PACKET RADIO NETWORK AND METHOD

摘要

A packet radio network provides a facility for communicating internet packets to and/or from a mobile user equipment. The packet radio network comprises a gateway support node, a serving support node and a radio network controller. The gateway support node is operable to provide a packet data protocol context for controlling the communication of the internet packets to and/or from the packet radio network from and/or to the mobile user equipment via a packet communications bearer. The serving support node is connected to the gateway support node and is operable to control communications of the internet packets to and from the gateway support node to and/or from mobile user equipment to form the packet communications bearer. The radio network controller is operable to provide a radio access bearer for communicating the internet packets via a radio access interface to and/or from the mobile user equipment. In response to a packet data protocol activation request message requesting a common packet data protocol context, the serving support node is operable in combination with the gateway support node to establish a common packet data protocol context in association with a common packet communications bearer. The common packet data protocol context is established to communicate internet protocol packets via the common packet communications bearer. The common packet communications bearer is shared with at least one other communications session and is formed by the gateway support node and the serving support node using a common tunnelling protocol bearer. Therefore a packet radio network is provided which can provide a common communications bearer which can be shared between different communications sessions. As a result high-speed broadband communications, such as HSDPA can be supported efficiently, because more than one communications session shares common communications resources.