Converged media packet gateway for a novel LTE data and voice core network architecture
AssigneeMitel Mobility Inc.
InventorsSrinivas Eswara, Pardeep Kohli, Ian Bjorn Maclean
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An Evolved Packet Core network comprises a converged media packet gateway control element including a GTP-C function of SGW, PGW, and P-CSCF and ATCF functions. The network further comprises at least one converged media packet gateway bearer element disposed remotely from the converged media packet gateway control element, in communication and under the management of the converged media packet gateway control element. The at least one converged media packet gateway bearer element includes SGW and PGW bearer plane terminating S1-U, and ATGW and IMS-AGW NAT functions.
Claims27
An Evolved Packet Core network comprising:
- a converged media packet gateway control plane comprising a converged media packet gateway control element including a control general packet radio service tunneling protocol (GTP-C) function of serving gateway (SGW), packet data network (PDN) gateway (PGW), proxy call session control function (P-CSCF) and access transfer control function (ATCF) functions;
- and
- a converged media packet user plane comprising a plurality of converged media packet gateway bearer elements disposed remotely from the converged media packet gateway control element, in communication and under the management of the converged media packet gateway control element,
- wherein at least one converged media packet gateway bearer element comprises SGW and PGW bearer plane terminating S1-U interfaces, and access transfer gateway (ATGW) and Internet protocol multimedia subsystem-access gateway-network address translation (IMS-AGW NAT) functions;
- wherein user data flows through the converged media packet user plane;
- wherein signaling information flows through the converged media packet gateway control plane;
- and
- wherein the converged media packet gateway control element is a centralized node and the converged media packet gateway bearer elements are geographically distributed closer to an edge of the network.
A distributed Evolved Packet Core network element comprising:
- a gateway control element including:
- a Serving Gateway (SGW) control portion;
- a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (PGW) control portion coupled to the SGW control portion;
- a proxy call session control function (P-CSCF) element coupled to the PGW control portion, the P-CSCF including an IP-Multimedia Subsystem Application Level Gateway (IMS-ALG) function;
- and
- an Access Transfer Control Function (ATCF) element coupled to the P-CSCF element;
- and
- a plurality of gateway bearer elements distributed geographically and each coupled to the gateway control element, each of the gateway bearer elements including:
- an evolved Packet Data Gateway (ePDG) function;
- an SGW bearer portion;
- a PGW bearer portion coupled to the SGW bearer portion;
- an Internet protocol multimedia subsystem-access gateway (IMS-AGW) element coupled to the PGW bearer portion;
- and
- an access transfer gateway (ATGW) element coupled to the IMS-AGW element,
- wherein the distributed evolved packet core network element enables central deployment and operation of control signal handling using the gateway control element and distributed media handling using the plurality of gateway bearer elements.
A method of extending 3GPP R4 architecture to a long term evolution (LTE) data and voice core, comprising:
- managing a control general packet radio service tunneling protocol (GTP-C) function of Serving Gateway (SGW), Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (PGW), proxy call session control function (P-CSCF), and Access Transfer Control Function (ATCF) in a single centralized control element;
- and
- providing SGW bearer plane terminating S1-U, Access Transfer Gateway (ATGW), and Internet Protocol multimedia subsystem-access gateway-network address translation (IMS-AGW NAT) functions in a plurality of geographically distributed bearer elements under the control and management of the single centralized control element,
- wherein a dedicated bearer is activated between the control element and the bearer plane.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.