Mechanism to benefit from min and max bitrates

Method for use in a mobile telecommunications system having a plurality of radio access networks (RANs) accessible by mobile stations in their vicinity, said RANs connected to a core network of said mobile telecommunications system, wherein each of said RANs allocates capacity in response to demand for capacity from said mobile stations in their vicinity, said method comprising the steps of:

• each RAN allocating, for each connection to an associated mobile station, a guaranteed capacity minimum bitrate as well as a non-guaranteed maximum bitrate and communicating said guaranteed bitrate and said non-guaranteed bitrate to said associated mobile station;
• and
• each RAN determining an error rate, comparing said error rate to an error rate threshold, and permitting free use of said connection at a bitrate between said minimum bitrate and said maximum bitrate for so long as said error rate does not exceed said error rate threshold, but in the event said error rate exceeds said error rate threshold, commanding use of said connection at a reduced bitrate that is not between the minimum bitrate and the maximum bitrate, until said connection is terminated or said error rate no longer exceeds said error rate threshold and again permitting free use of said connection between said minimum bitrate and said maximum bitrate beginning at a selected time after said error rate no longer exceeds said error rate threshold,
• wherein said step of commanding use of said connection at a reduced bitrate is carried out for connections carrying plural bearer services by first commanding use of said connection at a reduced bitrate for a selected one of said plural bearer services and then only commanding use of said connection at a further reduced bitrate for one or more others of said plural bearer services if said error rate remains above said threshold.

Mobile station for use in a mobile telecommunications system having a plurality of radio access networks (RANs), said RANs being connected to a UMTS core network, and said mobile station being capable of demanding and receiving an allocated capacity from said RANs, said mobile station comprising:

• means for receiving from a RAN a guaranteed capacity minimum bitrate as well as a non-guaranteed maximum bitrate, for each connection between the RAN and the mobile station;
• means for determining an error rate and comparing said error rate to an error rate threshold;
• and
• means for using a bitrate between the minimum bitrate and the maximum bitrate for so long as said error rate does not exceed said error rate threshold, but in the event said error rate exceeds said error rate threshold, using a reduced bitrate until said connection is terminated or until said error rate no longer exceeds said error rate threshold, and subsequently again freely using said connection between said minimum bitrate and said maximum bitrate beginning at a random or selected time after said error rate no longer exceeds said error rate threshold.