Sending user plane traffic in a mobile communications network

Abstract

A method and apparatus for sending user plane traffic via a node located between a base station and a Serving Gateway in a mobile telecommunications network. The base station receives a message containing tunneling protocol information identifying the Serving Gateway. It sends a second message towards the node, the second message including tunneling protocol information identifying the base station and the Serving Gateway. The base station receives a third message from the node, the third message including tunneling protocol information for the base station to use towards the node, and tunneling protocol information for the Serving Gateway to use towards the node. A fourth message is sent, which includes tunneling protocol information for the Serving Gateway to use towards the node. User plane traffic can then be sent between the base station and the Serving Gateway via the node.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of sending user plane traffic via a node located between a base station and a Serving Gateway in a mobile telecommunications network, the method comprising, at the base station located in a Radio Access Network:
 receiving a first message containing tunneling protocol information identifying the Serving Gateway; 
 sending a second message towards the node, the second message including tunneling protocol information identifying the base station and the Serving Gateway for use by the node to establish a first tunnel between the node and the base station and to establish a second tunnel between the node and the Serving Gateway; 
 receiving a third message from the node, the third message including tunneling protocol information for the base station to use towards the node, and tunneling protocol information for the Serving Gateway to use towards the node; 
 sending in a fourth message tunneling protocol information for the Serving Gateway to use towards the node; and 
 sending and/or receiving user plane traffic between the base station and the Serving Gateway via the node, using the first tunnel and without using the second tunnel for the sending and/or the receiving the user plane traffic between the base station and the node, in response to the node being in communication with the base station. 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising, at the base station:
 creating local identifiers for User Equipment associated with the user plane traffic and for a local bearer used; and 
 selecting tunneling protocol information identifying the base station, wherein the tunneling protocol information identifying the base station and local identifiers are included in the second message. 
 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising storing the local identifiers and tunnel endpoint identifiers in a memory. 
     
     
       4. The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining that the node can no longer be contacted; 
 sending a path switch request to a Mobility Management Entity, the path switch request message including an address and tunneling protocol information identifying the base station, in order to establish a new tunnel between the base station and the Serving Gateway to replace the first and second tunnels that were previously established. 
 
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 selecting the node from a pool of nodes; 
 in the event of losing a connection with the selected node, selecting a further node from the pool of nodes. 
 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the base station is selected from an eNodeB and a Home eNodeB Gateway, and the node comprises any of a cache, a data host, a packet analysis function, and a user plane traffic optimization function. 
     
     
       7. A method of sending user plane traffic via a node located between a base station and a Serving Gateway in a mobile telecommunications network, the method performed by the node and comprising:
 receiving from the base station located in a Radio Access Network a message, the message including tunneling protocol information identifying the base station and the Serving Gateway; 
 establishing at the node a first tunnel between the node and the base station and a second tunnel between the node and the Serving Gateway based on the tunneling protocol information in the message; 
 sending a further message to the base station, the further message including tunneling protocol information for the base station to use towards the node, and tunneling protocol information for the Serving Gateway to use towards the node; and 
 receiving user plane traffic sent from the base station to the node using the first tunnel and without using the second tunnel, in response to the node being in communication with the base station. 
 
     
     
       8. The method according to  claim 7 , wherein the node comprises any of a cache, a data host, a packet analysis function, and a user plane traffic optimization node. 
     
     
       9. A base station for use in a mobile communication network, the base station comprising:
 a first receiver for receiving a first message comprising tunneling protocol information identifying a Serving Gateway; 
 a transmitter for sending a second message towards a node located in a Radio Access Network, the second message including tunneling protocol information identifying for the base station and tunneling protocol information identifying the Serving Gateway for use by the node to establish a first tunnel between the node and the base station and to establish a second tunnel between the node and the Serving Gateway; 
 a second receiver for receiving a third message from the node, the third message including tunneling protocol information for the base station to use towards the node, and tunneling protocol information for the Serving Gateway to use towards the node; 
 wherein the transmitter is arranged to send in a fourth message tunneling protocol information for the Serving Gateway to use towards the node; and 
 a processor for sending and/or receiving user plane traffic towards the Serving Gateway via the node, using the first tunnel and without using the second tunnel for the sending and/or the receiving the user plane traffic between the base station and the node, in response to the node being in communication with the base station. 
 
     
     
       10. The base station according to  claim 9 , wherein the processor is further arranged to create local identifiers for User Equipment associated with the user plane traffic and for a local bearer used, and the processor is further arranged to select tunneling protocol information identifying the base station, wherein the tunneling protocol information identifying the base station and local identifiers are included in the second message. 
     
     
       11. The base station according to  claim 10 , further comprising a computer readable medium in the form of a non-transitory tunneling memory, the memory for storing the local identifiers and tunnel endpoint identifiers. 
     
     
       12. The base station according to  claim 9 , wherein the processor is further arranged to determine that the node can no longer be contacted, the base station further comprising a second transmitter for sending a path switch request to a Mobility Management Entity, the path switch request message including an address and tunneling protocol information identifying the base station, in order to establish a new tunnel between the base station and the Serving Gateway to replace the first and second tunnels that were previously established. 
     
     
       13. The base station according to  claim 9 , wherein the base station is selected from an eNodeB and a Home eNodeB Gateway. 
     
     
       14. A node for use between a base station and a Serving Gateway in a mobile communications network, the node comprising:
 a receiver for receiving from the base station a message, the message including tunneling protocol information identifying the base station and the Serving Gateway; 
 a processor for arranging the establishment of a first tunnel between the node and the base station and a second tunnel between the node and the Serving Gateway based on the tunneling protocol information in the message; 
 a first transmitter for sending a further message to the base station, the further message including tunneling protocol information for the base station to use towards the cache, and tunneling protocol information for the Serving Gateway to use towards the cache; and 
 wherein the processor is arranged to send user plane traffic between the base station and the Serving Gateway via the node using the first tunnel and without using the second tunnel to send the user plane traffic between the base station and the node, in response to the node being in communication with the base station. 
 
     
     
       15. The node according to  claim 14 , wherein the node comprises a Radio Access Network Controller. 
     
     
       16. A computer program, comprising computer readable code on a non-transitory computer readable medium which, when run on a base station, causes the base station to operate as the base station according to  claim 9 . 
     
     
       17. A computer program, comprising computer readable code on a non-transitory computer readable medium which, when run on a node for providing cached data in a mobile communications network, causes node to operate as the node according to  claim 14 . 
     
     
       18. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the third message comprises a first tunneling endpoint identifier associated with the first tunnel and a second tunneling endpoint identifier associated with the second tunnel. 
     
     
       19. The method according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein the further message comprises a first tunneling endpoint identifier associated with the first tunnel and a second tunneling endpoint identifier associated with the second tunnel. 
 
     
     
       20. The base station according to  claim 9 , wherein the third message comprises a first tunneling endpoint identifier associated with the first tunnel and a second tunneling endpoint identifier associated with the second tunnel. 
     
     
       21. The node according to  claim 14 , wherein the further message comprises a first tunneling endpoint identifier associated with the first tunnel and a second tunneling endpoint identifier associated with the second tunnel.