Patent ID: 8351466

Claim:
A method of reducing bandwidth utilization in a cellular network, comprising: receiving packet streams at a suppression unit of a cellular network; identifying a plurality of packet streams carrying the same data content, by the suppression unit; forwarding for packet streams identified as carrying the same data content, fewer packet streams than received, during a period in which the streams are identified to have the same content; regenerating the non-forwarded packet streams of the plurality of packet streams carrying the same data content, by a regeneration unit of the cellular network; and transmitting the plurality of packet streams including the regenerated streams to mobile stations, wherein the packet streams comprise video streams and wherein forwarding for packet streams identified to carry the same data content, fewer packet streams than received comprises stopping to forward packets of a stream whose packets were previously forwarded, responsive to the identification, and wherein stopping the forwarding of packets of the stream is performed directly before a base frame of the video stream.