Controlling telecommunications channel switching

A node of a radio access network which controls transitions between radio resource control states for a wireless terminal, the node comprising:

• a radio resource manager configured to:
• (1) make a prediction of a data transmission parameter upon a completion of a data activity, the data activity being a transfer of data between the wireless terminal and the node;
• (2) make an assessment regarding probable accuracy of the prediction determining that the probable accuracy exceeds an accuracy threshold;
• (3) use the assessment to make a determination whether or not to implement a radio resource control state switch;
• and
• a communications interface through which the node notifies the wireless terminal whether or not to implement the state switch,
• wherein the accuracy threshold is selected based on one or both of a weighted cost of erroneously making a decision to switch the radio resource control state, and a weighted cost of erroneously making decision not to switch the radio control state.

A method of operating a node of a radio access network configured to control radio resource control (RRC) states for a wireless terminal, the method comprising:

• making, by the node, a prediction of a data transmission parameter upon a completion of a data activity associated with a wireless terminal, the data activity being a transfer of data between the wireless terminal and the node;
• making, by the node, an assessment of an accuracy of the prediction by determining whether or not the probable accuracy of the prediction exceeds an accuracy threshold;
• determining, by the node, whether a state switch should be implemented based on the assessment, the state switch comprising switching of the RRC state of the wireless terminal to a lower state;
• and
• implementing, by the node, the state switch when it is determined that the state switch should be implemented based on the assessment,
• wherein the accuracy threshold is set in relation to a cost of making an erroneous prediction such that higher accuracy threshold correlates to higher cost of the erroneous prediction.

A node of a radio access network configured to control radio resource control (RRC) states for a wireless terminal, the node comprising:

• a resource manager configured to:
• make a prediction of a data transmission parameter upon a completion of a data activity associated with a wireless terminal, the data activity being a transfer of data between the wireless terminal and the node,
• make an assessment of an accuracy of the prediction by determining whether or not the probable accuracy of the prediction exceeds an accuracy threshold,
• determine whether a state switch should be implemented based on the assessment, the state switch comprising switching of the RRC state of the wireless terminal to a lower state, and
• implement the state switch when it is determined that the state switch should be implemented based on the assessment,
• wherein the accuracy threshold is set in relation to a cost of making an erroneous prediction such that higher accuracy threshold correlates to higher cost of the erroneous prediction.