Managing cellular network signaling traffic using helper nodes

There is a tremendous uptake of smartphones and other mobile devices that has made mobile apps more popular. Many of these mobile apps are network enabled and can transfer or receive data to/from the network through the signaling process. Mobile and cellular networks are experiencing increased signaling traffic majorly caused by apps running on mobile devices attached to these networks. The signaling traffic is outpacing mobile data traffic by 30-50% and if not handled appropriately, it can have adverse effects on the cellular networks by straining them. Also, the excessive signaling can flood the network causing congestion that may render the network unavailable, or even make it open and vulnerable to attacks. Consequently, operators are forced to deal with the susceptibility of network outages resulting from the excessive signaling. Even though attempts have been made by the industry players to either reduce or handle the volume of signaling traffic, the problem still persists and is growing as more data-enabled mobile devices are released into the market. In this paper, we propose the helper node concept; a device in the Middle Model (DMM) to reduce the signaling traffic volume reaching cellular networks. The model uses helper nodes to service less critical traffic based on classification by network operators. The simulation results for the DMM model show that through the helper nodes servicing other nodes in the network and acting in the relay process, the eventual volume of traffic reaching the core networks is reduced. This model is cost effective in terms of implementation as opposed to introducing new radio network transceivers. However, continuous optimization of cellular network is recommended among other strategies to constantly monitor the volume of signaling traffic in cellular networks.