Dynamic carrier management and network slicing for internet of things (iot)

Abstract

Critical radio resources can be intelligently and dynamically managed across traditional consumer mobility and Internet of things (IoT) services in an end-to-end manner. A selective offloading scheme based on monitored traffic dynamics can be utilized to ensure that IoT traffic is steered, on-demand, to a customized and/or dedicated core network slice, thereby enhancing consumer and IoT services experience. In one example, within the IoT domain, traffic can be steered to the customized and/or dedicated core network slice based on various factors, for example, device category and/or congestion per radio carrier, to minimize service disruptions and deliver superior mobility network functionality and/or end-user experience.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method, comprising:
 utilizing, by a user equipment comprising a processor, a first carrier frequency to communicate with first network equipment;   receiving, by the user equipment, carrier frequency data from second network equipment, wherein the carrier frequency data is indicative of a second carrier frequency determined based on an analysis of loading data associated with a traffic load of the first network equipment; and   in response to the receiving, utilizing, by the user equipment, the second carrier frequency to communicate with the first network equipment.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the receiving comprises receiving the carrier frequency data in response to conveying, by the user equipment, an indication of a power-up status of the user equipment. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the receiving comprises receiving the carrier frequency data in response to initiating, by the user equipment, a service request. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the receiving comprises receiving the carrier frequency data in response to initiating, by the user equipment, an attachment request to communicate with the first network equipment. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the carrier frequency data is indicative of the second carrier frequency allocated to a category of user equipment to which the user equipment is determined to belong. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the category of user equipment is an internet of things category. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first network equipment comprises an access point. 
     
     
         8 . A system, comprising:
 a processor; and   a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
 communicating with network equipment via a first carrier frequency; and 
 changing from the first carrier frequency to a second carrier frequency for the communicating with the network equipment based on receipt of carrier frequency data indicative of the second carrier frequency, wherein the carrier frequency data is based on loading data associated with a traffic load of the network equipment. 
   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 prior to the changing, attaching to a communications network for a first time via the first carrier frequency, wherein the communications network comprises the network equipment; and   receiving the carrier frequency data in response to the attaching.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 prior to the changing, initiating a service request; and   receiving the carrier frequency data in response to the service request.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the network equipment is first network equipment, and wherein the operations further comprise:
 prior to the changing, initiating an attachment request to communicate with the first network equipment; and   receiving the carrier frequency data from second network equipment based on the initiating.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the carrier frequency data is indicative of the second carrier frequency allocated to a category of user equipment. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the category of user equipment is an internet of things category. 
     
     
         14 . A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
 based on monitoring a utilization of access network resources by user equipment that are coupled to network equipment, determining loading data associated with the network equipment; and   receiving spectrum allocation data based on an analysis of the loading data, wherein the spectrum allocation data is employable to allocate respective carrier frequencies for specified categories of the user equipment.   
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 14 , wherein the network equipment is first network equipment, and wherein the operations further comprise:
 conveying information indicative of the loading data to second network equipment, wherein the analysis is based on the loading data, and wherein the receiving the spectrum allocation data comprises receiving the spectrum allocation data as a function of the conveying.   
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving, from the second network equipment, mapping data that maps the respective carrier frequencies to specified network slices of a communications network that comprises the first network equipment and the second network equipment.   
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 16 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving communication data via a carrier of the respective carrier frequencies; and   based on the mapping data, routing the communication data to a defined network slice of the specified network slices.   
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 based on the spectrum allocation data, facilitating a transmission of the respective carrier frequencies.   
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 14 , wherein the specified categories comprise an internet of things category. 
     
     
         20 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of  claim 14 , wherein the loading data is indicative of a density of a group of user equipment utilizing the access network resources.