Method and apparatus for providing congestion control in radio access networks

The invention includes a method and apparatus adapted for controlling congestion in a Radio Access Network (RAN). In one embodiment, a method includes monitoring packets received at a first network element of the RAN for an indication of congestion, where the packets are associated with a quality-of-service class, and, in response to detecting an indication of congestion in at least one of the received packets, signaling congestion status information from the first network element of the RAN toward a second network element of the RAN that is adapted for applying congestion control for the quality-of-service class. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, at a first network element of the RAN, from a second network element of the RAN, congestion status signaling indicative of a congestion condition associated with a quality-of-service class, and applying congestion control for the quality-of-service class in response to receiving the congestion status signaling indicative of the congestion condition.