprising:
estimating a parameter indicative of service by a base station, adjusted to ignore causes unrelated to the base station, the estimation being performed by a supervisor system within the wireless network on a communication path between a packet data network and the base station, and at least logically separate from the base station;
at least partly based on said estimated parameter, determining, by the supervisor system, whether or not to delay arrival at the base station of at least one other data packet so as to reduce the time period for the packet to travel to the respective user equipment; and
if determined to delay, delaying of arrival of the at least one other data packet, within the wireless network between the packet data network and the base station, by the supervisor system, for a finite period, and forwarding the at least one other data packet to its destination after the finite period.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said parameter is indicative of base station queuing time and wherein said determining includes:
comparing one or more estimated parameters to a maximum desired queuing time; and
determining to delay arrival at the base station of the at least one other data packet if a result of said comparing is indicative that base station queuing time exceeds the maximum desired queuing time.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said parameter is a round trip time, an adjusted round trip time, an average round trip time, or an average adjusted round trip time.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said determining includes: determining whether or not to delay arrival of a certain data packet at least partly based on data packet type.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein whether or not to delay is at least partly based on whether or not said data packet type is a data packet type for which a high quality of user experience is at least partly dependent on a constant rate to an associated user equipment.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said determining includes: determining whether or not to delay arrival of a certain data packet at least partly based on to which user equipment said data packet is destined.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein estimating is performed a plurality of times and wherein said determining is at least partly based on at least one parameter estimated during at least one of said plurality of times.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said estimated parameter relates to a plurality of user equipment.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: noting times associated with data packets, wherein said estimating of a parameter is at least partly based on one or more of said noted times.
10. A system for reducing a time period for a packet to travel to a respective user equipment in a wireless network, comprising:
a delay evaluator configured to be located on a communication path between a packet data network and a base station, to estimate a parameter indicative of service by the base station, adjusted to ignore causes unrelated to the base station; and to at least partly based on said estimated parameter, determine whether or not to delay arrival at the base station from the packet data network of at least one other data packet so as to reduce the time period for the packet to travel to the respective user equipment; and
a delayer, at least logically separate from the base station, configured, if determined to delay, to delay arrival of the at least one other data packet, within the wireless network between the packet data network and the base station, for a finite period, and to forward the at least one other data packet to its destination after the finite period.
11. The system of claim 10 , further comprising: a noter configured to note times associated with data packets, wherein estimation of a parameter is at least partly based on one or more of said noted times.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein said noter is further configured to note sequence numbers associated with data packets, wherein estimation of a parameter is at least partly based on one or more of said noted sequence numbers.
13. The system of claim 10 , further comprising: a recognizer configured to recognize at least one selected from a group comprising: user equipments for which respective data packets are destined, one or more groups served by one or more wireless transmitters associated with user equipments for which respective data packets are destined, or types of respective data packets.
14. The system of claim 10 , further comprising at least one data packet queue.
15. The system of claim 10 , wherein at least part of said system is located in the wireless network between a packet data network and one or more base stations.
16. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer useable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for reducing a time period for a packet to travel to a respective user equipment in a wireless network, the computer program product comprising:
computer readable program code for causing a computer to estimate a parameter indicative of service by a base station, at least logically separate from the computer wherein the parameter is adjusted to ignore causes unrelated to the base station;
computer readable program code for causing a computer to, at least partly based on said estimated parameter, determine whether or not to delay arrival at the base station of at least one other data packet so as to reduce the time period for the packet to travel to the respective user equipment; and
computer readable program code for causing a computer to, if determined to delay, to delay arrival of said at least one other data packet, within the wireless network between a packet data network and the base station, for a finite period, and to forward the at least one other data packet to its destination after the finite period.
17. The computer program product of claim 16 , wherein said parameter is indicative of base station queuing time and wherein said computer readable program code for causing a computer to determine includes:
computer readable program code for causing a computer to compare one or more estimated parameters to a maximum desired queuing time; and
computer readable program code for causing a computer to determine to delay arrival at the base station of the at least one other data packet if a result of said comparing is indicative that base station queuing time exceeds the maximum desired queuing time.
18. The computer program product of claim 16 , wherein said parameter is a round trip time, an adjusted round trip time, an average round trip time, or an average adjusted round trip time.
19. The computer program product of claim 16 , further comprising:
computer readable program code for causing a computer to note times associated with data packets, wherein estimation of a parameter is at least partly based on one or more of said noted times.
20. The computer program product of claim 16 , wherein said estimated parameter relates to a plurality of user equipment.
21. The method of claim 1 , wherein said parameter comprises an outgoing rate of packets from the base station.