Handoff mechanisms to support real-time delay-critical services in a next generation network

A method for performing handoff from an originating Radio Network Subsystem (RNS) in a wireless network, the method comprising:

• determining a target RNS, wherein the target RNS is coupled to the originating RNS;
• sending a relocation started message from the originating RNS to a Core Network (CN), wherein the CN is coupled to the originating RNS and the target RNS;
• receiving, at the CN, the relocation started message;
• reserving, by the target RNS, radio resources;
• bi-casting, from the target RNS to the originating RNS and the CN, an acknowledge message;
• and
• completing the handoff to the target RNS.

A system for performing handoff from an originating Radio Network Subsystem (RNS) in a wireless network, the system comprises:

• means for determining, by the originating RNS, a target RNS, wherein the target RNS is coupled to the originating RNS;
• means for sending, by the originating RNS, a relocation started message to a Core Network (CN), wherein the CN is coupled to the originating RNS and the target RNS;
• means for receiving, at the CN, the relocation started message;
• means for reserving, by the target RNS, radio resources;
• means for bi-casting, from the target RNS to the originating RNS and the CN, an acknowledge message;
• means for preparing, by the acknowledge message, a tunnel to the CN for uplink packets;
• means for preparing, by the CN, a tunnel for downlink packets prior to completing the handoff to the target RNS;
• means for bi-casting, by the CN, the downlink packets to the originating RNS and the target RNS;
• and
• means for completing the handoff to the target RNS.

A system for performing handoff from an originating Radio Network Subsystem (RNS) in a wireless network, the system comprises:

• means for determining, by the originating RNS, a target RNS, wherein the target RNS is coupled to the originating RNS;
• means for sending, by the originating RNS, a relocation started message to a Core Network (CN), wherein the CN is coupled to the originating RNS and the target RNS;
• means for receiving, at the CN, the relocation started message;
• means for reserving, by the target RNS, radio resources;
• means for sending from the target RNS, an acknowledge message;
• means for preparing, by the acknowledge message, a tunnel to the CN for uplink packets;
• means for preparing, by the CN, a tunnel for downlink packets prior to completing the handoff to the target RNS;
• means for sending, by the CN, the downlink packets to the originating RNS and the target RNS;
• means for completing the handoff to the target RNS;
• and
• means for receiving, by the originating RNS and the CN, the acknowledge message.

A method for performing a handoff of a mobile device from a source radio network subsystem (RNS) to a target RNS in a wireless network, the method comprising:

• sending a relocation request message from the source RNS to the target RNS, wherein the relocation request message includes radio access bearer identifier information, resource reservation information, and an internet protocol (IP) address of a core network (CN) packet processing node serving the mobile device;
• sending a relocation started message from the source RNS to the packet processing node;
• reserving, by the target RSN, radio resources identified in the relocation request message;
• bi-casting a relocation acknowledgement message from the target RNS to the packet processing node and the source RNS, wherein the relocation acknowledgement message includes an IP address of a packet processing function within the target RNS;
• bi-casting downlink packets from the packet processing node to the source RNS and the packet processing function within the target RNS;
• buffering the downlink packets at the target RNS;
• sending a relocation commit message from the source RNS to the target RNS identifying a last packet sent from the source RNS to the packet processing node;
• and
• sending packets from the target RNS to the mobile device beginning with a first packet, wherein the first packet is a buffered packet that immediately follows the last packet identified in the relocation commit message.