Using LTE control channel to send openflow message directly to small cells to reduce latency in an SDN-based multi-hop wireless backhaul network

A system for providing small cell backhaul communication, comprising:

• a small cell backhaul network including a plurality of small cell network nodes, each node including at least one transceiver enabling creation of transmission links, each transmission link having associated therewith LTE control channels in a control plane and non-control, data channels in a data plane over a non-LTE channel, to provide communications with at least two other small cell network nodes over both the LTE control channels over an LTE network and the non-control, data channels over the non-LTE channel over a multiband network, each small cell network node further including an LTE interface for providing the LTE control channels connection over the LTE network;
• a server in communication with the plurality of small cell network nodes of the small cell backhaul network configured to provide a software defined network (SDN) controller for controlling configuration of each of the transmission links including the LTE control channel in the control plane and the non-control, data channels in the data plane using the non-LTE channel between the plurality of small cell network nodes of the small cell backhaul network through the at least one transceiver in each of the plurality of small cell nodes;
• wherein the SDN controller configures the at least one transceiver at each of the plurality of small cell network nodes to communicate for each of the transmission links control messages with the plurality of small cell network nodes over the LTE control channels associated with a transmission link to reduce latency of communications through the small cell backhaul network and to communicate data including non-control messages over the non-control, data channels using the channel associated with the transmission link of the multiband network;
• and
• wherein the LTE interface establishes the LTE control channels with the SDN controller for communicating the control messages with each of the small cell network nodes.

A method for providing small cell backhaul communication, comprising:

• establishing a plurality of transmission links, each transmission link having associated therewith LTE control channels in a control plane and non-control, data channel in a data plane over a non-LTE channel, between transceivers at a plurality of small cell network nodes of a small cell backhaul network and a software defined network (SDN) controller implemented on a server, wherein the LTE control channels are established over an LTE network using an LTE interface at each of the plurality of small cell network nodes and the non-control, data channels over the non-LTE channel are established over a multiband network;
• controlling a transmission link configuration between the plurality of small cell network nodes of the small cell backhaul network and the SDN controller through the SDN controller over the LTE control channels in the control plane;
• communicating, using the transceivers, OpenFlow control messages with the plurality of small cell network nodes over the LTE control channels of the LTE network for each of the plurality of transmission links between the plurality of small cell network nodes of the small cell backhaul network and the SDN controller;
• and
• communicating, using the transceivers, data including non-OpenFlow control messages with the plurality of small cell network nodes over the non-control, data channels using the non-LTE channel of the multiband network associated for each of the plurality of transmission links between the plurality of small cell network nodes of the small cell backhaul network and the SDN controller.