Group-based control method and apparatus for MTC devices in mobile communication system

A Mobility Management Entity (MME) for controlling Machine Type Communication (MTC) devices in a mobile communication system, the MME comprising:

• an interface unit providing an interface to communicate with an evolved Node B (eNB), a Serving Gateway (SGW) and a Home Subscriber Server (HSS);
• and
• a control unit controlling the interface unit to send, when an attach request from an MTC device is received, an attach report to the HSS, to receive an Access Point Name Aggregate Maximum Bit Rate (APN-AMBR) from the HSS, and to forward the received APN-AMBR to related entities,
• wherein the APN-AMBR is determined by dividing a group-APN-AMBR assigned to an MTC group to which the MTC device belongs by a sum of the counted number of MTC devices requesting attachment during the preset time duration and the counted number of already attached MTC devices and is used for controlling a network congestion by setting a sum of APN-AMBRs does not exceed the group-APN-AMBR assigned to the MTC group.

A Home Subscriber Server (HSS) for controlling Machine Type Communication (MTC) devices in a mobile communication system, the HSS comprising:

• an interface unit providing an interface to communicate with a Mobility Management Entity (MME);
• and
• a control unit controlling a process of starting, upon reception of an attach report from the MME, a timer lasting for a preset time duration, for counting a number of MTC devices requesting attachment and a number of already attached MTC devices during the preset time duration, determining, upon expiration of the timer, an Access Point Name-Aggregate Maximum Bit Rate (APN-AMBR) according to a sum of the counted number of MTC devices requesting attachment during the preset time duration and the counted number of already attached MTC devices, and sending the determined APN-ABMR to the MME,
• wherein the determining of the APN-AMBR further comprises dividing a group-APN-AMBR assigned to an MTC group to which the MTC device belongs by the sum of the determined number of counted MTC devices requesting attachment during the preset time duration and the counted number of already attached MTC devices.

A method of controlling Machine Type Communication (MTC) devices for a Mobility Management Entity (MME) in a mobile communication system, the method comprising:

• sending, when an attach request from an MTC device is received, an attach report to a Home Subscriber Server (HSS);
• and
• receiving, an Access Point Name-Aggregate Maximum Bit Rate (APN-AMBR) determined by the HSS according to a sum of the counted number of MTC devices requesting attachment during the preset time duration and the counted number of already attached MTC devices from the HSS;
• wherein the APN-AMBR is determined by dividing a group-APN-AMBR assigned to an MTC group to which the MTC device belongs by the sum of the counted number of MTC devices requesting attachment during the preset time duration and the counted number of already attached MTC devices and is used for controlling a network congestion by setting the sum of APN-AMBRs does not exceed the group-APN-AMBR assigned to the MTC group.