Systems and methods for load balancing in cellular networks and wireless local area networks

摘要

Network operators are striving to find ways to provide stable video services amid a rapid increase in video data traffic. In order to provide stable video services with constrained network resources, network operators attempted to deploy multiple communication networks in parallel. However, network operators failed to effectively balance data traffic across parallel communication networks. This disclosure provides systems and methods for effectively balancing data traffic across parallel communication networks.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
receiving, at a network device in communication with a cellular network and a wireless local area network (WLAN), a cellular network condition message that includes first data load information associated with one or more base stations in the cellular network, wherein the one or more base stations are capable of providing network service to a user equipment, wherein the first data load information is indicative of an amount of data traffic handled by the one or more base stations in the cellular network; receiving, at the network device, a WLAN condition message that includes second data load information associated with one or more access points in the WLAN, wherein the one or more access points are capable of providing network service to the user equipment, wherein the second data load information is indicative of an amount of data traffic handled by the one or more access points in the WLAN; and when the user equipment is attached to one of the cellular network or the WLAN, causing, by the network device, the first data load information associated with the one or more base stations and the second data load information associated with the one or more access points to be sent to the user equipment over the one of the cellular network or the WLAN to which the user equipment is attached, thereby providing the user equipment with the first data load information and the second data load information when the user equipment is attached to only one of the cellular network or the WLAN, wherein the cellular network and the WLAN comprise different wireless technologies, and wherein the network device is a central node to be coupled to both the cellular network and to the WLAN and provide data load information associated with the one or more base stations to the WLAN and data load information associated with the one or more access points to the cellular network.