The performance and ease of management of wireless communications environments is improved by a mechanism that enables access points (APs) to perform automatic channel selection. A wireless network can therefore include multiple APs, each of which will automatically choose a channel such that channel usage is optimized. Furthermore, APs can perform automatic power adjustment so that multiple APs can operate on the same channel while minimizing interference with each other. Wireless stations are load balanced across APs so that user bandwidth is optimized. A movement detection scheme provides seamless roaming of stations between APs.

Various embodiments relate to a cloud controller configured to control a wireless network having an edge controller, including: a network interface configured to communicate with the wireless network; a memory; a processor coupled to the memory and the network interface, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive performance metrics for the wireless network including congestion information; compare the congestion information with congestion criteria; identify clients connected to the wireless network as candidates to be transferred; sending a steering command to the edge controller with a list of identified clients to steer; and receiving an indication of clients steered by the edge controller.

A method of identifying sector load imbalance. The method includes identifying a first set of imbalanced cells in a sector based on a first condition, wherein the first condition is based on network usage of the cells in the sector. The method further includes identifying a second set of imbalanced cells from the first set of imbalanced cells based on a second condition, wherein the second condition is based on one or more physical parameters associated with each of the first set of imbalanced cells. The method further includes displaying visualizations associated with the second set of imbalanced cells, the visualizations indicating miscalculations of the one or more physical parameters.

A network element selection method and a network element selector are provided. The network element selection method includes: receiving, by a network element selector, a request message sent by a base station, where the request message includes information about user equipment UE and a service chain head, the service chain head includes a session index, and the session index is empty or the session index is allocated by a first controller serving the UE; determining, by the network element selector based on the session index, a controller providing a service; and sending, by the network element selector, the request message to the controller providing the service, so that the controller providing the service serves the UE. In this application, the network element selector is deployed to provide a load balance function.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer-storage media, for a splitting backhaul traffic over multiple satellites. In some implementations, a system includes a two satellite terminals, each configured to communicate over a different satellite network connection. The two satellite network connections involve different terrestrial satellite gateways and may involve different satellites. The system includes a communication subsystem that is configured to use the satellite network connections as backhaul links for one or more wireless base stations, and to split traffic among the satellite network connections according to the category of traffic. For example, the communication subsystem is configured to split traffic among the two satellite network connections such that (i) a first category of traffic is provided over the first satellite network connection and (ii) a second category of traffic is provided over the second satellite network connection.

Provided herein is an apparatus and a method for congestion handling in RAN. The disclosure provides an apparatus for a relay node in a RAN including the relay node and a donor node providing an interface to a core network and a backhaul link to the relay node. The apparatus includes a RF interface to receive and transmit downlink data for one or more UEs or UE bearers; and a processing circuitry coupled with the RF interface. The processing circuitry is to determine a downlink congestion occurs at the relay node; and generate a downlink congestion indication to identify a UE or a UE bearer or a backhaul RLC channel affected by the downlink congestion. The RF interface is to transmit the downlink congestion indication to the donor node. In addition to the downlink congestion handling, the relay node can also be to handle uplink congestion in a similar way.

Various embodiments of a method and apparatus for using S1/N2/N3 Flex features are disclosed. A single tunnel is established between the AP (Access Point) and an SNRN (S1/N2/N3 Routing Node). The SNRN multiplexes between different core network components, which in some embodiments include the MME (Mobility Management Entity), the SGW (Serving Gateway), the Access Mobility Management Function (AMF) and the UPF (User Plane Function) to connect the AP (via the SNRN) to as multiple other components (nodes and functions) of the core. Since each AP does not need to support more than one tunnel, the overhead on the AP is kept minimal, while still supporting S1/N2/N3 Flex connectivity. Since multiplexing between the SNRN and different components of the core is simpler than establishing a tunnel between an AP to those components of the core, recovery from a failure of a core network component is simplified and less likely to cause an outage.

Internet of things distribution system and method is disclosed that utilizes blockchain ledgers. The system has a client-side component with an IoT gateway with a messaging protocol and sensors to collect data from a plurality of IoT devices. The system has access points in communication with the client-side component and a wireless mesh network composed of multiple access points, a backend component in communication with the client-side component and access point via a messaging broker, an analytics module configured to view and analyze the data collected by the sensors, and the ability to deliver the data to an existing server in a format that allows the server to distribute the IoT information in real time. A user device in communication with the backend component is configured to receive the analyzed data from the analytics module is further disclosed herein.

A method is disclosed that is performed by a first network node in communication with a second network node. The second network node has been requested or is being requested to send measurements and/or predictions available at the second network node to the first network node. The method comprises receiving, from the second network node, a first message comprising a first indication that sending of measurements and/or predictions from the second network node to the first network node is to be paused, delayed, resumed, or stopped. Also disclosed are a method performed by a second network node, and first and second network nodes.

System and method for establishing a virtual access point (vAP) is described. A wireless network includes a router to provide access to external networks, physical access points (pAPs) to provide radio communications access to a user device, and a controller to form a vPA by layer two link aggregating the pAPs using access point and configuration information and send a virtual service set identifier (vSSID) to the pAPs. The vAP having a layer two data plane and control plane. The vAP provides a wireless coverage area equivalent to the pAPs using the vSSID, enable a user device to connect to the data plane via a data link, connect to the control place via layer two control links, and radio frequency connect to the pAPs. The controller and the pAPs configured to manage user data traffic flow between the router and the user device via the control and the data planes.