Patent ID: 8750243

Claim:
In a wireless network environment comprising a mobile router serving a moving network, said mobile router for attaching to a packet-switched access network that uses a micro-mobility protocol and a Quality of Service (QoS) protocol to route packet data to and from said mobile router, wherein said mobile router has a QoS aggregate requirement generated by nodes attached thereto, a method of handover of said mobile router to a mobility agent in said access network, which method comprises the steps of: (i) said mobile router sends a QoS request message to said mobility agent, which QoS request message comprises a QoS parameter representing said QoS aggregate; (ii) upon receipt by said mobility agent, said access network takes a QoS admission decision on the basis of said QoS parameter; and (iii) said mobility agent sends a QoS acknowledgement to said mobile router whereby said mobility agent informs said mobile router of the outcome of said QoS admission decision; characterized by the step of (iv) if said QoS admission decision is that said mobility agent cannot handle all of said QoS aggregate, said QoS acknowledgement comprises an identity of one or more alternative mobility agents capable of meeting at least a part of said QoS aggregate that will not be provided by said mobility agent; said mobile router registering with at least two mobility agents, and sending at least one Binding Update to a mobile router home agent whereby each care-of address (RCoA) of said mobile router at each mobility agent is stored in a binding cache of said mobile router home agent, so that traffic passing between said mobile router home agent and said mobile router is split between at least two tunnels, each tunnel passing through a different mobility agent, whereby said access network is able to support a greater proportion of said QoS aggregate than would otherwise be supported by a single mobility agent.