Patent ID: 8719429
Filing Date: 2014-05-06
Classification: H04W

Abstract:
1. A method for optimizing a communications network, said network being connected to a further communication network via a gateway and comprising a plurality of heterogeneous network resources and a network controller for routing communications passing through the gateway via one of said network resources, the method being implemented by the network controller and comprising: receiving a communication request from a device for setting up a communication with the further network, said request identifying a preferred network resource among the plurality of network resources for setting up the communication, or determining by the network controller a preferred network resource for use by the device for setting up the communication; identifying one or more of at least one communication characteristic of the requested communication and at least one communication characteristic associated with the plurality of network resources; determining whether the preferred network resource is capable of setting up the requested communication based on said at least one communication characteristic, and if so, establishing the requested communication through the preferred network resource, and if not, the method further comprises: identifying a physical location of the device requesting the communication; determining whether the device has a short-range communication capability, and if so, identifying an alternative network resource having a same short-range communication capability and being sufficiently close to said physical location; and establishing the requested communication via said alternative network resource using the short-range communication capability; wherein, if it is determined that the device requesting the communication does not have a short-range communication capability, if an alternative network resource having a common short-range communication capability with the device is not identified, or if the alternative resource is not sufficiently close to the device requesting the communication, then the method further comprises: identifying one or more existing communication sessions through the preferred network resource that are redirectable using a short-range communication, and redirecting such existing sessions via one or more alternative network resources having the short-range communication capability; determining whether the preferred network resource is now capable of setting up the requested communication; and establishing the requested communication via the preferred network resource.