SERVING GATEWAY EXTENSIONS FOR INTER-SYSTEM MOBILITY

摘要

Methods, devices, and systems related to serving gateway extensions for inter-system mobility in integrated small Cell and WiFi networks. An SGW may be extended into a common intermediate gateway for both LTE and WiFi access. A GTP-based "SI a" interface between a TWAN and an SGW is introduced. The STa interface between TWAN and 3 GPP AAA server/proxy is extended to enable selection of an SGW for establishment of the disclosed Sla interface. The extended SGW and protocols may be used to optimize inter-system mobility between LTE small cells and trusted WiFi. SGW and PDN Gateway (PGW) functionality is disclosed to support GTP-based IP flow mobility via multi-access (LTE and WiFi) connectivity to the same packet data network (PDN). Non-access stratum (NAS), EAP, and GTP-C protocols may also be extended to include a "multi-connection" indication in addition to existing "handover" indication.