Method for controlling a quality of service in a mobile communications system

A data transmission method for a mobile communications system including packet radio serving nodes, packet radio gateway nodes and an IP data network interconnecting said packet radio serving nodes and packet radio gateway nodes, having a packet data transmission capability, said method comprising:

• setting up a single packet data protocol context in one of the packet radio gateway nodes for a mobile packet data terminal for routing data packets through the mobile communications system between said mobile packet data terminal and an external communication system;
• transmitting, within said single packet data protocol context, data packets of at least two user applications run in said mobile packet data terminal;
• providing each individual data packet with priority information and traffic type information as quality of service parameters, the priority information indicating one of at least two priority levels and the traffic type information indicating one of at least two traffic types, said at least two traffic types including a real-time traffic and a non-real-time traffic;
• defining at least one further quality of service parameter in said packet data protocol context said one packet radio gateway node;
• scheduling and policing the transmission of each respective data packet in said mobile communication system according to said at least one quality of service parameter carried in said respective data packet, within the limits set by said at least one further quality of service parameter in said packet data protocol context;
• and
• mapping of quality of service parameters used in the mobile-communication system to those used in a user application in said mobile packet data terminal or those used in said external communication system, and vice versa.

A mobile communications system, comprising:

• mobile packet data terminals;
• a mobile communications network comprising packet radio serving nodes, packet radio gateway nodes providing an access to an external system, and an Internet Protocol data network interconnecting said packet radio serving nodes and packet radio gateway nodes;
• at least one connection leg with at least two paths having different reliabilities in the mobile communications network;
• means for setting up a packet data protocol context in one of said packet radio gateway nodes for a mobile packet data terminal for transmitting data packets through the mobile communications network between said mobile packet data terminal and an external communication system;
• at least two user applications run in said mobile packet data terminal and transmitting data packets within a single packet data protocol context;
• each individual data packet of each of said user applications carrying at least one quality of service parameter indicating the quality of service required by the respective user application;
• each individual data packet carrying priority information and traffic type information as quality of service parameters, the priority information indicating one of at least two priority levels and the traffic type information indicating one of at least two traffic types;
• each individual data packet carrying reliability information as a further quality of service parameter, said reliability information defining one of at least two reliability classes;
• means for scheduling and policing responsive to said at least one quality of service parameter carried in each respective data packet for scheduling and policing the transmission of said respective data packet within the limits set by said packet data protocol context;
• and
• means for multiplexing the data packets to said at least two paths according to said reliability information carried in said data packets.

A mobile communications system, comprising:

• mobile packet data terminals;
• a mobile communications network comprising packet radio serving nodes, packet radio gateway nodes providing an access to an external system and an Internet Protocol data network interconnecting said packet radio serving nodes and packet radio gateway nodes;
• means for setting up a packet data protocol context for a mobile packet data terminal for transmitting data packets through the mobile communications network between said mobile packet data terminal and an external communication system;
• at least two user applications run in said mobile packet data terminal and transmitting data packets within a single packet data protocol context;
• each individual data packet of each of said user applications carrying at least one quality of service parameter indicating the quality of service required by the respective user application;
• each individual data packet carrying priority information and traffic type information as quality of service parameters, the priority information indicating one of at least two priority levels and the traffic type information indicating one of at least two traffic types, said at least two traffic types including a real-time traffic and a non-real-time traffic;
• at least one further quality of service parameter defined in said packet data protocol context;
• and
• means for scheduling and policing responsive to said at least one quality of service parameter carried in each respective data packet for scheduling and policing the transmission of said respective data packet within the limits set by said at least one further quality of service parameter in said packet data protocol context;
• and
• means for mapping of quality of service parameters used in the mobile-communication network to those used in a user application in said mobile packet data terminal or those used in said external communication system, and vice versa.