Seamless session mobility for multimedia streams

[0001] The invention is based on a priority application EP 06290173.1 which is hereby incorporated by reference.

[0002] The invention relates to a method for seamless handover of a multimedia stream session to a roaming terminal, in particular for conversational real-time services such as Voice over IP (VoIP) or Multimedia over IP (MMoIP), in Next Generation Network (NGN) systems, even in—but not limited to—a cross-operator scenario.

[0003] The present invention also relates to a mediating network element for providing a multimedia stream to a roaming terminal in a communication network as well as to a mobile terminal for use as a roaming terminal in a communication network.

[0004] In addition, the present invention relates to a communication network, comprising:

• • [0005] a home network,
  • [0006] a plurality of network domains operatively attached to the home network,
  • [0007] a plurality of terminals located in different network domains and adapted to communicate over the communication network in a multimedia stream session.

[0008] Furthermore the present invention relates to a computer program product for use in a communication network of the above-mentioned type.

[0009] Conversational real-time services of the above-mentioned types generally employ a multimedia stream session for transferring data packets between communicating terminals. In order to support mobility of mobile terminals, e.g. cellular phones, for real-time conversational service sessions, so-called seamless session mobility or seamless handover must be ensured in heterogeneous network access environments for future converged fixed/mobile (IMS/TISPAN—IP multimedia subsystem/Telecoms & Internet converged Services & Protocols for advanced Networks) multi-operator networks. In the present context, this means supporting the “transfer” of an already existing multimedia stream session to another IP domain, e.g. when changing a network access domain, in particular in the case of two different WLAN domains or when changing network access of a terminal from a public network (3G/4G) to a private network (WLAN/DSL).

[0010] Proposed prior art solutions to the above-defined issue comprise mobility detection and management capabilities provided by standard Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), e.g. by using the SIP “re-INVITE” message, and mobile IP technologies, which are being developed and standardized for mobile networks. However, the prior art approaches suffer from inherent disadvantages and limitations. For instance, mobility mechanisms provided by SIP, e.g. making use of SIP “re-INVITE” messages to redirect an ongoing session, have a number of drawbacks: 1) There is a lack of privacy, because the SIP User Agent Server (UAS, Callée) can observe the motion of a moving User Agent Client (UAC, Caller). 2) The required means for detection of changing transfer conditions within the client application are complex due to cross-layer problems. 3) Initiation of a session redirect via the SIP signalling path may take too long, which leads to a session interruption during an unacceptably long time interval (timeframe).

[0011] Mobile IP technology, too, suffers from major limitations: 1) All terminals as well as the totality of home networks and visited networks involved in the communication—even private WLANs—need to support the required mobile IP standards, which entails installation of costly new network elements. 2) Mobile IP technology re-quires a large number of additional signalling messages and additional packet over-head. 3) In many cases the data packets have to be routed through the home network of the pro-vider. 4) Session handover is “slow”, hence there is no seamless session continuity.

[0012] It is the object of the present invention to provide a method capable of supporting session mobility detection and session redirection for seamless handover of multimedia stream sessions in a communication network, which does not suffer from the above-mentioned disadvantages, while in particular bridging the timeframe between an event of changing the address of a roaming terminal and an event of having completed re-registration and session redirection. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a communication network as well as individual network components needed to translate said method into practice.

[0013] The object is achieved by a method of the above-mentioned type, wherein a first mediating network element comprised in a communication path to the roaming terminal

• • [0014] secures a session context of the multimedia stream session for identifying the roaming terminal,
  • [0015] observes an address change of the roaming terminal on a media overlay level of the multimedia stream session, and
  • [0016] redirects the multimedia stream to the new address,
    and wherein subsequently alternative mediating network elements for replacing the first mediating network element are determined on a control level of the network for a complete handover of the multimedia stream session.

[0017] According to a second aspect of the present invention the object is also achieved by providing a network mediating element for providing a multimedia stream to a roaming terminal in a communication network, the network mediating element being adapted to

• • [0018] secure a session context of the multimedia stream session for identifying the roaming terminal,
  • [0019] observe an address change of the roaming terminal on a media overlay level of the multimedia stream session, and
  • [0020] redirect the multimedia stream to the new address.

[0021] According to a third aspect of the present invention the object is also achieved by providing a mobile terminal of the above-mentioned type, which is further adapted to continue communicating on an overlay media level of the communication network via a first mediating network element when changing addresses in the communication network and to perform a re-registration at the communication network on a control level of the network, possibly via an alternative mediating network element.

[0022] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention the object is achieved by providing a communication network of the above-mentioned type, wherein at least one of the plurality of terminals is a mobile terminal according to said third aspect of the present invention and wherein the home network comprises a plurality of mediating network elements according to said second aspect of the present invention.

[0023] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention the object is achieved by providing a computer program product for use in a communication network of the above-mentioned type, wherein the computer program product comprises first program code sequences operable to enable at least one of the plurality of terminals to continue communicating on an overlay media level of the communication network via a first mediating network element when changing addresses in the communication network and to perform a re-registration at the communication network on a control level of the network, possibly via an alternative mediating network element, and wherein the computer program product further comprises second program code sequences operable to enable the first mediating network element to

• • [0024] secure a session context of the multimedia stream session for identifying a roaming terminal,
  • [0025] observe an address change of the roaming terminal on a media overlay level of the multimedia stream session, and
  • [0026] redirect the multimedia stream to the new address.

[0027] Thus, according to a general idea of the present invention, there is a fast detection of a new IP address of a roaming terminal at the media overlay level within a mediating network element of the communication network. Furthermore, the mediating network element secures the session context (signatures, coding schemes, etc.) for to uniquely identify the roaming terminal. Following an immediate self-learning of the changed IP address, said mediating network element checks the session identifiers—thus identifying the roaming terminal—and redirects the ongoing media stream to a new IP address. Then, the network tries to discover possibly better suited mediating network elements for data transfer to the new IP address by means of control level procedures, thus providing a truly seamless handover mechanism, i.e. no media packet loss, which furthermore remains anonymous for the other call partner. Mediating network elements possibly better suited for data transfer may be identified according to at least one predefined criterion, such as Quality of Service (QoS). Of course, the mediating network element suited best for the data transfer may be the first network element.

[0028] In a further embodiment of the method in accordance with the present invention the alternative mediating network elements are determined by using a standard protocol, in particular Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). In this way, only limited modification with respect to existing solutions is required.

[0029] In another embodiment of the method in accordance with the present invention the complete handover is performed using a standard session redirect procedure, in particular an SIP-based session redirect procedure, executed by a network softswitch, the mediating network elements and the roaming terminal.

[0030] Preferably, in yet another embodiment of the method in accordance with the present invention the media overlay layer uses a standard protocol, in particular Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP). In a corresponding further embodiment of the mediating network element in accordance with the present invention, said element is devised as a Session Border Controller (SBC) and adapted to using Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) for providing the multimedia stream and Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) for control purposes.

[0031] In a further embodiment of the mediating network element in accordance with the present invention, said mediating network element is operably connected with a network softswitch, at least one other mediating network element for alternatively providing the multimedia stream to the roaming terminal, and with the roaming terminal, wherein the mediating network element is further adapted to perform a complete handover using a standard session redirect procedure, in particular a SIP-based session redirect procedure, executed by the network softswitch, the mediating network elements and the roaming terminal for providing a multimedia stream to the roaming terminal by means of the other mediating network element.

[0032] Further advantages and characteristics of the present invention can be gathered from the following description of a preferred embodiment given by way of example only with reference to the enclosed drawings. The features mentioned above as well as below can be used in accordance with the present invention either individually or in conjunction. The embodiments mentioned are not to be understood as an exhaustive enumeration but rather as examples with regard to the underlying concept of the present invention.

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a communication network 1 in accordance with the present invention. The communication network 1 comprises a home network 2 and a plurality of network domains 3.1-3.3, which are operatively attached to the home network 2. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, said attachment is illustrated by means of straight solid lines between the home network 2 and a respective network domain 3.1-3.3. The individual network domains can also be referred to as a Remote Domain 3.1, Foreign Domain “A” 3.3 and Foreign Domain “B” 3.2. A first terminal 4 is operatively connected (attached) with network domain 3.3. Said terminal 4 is devised as a mobile terminal which is free to move (roam) within the communication network 1. In this way, mobile terminal 4 could alternatively be attached to other network domains, e.g. network domain 3.2, of the communication network 1, as will be explained in detail below. A further terminal 5 is attached to network domain 3.1. By way of example and without limitation, terminal 5 is devised as a stationary terminal.

[0039] In the embodiment shown, each of the network domains 3.1-3.3 comprises an interface element 6.1-6.3, respectively, serving as the initial signalling interface between an attached terminal, e.g. terminals 4, 5, and the network, i.e. an access domain such as network domains 3.1, 3.3 and/or the home network 2. The home network 2 further comprises a control element 7 as well as a plurality of mediating elements 8.1-8.3, a function of which will now be explained in detail.

[0040] In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the interface element 6.1-6.3 are devised as Proxy Call Session Control Functions (P-CSCFs), i.e. they constitute the initial interface (i.e., a SIP-server) between a terminal and an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), i.e., the home network 2, which could also be referred to as an IP multimedia core network (IM CN) in the present example. An address of the P-CSCF is discovered as part of standard session management procedures involved with establishing IP connectivity, as known to a person skilled in the art. Functions of the P-CSCFs include a forwarding of SIP control messages received from a terminal, e.g. terminals 4, 5, wherein the latter either function as a UAC (SIP User Agent Client) or as an UAS (SIP User Agent Server), as further known to a person skilled in the art. In the shown embodiment, mobile terminal 4 functions as a UAC, thus performing client functionality, i.e. it generates a request, which in turn is serviced by a UAS. On the other hand, the corresponding server functionality is provided by terminal 5, which responds to requests made by SIP UAC terminal 4. The control element 7 of home network 2 can be identified with a Core Session Control Function (CSCF), which provides session control for subscribers accessing services within the IM CN. Therefore, in essence the CSCF 7 is a SIP server, which has responsibility for interacting with network databases for mobility and specific servers for security purposes.

[0041] Furthermore, in the communication network of FIG. 1 the mediating network elements 8.1-8.3 are devised as Session Border Controllers (SBCs). An SBC generally is a device put into a communication path between a calling party and a called party in a communication network. The SBC acts as if it were the called party and places a second call to the called party, such that not only signalling traffic but also the media traffic (voice, video, etc.) crosses the SBC, as known to a person skilled in the art, such that an SBC effectively functions as a media proxy with respect to the media data traffic. The SBCs 8.1-8.3 are operatively connected with the control element 7 (CSCF), which effectively functions as or interacts with a softswitch (not explicitly shown) of the communication network 1.

[0042] In the scenario of FIG. 1, UAS 5 and UAC 4 are connected in a multimedia stream session for exchanging a multimedia data stream. To this end, UAC 4 attached to network domain 3.3 communicates with UAS 5 over an already established signalling path linking the network elements designated by reference numerals 4/6.3/8.1/7/8.3/6.1/5, as indicated by means of dashed arrows, and over a media path linking the network elements designated by reference numerals 4/8.1/8.3/5, as indicated by means of solid arrows. In this context, said signalling path is also referred to as being located on a control plane/control level of the communication network 1, whereas said media path is also referred to as being located on an (overlay) media level of the communication network. In this way, the terminals 4, 5 exchange SIP control messages on said signalling path, whereas the multimedia stream data is communicated on said media path.

[0043] Generally, during transmission of real-time media streams all of the data packets constituting the stream are sent without confirmation of reception in order to increase performance (e.g., by employing UDP—User Datagram Protocol instead of TCP—Transmission Control Protocol). A possible packet loss is “covered up” in the audio/video receiver, thus resulting in an acceptable quality in case of low packet loss. Making use of the usually bi-directional connections, quality information is exchanged in the form of a feedback, e.g. for controlling a decrease of transmitter bit rate. In the case of unidirectional services (IPTV/video) considered here, there is a (thin) return channel for transmission of this kind of information.

[0044] For use in the communication system in accordance with the present invention and for to translate into practice the method in accordance with the present invention, at least the mobile terminal 4 and the mediating network elements 8.1-8.3 of FIG. 1 comprise additional features and functionalities which will now be explained in detail with reference to appended FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0045] FIG. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of one of the network mediating elements 8.x (x=1, 2, 3) of FIG. 1. The network mediating element 8.x comprises communication means 8.xa, operatively connected with the CSCF 7 on one side and with a terminal 4, 5 as well as an interface element 6.x (x=1, 2, 3), respectively, on the other side. The mediating network element 8.x further comprises data processing means 8.xb providing observation means 8.xc, securing means 8.xd, stream redirection means 8.xe, session redirecting means 8.xf, and binding modification means 8.xg, the functioning of which will become apparent later. In operative connection with the data processing means 8.xb, the network mediating element 8.x further comprises storage means 8.xh.

[0046] FIG. 3 shows a schematic block diagram of a mobile terminal 4 for use in the communication network 1 of FIG. 1. The mobile terminal 4 comprises communication means 4a, which are operatively connected with the interface element 6.x of a current network domain, to which the mobile terminal 4 is attached, and with a suitable network mediating element 8.x (cf. FIG. 2). The mobile terminal 4 further comprises data processing means 4b providing communication continuation means 4c and re-registration means 4d, the function of which will also become apparent later.

[0047] FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a further embodiment of the communication network 1 in accordance with the present invention. During operation of a communication network 1, i.e. during an ongoing multimedia stream session involving terminals 4, 5, the network mediating element 8.1 secures session identifiers of the ongoing multimedia stream session by means of the securing means 8.xd in conjunction with the storage means 8.xh (FIG. 2), wherein said session identifiers, e.g. signatures and/or coding schemes or the like, allow identification of at least the mobile terminal 4, i.e. the logical source of the corresponding data.

[0048] Subsequently, the mobile terminal 4 (UAC) moves to a new network position denoted UAC′ in the direction of arrow M, such that the mobile terminal 4 is now attached to a different net-work domain, i.e. network domain 3.2 (Foreign “B”), while the already established multimedia stream session is in progress. In accordance with the present invention and as indicated by means of a solid arrow in FIG. 4, the mobile terminal 4 (UAC′) continues to send media packets on to the mediating network element 8.1, as in the case of the embodiment of FIG. 1. This functionality is provided under the action of the communication continuation means 4c provided on the mobile terminal 4 (cf. FIG. 3). In parallel, the mediating network element 8.1 detects the mobility event (arrow M) of the mobile terminal 4, i.e. of UAC (FIG. 1) to UAC′ (FIG. 4). For instance, said mobility event can be detected by observing an IP/UDP source change under action of the observing means 8.xc provided at the mediating network elements 8.x (FIG. 2). In this way, according to the present invention, there is a fast detection of the new IP address of mobile terminal 4 on the media overlay level within a respective network mediating element 8.x, which effectively functions as a media proxy. Preferably, in the context of the present invention said media overlay level is implemented by using session-oriented secured RTP—Real-time Transport Protocol. In this way, according to the invention there is an immediate self-learning of the changed IP address of the UAC on mobile terminal 4 by the network mediating element 8.1. In other words: The network mediating element 8.1 observes that the incoming data packets have originated from a new source address, e.g. a new source IP address. The network mediating element 8.1 then checks the session identifiers previously secured in the storage means 8.xh (FIG. 2), thus detecting that the data actually originates from the same logical address as before owing to an unchanged signature/coding. In this way, the mediating network element immediately “learns” about the new address, e.g. IP address, of the mobile terminal 4 and then redirects the session media stream to said new address under action of the stream redirection means 8.xe (FIG. 2). This effectively represents a “cross-layer approach”, wherein a logical end-to-end connection is secured and authenticated on a higher layer (e.g., secured RTP) such that the system can react appropriately to address changes on a lower layer (e.g., UDP/IP).

[0049] For a short intermediate time only, as depicted in FIG. 4, mediating network element 8.1 continues to send data packets, i.e. media packets arriving directly from the UAC′ and control packets arriving via P-CSCF 6.2, respectively, to the mediating network element 8.3 and to the control element 7 (CSCF) as before. This requires modification of IP/UDP bindings for the corresponding RTP traffic to be performed by the binding modification means 8.xg (FIG. 2).

[0050] Since the intermediate communication path used in the embodiment of FIG. 4 is sub-optimal, in accordance with the present invention it is used for a short time only. Therefore, in parallel to the seamless continuation of media transfer, a standard SIP-based session redirect procedure is performed on the signalling/control plane of the communication network 1, which involves sending control messages (e.g., SIP “REGISTER”) via the mediating network elements (SBCs) 8.1-8.3. Said session redirect procedure is performed for to determine a possibly better suited mediating network element in order to achieve a complete handover of the ongoing multimedia stream session according to at least one predefined criterion, e.g. which ensures enhanced Quality of Service (QoS). As stated above, the session redirect procedure is executed by the softswitch (not shown) of the communication network 1, the mediating network elements 8.1-8.3 and the mobile terminal 4. In this context, the mediating network elements 8.x use their respective session redirecting means 8.xf (FIG. 2)—preferably in conjunction with the secured context information provided by the securing means 8.xd of the mediating network element 8.1-, whereas the mobile terminal 4 uses its re-registration means 4d (FIG. 3).

[0051] In other words: The mobile terminal 4 is completely “moved” the a new access network. A preferred embodiment may include registration of the UAC′ (terminal 4) at the network, e.g. the control element 7 (CSCF), through signalling. The network then determines the best attachment point—using discovery mechanisms which are not part of the present application. Said attachment point will generally depend on the new access network of the UAC′, i.e. mediating network element 8.2 in the present example, and the network transmits the corresponding information to both the UAC′ and to the other network elements involved, i.e. the mediating network elements 8.1-8.3.

[0052] The above-described situation after re-registration of UAC′ (terminal 4) at the CSCF of the home network 2 via the alternative mediating network element 8.2 is depicted in FIG. 5. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the control element 7 (CSCF) initiates the call transfer to the mediating network element 8.2, i.e., UAC′ (mobile terminal 4) is informed via SIP signalling on the control plane (for instance by using a SIP “re-INVITE” message) to send packets (control and media packets) to the alternative mediating network element 8.2 instead of mediating network element 8.1 (cf. FIGS. 1, 4). This results in a new destination IP/UDP for packets sent from UAC′ in the direction of UAS (terminal 5) and mediating network element 8.2, respectively. In this way, the multimedia stream session between terminals 4 and 5 is continued over an optimized communication path.

[0053] As known to a person skilled in the art, at least the above-described functionalities of the mobile terminal and the mediating network elements can be implemented thereon by means of a suitable computer program product comprising appropriate program code sequences. Said computer program product may be provided to the entities in question on any suitable form of computer readable media, e.g. an optical data carrier such as a CD or DVD or via a data network.

[0054] In the forgoing description, the protocols IP, UDP, and TCP have been mentioned by way of example only. As will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art, any other protocol employing source and destination addresses could be used in the context of the present invention.

[0055] The present invention thus provides support for session mobility detection and session redirection by means of special features provided in the communication network, i.e. the mediating network elements and the mobile terminal(s), respectively. Under action of these special features, the present invention bridges the timeframe between the event of changing a terminal IP address and the event of having completed a subsequent re-registration and session redirection on the control plane of the communication network. In accordance with the present invention as described above, this is done in a seamless way for the end-user.