Overload Control Method for Synchronized MTC Traffic in GERAN

Increasing attention has been drawn in Machine Type Communications (MTC), also known as Machine to Machine (M2M) Communications, since it enables implementation of new services, and expansion of revenue sources for mobile equipment manufacturers and mobile network operators. This potential is high, but some issues have to be solved to enable the wide application of MTC services, especially those which could request connections in a synchronized manner. In GSM networks, synchronized channel requests can result in signaling channel overload, which would delay the access procedure for all users trying to access the network. This paper presents a solution for this problem, in which devices connecting in a periodical manner request a future network access already during a previous connection. Simulation results have shown that by using this technique, overload on the access channels is reduced, improving the access delay of normal users and enabling more MTC devices to be included in the network.