Methods and apparatus for integration of wireless wide area networks with wireless local area networks

A network element of a Wireless Wide Area Network, WWAN, for use in aggregation between the WWAN and a Wireless Local Area Network, WLAN, the network element of the WWAN comprising:

• means configured to decide that an aggregation between the WWAN and the WLAN is to be performed for at least one bearer associated with a specific user equipment, UE;
• means configured to identify which of the at least one bearer associated with the specific UE are to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN;
• and
• means configured to packet-level schedule of each bearer identified to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN.

A network element of a Wireless Wide Area Network, WWAN, for use in aggregation between the WWAN and a Wireless Local Area Network, WLAN, the network element of the WWAN comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a memory storing computer program code, which, when run in the processor causes the network element of the WWAN to:
• decide that an aggregation between the WWAN and the WLAN is to be performed for at least one bearer associated with a specific user equipment, UE;
• identify which ones of the at least one bearer associated with the specific UE that are to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN;
• and
• packet-level schedule of each bearer identified to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN.

A network element of a Wireless Local Area Network, WLAN, for use in aggregation between a Wireless Wide Area Network, WWAN, and the WLAN, the network element of the WLAN comprising:

• a receiver;
• a processor;
• and
• a memory storing computer program code, which, when run in the processor causes the network element of the WLAN to:
• receive, from a network element of the WWAN via the receiver, information related to a mapping, the mapping being a mapping of a set of WWAN QoS attributes for each bearer in the WWAN with corresponding WLAN QoS attributes in the WLAN.

A network element of a Wireless Local Area Network, WLAN, for use in aggregation between a Wireless Wide Area Network, WWAN, and the WLAN, the network element of the WLAN comprising:

• a receiver;
• a processor;
• and
• a memory storing computer program code, which, when run in the processor causes the network element of the WLAN to:
• receive, from a network element of the WWAN via the receiver, information related to a determined set of WWAN QoS attributes for each bearer of at least one bearer identified to be aggregated between the WWAN and the WLAN.