Method and Arrangement in a Telecommunication System

Abstract

The present invention relates to resource management in a telecommunication system. In particular the invention relates to detection and estimation of transport network load and optimization of transport network resources. According to the method and arrangement of the invention a serving node engaged in admission control identifies a transport network interface from which transport load measurements are required for the admission control, and a target radio network node related to the identified transport network interface. The serving radio network node configure the target radio network node to perform and report measurements on the transport network interface.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A method for detecting a load on transport network interfaces as an input for a radio resource management (RRM) function, the method implemented at a serving radio network node configured to perform the RRM function and comprising:
 identifying a transport network interface from which transport load measurements are required for the RRM function;   sending a request to a target radio network node associated with the identified transport network interface, wherein the request controls the target radio network node to perform transport load measurements on the identified transport network interface, and specifies measurement parameters and reporting condition parameters for the target radio network node;   receiving the measurement results from the target radio network node; and   performing the RRM function based at least partly on the received measurement results.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein a transport network load is expressed in terms of packet loss rate. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3  wherein one or more missing sequence numbers of transmitted packets are used to measure the packet loss rate. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  wherein the transport network utilizes a plurality of transport network bearer services, and wherein the transport network load is separately measured for each transport network bearer service. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the transport network utilizes a plurality of transport network bearer services, and wherein the transport network load is separately measured for each group of transport network bearer services having similar characteristics. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the similar characteristics comprise quality of service requirements. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 3  wherein the transport network load is measured as an aggregation of all the transport network bearer services. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the measurement parameters comprise one or more of: a basic measurement interval, measurement filtering, a transport bearer, and a flow type. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the measurement parameters and reporting conditions are default values that are pre-configured in the transport network. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising the serving radio network node determining the measurement parameters and reporting condition parameters. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the request sent by the serving radio network node specifies measurement filtering parameters comprising one or more of a number of successive measurement intervals, a minimum number of packets to be measured in each interval, and an indication of whether a filtering averaging is linear or non-linear. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the reporting condition parameters comprise one or more of a number of measurement intervals M, and a minimum number of packets M in an interval and a packet loss rate threshold y, which specifies a level for which measurements should be reported. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9  wherein a flow type, comprised of a transport bearer service, a group of transport bearers, or an aggregated flow for which the measurement is performed, is specified. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 2 :
 wherein the serving radio network node is a base station, and wherein the target radio network node is an access gateway in an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunication Communication System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN); and   wherein sending a request to a target radio network node associated with the identified transport network interface comprises the base station sending a request to the access gateway to measure the uplink transport network load on the interface between the base station and the access gateway, and report to the base station.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 2 :
 wherein the serving radio network node is an access gateway in an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunication Communication System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), and the target radio network node is a base station; and   wherein sending a request to a target radio network node associated with the identified transport network interface comprises the access node sending the request to the base station to measure the downlink transport network load on the interface between the base station and the access gateway, and report to the access gateway.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 2 :
 wherein the serving radio network node is a serving base station and said target radio network node is a second base station; and   wherein sending a request to a target radio network node associated with the identified transport network interface comprises the serving base station sending the request to the second base station to measure the transport network load on the interface between the base station and the second base station, and to report to the serving base station.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 2 :
 wherein the serving radio network node is one of an MBMS access gateway and an MBMS server in an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunication Communication System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), and the target radio network node is a base station; and   wherein sending a request to a target radio network node associated with the identified transport network interface comprises the one of the MBMS access gateway and the MBMS server sending the request to the base station to measure the downlink transport network load on the interface between base station and the one of the MBMS access gateway and the MBMS server, and to report to the one of the MBMS access gateway and the MBMS server.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 2 :
 wherein the serving radio network node is a base station and the target radio network node is one of an MBMS access gateway and an MBMS server in an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunication Communication System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN); and   wherein sending a request to a target radio network node associated with the identified transport network interface comprises the base station sending the request to the one of the MBMS access gateway and the MBMS server to measure the uplink transport network load on the interface between the base station and the one of the MBMS access gateway and the MBMS server, and to report to the base station.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 2 :
 wherein the serving radio network node is a radio network controller (RNC) in an Universal Mobile Telecommunication Communication System Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), and the target radio node is a base station; and   wherein sending a request to a target radio network node associated with the identified transport network interface comprises the RNC sending the request to the base station to measure the downlink transport network load on the interface between the base station and the RNC, and to report to the RNC.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 2 :
 wherein the serving radio network node is a base station controller in one of a Global System for Communications (GSM) network and a GSM Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution Radio Access Network (GERAN) and the target radio network node is a base station; and   wherein sending a request to a target radio network node associated with the identified transport network interface comprises base station controller sending the request to the base station to measure the downlink transport network load on the interface between the base station and the base station controller, and to report to the base station controller.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 2  wherein sending a request to a target radio network node associated with the identified transport network interface comprises the serving radio network node sending the request to the target radio network node to report the transport network load measurement via a control plane over a channel that carries control information. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 2  wherein sending a request to a target radio network node associated with the identified transport network interface comprises the serving radio network node sending the request to the target radio network node to report the transport network load measurement piggy-backed with user data via a user plane over a channel that carries user data. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the reporting condition comprises a threshold above which measurements should be reported whereby the reporting of the measurements is event-triggered. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising the serving radio network node storing long-term network transport load data that is used to identify a mismatch between loads on the air interface and the transport network interface. 
     
     
         26 . A serving node in a radio communication network comprising:
 a radio resource management (RRM) function circuit configured to perform a RRM function required in the radio communication network;   an interface identification circuit configured to identify a transport network interface from which transport load measurements are required for the RRM function;   a measurement configuration request generation circuit configured to generate a measurement configuration request to be sent to a node associated with the identified transport network interface, wherein the request controls the node to perform transport load measurements on the identified transport network interface; and   a receiving circuit configured to:
 receive measurement reports from the node associated with the identified transport network interface; and 
 provide the measurement reports to the RRM function circuit. 
   
     
     
         27 . The radio network node of  claim 26  further comprising:
 a measurement configuration receiving circuit configured to receive and execute a measurement configuration request; and 
 a report generating circuit configured to produce a measurement report responsive to receiving a measurement configuration request. 
 
     
     
         28 . A method, implemented at a radio network node functioning as a serving radio network node configured to perform admission control, for detecting a load on transport network interfaces at admission control, the method comprising:
 identifying a transport network interface from which transport load measurements are required for admission control;   sending a request to a target radio network node associated with the identified transport network interface, wherein the request controls the target radio network node to perform transport load measurements on the identified transport network interface, and specifies measurement parameters, filtering parameters, and reporting condition parameters for the target radio network node, wherein the measurement parameters include one or more of a basic measurement interval, measurement filtering, reporting condition, transport bearer, and flow type, and wherein the filtering parameters comprise one or more of a number of successive measurement intervals, a minimum number of packets to be measured in each interval, and an indication of whether filtering averaging is linear or non-linear;   receiving the measurement results from the target radio network node; and   performing the admission control based at least partly on the received measurement results.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28  wherein the reporting condition parameters comprise one or more of a number of measurement intervals M, a minimum number of packets N to be measured in an interval, and a packet loss rate threshold γ, which specifies a level for which measurements should be reported. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 28  wherein the flow type specifies one of a transport bearer service, a group of transport bearers, and an aggregated flow for which the measurement is performed. 
     
     
         31 . A method, implemented at a radio network node functioning as a serving radio network node configured to perform admission control, for detecting a load on transport network interfaces at admission control, the method comprising:
 identifying a transport network interface from which transport load measurements are required for admission control;   sending a request to a target radio network node associated with the identified transport network interface, wherein the request controls the target radio network node to perform transport load measurements on the identified transport network interface, and specifies measurement parameters and reporting condition parameters for the target radio network node;   receiving the measurement results from the target radio network node;   performing the admission control based at least partly on the received measurement results; and   storing long-term network transport load data that is used to identify a mismatch between loads on the air interface and the transport network interface.