Patent ID: 7782901

Claim:
A method of controlling traffic load on a link in a telecommunications network, the link carrying user sessions of non-real time, NRT, services and real time, RT, services, the method comprising periodically monitoring traffic load on the link; and successively restricting alternately NRT and RT traffic on said link so as to bring said load below a predetermined level, wherein: each of NRT and RT traffic has multiple QoS classes, each QoS class having a maximum permitted rate, and the successive alternate restriction of NRT and RT traffic comprises: upon an indication that said load exceeds the predetermined level, restricting more only one of NRT traffic and RT traffic by reducing maximum permitted rate in one or more specified QoS classes of said one of NRT and RT traffic; and upon next subsequent indication that said load exceeds the predetermined level, then restricting more only the other of NRT traffic and RT traffic by reducing maximum permitted rate in one or more specified QoS classes of said other of NRT and RT traffic, the method being such that following a restriction step in respect of only RT traffic, the next restriction step carried out is in respect of only NRT traffic and vice versa.