Patent ID: 9578577
Date: 2017-02-21
CPC Classifications: H04W

Claim:
1. A method in a legacy access node for selecting a suitable radio access network, RAN, of a plurality of RANs for a long term evolution, LTE, user equipment, UE, capable of both packet switched, PS, and circuit switched, CS, sessions in a global communication network, the method comprising: connecting the LTE-UE, via a radio interface module, to a legacy RAN capable of providing both PS and CS services, establishing a PS session in the legacy RAN between the legacy access node and the connected LTE-UE, monitoring, by the legacy access node, a PS data bandwidth usage of the PS session between the legacy access node and the LTE-UE that the LTE-UE is consuming, comparing, by the legacy access node, the PS data bandwidth usage of the PS session between the legacy access node and the LTE-UE that the LTE-UE is consuming with a bandwidth threshold, and triggering, by the legacy access node, an attempt of transferring the PS session with the connected LTE-UE from the PS session in the legacy RAN to a PS session in an LTE RAN based on the PS data bandwidth usage of the PS session between the legacy access node and the LTE-UE that the LTE-UE is consuming exceeding the bandwidth threshold, wherein the comparing comprises determining, by the legacy access node, whether the PS data bandwidth usage that the LTE-UE is consuming exceeds the bandwidth threshold and continues to remain above the bandwidth threshold during a period of time, and wherein the triggering is performed by the legacy access node only responsive to when the PS data bandwidth usage that the LTE-UE is consuming is determined to exceed the bandwidth threshold and determined to continue to remain above the bandwidth threshold during the period of time.