US-12628150-B2 - Network management

Abstract

A method of controlling a telecommunications network, the telecommunications network having a first node, a second node, and a third node, and the method including identifying a first schedule for a frame for facilitating communication between the first node and the second node; identifying a second schedule for a frame for facilitating communication between the second node and the third node, wherein the frames each have an uplink subframe and a downlink subframe; comparing the first and second schedules so as to identify a misalignment in the frames; and applying an adjustment to the first schedule relative to the second schedule so as to reduce the identified misalignment in the frames, thereby to reduce a delay in communication.

Inventors

• Farhad Mehran
• Richard MACKENZIE

Assignees

• BRITISH TELECOMMUNICATIONS PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20200317

Priority Date

20190412

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A method of controlling a telecommunications network, the telecommunications network having a first node, a second node, and a third node, and the method comprising: determining a minimum latency period for communicating a communication with a node; identifying a first schedule for a first frame for facilitating communication between the first node and the second node; identifying a second schedule for a second frame for facilitating communication between the second node and the third node, wherein each of the first frame and the second frame comprises an uplink subframe and a downlink subframe; comparing the first schedule and the second schedule so as to identify a non-overlapping misalignment in the first frame and the second frame; and applying an adjustment to the first schedule relative to the second schedule so as to reduce the identified misalignment in the first frame and the second frame, thereby to reduce a delay in communication, wherein the adjustment is applied so as to separate: at least a first portion of a first uplink subframe of the first frame and at least a second portion of a second uplink subframe of the second frame by no more than the minimum latency period; and at least a third portion of a first downlink subframe of the first frame and at least a fourth portion of a second downlink subframe of the second frame by no more than the minimum latency period.
2. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjustment is a time shift.
3. 3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjustment is a change in duration of a subframe.
4. 4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjustment is a change in sequence of two or more subframes.
5. 5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first schedule or the second schedule comprises timings of subframes.
6. 6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first schedule or the second schedule comprises durations of subframes.
7. 7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication comprises at least one of: a message; a service request; a data service; a non-data service; a control message; and a management message.
8. 8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication originates from one of: the first node, the second node, the third node, and a core of the telecommunications network.
9. 9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising calculating an adjustment value for applying the adjustment, wherein the adjustment value is derived dependent on the minimum latency period.
10. 10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the adjustment is applied so that a first point in time when a communication is received by a particular node and a second point in time when the communication is available to be transmitted by the particular node both occur in the same subframe.
11. 11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first node and the second node form part of a split Radio Access Network.
12. 12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first node, the second node or a third node comprises one of: User Equipment, a centralized unit and a distributed unit.
13. 13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first node and the second node are connected via a wired telecommunications link.
14. 14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second node and a third node are connected via a wireless telecommunications link.
15. 15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first node is connected to a core of the telecommunications network.
16. 16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first frame and the second frame are time-division duplexed.
17. 17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first frame and the second frame are frequency-division duplexed.
18. 18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first frame and the second frame are heterogeneous as to frame channel type.
19. 19 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first frame and the second frame each comprise one of: a logical channel type frame, a transport channel type frame, and a physical channel type frame.
20. 20 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is triggered by one or more selected of: the first node, the second node, the third node, and a core of the telecommunications network.

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM The present application is a National Phase entry of PCT Application No. PCT/EP2020/057282, filed Mar. 17, 2020, which claims priority from EP Patent Application No. 19169101.3, filed Apr. 12, 2019, which is hereby fully incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a method of controlling a telecommunications network so as to reduce latency, and to a telecommunications network therefor. BACKGROUND Modern cellular networks can support Centralized Radio Access Network (C-RAN)—also referred to as Cloud Radio Access Network and Disaggregated Radio Access Network—architectures in which a base station may be split into a Central Unit (CU) and one or more Distributed Units (DUs). Accordingly, the various protocol layers of the cellular protocol in use are also split between the CU and the DUs such that the DUs may implement the lowermost layer (e.g. the radio frequency layer) and optionally one or more higher layers, and all other higher layers may be implemented in the CU. However, this functional split between the CU and the DUs may be to the detriment of efficiently and effectively coordinating communication between at least the CU and the DUs, and in particular may cause unnecessary latency. It is therefore an aim of embodiments of the present disclosure to alleviate the aforementioned problems. SUMMARY According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided: a method of controlling a telecommunications network, the telecommunications network having a first node, a second node and a third node, and the method comprising the steps of: identifying a first schedule for a frame for facilitating communication between the first node and the second node; identifying a second schedule for a frame for facilitating communication between the second node and the third node, wherein the frames each comprise an uplink subframe and a downlink subframe; comparing the first and second schedules so as to identify a misalignment in the frames; and applying an adjustment to the first schedule relative to the second schedule so as to reduce the identified misalignment in the frames, thereby to reduce a delay in communication. In some aspects, the misalignment is a temporal misalignment. In some aspects, the comparing is performed so as to identify a temporal misalignment. In some aspects, the comparing is performed so as to identify a misalignment in the frames for causing a delay in communication between the first, second and third nodes. In some aspects, identifying the first and/or second schedule includes identifying schedules associated with subframes of the first and/or second frame/s. In some aspects, the comparing is performed so as to identify a misalignment in the subframes. In some aspects, applying the adjustment to the first schedule relative to the second schedule comprises: adjusting only the first schedule; adjusting only the second schedule; or adjusting the first and the second schedules. In some aspects, the telecommunications network is a wide area telecommunications network. In some aspects, the telecommunications network is a cellular mobile telephone network. In some aspects, the telecommunications network operates in accordance with a Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G and/or 5G protocol. In some aspects, the first node, the second node and/or the third node comprises at least two remote entities. In some aspects, an uplink or downlink subframe is a type of subframe. In some aspects, the method further comprises the steps of identifying a third schedule for a frame for facilitating communication between the first node, the second node or the third node and a further node, and wherein the comparing and adjustment is performed in dependence also on the third schedule. In some aspects, the adjustment is applied so as to align: reference signals; guard periods; synchronization signals; broadcast signals; and/or control signals. In some aspects, wherein the adjustment is a time shift. In some aspects, the time shift is performed by applying a delay to a frame or by advancement of a frame. In some aspects, the delay is applied by adding a subframe. In some aspects, the advancement is applied by removing a subframe. In some aspects, the adjustment is a change in duration of an uplink and/or downlink subframe. In some aspects, said change in duration is an increase or decrease. In some aspects, the adjustment is an increase or decrease in the symbol period of a subframe. In some aspects, the adjustment is a change in sequence of uplink and downlink subframes. In some aspects, the first and/or the second schedule/s comprise/s timings of uplink and/or downlink subframes. In some aspects, the first and/or the second schedule/s comprise/s durations of uplink and/or downlink subframes. In some aspects, the adjustment is applied so as to cause coincidence of: an uplink subframe associated with the first schedule and an uplink subframe associated with the second schedule;