Method and apparatus for queued admissions control in a wireless communication system

A services network element that provides for queued admissions control in a wireless communication system, the services network element comprising:

• a processor that is configured to:
• receive a bearer establishment request associated with a user equipment;
• determine that a cell where the user equipment is located is congested;
• in response to determining that the cell is congested, create a bearer establishment request record (BERR) associated with the user equipment and the bearer establishment request, wherein the BERR comprises priority information associated with the BERR;
• and
• add the BERR to a queue, wherein the queue is associated with a cell serving the user equipment, wherein the BERR is positioned in the queue based on the priority information, and wherein bearer establishment requests associated with BERRs in the queue are submitted based on a position of the BERRs in the queue.

An apparatus that provides for queued admissions control in a wireless communication system, the apparatus comprising:

• a first services network element that is configured to:
• receive a bearer establishment request associated with a user equipment;
• determine that a cell where the user equipment is located is congested;
• in response to determining that the cell is congested, create a bearer establishment request record (BERR) associated with the user equipment and the bearer establishment request, wherein the BERR comprises priority information associated with the BERR;
• add the BERR to a first queue, wherein the first queue is associated with a cell serving the user equipment, wherein the BERR is positioned in the first queue based on the priority information, and wherein channel capacity is allocated to BERRs in the first queue based on their position in the first queue;
• determine that the user equipment has moved to a new cell;
• in response to determining that the user equipment has moved, transferring the bearer establishment request record (BERR) associated with the user equipment, along with the associated priority information, to a second services network element;
• a second services network element that is configured to:
• maintain a BERR associated with another user equipment in a second queue, wherein the first queue and the second queue are for a same congested cell;
• and
• wherein the first services network element and the second services network element are configured to operate the first queue and the second queue as a single virtual bearer establishment request queue that preserves a desired ordering of a set consisting of the union of the queued BERRs in the first and second queues.