SE537952C2 - Methods and devices for data flow control in a communication network - Google Patents

Abstract

34 ABSTRACT There is provided a method for controlling a data flow between a first and asecond part of a communication network comprising at least one mobilecommunication device. The method is performed by a control node of thecommunication network being arranged in a path of the data flow to becontrolled. The method comprises the steps of receiving information dataabout the status of the at least one mobile communication device from anapplication comprised on a smartcard in the at least one mobilecommunication device; evaluating the data flow in combination with thereceived information data; and controlling the data flow between the first partof the communication network and the second part of the communication network based on said evaluation. Publish With Fig. 1

Description

METHODS AND DEVICES FOR DATA FLOW CONTROL IN ACOMMUNICATION NETWORK Technical field The present invention relates to the field of Cellular communicationsystems. ln particular it relates to methods and a system for controlling a dataflow between a first and a second part of a communication network comprising at least one mobile communication device.

BackgroundThe significant increase of mobile data traffic in cellular networks often creates uncontrollable congestion at certain bottlenecks in the operator'snetwork. These bottlenecks can be radio cells of the cellular network,transmission links, or any other shared medium of the network. Duringcongestion a network element typically acts by dropping data packets or bydelaying them in a queue, involving severe decrease in the user experienceof the subscribers. lt is thus essential that the operator can measure andcontrol such situations in an efficient way.

One well-known method for handling congestion is the queuingarchitecture in the network element, e.g. a radio cell. The queuingarchitecture typically works autonomously, and on the reception of a datapacket, it is put in a queue, which might depend on a certain priority of thesubscriber or the dataflow. A scheduling algorithm in the network element willtransmit the data packets from the queue, according to a certain policy. lf aradio cell is congested, the queues will delay or overflow and start to droppackets. Most of the potential bottlenecks in a cellular network (radio cells,transmission links, routers, etc.) do not have knowledge of the content in adataflow, and can therefore not judge the importance of a data packet of thedata flow. One data flow might be very important for the end-customersexperience, e.g. a Voice over lnternet Protocol (VoIP) packet, and anotherdata flow might be less important, as e.g. a background software-upgrade.

Another method for controlling congestion in the Cellular network is theuse of service aware network elements, often referred to as Deep Packetlnspection (DPI). DPI has the capability to inspect the individual data flowsfrom internet or Public Switched Telephone Networks (PSTN), and classifythe type of content that is transmitted through the cellular networks. As such,a DPI node is able to limit abusive usage of e.g. peer-to-peer services orother services, which often are big contributors in the creation of congestion.A DPI node is often located centrally in the operator's communication networkbetween the cellular networks and the internet (or PSTN), where it cananalyze the aggregated data flow of the operator. However, the centrallylocated DPI node typically lacks information about the congestion status inthe cellular networks, e.g. in a radio cell or other network element, or otherinformation relating to the mobile communication devices in the network. Forinstance it is a challenge to retrieve real-time radio access networkinformation due to the fact that network vendors protect such information. lnother words, with current technology, the operators are dependent on thenetwork vendors in order to get access to real-time radio access networkinformation.

One alternative to get access to such real-time data is to improve thereal-time information interface between the cellular networks and the operatoror by installation of measurement probes in the cellular networks. Thedrawback with such an alternative is that the complexity of cellular networksmakes this process cumbersome, costly and inflexible with respect to fastadaptation to fast changing customer needs, data communicationsrequirements and different operator requirements.

Accordingly, there is at present no efficient way for an operator toimprove the DPI methods with respect to e.g. reduction of congestion. Thereis thus a need for methods, which measure and control data flows in acommunication networks in order to e.g. reduce congestion and improving thequality of experience of the subscribers.

Summary of the invention lt is thus an object of the present invention to mitigate or overcome theproblems described above and provide methods and devices for control of adata flow in a communication system. ln particular, it is an object to providemethods and devices which provide an improved control of a data flow in acommunication network in order to improve the quality of experience for theend subscribers.

According to a first aspect of the invention, the above object isachieved by a method for controlling a data flow between a first and a secondpart of a communication network comprising at least one mobilecommunication device, the method being performed by a control node of thecommunication network being arranged in a path of said data flow, themethod comprising the steps of: receiving information data about the status ofthe at least one mobile communication device from an application comprisedon a smartcard in the at least one mobile communication device; evaluatingthe data flow in combination with the received information data; andcontrolling the data flow between the first part of the communication networkand the second part of the communication network based on the evaluation.

With the above method, the control node thus receives, in real time,information data regarding the status of the mobile communication devices.The control node then combines the real-time information data withinformation from the data flow in order to control the data flow. By combiningthe real-time information data with information from the dataflow, i.e. serviceawareness information, the control node may for example identify bottlenecksin the network, such as radio cells suffering from congestion or radio qualityissues, and direct the control of the data flow to resolve the potentialbottlenecks. The control node may for instance be a DPI capable device.

The above method is further advantageous in that information data isreceived from a smartcard (i.e. an application running on the smartcard) in themobile communication device. This offers an efficient way for an operator toreceive real-time data regarding the mobile communication devices withouthaving to rely on the network vendor or install measurement probes or similarin the communication network. For this reason, one may say that with the solution of the invention, real-time information is received “over the top” of thenetwork vendors, meaning that the solution for providing real-time data issitting outside the mobile network as provided by the network vendor. Further,by locating the reporting mechanism on the smartcard, a solution is providedwhich is fully under control of the operator, both when it comes to installationand operation. Having the application running on the smartcard is furtheradvantageous in that it is transparent to the subscriber and requires noattention from the subscriber or other subscriber interaction.

The term “data flow” as used herein typically refers to an aggregateddata flow resulting from the at least one mobile communication device andapplications/processes running on the at least one mobile communicationdevice.

The term “smartcard” generally refers to a Subscriber Identity Module,SIM, a Universal Subscriber Identity Module, USIM, or any other type ofelectronic module, which contains processing capabilities and a uniqueidentifier, typically referred to as an International Mobile Subscriber Identity,lMSl.

The information data about the status may be one of bandwidth usage,a current cell identity, channel information, signal strength, signal quality,battery status, radio access technology, and a movement of the at least onemobile communication device. The received information data may be used tofilter the data flow. For example, by receiving information regarding e.g. thecell identity of the mobile communication devices, the control node mayanalyze which parts of the data flow are associated with which radio cells. lnthis way the control node may analyze the data flow per radio cell in order todeduce whether there is a particular cell or cells which suffer from a faultcondition, such as congestion or a radio quality issue. Based on otherreceived parameters, such as bandwidth usage, signal quality, channelinformation, and signal strength, the control node may deduce whether thefault condition is due to e.g. congestion or a radio quality issue. ln particular, the step of evaluating may comprise: evaluating the dataflow in combination with the received information data in order to identify agroup of mobile communication devices among the at least one mobile communication device, wherein the control of the data flow is performed withrespect to a part of the data flow being associated with the identified group ofmobile communication devices.

This is advantageous in that the control node may direct the control ofthe data flow to a certain part of the data flow which is associated with anidentified group of mobile communication devices. For example, the identifiedgroup of mobile communication devices may be mobile communicationdevices being located in a cell which suffers from congestion. According toanother example, the identified group of mobile communication devices maybe mobile communication devices having a battery status above a certainthreshold. ln one embodiment the step of controlling the data flow furthercomprises the step of: modifying allocation of bandwidth for the part of thedata flow being associated with the identified group of mobile communicationdevices. ln this way the control node may redistribute the available bandwidthbetween different data sub-flows in order to mitigate the effect of a possiblecongestion or radio quality issue with respect to the identified group of mobilecommunication devices.

For example, the step of modifying allocation of bandwidth for the partof the data flow being associated with the identified group of mobilecommunication devices may further be based on a priority level of the mobilecommunication devices in the identified group. ln more detail, an operator ofthe network may assign different priorities to its customers, for exampledepending on their subscription at the operator. The control node maytherefore give a higher priority, and thereby a higher bandwidth allocation, tocertain mobile communication devices in comparison to others.

As another example, the step of modifying allocation of bandwidth forthe part of the data flow further comprises the step of: modifying allocation ofbandwidth for a plurality of data sub-flows of the part of the data flow beingassociated with the identified group mobile communication devices, whereinthe plurality of data sub-flows correspond to a plurality of different applicationsrunning on mobile communication devices in the identified group.

This is advantageous in that the allocation of bandwidth may beperformed on basis of the type of application or process which gives rise to aparticular data sub-flow. For example, a VoIP application may be given higherpriority than a background software upgrade. ln other words, the allocation ofbandwidth may be made per subscriber (i.e. mobile communication device)and per application.

According to one embodiment the step of controlling the data flow mayfurther comprise: sending a message to the identified group of mobilecommunication devices to modify the policy for selecting radio accessprotocol of the mobile communication devices in the identified group whencommunicating with the communication network.

This is advantageous in that the control node may control the dataflows by affecting the way the mobile communication devices communicateswith the network, thereby modifying the resulting data flows. The modificationof policy may for example concern that the mobile communication devicesshould switch from a LTE or 3G radio access protocol to a WLAN protocol.

According to some embodiments the step of receiving information dataabout the status of the at least one mobile communication device is made inresponse to sending a message with request for information data to theapplication comprised on the smartcard in the at least one mobilecommunication device. ln this way the control node may control which mobilecommunication devices are to send information data, as well as when themobile communication devices are to send information data.

The message with request for information data may for example be abroadcast message requesting information data about the status of mobilecommunication devices which currently are located in a cell having a certaincell identity. This is advantageous in that the control node at once mayrequest information data from a certain group of mobile communicationdevices. Further, the total amount of information data sent may be reducedsince it is limited to a particular group of mobile communication devices.

The control node may identify a particular cell from which it requestsfurther information data by analyzing the data flow and the receivedinformation data. For example, step of evaluating the received information data may comprise: analyzing the data flow and the received information datain order to identify a cell in which there is a fault condition, wherein thebroadcast message is sent to the identified cell. ln this way, the amount ofinformation data sent is reduced since only mobile communication devices ina cell known to have a fault condition will send such information. By faultcondition may for example be meant congestion or a radio quality issue.Alternatively, or additionally, the control node may select a subset ofmobile communication devices based on historical data and request theselected subset of mobile communication devices to transmit informationdata. ln more detail, the method may further comprise receiving informationdata regarding the historical status of the at least one mobile communicationdevice from a data interface; analyzing the received information dataregarding the historical status in order to select a subset of the at least onemobile communication device that statistically reflect the status of at least oneradio cell or network element, wherein the message with request forinformation data is sent as a broadcast message to the selected at least oneradio cell or network element. The data interface may for example be abusiness support system/operations support system (BSS/OSS) datainterface.ln some embodiments, the mobile communication devices may autonomously send information data to the control node. For example, theapplication on the smartcard may be configured to send information dataregularly to the control node at a time interval AT. However, in order to reducethe amount of information data transmitted to the control node furtherrequirements may be specified. ln more detail, the information data about thestatus of the at least one mobile communication device may be received fromthe application on a condition that at least a time period of AT has lapsedsince information data about the status of the at least one mobilecommunication device was last received from the application, and on acondition that the status of the at least one mobile communication devicecomplies with a certain requirement. ln this way, the information data is onlysent if the status of the mobile communication device complies with a certain requirement, thereby reducing the amount of information data transmitted tothe control node.

The certain requirement may for example concern a change in statusof the at least one mobile communication device during a preceding timeperiod of AT.

The certain requirement may also concern a current communicationactivity level of the at least one mobile communication device. For example,only mobile communication devices which currently are sending or receiving acertain amount of data -thus potentially contributing to a congestion problem- may send information data to the control node. ln order to further reduce the amount of information data transmitted tothe control node, the control node may configure the time period AT for the atleast one mobile communication device. ln more detail, the method mayfurther comprise the steps of: adapting the time period AT based on thereceived information; and send instructions to the application for configuringsaid application based on the received information and the adapted timeperiod AT.

For example, the time period AT may be adapted based on any ofgeographical information, time of day, customer history, and congestion levelin a cell in which the at least one mobile communication device currently islocated. ln this way, the control node may for instance increase the timeperiod AT for mobile communication devices being located in geographicalareas with a low population density, increase the time period AT during nighthours, and/or decrease the time period AT for mobile communication devicesin a cell having a high congestion level.

Some embodiments relate to testing the communication network byinjecting test traffic. ln particular the method may further comprise the step of:injecting a data transmission to the application on the smartcard. ln more detail, the method may further comprise the steps of: selecting,based on the received information data, at least one mobile communicationdevice for the injected data transmission; generating different data protocolsignatures and transmitting these over the communication network to theapplication on the smartcard of the selected at least one mobile communication device; and in response thereto, receiving data packets backat the control node from the at least one mobile communication device; andreal-time monitoring the load in the communication network in order tomeasure the quality of the received data packets. This is advantageous inthat the control node may set up and try different test scenarios to see howthe network reacts under different conditions.

According to one embodiment, the application on the smartcardcomprises a mirror and the data packets received back at the control nodecomprises data protocol signatures which have been transmitted to theapplication on the smartcard and mirrored by the mirror in the application onthe smartcard.

According to another embodiment, the data packets received back atthe control node comprises an acknowledgement, ACK, or a negative ACK,NACK, message transmitted from the at least one mobile communicationdevice.

According to a second aspect of the invention, the above object isachieved by a computer-readable storage medium having computer codeinstructions stored thereon for performing the method of the first aspect whenrun on an apparatus having processing capability.

According to a third aspect of the invention, the above object isachieved by method for enabling control of a data flow between a first and asecond part of a communication network, the method being performed by asmart card of a mobile communication device of the communication network,the method comprising the steps of: sending information data about the statusof the mobile communication device from an application comprised on asmart card in the mobile communication device to a control node arranged ina path of said data flow; receiving a message from the control node to modifythe policy for selecting radio access protocol of the mobile communicationdevice when communicating with the communication network, and modifyingthe policy for selecting radio access protocol when communicating with thecommunication network based on the received message.

The method may further comprise: collecting information data aboutthe status of the mobile communication device from the mobile communication device; and pre-processing the collected information dataprior to sending the information data to the control node. ln this way, thesmart card may pre-process, i.e. filter, the data prior to sending it to thecontrol node. As a result, the amount of data sent to the control node may bereduced.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the above object isachieved by a computer-readable storage medium having computer codeinstructions stored thereon for performing the method according to the thirdaspect when run on an apparatus having processing capability.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the above object isachieved by a control node in a communication network for controlling a dataflow between a first and a second part of a communication networkcomprising at least one mobile communication device, the control node beingarranged in a path of the data flow, the control node comprising: a receiverconfigured to receive information data about the status of the at least onemobile communication device from an application comprised on a smartcardin the at least one mobile communication device; and a control unit configuredto evaluate the data flow in combination with the received information data;and control the data flow between the first part of the communication networkand the second part of the communication network based on the evaluation.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, the above object isachieved by a system for controlling a data flow between a first and a secondpart of a communication network, the system comprising a control nodeaccording to the fifth aspect and at least one mobile communication device,the at least one mobile communication device comprising a smartcardconfigured to collect information data about the status of the mobilecommunication device, and to send the collected information to the controlnode.

The second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth aspect may generally have thesame features and advantages as the first aspect. lt is further noted that theinvention relates to all possible combinations of features unless explicitlystated otherwise. 11 Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted accordingto their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly definedotherwise herein. All references to "a/an/the [device, message, step etc.]" areto be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of said device,message, step etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of anymethod disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact orderdisclosed, unless explicitly stated.

Brief Description of the Drawinqs The above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages ofthe present invention, will be better understood through the followingillustrative and non-limiting detailed description of embodiments of the presentinvention, with reference to the appended drawings, where the samereference numerals will be used for similar elements, wherein: Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of a communication network accordingto embodiments.

Fig. 2 is a schematic illustration of a control node according toembodiments.

Fig. 3 is a schematic illustration of a mobile communication deviceaccording to embodiments.

Fig. 4 is a flow chart of a method for controlling a data flow between afirst and a second part of a communication network according toembodiments.

Fig. 5 is a schematic illustration of the data flow between a first and asecond part of a communication network illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a flow chart of a method for injecting test traffic in thecommunication network of Fig. 1.

Detailed description of embodiments The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which currently preferredembodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to 12 the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided forthoroughness and completeness, and fully convey the scope of the inventionto the skilled person. The systems and devices disclosed herein will bedescribed during operation.

Fig. 1 shows an exemplary communication network 100. Thecommunication network 100 comprises a first part 102, a second part 104, atleast one mobile communication device 106, and a control node 108. Thecommunication network 100 may further comprise a data interface 112. Thecommunication network 100 may further comprise a configuration node 114.

The first part 102 of the communication network typically belongs to anoperator and may comprise one or more cellular networks 102a-c. Thecellular networks 102a-c may be overlapping or partly overlapping cellularnetworks which operate according to different types of radio interfacetechniques as specified by any known standard, such as standards for longterm evolution (LTE) communication networks, third generation (3G)communication networks, and wireless local area networks (WLAN). Forexample, cellular network 102a may be a 3G network, cellular network 102bmay be a LTE network, and cellular network 102c may be a WLAN network.Here three cellular networks 102a-c are shown for illustration purposes. lt isto be understood that each of the cellular networks 102 may include aplurality of radio cells, i.e. including a plurality of base stations, base stationcontrollers, one or more radio network controllers etc. as is commonly knownin the art.

The mobile communication devices 106 may communicate with thecommunication network 100 via the one or more cellular networks 102a-c ofthe first part 102. For that communication, the mobile communication devices106 may use different radio access protocols, each protocol corresponding toone of the cellular networks 102a-c. The mobile communication devices 106may each select which radio access protocol to use based on a policy. Thepolicy may for example comprise rules which govern which radio accessprotocol to use under different conditions. For example, the policy may givedifferent priorities to the different radio access protocols associated with thecellular networks 102a-c, such that a certain radio access protocol is selected 13 if currently available. For instance, communication via a WLAN may be givena higher priority than communication via a 3G network.

The second part 104 of the communication network 100 typicallycorresponds to the internet or another type of wide area network or PSTN.The mobile communication devices 106 may transmit data to and receivedata from the second part 104 of the network 100 via the first part 102. Theso transmitted and received data thus forms part of a data flow 110 betweenthe first part 102 and the second part 104. As mentioned above the term “dataflow” as used herein refers to an aggregated data flow resulting from themobile communication device 106 and applications/processes running on themobile communication devices 106. Each mobile communication device 106may thus give rise to a part of the data flow 110. The transmitted andreceived data in the data flow 110 may further be associated with differenttypes of applications and/or processes running on the mobile communicationdevices 106. For example, the applications and/or processes may correspondto games, peer-to-peer applications, web-browsing, VoIP etc.

The control node 108, which for example may be a server, is arrangedin a path of the data flow 110. The control node 108 may monitor and analyzethe data flow 110 for example in order to identify parts of the data flow 110,i.e. data sub-flows, being associated with each of the mobile communicationdevices 106, and data sub-flows corresponding to different types ofapplications and/or processes running on the mobile communication devices106. ln other words, the control node 108 is configured to classify the datasub-flows of the data flow 110 with respect to type of data traffic, thesending/receiving mobile communication device 106, and performancecharacteristics. For example, the control 106 may use DPI technology toperform the analysis of the data flow 110. The control node 108 may furthercontrol the data flow 110 by modifying allocation of bandwidth for parts, i.e.data sub-flows, of the data flow 110. The modification of allocation ofbandwidth as used herein may also be referred to as shaping of individualdata sub-flows.

The control node 108 may further communicate with the mobilecommunication devices 106, and in particular with smartcards on the mobile 14 communication devices 106, for example by transmitting and receivingmessages via the first part 102 of the communication network 100. Themessages may be transmitted and received via a data transmission protocolor via short message service (SMS) messages.

The control node 108 may further be configured to receive data fromthe data interface 112. The data interface 112 may typically be a BSS/OSSwhich for example stores data regarding the subscriptions of the users(corresponding to the mobile communication devices 106), as well ashistorical data, regarding the statuses of the mobile communication devices106 including usage, quality location etc. of the mobile communicationdevices 106.

Fig. 2 illustrates components of an exemplary control node 108. Thecontrol node 108 comprises a receiver/transmitter 210, a control unit 220, anda memory 230.

The receiver/transmitter 210 is typically configured to communicatewith the mobile communication devices 106 by receiving and transmittingdata via the first part 102 of the communication network 100, e.g. using a datatransport protocol or a SMS message.

The receiver/transmitter 210 may further be configured to receive thedata flow 110, thus allowing the control node 108 to monitor the data flow110.

The control unit 220 is configured to monitor and analyze the data flow110 as explained above, and to control the data flow 110, for example bymodifying the allocation of bandwidth for parts of the data flow 110. Thecontrol unit 220 is typically in the form of a processor which may executecomputer code instructions stored on the memory 230. Alternatively thecontrol unit 220 is implemented in hardware or a combination of hardwareand software.

The memory 230 may serve as a short-term storage of data, forexample in order to assist the control unit 220 in analyzing and controlling thedata flow 110. lt may also serve as a non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium for storing computer code instructions for carrying outmethods disclosed herein.

Fig. 3 illustrates components of an exemplary mobile communicationdevice 106, such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, an autonomousembedded system with built in SIM (in vehicles or moving machinery), apersonal computer, a video game console, a mobile vending machine, etc.The mobile communication device 106 comprises a receiver/transmitter 310and a smartcard 320.

The receiver/transmitter 310 is configured to receive/transmit data viathe first part 102 of the communication network 100. For example, the mobilecommunication device 106 may transmit data to the control node 108 using adata transmission protocol or a SMS message.

The smartcard 320, or universal integrated circuit card (UICC),comprises a processing unit 322 and a memory 324. The smartcard 320generally refers to a Subscriber ldentity Module, SIM, a Universal Subscriberldentity Module, USIM, or any other type of electronic module, which containsprocessing capabilities and a unique identifier, typically referred to as anInternational Mobile Subscriber ldentity, lMSl. The memory 324 may serve asa non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing an application, in theform of computer-code instructions, which may be executed by theprocessing unit 322. ln particular, the application on the smartcard 320 may be configuredto collect data about the status of the mobile communication device 106, andreport the collected data to the control node 108. The collected data mayconcern status data relating to the subscriber's session on the mobilecommunication device 106, as well as status data relating the mobilecommunication device 106 to the cellular networks. For example, thecollected data may include cell identity of the current cell to which the mobilecommunication device 106 is connected, measurement on neighbour cells,detailed properties of the radio conditions of the mobile communication device106, and any information related to the usage of the mobile communicationdevice 106. The application on the smartcard 320 may hence be thought ofas a measurement probe deployed in the smartcard 320 that is able to collectstatuses from both mobile communication device 106 and the cellularnetworks 102a-c. 16 ln some cases, the application on the smartcard 320 may beconfigured to pre-process the data prior to reporting the data to the controlnode 108. For example, the application on the smartcard 320 may with a highsampling rate collect the radio fading properties of the mobile communicationdevice 106. lnstead of reporting the radio fading data with a high samplingrate, the application on the smartcard 320 may filter the radio fading data,such as summarizing the data over time periods which are considerablylonger in comparison to the sampling period used by the smartcard 320. Thecollection of the data is transparent to a subscriber of the mobilecommunication device 106 and may be performed at a regular time interval.The memory 324 may also be configured to store status data of the mobilecommunication device 106, thus enabling the processing unit 322 to detectchanges in the status of the mobile communication device 106, and transmitsuch changes to the control node 108.

Installation and configuration of the application on the smartcard 320 ofthe mobile communication devices 106 may be performed by theconfiguration node 114. The configuration node 114 is typically possessedand controlled by the operator. The configuration node 114 may communicatewith the application on the smartcard 320 through the cellular networks102a-c point to point. The configuration node 114 may be referred to as anOver-The-Air (OTA) server. ln more detail, the configuration node 114 may download anapplication to the smart card 320 of one or more mobile communicationdevices 106. The configuration node 114 may also initialize and configure theapplications, for example, by setting different parameters relating to theoperation of the application. The parameters may for instance concern a timeperiod AT at which the application sends information data to the control node108. Once the application has been installed on the smartcard 320, control ofand communication with the smartcard 320 goes via the control node 108.

The operation of the control node 108, and in more particular a methodfor controlling a data flow between the first part 102 and the second part 104,will now be described with reference to Figs 1-3 and the flowchart of Fig. 4. 17 ln step S02 the control node 108 receives information data about thestatus of the at least one mobile communication device 108. The informationabout the status may for example be one of a bandwidth usage, a current cellidentity, channel information, signal strength, signal quality, battery status,radio access technology, and a movement of the at least one mobilecommunication device.

The information data about the status is received from one or more ofthe mobile communication devices 106. Preferably, the information data issent to the control node 108 in a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet or aTransmission Control Protocol (TCP) packet. Alternatively, the informationdata may be sent as a SMS message.

The application on the smartcard 320 may be configured to sendinformation data to the control node 108 at a regular time interval AT, such asonce per minute. However, in order to minimize the amount of data sent fromthe application on the smartcard 320 to the control node 108, the applicationon the smartcard 320 may be further configured to only send information dataif the status of the mobile communication device 106 complies with a certainrequirement. For example, the application may be configured to transmitinformation data if the status of the mobile communication device 106 haschanged, such as if there has been a change in cell location, during the lasttime period of AT or since information data last was transmitted to the controlnode 108. According to another example, the application on the smartcard320 may be configured to transmit information data if the current activity levelof the mobile communication device 106 exceeds a certain level, such as ifthe mobile communication device 106 currently is transmitting and receiving acertain amount of data, thereby requiring bandwidth from the communicationnetwork 100.

As discussed above, the application on the smartcard 320 mayautonomously transmit information data to the control node 108, such as atregular time intervals and/or when a certain requirement is fulfilled.Alternatively, or additionally, the application on the smartcard 320 may beconfigured to transmit information data in response to receiving a requestfrom the control node 108. ln other words, the control node 108 may transmit 18 a message to one or more of the mobile communication devices 106requesting information data about their statuses. The control node 108 maythus request information data from a subset of the mobile communicationdevices 106. For example, the control node 108 may request information datafrom a subset of the mobile communication devices 106, such as 5% of themobile communication devices 106.

According to one embodiment the control node 108 selects the subsetof mobile communication device 106 based on historical information data ofthe mobile communication devices 106. Such historical information data mayfor example be accessed from the BSS/OSS data interface 112. The controlnode 108 may select the subset of mobile communication devices 106 tostatistically reflect the status of at least one radio cell or network element, e.g.the subset of mobile communication devices can indicate congestion. Uponsuch an indication, a cell broadcast can be sent to the concerned radio cell(s)or network element(s) to make all mobile communication devices update theirlocation and status. ln other words, the historical data may be used togenerate a sample of mobile communication devices 106 which statisticallyreflect the status in a radio cell or a network element.

According to one embodiment the control node 108 selects the subsetof mobile communication devices 106 based on the received informationdata. For example, the control node 108 may request information data frommobile communication devices 106 being located in a cell having a particularcell identity or in a particular area of the network.

The control node 108 may address the request message directly toone or more of the mobile communication devices 106. Alternatively, thecontrol node 108 may send the request message as a broadcast message.For example, the broadcast message may request information data from asubset of mobile communication devices 106, such as mobile communicationdevices 106 which fulfil a criterion being specified in the broadcast message.According to one example, the broadcast message may request informationdata from mobile communication devices 106 being located in a cell having aparticular cell identity. 19 As described above, the control node 108 may continuously monitorthe data flow 110 in order to for example classify the type of traffic anddetermining performance characteristic parameters. As the control node 108additionally has access to information data from the mobile communicationdevices 106, the control node 108, in step S04, evaluates the informationdata received from one or more of the mobile communication devices 106 incombination with the data flow 110. The control node 108 is as such able tokeep a table with customer priority, type of traffic, cell location, radio qualityetc., and can from this structure decide whether a radio cell or other networkentity is a bottle neck and, if so, decide how to solve the bottle neck in thebest possible way. ln particular the received information data may be used tofilter the data flow 110. This may include organizing the data flow 110 intogroups depending on the information data, thereby enabling the control node108 to analyze the data flow 110 group wise and perform control of the dataflow 110 with respect to the groups. For example, the control node 108 maygroup the mobile communication devices 106 according to their cell locationradio quality, bandwidth usage, channel information, signal strength, signalquality, battery status, radio access technology, and/or movement of the atleast one mobile communication device.

Fig. 5 is a schematic illustration of a data flow 110. Generally, the dataflow 110 is an aggregate of a plurality of data sub-flows 502a, 502b, 502c,504a, 504b, 506a, 506b, 506c, 506d, 508a, 508b. Each data sub-flow 502a,502b, 502c, 504a, 504b, 506a, 506b, 506c, 506d, 508a, 508b is associatedwith a mobile communication device 106 and a process or application runningon the mobile communication device 106. For example, data sub-flows 502a,502b, 502c may form part of a first part 502 of the data flow 110 beingassociated with a first mobile communication device 106. Data sub-flows504a, 504b, 504c may form part of a second part 504 of the data flow 110being associated with a second mobile communication device 106. Similarly,data sub-flows 506a-d and 508a-b may form part of a third 506 and fourth 508part of the data flow 110 being associated with a third and a fourth mobilecommunication device, respectively.

The control node 108 may divide the data sub-flows 502a-c, 504a-b,506a-d, 508a-b into different groups depending on the statuses of theassociated mobile communication devices 106, for instance such that datasub-flows 502a-c, 504a-b, 506a-d, 508a-b being associated with mobilecommunication devices 106 having a status which fulfils a certain criterion areincluded in the same group. For example, a group of data sub-flows maycorrespond to mobile communication devices 106 which are located in acommon cell. The data sub-flows grouped according to their common cellscan further be divided into sub-groups based on signal quality, signal level,subscription priority etc. ln the example of Fig. 5, the data sub-flows in thefirst part 502 and the second part 504 may form a group 510 corresponding tomobile communication devices 106 being located in a common cell.

The groups 510 of data sub-flows may then be further analyzed inorder to determine whether a group 510 is associated with a fault condition,such as congestion or a radio quality issue. The fault condition may forexample be detected by comparing the data sub-flows 502 a-c, 504a-b orparameters derived therefrom group wise to different predefined criteria, suchas different thresholds. ln the example of Fig. 5 the control node 108 may forexample determine that the group 510 is associated with a fault condition.The control node 108 may then direct the control of the data flow 110 to thegroups 510 being associated with a fault condition in order to mitigate orovercome the fault condition. ln other words, the combined evaluation of the information data andthe data flow 110 may result in an identification of a group of mobilecommunication devices 106 such that the control of the data flow may bedirected towards a part of the dataflow 110, such as the part 510, beingassociated with the identified group.

The above example relates to mobile communication devices 106being located in a common cell. However, it is to be understood that theabove also applies in other situations, such as to mobile communicationdevices 106 sharing a common transmission link, or to a plurality of cellssharing a common fibre. ln other words, by having access to real-time dataregarding the statuses of the mobile communication devices 106 and 21 including this in the evaluation of the data flow 110, bottlenecks of thenetwork may be identified. ln step S06 the control node 108 proceeds to control the data flow 110between the first part 102 and the second part 104 of the communicationnetwork 100. ln particular, the control node 108 may control a part of the dataflow 110, such as a part of the data flow 110 associated with an identifiedgroup of mobile communication devices 106 as discussed above.

According to one embodiment, the control node 108 may control thedata flow 110 by modifying allocation of bandwidth. As discussed above withreference to Fig. 5, the data flow 110 may be divided into different parts 502,504, 506, 508 of data sub-flows being associated with the different mobilecommunication devices 106. The control node 108 may modify the allocationof bandwidth per mobile communication device 106 corresponding to theparts 502, 504, 506, 508 of data sub-flows. ln particular, it may modify theallocation of bandwidth for a group of mobile communication devices 106,identified in accordance with the above, such as for mobile communicationdevices 106 corresponding to a common cell. ln Fig. 5 this could for examplecorrespond to modifying the allocation of bandwidth for mobile communicationdevices 106 corresponding to the parts 502, 504 of data sub-flows.

The mobile communication devices 106 may further be associated witha priority level. The priority level may for example be related to thesubscription at the operator. For example, the subscriber (i.e. a user of amobile communication device 106) may be a “gold”, “silver”, or “bronze”customer of the operator, and should be given a priority correspondingthereto. The control node may for example receive the priority levels of themobile communication devices from the BSS/OSS data interface 112. Thus,when the control node 108 modifies the allocation of bandwidth of the mobilecommunication devices 106, different weights or priorities may be given todifferent mobile communication devices 106, such that a mobilecommunication device 106 having a higher priority level gets a largerallocation of bandwidth than a mobile communication device 106 having alower priority level. 22 According to a further example the control node 108 may modifyallocation of bandwidth based on signal quality and/or signal strength. Forexample, the control node 108 may decide to reduce the bandwidth for amobile communication device 106 having low signal quality and/or low signalstrength in favour of a mobile communication device 106 having high signalquality and/or high signal strength.

According to a still further example, the control node 108 may modifyallocation of bandwidth based on bandwidth usage. For example, the controlnode 108 may reduce bandwidth for a mobile communication device 106currently having a high bandwidth usage.

As further discussed with reference to Fig. 5, the data flow 110comprises data sub-flows corresponding to different applications or processesrunning on the mobile communication devices 106. For example, the part 502of the data flow 110 corresponding to a first mobile communication device106 may further be divided into data sub-flows 502a, 502b, 502ccorresponding to three different applications running on the first mobilecommunication device. Data sub-flows 502a, 502b, 502c may for examplecorrespond to a Voice over IP (VoIP) application, a web-browsing application,and a software upgrade application. Similarly, the part 504 of the data flow110 corresponding to a second mobile communication device 106 may furtherbe divided into data sub-flows 504a, 504b corresponding to two differentapplications running on the second mobile communication device, etc. Thecontrol node 108 may modify allocation of bandwidth per application orprocess. When doing so, the control node 108 may modify the allocation ofbandwidth in accordance with a priority, i.e. importance, of the application.For example, a VoIP application may be given a higher priority than asoftware upgrade application, since a VoIP application is more important froma quality of experience perspective.

According to one embodiment, the control node 108 additionally, oralternatively, controls the data flow 110 by affecting the way the mobilecommunication devices 106 communicate with the communication network100. ln particular, the control node 108 may send a message to the smartcard320 of one or more of the mobile communication devices 106 to modify the 23 policy for selecting radio access protocol when communicating with thecommunication network 100. For example, such messages may be sent to agroup of mobile communication devices 106 which have been identified instep S04 in accordance to the above. The modification of policy may forexample concern that the mobile communication devices 106 should switchfrom a LTE or 3G radio access protocol to a WLAN protocol if possible.Another example with respect to policies is related to roaming, where amobile communication device 106 has switched from one network to anothernetwork (e.g. belonging to another operator). As the control node 108receives information data regarding the change in status of the mobilecommunication device 106 it may instruct the mobile communication device106 to switch back to the first network. This decision of the control node 108may for example be based on the distance of the mobile communicationdevice 106 to the nearest base station of the respective networks, such thatthe mobile communication device 106 stays connected to the home networkwhenever feasible. lf roaming to the other network cannot be avoided, thecontrol node 108 can take action to save costs for the subscriber. Forexample, the subscriber can be informed and the data traffic can be limited. lnmore detail, this may include redirecting web browsing and shaping (i.e.modification of allocation of bandwidth) the data traffic to a greater extent.Yet another example relating to modification of policy is configurationof data flow settings, such as TCP flow settings. Based on the receivedinformation data and the monitored data flow, the control node 108 mayestimate the congestion level in a particular cell as explained above. On basisof the congestion level, the control node 108 may determine optimized dataflow settings, such as TCP flow settings. The optimized data flow settingsmay then be sent to the smartcard 320 of the mobile communication devices106 in a message, such that the mobile communication devices 106 may beconfigured to use optimized data flow settings when communicating with thenetwork. For example, if the control node 108 based on received informationfrom the mobile communication devices 106 in combination withmeasurements of the data flow 110 estimates that there is a lot of available 24 capacity in a radio cell, then the TCP flow may be accelerated by e.g.increasing the window sizes of the TCP flow. lt is to be understood that the above disclosed method of controllingthe data flow 110 is typically performed iteratively. ln other words, the stepsS02 of receiving information data, S04 of evaluating the received informationdata in combination with the data flow 110, and S06 of controlling the dataflow based on the evaluation are performed repeatedly. ln this way, thecontrol of the data flow 110 may quickly be adapted to the fast changingconditions in the communication network.

As further disclosed above, the mobile communication devices 106transmit information data to the control node 108 autonomously and/or uponrequest. ln order to minimize the amount of data sent from the mobilecommunication devices 106, the control node 108 may take several actions.

According to exemplary embodiments, the control node 108 maychange the settings of the application on the smart card 320 with respect tothe time period AT at which the application on the smart card 320 transmitsdata to the control node 108. ln more detail, the control node 108 may onbasis of the received information data adapt the time period AT, and send aninstruction to the application on the smartcard 320 to change the setting of thetime period AT to the new adapted time period AT. ln this way the controlnode 108 may control how often the mobile communication devices 106transmit information data to the control node 108. This enables mobilecommunication device 106 to report information data to the control node 108more precise and faster when relevant, and less data when not relevant for aparticular purpose.

The control node 108 may adapt the time period AT based ongeographical information, such that for instance mobile communicationdevices 106 which currently are located in a geographical area with lowpopulation density (where e.g. congestion problems are rare) sendinformation data to the control node 108 at a longer time interval ATcompared to mobile communication devices 106 which currently are locatedin a geographical area with a high population density (where e.g. congestionproblems are more likely to occur).

The control node 108 may adapt the time period based on the time ofthe day. For example, the time period AT may be set to be longer during nighthours or at other times when the communication activity is expected to below.

The control node 108 may adapt the time period AT based on thecustomer history. For example, the time period AT may be set to be longer formobile communication devices 106 which on a historical basis have shown tohave a low communication activity and which therefore are not so likely tocontribute to e.g. congestion problems.

The control node 108 may adapt the time period AT based on acongestion level in a cell in which a mobile communication device 106currently is located. As discussed above, the control node 108 may based onthe received information data identify one of more cells which currently sufferfrom a congestion problem, i.e. where a congestion level exceeds somethreshold. The control node 108 may for example shorten the time period ATfor mobile communication devices 106 which are located in a cell having acongestion level above some threshold, and lengthen the time period AT formobile communication devices 106 which are located in a cell having acongestion level below a given threshold. ln this way, the delay between anevent happening in the network and the reporting of the event to the controlnode 108 is decreased for mobile communication devices present in cells withcongestion.

As further discussed above, the mobile communication devices 106may send information data to the control node 108 upon request. ln particularthe control node 108 may broadcast a message which requests informationdata from mobile communication devices 106 which currently are located in acell having a particular cell identity. ln this way the amount of information data108 sent to the control node 108 is reduced since only a specified, particularlyinteresting group of mobile communication devices 106 is requested to sendinformation data. The control node 108 may identify a particular cell on basisof the received information data. For example, the identified cell maycorrespond to a cell having a fault condition, such as a congestion levelabove a certain threshold or a radio quality problem. 26 A method for injecting test traffic in the communication network willnow be described with reference to Figs 1-3 and the flow chart of Fig. 6. ln step 602, the control node 108 may optionally, based on thereceived information data, select at least one mobile communication device106 to which test traffic is to be injected. For example, the control node 108may base the selection on the battery status of the mobile communicationdevices 106, such that mobile communication devices 106 with low batteryare avoided in the test process. ln step 604, the control node 108 generates different data protocolsignatures and transmits, i.e. injects, these to the application in thesmartcards 320 of the selected mobile communication devices. The dataprotocol signatures emulates configurable types of applications (VoIP, web-browsing, peer-to-peer etc), for configurable types of subscribers (subscriberswith different priorities, such as gold, silver, bronze customers), underconfigurable network conditions in configurable parts of the networks (e.g.certain radio cells or areas). ln other words, the control node 108 may set upa scenario to be tested. By the data protocol signatures emulating differenttypes of applications is meant that, from the point of view of thecommunication network, the data protocol signatures look as if they are datapackets originating from a certain type of application, such as a VoIP packetetc. ln response to transmitting the data protocol signatures to the selectedmobile communication devices 106, the control node 108 in step 608 receivesdata packets from the mobile communication devices 106. ln one embodiment, the application on the smartcard 320 comprises amirror. By mirror in this context is meant that the application on the smartcard320 is configured to return the data protocols signatures to the control node108The control node 108 then receives the data protocols signatures thathave been mirrored by the mirror at the smartcard 320 of the selected mobilecommunication devices 106.

According to another embodiment, the data protocol signatures are notmirrored by the application on the smartcard 320. lnstead, the selectedmobile communication devices 106 (and notably not the application on the 27 smartcards) transmit acknowledgement (ACK) or negativeacknowledgements (NACK) in response to the received data protocolsignatures. ln other words, the data packets received at the control node maycomprise ACK and NACK messages. For example the ACK and NACKmessages may be sent under the TCP protocol.

The control node 108 then in step 608 real-time monitor the load in thenetwork 100, i.e. the control node 108 monitors the data flow 110. Forexample, the control node 108 may collect statistics on network load andperformance characteristics of the received data transmissions. ln this way,the control node 108 may measure the quality of the received, data packets.This includes for instance measuring the round trip time of data transmissionsand the amount of packet loss. lt will be appreciated that a person skilled in the art can modify theabove-described embodiments in many ways and still use the advantages ofthe invention as shown in the embodiments above. For example, the givenexamples have mainly focused on finding and controlling a radio cellexperiencing a congestion or radio quality issue. However, it is to beunderstood that the above also applies in other situations, such as findingother bottlenecks in the communication network including mobilecommunication devices sharing a common transmission link, or to a pluralityof cells sharing a common fibre. Thus, the invention should not be limited tothe shown embodiments but should only be defined by the appended claims.Additionally, as the skilled person understands, the shown embodiments maybe combined.

Claims (26)

1. A method for controlling a data flow between a first and a second part of acommunication network comprising at least one mobile communicationdevice, the method being performed by a control node of thecommunication network being arranged in a path of said data flow, themethod comprising the steps of: - receiving information data about the status of the at least onemobile communication device from an application comprised on asmartcard in said at least one mobile communication device; - evaluating said data flow in combination with said receivedinformation data; and - controlling the data flow between the first part of the communicationnetwork and the second part of the communication network based on said evaluation.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein information data about thestatus is one of a bandwidth usage, a current cell identity, channelinformation, signal strength, signal quality, battery status, radio accesstechnology, and a movement of the at least one mobile communication device.

3. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein thestep of evaluating comprises: - evaluating the data flow in combination with the received informationdata in order to identify a group of mobile communication devices among saidat least one mobile communication device, wherein the control of the data flow is performed with respect to a partof the data flow being associated with the identified group of mobilecommunication devices.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said step of controlling the dataflow further comprises the step of: 29 - modifying allocation of bandwidth for said part of the data flowbeing associated with the identified group of mobile communicationdevices.

5. _ The method according to c|aim 4, wherein the step of modifying allocation of bandwidth for said part of the data flow being associated with theidentified group of mobile communication devices is further based on apriority level of the mobile communication devices in the identified group.

6. _ The method according to c|aim 5, wherein the step of modifying allocation of bandwidth for said part of the data flow further comprises the step of: - modifying allocation of bandwidth for a plurality of data sub-flows ofsaid part of the data flow being associated with the identified groupmobile communication devices, wherein the plurality of data sub-flows correspond to a plurality of different applications running on mobile communication devices in the identified group.

7. _ The method of any one claims 3-6, wherein the step of controlling the data flow further comprises: - sending a message to the identified group of mobile communicationdevices to modify the policy for selecting radio access protocol ofthe mobile communication devices in the identified group whencommunicating with the communication network.

8. _ The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the step of receiving information data about the status of the at least one mobilecommunication device is made in response to sending a message withrequest for information data to the application comprised on the smartcardin the at least one mobile communication device.

9. _ The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said message with request for information data is a broadcast message requesting information data about the status of mobile communicationdevices which currently are located in a cell having a certain cell identity.

10.The method according to claim 9, wherein said step of evaluating saidreceived information data comprises:- analyzing the data flow and the received information data in orderto identify a cell in which there is a fault condition, wherein thebroadcast message is sent to the identified cell.

11.The method according to claim 8, further comprising: - receiving information data regarding the historical status of the atleast one mobile communication device from a data interface; - analyzing the received information data regarding the historical statusin order to select a subset of the at least one mobile communication devicethat statistically reflect the status of at least one radio cell or network element,wherein the message with request for information data is sent as a broadcastmessage to the selected at least one radio cell or network element.

12.The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein information data about the status of the at least one mobilecommunication device is received from the application on a condition thatat least a time period of AT has lapsed since information data about thestatus of the at least one mobile communication device was last receivedfrom the application, and on a condition that the status of the at least one mobile communication device complies with a certain requirement.

13.The method according to claim 12, wherein the certain requirementconcerns a change in status of the at least one mobile communicationdevice during a preceding time period of AT.

14.The method according to any one claims 12-13, wherein the certainrequirement concerns a current communication activity level of the at least one mobile communication device. 31

15.The method according to any one of claims 12-14, wherein the method further comprises the steps of: adapting the time period AT based on said received information;and sending instructions to said application for configuring saidapplication based on said received information and said adaptedtime period AT.

16.The method according to c|aim 15, wherein the step of adapting the time period AT based on said received information data comprises adapting the time period AT based on any of geographicai information, time of day, customer history, and congestion level in a cell in which the at least one mobile communication device currently is located.

17.The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein in said method further comprising the step of: injecting a data transmission to the application on said smartcard.

18.The method according to c|aim 17, further comprising the steps of: selecting, based on the received information data, at least onemobile communication device for the injected data transmission;generating different data protocol signatures and transmitting theseover the communication network to the application on thesmartcard of the selected at least one mobile communicationdevice; and in response thereto receiving data packets back at the control node from the at leastmobile communication device; and real-time monitoring the load in the communication network in orderto measure the quality of the received data packets. 32

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the application on thesmartcard comprises a mirror and the data packets received back at thecontrol node comprises data protocol signatures which have beentransmitted to the application on the smartcard and mirrored by the mirrorin the application on the smartcard.

20.The method according to claim 18, wherein the data packets receivedback at the control node comprises an acknowledgement, ACK, or anegative ACK, NACK, message transmitted from the at least one mobile communication device.

21. .A computer-readable storage medium having computer code instructionsstored thereon for performing the method according to any one of claims1-20 when run on an apparatus having processing capability.

22.A method for enabling control of a data flow between a first and a secondpart of a communication network, the method being performed by a smartcard of a mobile communication device of the communication network, themethod comprising the steps of: - sending information data about the status of the mobilecommunication device from an application comprised on the smartcard in the mobile communication device to a control nodearranged in a path of said data flow; - receiving a message from the control node to modify the policy forselecting radio access protocol of the mobile communication devicewhen communicating with the communication network, and - modifying the policy for selecting radio access protocol whencommunicating with the communication network based on thereceived message.

23.The method of claim 22, further comprising:- collecting information data about the status of the mobilecommunication device from the mobile communication device; and 5 33 - pre-processing the collected information data prior to sending theinformation data to the control node.

24.A computer-readable storage medium having computer code instructionsstored thereon for performing the method according to c|aims 22-23 whenrun on an apparatus having processing capability.

25. A control node in a communication network for contro||ing a data flowbetween a first and a second part of a communication network comprisingat least one mobile communication device, the control node beingarranged in a path of said data flow, the control node comprising: - a receiver configured to receive information data about the status ofthe at least one mobile communication device from an applicationcomprised on a smartcard in said at least one mobilecommunication device; and - a control unit configured to evaluate said data flow in combinationwith said received information data; and control the data flowbetween the first part of the communication network and thesecond part of the communication network based on saidevaluation.

26.A system for contro||ing a data flow between a first and a second part of acommunication network, the system comprising a control node accordingto claim 25 and at least one mobile communication device, the at leastone mobile communication device comprising a smartcard configured tocollect information data about the status of the mobile communicationdevice, and to send the collected information to the control node.