TITLE OF THE INVENTION
DEVICE, SYSTEM AND METHOD OF MEDIA DELIVERY OPTIMIZATION
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims benefit from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.
61/282,220, filed December 31, 2009, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to network congestion generally, and to the optimal
usage of bandwidth to alleviate such congestion in particular.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] "Network congestion" occurs when the demand for bandwidth outstrips the supply.
Optimally, a network would have sufficient bandwidth to support any rate of throughput
required by its users. However, most networks do not have constant levels of bandwidth usage;
aggregate demand for bandwidth typically varies from extreme to extreme in accordance with
both cyclic factors as well as random events. It is therefore seldom cost/effective to maintain a
level of reserve bandwidth capacity that would be sufficient to address any and all resource
demands, in any and all situations. Accordingly, most networks suffer at some time or another
from network congestion. As a network becomes congested, its users may typically experience a
combination of lengthened response times, increased error rates, dropped connections, etc.
[0004] Network congestion does not necessary involve the entire network. A given area may
become congested without necessarily impacting on the rest of the network. Such partial, or
"local" congestion is generally more likely to occur when the network's resources are statically
assigned to a given area and cannot be easily reassigned to compensate for congestion
elsewhere.
[0005] For example, mobile communications networks, which typically employ "cellular"
coverage, are particularly susceptible to local congestion. In such networks, the geographic area
served by the mobile network is divided up into cells, and each cell is serviced by a mobile
station that provides connectivity to whichever subscribers happen to be in the cell at a given
time. Multiple subscribers simultaneously attempting to use the same mobile station can congest
a cell, even though the rest of the network may have excess capacity.
[0006] The number of subscribers necessary to congest a cell is a function of how many
there are and how much bandwidth each requests from the network. Typically, the total
bandwidth available to a mobile station in a 3GPP-HSPA network is 7.2 Mbps. A subscriber
downloading media content will typically use approximately 400 - 1000 Kbps in bandwidth.
Accordingly, depending on the circumstances and protocol overhead as few as four or five
subscribers actively downloading media content can congest a single cell. In fact, when using
"misbehaving" peer-to-peer protocols that are optimized to grab as much bandwidth as possible,
a single subscriber can use up all of the available bandwidth in a given cell.
[0007] A number of media delivery optimization (MDO) methods are used for combating
network congestion caused by the downloading of media content. One such method is
"transcoding". Transcoding includes reformatting the media content to be downloaded via the
network to a different, presumably more efficient encoding technique that requires less
bandwidth. For example, a media file identified as being in MPEG2 format may be converted to
H264 format which requires less bandwidth for transmission while maintaining more or less the
same quality.
[0008] Another such method is "transrating" which entails reducing the total media content
bit rate by either manipulating the frame rate, and/or reducing the number of frames without
changing the encoding technique. Transrating thus effectively reduces the quality of the media
stream. However as with transcoding, the extent to which it is used determines whether the
reduction in quality is acceptable and/or even perceived by the end user.
[0009] "Traffic shaping" is also commonly used to prevent congestion from developing.
Traffic shaping entails the enforcement of policies for bandwidth usage. Examples of such
policies include: minimum bit rates, maximum bit rates, relative prioritization, etc.
[0010] Another congestion reduction method is buffer management or "Time-to-view (TTV)
manipulation". TTV manipulation entails matching the download rate via the network to that of
the viewing rate (e.g. the streaming rate according to which the media content is ultimately
played on the subscriber's communication device). This method is predicated on the fact that
many devices are capable of downloading media content faster than they can play it, thus
artificially raising the demand for bandwidth while they download, especially in cases where the
media content ultimately isn't used in its entirety (e.g., viewing only 10 seconds of a 3 minute
video clip while most of it was already "buffered" due to fast a download rate).
[0011] Caching is used to reduce the overhead required for repeated delivery of the same
media content, often in combination with either transcoding or transrating. A copy of the media
content may be cached on the mobile network, thus reducing the necessity of repeated
transactions to download it from the source, typically an external content server. When
combined with transcoding or transrating, the stored copy may be in altered format thus saving
the overhead of reformatting the content for each individual request.
[0012] Media link adaptation (MLA) involves a transport protocol in which link conditions
(between subscriber and the network) are sensed and used to signal a media content server to
change and adapt bit rate accordingly. One example of an MLA is HTTP Live. HTTP Live's
protocol calls for participating content servers to maintain multiple versions of the original
content in varying sizes and formats. The specific version supplied by the server for download is
determined in accordance with the link conditions.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0013] There is provided, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, a method for alleviation of congestion in a mobile communications network, the
method including detecting congested cells in the mobile communications network, identifying
subscribers with active data sessions in the congested cells, and optimizing bandwidth usage for
at least one of the identified subscribers.
[0014] Further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
detecting includes receiving cell and data session identifiers from an internal network data
packet sampler, inspecting data packets emanating from the mobile communications network to
at least determine bandwidth used for each current data session, cross referencing the data
session identifiers with each concurrent data session to calculate aggregate bandwidth in use for
each cell in the mobile communications network according to associated the cell identifiers, and
determining that the cells with the aggregated bandwidth exceeding a predetermined threshold
are congested.
[0015] Still further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
identifying includes receiving subscriber identifiers from the internal network data packet
sampler, for each congested cell, cross referencing the data session identifiers with each
concurrent data session to identify subscribers with active data sessions in the congested cells,
and associating their bandwidth usage according to the bandwidth used for each data session.
[0016] Additionally, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
inspecting also includes determining a type of application used in the current data session.
[0017] Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
inspecting also includes determining a specific application in use in the current data session.
[0018] Further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
optimizing includes for each the identified subscriber, determining an optimization priority as
per a subscriber profile, selecting at least one identified subscriber in each the congested cell for
optimization, determining at least one appropriate media delivery optimization (MDO) function
at least in accordance with the subscriber profile for each selected identified subscriber, and
transmitting a request to the mobile communications network to optimize the bandwidth usage
for the selected identified subscriber in accordance with the at least one appropriate MDO
function.
[0019] Still further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
appropriate MDO function is at least one of traffic shaping, where policies on user bandwidth
are enforced on a per subscriber basis, transcoding, where media encoding used for the current
data session is changed to a different encoding format to facilitate a change in bandwidth
requirements, transrating, where a total media content bit rate is reduced without changing the
media encoding, and caching, where a copy of media content is stored internally to avoid
repeated downloads from an external source.
[0020] Additionally, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
appropriate MDO function is time-to-view (TTV) manipulation, where delivery rate of media
content is regulated to generally match viewing rate on a communications device of the selected
identified subscriber, the viewing rate detected during the inspecting.
[0021] Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
appropriate MDO function is media link adaptation (MLA), where a subscriber communications
device uses a transport protocol to signal a media content server regarding available bandwidth
for downloading particular media content, and the media content server selects and downloads a
version of the particular media content in accordance with the available bandwidth.
[0022] Further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at
least one appropriate MDO is a combination of at least two appropriate MDOs.
[0023] Still further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
optimizing also includes transmitting a request to the mobile communications network to stop
the optimizing in accordance with the MDO for all associated selected identified subscribers if
an associated the cell is no longer congested.
[0024] Additionally, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
subscriber profile is stored in a subscriber profile database (SPD), where the SPD contains at
least an indication of maximum bandwidth allowed to each subscriber and is periodically
updated in accordance with subscriber information stored in the mobile communications
network.
[0025] Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
SPD contains at least an indication of at least one MDO to use with each subscriber.
[0026] Further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
indication of at least one MDO is provided for each predetermined level of congestion in the
congested cell.
[0027] Still further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
predetermined threshold is stored in a network topology database (NTD), the NTD storing at
least one the predetermined threshold for each cell in the mobile communications database.
[0028] Additionally, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
determining also includes determining a level of congestion.
[0029] Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
inspecting also includes deep packet inspection (DPI) to detect the bandwidth used and an
identifier for the current data session, where the identifier for the current data session is suitable
for the cross referencing.
[0030] Further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the DPI
detects at least a type of application in use for the current data session.
[0031] Still further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
DPI identifies a specific application in use for the current data session.
[0032] There is also provided, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, a bandwidth optimization system including a network sampling interface to receive at
least subscriber, cell and data session identifiers from a network data packet sampler, where the
sampler identifies the identifiers from internal data traffic within a mobile communications
network, and a network awareness engine (NAE) to at least cross reference the identifiers with
external data traffic output by the mobile communications network to at least detect congested
cells and associated subscriber data sessions emanating from the mobile communications
network.
[0033] Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
system also includes an SPD to store a subscriber profile for each subscriber of the mobile
communications network, where the profile includes at least an indication of a media
optimization priority for an associated subscriber.
[0034] Further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
system includes a congestion management engine (CME) to select at least one MDO method to
be applied to at least one of the associated subscriber data sessions in accordance with the
indication of a media optimization priority.
[0035] Still further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
system includes an NTD to at least store threshold congestion values associated with the cell
identifiers.
[0036] Additionally, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
system also includes a DPI enabled policy enforcement element capable of analyzing the output
network traffic to determine bandwidth used on a per-session basis.
[0037] Moreover, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the
system also includes a policy control element to provide the MDO method to be applied to the
mobile communications network.
[0038] Further, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the DPI
enabled policy enforcement element is configured to amend subscriber requests for media
content in accordance with a subscriber's profile, wherein the subscriber requests are detected in
the output network traffic.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0039] The subject matter regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly
claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. The invention, however, both as to
organization and method of operation, together with objects, features, and advantages thereof,
may best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read with the
accompanying drawings in which:
[0040]
[0041] Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of a novel subscriber level bandwidth optimized
mobile data network, constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of
the present invention;
[0042] Fig. 2 is a schematic illustration of a novel bandwidth optimization system to be
implemented within the framework of the network of Fig. 1;
[0043] Fig. 3 is a block diagram of a novel congestion detection and reduction process 300,
operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, to be executed by
the system of Fig. 2; and
[0044] Fig. 4 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary network congestion table,
constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0045] It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in
the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of
the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where
considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate
corresponding or analogous elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0046] In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order
to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be understood by those
skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In
other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in
detail so as not to obscure the present invention.
[0047] The focus of prior art MDOs for the prevention/reduction of network congestion has
largely focused on network-wide solutions. Unfortunately, implementing such methods on such
a large scale may be impractical and/or prohibitively expensive. For example, to transcode all of
the media content transmitted on a typical mobile network, thousands of digital signal
processors (DSPs) would have to be installed and maintained to provide the required processing
power. Wide scale transrating may have limited scope - it cannot change the video codec type
in use and it may only be used as long as it doesn't significantly impact the perceived quality of
media content downloads. Overuse of traffic shaping may suffer from the same issues, and may
eventually lead to customer dissatisfaction. Caching and MLA are similarly limited in effective
scope: caching is only relevant for frequently used media content, and MLA requires the active
participation of third party content servers.
[0048] Applicant has realized that MDOs may be more effective if applied on a pinpoint
basis, as needed in cells that are congested at the time of application. In such a manner, instead
of using the prior art approach of preventing congestion by brute force, only subscribers in cells
that are already congested may be subjected to the inconvenience of bandwidth restriction by
MDO application.
[0049] Applicant has further realized that maximum benefit may be derived from MDOs by
using the customer profile of each of the subscribers currently in the congested cell to determine
which, if any, of the available MDOs may be applied to optimize the bandwidth requirements of
each subscriber separately. For example, the mobile network operator may determine that a
business subscriber may be entitled to view high quality videos even during congestion periods,
whereas a private subscriber with a family member discount may be restricted to lower quality
videos, if at all, during congestion periods.
[0050] Reference is now made to Fig. 1, which illustrates a novel subscriber level bandwidth
optimized mobile data network 100, constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred
exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Network 100 may be a typical 3GPP network
and may comprise antennas 20, radio network controllers (RNC) 30, serving GPRS support
node (SGSN) 40, core network 50, GPRS data packet sampler 55, gateway GPRS support node
(GGSN) 60, and connect with Internet 70 and service network 80. Network 100 may also
comprise bandwidth optimizing system (BOS) 200. It will be appreciated that the depiction of
network 100 as a 3GPP may be exemplary; the present invention may be imlpemented within
the framework of any mobile or wireless network providing Internet connectability. For
example, network 100 may also be an LTE or W VAX network which may comprise different
control elements, such as, for example, SGWs and PGWs, to provide Internet connectability.
[0051] Subscriber devices 10 may connect to network 100 via antennas 20. In accordance
with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the cell served by antenna 20A may be
congested. Multiple devices 10 may be connected with antenna 20A, each one of which may be
in the process of downloading media content. As discussed hereinabove, four or five devices
downloading media contact may be sufficient to cause congestion in the affected cell.
[0052] RNCs 30 may control the connections between devices 10 and antennas 20, and
send/receive data associated with the connections to/from SGSN 40. It will be appreciated that
devices 10 may capable of achieving both voice and data connections with network 100.
However, since the primary focus of the MDOs to be applied may be to reduce congestion
caused by media content, only network elements with data connection relevance are shown in
Fig. 1.
[0053] Data associated with devices 10 may be routed through core network 50 by SGSN
40 and GGSN 60. In a typical a GPRS/UMTS network, SGSN 40 and GGSN 60 together
facilitate the "tunneling" of the associated data through core network 50 in order to connect
devices 10 to Internet 70 and/or service network 80. It will be appreciated that the depiction of
network 100 as a GPRS/UMTS network may be exemplary; the present invention may also be
configured to work with other technologies, such as, for example, LTE or WEVIAX.
[0054] When transmitting to Internet 70 or service network 80, GGSN 60 may convert
GPRS data packets received from SGSN 40 to packet data protocol (PDP) format appropriate
for Internet 70 and/or service network 80. Similarly, when receiving transmissions from Internet
70 or service network 80, it may convert the packets to an internal mobile network packet
format, such as, for example, 3GPP format.
[0055] It will be appreciated that while in internal mobile network packet format, the packets
may include information that may identify the subscriber device and its current cell location, as
well details regarding any IP connectivity external to core network 50. Internal format data
packet sampler 55 may inspect the data packets and forward the device/location identifiers along
with the IP addresses of the associated IP sessions to BOS 200. As will be described
hereinbelow, BOS 200 may use this information along with information derived from the PDP
formatted packets output by GGSN 60 to determine which cells may be congested, which
subscriber devices may be active in the congested cells and what applications may be running
on those devices. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, sampler
55 may be a RADIUS server. However, it will be appreciated that the present invention may
include any suitable utility capable of inspecting internal mobile network data packets and/or
maintaining a database of user location information in core network 50.
[0056] Reference is now made to Fig. 2 which illustrates a novel BOS 200, constructed and
operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. BOS 200 may
comprise subscriber profile database (SPD) 210, network topology database (NTD) 220,
network awareness engine (NAE) 230, network sampling interface 240, network congestion
table (NCT) 250, congestion management engine (CME) 260, Network MDO interface 270 and
MDOs 280.
[0057] SPD 210 and NTD 220 may provide NAE 230 with generally static reference data
that may be used to determine whether or not a cell is suffering from congestion and which
subscribers are currently using it. Specifically, SPD 210 may store information that may be used
to determine the level of service and particular MDOs to use for a given subscriber in response
to a given level of congestion. For example, SPD 210 may store an identifier (i.e. phone
number), device type, service plan, optimization procedure and associated network parameters
for each subscriber of network 100 (Fig. 1). It will be appreciated that SPD 210 may be created
using data from a typical mobile operator customer database, and may be periodically updated
as per changes in the customer database. Alternatively, SPD 210 may be defined as a view of
existing data in the customer database.
[0058] NTD 220 may store reference data that may be used to determine whether or not a
given cell may be congested. For example, NTD 220 may store a list of cell sites, their total
bandwidth capacities, associated congestion thresholds, and/or maximum number of concurrent
users. NAE 230 may compare the data in NTD 220 to actual observed network activity to
determine whether or not a given cell may be congested.
[0059] From time to time, NAE 230 may receive subscriber/device data from sampler 55
(Fig. 1). NAE 230 may also periodically receive network sampling data via network sampling
interface 240. Network sampling interface 240 may invoke policy enforcement (PE) element
245 to acquire the network sampling data. PE element 245 may comprise functionality for
inspecting IP packets and determining the application for which they may be intended. For
example, PE element 245 may inspect IP packets transmitted by GGSN 60 (Fig. 1) and
determine that they belong to a VOIP application. As will be discussed in detail hereinbelow,
NAE 230 may cross reference the results of this determination along with reference data from
SPD 210 and NTD 220 and the subscriber/device data received from sampler 55 to generate
network congestion table 250.
[0060] PCT patent application PCT/IL08/000829, entitled "A DPI MATRIX
ALLOCATOR" and filed June 18, 2008, which is assigned to the common assignees of the
present invention and hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference, discloses a system and
method for deep packet inspection. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, the functionality for PE element 245 may be provided by the system and method for
DPI as disclosed in PCT patent application PCT/IL08/000829. However, it will be appreciated
that the present invention may include any suitable functionality that may be capable of
determining the required information from an IP packet.
[0061] CME 260 may periodically review network congestion table to identify subscriber
connections to be optimized from among those associated with congested cells. CME 260 may
select subscribers for optimization based on their profiles as represented in SPD 210. In general,
as described hereinbelow, a subscriber's feature plan may indicate its priority when CME 260
selects subscriber connections for optimization. The higher a subscriber's priority, the less likely
it may be that its connection may be optimized by CME 260.
[0062] It will be appreciated that traffic shaping, as described hereinabove, may be a built-in
feature of CME 260, implemented in conjunction with the subscriber's profile in SPD 210.
CME 260 may apply traffic shaping and/or associate one or more MDOs 280 with a given
subscriber connection. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
MDOs 280 may include one or more of MLA engine 280A, transcoder 280B, transrater 280C,
Cacher 280D and TTV engine 280E. It will be appreciated that the present invention may
include any other suitable MDO as well.
[0063] PC element 275 may be a control agent that may be authorized to provide instructions
to core network 50 regarding subscribers' connections. CME 260 may use PC element 275 via
network MDO interface 270 to implement optimization procedures on selected subscriber
connections.
[0064] It will be appreciated that the depiction of BOS 200 as a single entity may be
exemplary. The present invention may also include embodiments in which the functionality
provided by BOS 200 may be provided by two or more servers accessing either internal or
external databases.
[0065] Reference is now made to Fig. 3 which illustrates a novel congestion detection and
reduction process 300, operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, process 300
may be executed on a repeating basis by BOS 200.
[0066] NAE 230 may invoke PE element 245 to monitor (step 310) data transmissions
transmitted between GGSN and Internet 70 and/or service network 80. It will be appreciated
that NEA 230 may not be located within core network 50, but rather may inspect its data traffic
after it has been converted to a standard IP format. PE element 245 may provide NAE 230 with
details regarding the data transmissions, including, for example, relevant IP addresses,
bandwidth requirements/usage, and the type of data being transmitted. In some cases, PE
element 245 may even diagnose which specific application may be running.
[0067] NAE 230 may cross reference the IP addresses provided by PE element 245 with
those provided by data packet sampler 55 (Fig. 1) to map each sampled transmission to a
specific subscriber/cell. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
sampler 55 may be a Radius server. However, it will be appreciated that any product or service
providing the required level of packet inspection functionality may also be included in the
present invention.
[0068] It will be appreciated that data packet sampler 55 (Fig. 1) may process only a
percentage of the actual data traffic in network 50. However, Applicant has realized that
network congestion may typically be caused by data connections lasting for at least several
minutes; shorter connections may tend to use significantly less aggregate bandwidth and are
accordingly less significant when approximating congestion levels. Applicant has also realized
that most "power users" that make frequent heavy use of data connections in a mobile
environment make typically do so from a static location. Accordingly, even though periodic
sampling by sampler 55 may theoretically miss a user that may move from cell to cell, the
overall effect may be minimal.
[0069] NAE 230 may then compare (step 320) the aggregate usage for subscribers in the
same cell with target bandwidth thresholds for each of the cells as read from NTD 220. Cells
that have exceeded their targets may be congested. NAE 230 may update (330) network
congestion table 250 to reflect the results of step 320. In accordance with a preferred exemplary
embodiment of the present invention, each subscriber/device may be assigned a row in table
250, such that each cell may have several entries. Fig. 4, to which reference is now also made,
may represent an exemplary network congestion table 250, constructed and operative in
accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0070] Each of rows 251 may represent a subscriber (column 253) in a particular congested
cell (column 252). For example, the first row 251 in table 250 may represent subscriber S-l in
cell 20A. The value in column 254 may represent the bandwidth used by subscriber S-l, and the
entry in column 255 may represent the application in use by subscriber S-l as per a diagnostic
run by PE element 245. It will be appreciated that table 250 that rows 251 may represent data
only for congested cells; non-congested cells may not be represented in table 250.
[007 1] In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, table 250 may
also be updated with details of each subscriber's profile that may affect their "bandwidth
entitlement", such as, for example, an indication of subscriber package as listed in column 256.
Depending on its configuration, table 250 may also include other relevant information such as
customer type, added features, etc. Alternatively, the profile details may be looked up as needed
from SPD 210 using the subscriber identifier from column 252. It will be appreciated that the
representation of subscriber identifiers in table 250 may be exemplary; in actual production
subscriber telephone numbers may typically be used. After updating table 250, NAE 230 may
repeat the process by returning to step 310.
[0072] In parallel to the repeated updating of table 250 by NAE 230, CME may detect (step
340) changes in table 250. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, table 250 may indicate that cell 20A
(Fig. 1) may currently be currently congested by its four subscribers with data connections.
Three of the subscribers may be using 500 Kbps, and the fourth 2.5 Mbps. The aggregate
bandwidth in use for cell 20A (i.e. 4Mbps) may cross a threshold for congestion as defined in
NTD 220.
[0073] For every cell that may be defined as congested, CME 260 may identify (step 350)
which of the cell's subscriber connections should be optimized. In general, the decision whether
to optimize a given connections may be a function of the bandwidth in use and the subscriber's
profile. In the exemplary representation of Fig. 4, subscriber S-4 may be using the most
bandwidth. However, the terms of its "business premium" subscriber package may grant S-4
higher priority for bandwidth usage. In such a case, CME may then determine which of the
other connections may be optimized instead. S-l, S-2 and S-3 may all be using the same
bandwidth, but the "standard" subscriber package may be entitled to higher priority than "3 d
member family discount". Accordingly, the connection for subscriber S-2 may be identified for
optimization.
[0074] CME 260 may also identify (step 360) the target application to be optimized. For
example, S-2 may be running a media sharing application such as, for example, YouTube, while
S-l may be using a VOIP application, such as, for example, Skype. It will be appreciated that
some MDOs 280 (Fig. 2) may be more appropriate for some applications than others. For
example, Cacher 280D may be appropriate for caching frequently downloaded media files, yet
inappropriate for VOIP applications. Accordingly, CME 260 may identify the target
applications in use prior to determining which MDO 280 to use for optimization.
[0075] CME 260 may also use the target application when determining which subscriber
connection to optimize. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, S-l may be using a voice application
and have a "standard" subscriber package. The standard subscriber package may place lower
priority on VOIP than on media sharing. In such a case, CME 260 may identify (step 350) S-l
for optimization instead of S-2 as in the previous embodiment. It will be appreciated that the
business logic for determining which, if any, subscriber connections to optimize, may be
configurable; the present invention may include any suitable logic that may be predicated on
analysis of the subscriber's profile to make such a determination. It will similarly be appreciated
that such configuration may include changing the order of steps 350 and 360 and/or executing
them iteratively.
[0076] CME 260 may also be configured with business logic to determine (370) the
appropriate MDO 280 (or combination of MDOs 280) to use for each subscriber connection to
be optimized. For example, TTV engine 280E may be irrelevant for VOIP applications that may
not make significant use of buffers, such applications may be optimized more efficiently using
transrater 280C. Cacher 280D may only be appropriate for frequently downloaded media files.
Transcoder 280B may require more processing power than other MDOs 280 and its use may
accordingly be restricted as a function of how the overall level of congestion in network 50.
MLA engine 280A may require previous agreement with the subscriber and/or the media
provider. Once determined, CME 260 may apply (step 380) the appropriate MDO (s) 280 by
invoking PC element 275 via network MDO interface 270.
[0077] In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a subscriber's
profile in SPD 210 may indicate that the subscriber's data connections may be optimized using
MLA engine 280A. If the subscriber has a data connection in a congested cell, CME 260 may
check that the application is suitable for MLA optimization, i.e. that it is a media content
application using a media content server that may be configured to support MLA optimization.
Based on the specific cell's load and its capacity, PC element 275 may be invoked to provide
new traffic shaping restrictions to mobile network 50, including, for example, a new maximum
bit rate.
[0078] The subscriber device may in time sense the change in its allotted bandwidth. In
response, it may signal the MLA enabled media server to which it is connected that its
bandwidth may have changed. It will be appreciated that such a signal may be included as part
of a protocol for downloading media content from an MLA enabled media server. Upon receipt
of such a signal, the media server may adjust its content delivery method accordingly.
[0079] It will be appreciated that, as described hereinabove, MLA engine 280A may not
directly contact the MLA enabled media server to trigger a change in the content delivery
method. Instead, MLA engine 280A may indirectly trigger such a change by affecting the
delivery environment; the subscriber device and media server may actually negotiate the
required adaptation in light of currently available bandwidth.
[0080] However, in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention,
MLA engine 280A may also be configured to directly trigger such a change in content delivery
method. For example, high definition (HD) media content may generally require more
bandwidth to download and view. A subscriber profile in SPD 210 may indicate that the
subscriber may not be entitled to view HD media content. The subscriber may be restricted from
downloading HD media content depending on current cell congestion levels, or alternatively the
restriction may even apply at all levels of congestion.
[0081] It will be appreciated that if the subscriber attempts to request an HD media content
download, PE element 245 may detect the request while monitoring (Fig. 3, step 310) outgoing
data traffic from the subscriber. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, PE element 245 may be configured to intercept such a request, and amend it to
indicate a request for a non-HD format. MLA engine 280A may invoke PE element 245 to do so
in accordance with a subscriber's profile.
[0082] It will be appreciated, that over time, congestion may subside in previously congested
cells. In such cases, NAE 230 may update network congestion table 250 by deleting the
associated cell/subscriber rows. CME 260 may detect such deletions in step 340 and remove
(step 245) any MDOs assigned to the associated cells.
[0083] It will also be appreciated that BOS 200 may be configured to detect/recognize
multiple levels of congestion and to apply different MDOs 280 (or different combinations of
MDOs 280) depending on the level of congestion. For example, for cell 20A aggregate usage of
of 3.5 Mbps may be "level 1" congested; 3.75 Mbps may be "level 2"; and 4 Mbps may be
"level 3". Accordingly, in addition to factoring in cell and subscriber information, CME 260
may also consider congestion level when applying MDOs. For example, for the same
cell/subscriber, CME 260 may apply transcoder 280B for congestion level 1, and transrater
280C for levels 2 and 3.
[0084] In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, network
congestion table 250 may be implemented with a GUI interface to provide a real time
presentation of the state of congestion in mobile network 50. The rows and/or columns of table
250 may be color coded to indicate the severity, nature and/or causes of congested cells.
[0085] Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the preceding discussions, it is
appreciated that, throughout the specification, discussions utilizing terms such as "processing,"
"computing," "calculating," "determining," or the like, refer to the action and/or processes of a
computer, computing system, or similar electronic computing device that manipulates and/or
transforms data represented as physical, such as electronic, quantities within the computing
system's registers and/or memories into other data similarly represented as physical quantities
within the computing system's memories, registers or other such information storage,
transmission or display devices.
[0086] Embodiments of the present invention may include apparatus for performing the
operations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the desired purposes, or it
may comprise a general-purpose computer selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer
program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computer
readable storage medium, such as, but not limited to, any type of disk, including floppy disks,
optical disks, magnetic-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), compact disc read-only
memories (CD-ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), electrically programmable read-only
memories (EPROMs), electrically erasable and programmable read only memories
(EEPROMs), magnetic or optical cards, Flash memory, or any other type of media suitable for
storing electronic instructions and capable of being coupled to a computer system bus.
[0087] The processes and displays presented herein are not inherently related to any
particular computer or other apparatus. Various general-purpose systems may be used with
programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct a
more specialized apparatus to perform the desired method. The desired structure for a variety of
these systems will appear from the description below. In addition, embodiments of the present
invention are not described with reference to any particular programming language. It will be
appreciated that a variety of programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of
the invention as described herein.
[0088] While certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein,
many modifications, substitutions, changes, and equivalents will now occur to those of ordinary
skill in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover
all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention.

CLAIMS
[0089] What is claimed is:
1. A method for alleviation of congestion in a mobile communications network, the
method comprising:
detecting congested cells in said mobile communications network;
identifying subscribers with active data sessions in said congested cells; and
optimizing bandwidth usage for at least one of said identified subscribers.
2. The method according to claim 1 and wherein said detecting comprises:
receiving cell and data session identifiers from an internal network data
packet sampler;
inspecting data packets emanating from said mobile communications
network to at least determine bandwidth used for each current data session;
cross referencing said data session identifiers with said each concurrent data
session to calculate aggregate bandwidth in use for each cell in said mobile
communications network according to associated said cell identifiers; and
determining that said cells with said aggregated bandwidth exceeding a
predetermined threshold are congested.
3. The method according to claim 2 and wherein said identifying comprises:
receiving subscriber identifiers from said internal network data packet
sampler;
for each said congested cell, cross referencing said data session identifiers
with said each concurrent data session to identify subscribers with active data
sessions in said congested cells; and
associating their said bandwidth usage according to said bandwidth used for
each data session.
4. The method according to claim 2 and wherein said inspecting also comprises:
determining a type of application used in said current data session.
5. The method according to claim 2 and wherein said inspecting also comprises:
determining a specific application in use in said current data session.
6. The method according to claim 1 and wherein said optimizing comprises:
for each said identified subscriber, determining an optimization priority as
per a subscriber profile;
selecting at least one said identified subscriber in each said congested cell
for optimization;
determining at least one appropriate media delivery optimization (MDO)
function at least in accordance with said subscriber profile for each said
selected identified subscriber; and
transmitting a request to said mobile communications network to optimize
said bandwidth usage for said selected identified subscriber in accordance with
said at least one appropriate MDO function.
7. The method according to claim 6 and wherein said appropriate MDO function is at
least one of:
traffic shaping, wherein policies on user bandwidth are enforced on a per
subscriber basis;
transcoding, wherein media encoding used for said current data session is
changed to a different encoding format to facilitate a change in bandwidth
requirements;
transrating, wherein a total media content bit rate is reduced without
changing said media encoding; and
caching, wherein a copy of media content is stored internally to avoid
repeated downloads from an external source.
8. The method according to claim 6 and wherein said appropriate MDO function is
time-to-view (TTV) manipulation, wherein delivery rate of media content is regulated
to generally match viewing rate on a communications device of said selected identified
subscriber, said viewing rate detected during said inspecting.
9. The method according to claim 6 and wherein said appropriate MDO function is
media link adaptation (MLA), wherein a subscriber communications device uses a
transport protocol to signal a media content server regarding available bandwidth for
downloading particular media content, and said media content server selects and
downloads a version of said particular media content in accordance with said available
bandwidth.
10. The method according to claim 6 and wherein said at least one appropriate MDO is
a combination of at least two appropriate MDOs.
11. The method according to claim 6 and wherein said optimizing also comprises:
transmitting a request to said mobile communications network to stop said
optimizing in accordance with said MDO for all associated selected identified
subscribers if an associated said cell is no longer congested.
12. The method according to claim 6 and wherein said subscriber profile is stored in a
subscriber profile database (SPD), wherein said SPD contains at least an indication of
maximum bandwidth allowed to each said subscriber and is periodically updated in
accordance with subscriber information stored in said mobile communications
network.
13. The method according to claim 12 and wherein said SPD contains at least an
indication of at least one MDO to use with each said subscriber.
14. The method according to claim 13 and wherein said indication of at least one
MDO is provided for each predetermined level of congestion in said congested cell.
15. The method according to claim 2 and wherein said predetermined threshold is
stored in a network topology database (NTD); said NTD storing at least one said
predetermined threshold for each said cell in said mobile communications database.
16. The method according to claim 6 and wherein said determining also comprises
determining a level of congestion.
17. The method according to claim 1 and wherein said inspecting also comprises deep
packet inspection (DPI) to detect said bandwidth used and an identifier for said current
data session, wherein said identifier for said current data session is suitable for said
cross referencing.
18. The method according to claim 17 and wherein said DPI detects at least a type of
application in use for said current data session.
19. The method according to claim 17 and wherein said DPI identifies a specific
application in use for said current data session.
20. A bandwidth optimization system comprising:
a network sampling interface to receive at least subscriber, cell and data
session identifiers from a network data packet sampler, wherein said sampler
identifies said identifiers from internal data traffic within a mobile
communications network; and
a network awareness engine (NAE) to at least cross reference said identifiers
with external data traffic output by said mobile communications network to at
least detect congested cells and associated subscriber data sessions emanating
from said mobile communications network.
21. The system according to claim 20 and also comprising:
an SPD to store a subscriber profile for each subscriber of said mobile
communications network, wherein said profile includes at least an indication of
a media optimization priority for an associated said subscriber .
22. The system according to claim 20 and also comprising:
a congestion management engine (CME) to select at least one MDO method
to be applied to at least one of said associated subscriber data sessions in
accordance with said indication of a media optimization priority.
23. The system according to claim 20 and also comprising:
an NTD to at least store threshold congestion values associated with said
cell identifiers.
24. The system according to claim 20 and also comprising a DPI enabled policy
enforcement element capable of analyzing said output network traffic to determine
bandwidth used on a per-session basis.
25. The system according to claim 22 and also comprising a policy control element to
provide said MDO method to be applied to said mobile communications network.
26. The system according to claim 24 and wherein said DPI enabled policy
enforcement element is configured to amend subscriber requests for media content in
accordance with a subscriber's profile, wherein said subscriber requests are detected in
said output network traffic.