A radiotelephone device receiving network information, transmitted along a radio channel, from a network includes an acknowledgement coordination module determining a mode for exchange of acknowledgement information with the network. The radiotelephone device transmits the acknowledgement information to the network through a main dedicated control channel, using a defined service access point identifier corresponding to transmission of the acknowledgement information through the main dedicated control channel, in response to the mode for exchange of acknowledgement information being the main dedicated control channel. The radiotelephone device transmits the acknowledgement information to the network using a temporary block flow acknowledgement interchange in response to the mode for exchange of acknowledgement information being other than the main dedicated control channel.
An method of establishing a radio bearer (RB) resource in an RAN to support communication with a mobile terminal uses a radio bearer resource request message to expedite RB resource allocation. The mobile terminal transmits a packet channel access request message that uniquely identifies the access request type as a RB access request. The requested RB may be a signaling radio bearer (SRB), in which case the RB access request message may identify the specific type of SRB desired. More generally, the RB access request message identifies the access request type as a RB resource request, which is enough to alert the RAN that RB resources are required. The RAN then sends an uplink packet channel assignment and the mobile terminal specifies the RB resource details by transmitting RLC header information on the assigned uplink channel.
A telecommunications network has first and second entities (20.sub.1 and 20.sub.2) which communicate by sending a packet (22) having a compressed header (24'). A header compression key (23) is associated with (e.g., included in) the packet. The header compression key has a first field (23A) which, in a first mode of the invention, is utilized exclusively for distinguishing between different flows of compressed packets (CIDs). In a second mode of the invention, the first field (23A) of the header compression key can be utilized either for distinguishing between the different flows of compressed packets or for distinguishing between different header compression identifiers. Whether the first field of the header compression key is employed exclusively for distinguishing between different flows of compressed packets (the first mode) or can also be employed for distinguishing between different header compression identifiers (second mode) depends on a value in a second field (23B) of the header compression key. In the second mode, a first subset of values for the first field of the header compression key is employed to distinguish between different header compression identifiers, while a second subset of values for the first field is employed to distinguish between the different flows of compressed packets.
A mobile communications system includes a radio access network, such as an Enhanced General Packet Radio Service (EGPRS) network, in which mobile stations are able to enter into a discontinuous transmission (DTX) mode. During DTX mode of a first mobile station that is allocated a channel portion (e.g., a time slot of a frame), the radio access network is able to multiplex traffic from another mobile station onto the same channel portion. A mechanism is provided to enable the first mobile station to send a request for re-allocation of the channel portion. The request includes a Real-Time FastAssociated Control Channel (RTFACCH) resource request message (RTRRM). In response to the RTRRM, the radio access network sends an RTFACCH resource assignment message (RTUAM).
A communication system distributes the functions of a socket abstraction layer of the prior art between a socket abstraction layer included in an client communication device, such as a mobile subscriber, and a socket abstraction layer in a an agent communication device, such as an infrastructure serving the mobile subscriber. By so distributing the functions of the socket abstraction layer, headers may be reduced in signaling between the client communication device and the corresponding agent communication device as part of call set ups and tear downs and in the exchange of payloads between the client and agent communication devices. By reducing the required headers, overhead is reduced and bandwidth is conserved in communications between the client and agent communication devices, such as in over-the-air communications between a mobile subscriber and an infrastructure serving the mobile subscriber, with resulting increases in system capacity and improvements in system efficiency.
A method and apparatus for communicating between devices is described. In one embodiment, the method comprises running two or more instances of a switch MAC sublayer on a switch and managing the two or more instances of the switch MAC sublayer as multiple logical access points inside the switch.
