Patent ID: 7715837
Filing Date: 2010-05-11
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. For use in a communication system where connections are established between an external network and users of mobile radio subscriber units by way of a radio access network and each established connection is handled by an associated data processing circuit, a method comprising: detecting a failure in a data processing circuit indicating that the data processing circuit is not functioning and thus can no longer handle established connections; identifying one or more established mobile radio subscriber unit connections being handled by the failed data processing circuit; sending a message to a radio access network node identifying the one or more identified mobile radio subscriber unit connections; sending a list to the radio access network node identifying the one or more mobile radio subscriber units affected by the failed data processing circuit no longer functioning; wherein the radio access network node is used to establish one or more radio access bearers associated with the one or more identified mobile radio subscriber unit connections, wherein each mobile radio subscriber unit connection is active and ongoing, is associated with one or more radio access bearers, and carries information between the mobile radio subscriber unit user and another communicating entity coupled to the external network, the method further comprising the radio access network node releasing all subscriber unit connections associated with the one or more mobile radio subscriber units in the list.