Method and arrangement for reducing the amount of messages sent in a communication network

An arrangement for reducing the amount of messages sent in a communication network comprising a first communication network entity, a second communication network entity connected to said first communication network entity over a communication interface and one or more user equipments connected to said second communication network entity over a radio interface, whereby messages are sent on said interfaces using at least a first and a second protocol, wherein the arrangement comprises:

• means for sending first protocol messages packed inside second protocol messages, wherein said first protocol is a non-access stratum protocol and said second protocol is an access stratum protocol, each of said first and second protocol messages indicating a number of procedural steps, each procedural step belonging to a procedure related to the first or second protocol;
• and,
• means for providing together with each of said first protocol messages an instruction field determining at least one co-ordination rule to be used for said procedural steps, wherein said at least one co-ordination rule is selected from a set of pre-defined rules, each of which indicates how a receiving one of said one or more user equipments is to co-ordinate a procedure related to the first protocol and a procedure related to the second protocol.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing a computer program for reducing the amount of messages sent in a communication network comprising a first communication network entity, a second communication network entity connected to said first communication network entity over a communication interface and one or more user equipments connected to said second communication network entity over a radio interface, whereby messages are sent on said interfaces using at least a first and a second protocol, wherein the computer program performs the steps of:

• sending first protocol messages packed inside second protocol messages, wherein said first protocol is a non-access stratum protocol and said second protocol is an access stratum protocol, each of said first and second protocol messages indicating a number of procedural steps, each procedural step belonging to a procedure related to the first or second protocol;
• and,
• providing together with each of said first protocol messages an instruction field determining at least one co-ordination rule to be used for said procedural steps, wherein said at least one co-ordination rule is selected from a set of pre-defined rules, each of which indicates how a receiving one of said one or more user equipments is to co-ordinate a procedure related to the first protocol and a procedure related to the second protocol.