Alcatel Lucent

Lui Chu Yeung

Robert Alexander Mann

Haiqing H Ma

Sachin J Lalseta

Mira Vrbaski

Partoo Mohebi-Sarmadi

Kalyan Premchand Siddam

Fan Mo

Kevin Scott Cutler

Satvinder Singh Bawa

Hamdy Farid

Ivaylo Tanouchev

Lay Been Tan

Felix M Landry

Justin Newcomb

Cory R Weppler

Gita Beyk

Haqing Ma

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method of determining by a network node whether a session establishment request is for a subscriber of a home network. The method may include: defining a home network identity including a network identifier and an emergency access point name (APN); receiving a session establishment request; comparing a called station ID of the session establishment request with the emergency APN; comparing a subscription ID of the session establishment request with the network identifier; and if either the called station ID matches an emergency APN or the subscription ID matches a network identifier: determining that the subscriber is a subscriber of the home network, and fulfilling the session establishment request. Various exemplary embodiments relate to a system for determining the home network of a subscriber. The system may include a policy and charging rules node (PCRN) configured to process a session establishment request.

PCRN home network identity

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method performed by a node for creating a virtual IP-CAN session, the method including: receiving, at the network node, a S9 message; creating a S9 session; creating a virtual IP-CAN session associated with the S9 session; persisting the S9 session; and transmitting an answer S9 message.

PCRN session architecture for roaming

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node including one or more of the following: receiving the set of PCC rules at the network device from a partner device; determining that the set of PCC rules includes an unauthorized PCC rule, wherein the unauthorized PCC rule fails an authorization; determining that the set of PCC rules includes an authorized PCC rule, wherein the authorized PCC rule passes the authorization; generating an unauthorized rules list including an indication of the unauthorized PCC rule; generating an authorized rules list including an indication of the authorized PCC rule; transmitting the unauthorized rules list and the authorized rules list to the partner device.

Indication of authorized and unauthorized PCC rules

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node including one or more of the following: receiving, at the network node, an indication of an event from a network monitor, the event associated with a network element; identifying an applicable rule of a plurality of rules based on the event, the applicable rule specifying at least one action; initiating performance of the at least one action with respect to at least one session associated with the network element. Various embodiments additionally include one or more of the following: identifying a group of sessions associated with the network element; and wherein the steps of identifying an applicable rule and initiating performance of the at least one action are performed for each session of the group of sessions.

Intelligent network management of network-related events

Embodiments of the invention provide a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) node and a method for authorizing a Quality of Service (QoS) for a wireless subscriber based on subscriber usage and time-of-day for a 3GPP-compliant packet data network.

QoS control in PCRF based on usage and time of day

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node including one or more of the following: receiving, at the network device from an entity, a request for a serving device assigned to a subscriber; attempting to locate an assignment record associated with the subscriber; in response to locating the assignment record associated with the subscriber, identifying an assigned serving device of the multiple serving devices indicated by the assignment record as being assigned to the subscriber; and transmitting a response to the entity, wherein the response identifies the assigned serving device.

Subscriber assignment

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node including one or more of the following: determining by the network device that an S9 session should be audited; determining that the S9 session is a suspect session; transmitting an S9 message to a partner device, wherein the S9 message includes an innocuous instruction; receiving, at the network device, a response message from the partner device; determining, based on the response message, whether the suspect session is orphaned; and if the suspect session is orphaned, removing an S9 session record associated with the suspect session.

Diameter session audits

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method performed by a policy and charging rules node (PCRN) for processing a change in a status of a roaming partner, the method including: receiving, at the PCRN, a message indicating a change in a status of the roaming partner; identifying roaming subscriber sessions associated with the roaming partner; determining home based roaming subscriber sessions among the identified subscriber sessions; marking the determined home based roaming subscriber sessions for termination; and sending a termination message to a policy and charging enforcement node for the determined home based roaming subscriber sessions.

Roaming session termination triggered by roaming agreement/partner deletion

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node including one or more of the following: receiving a message at the network device from a partner device; translating the message to generate a translated message formed according to a non-roaming protocol; processing the translated message to generate a response message; translating the response message to generate a translated response message formed according to a roaming protocol; transmitting the response message by the network device to the partner device.

Integration of roaming and non-roaming message processing

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method and related network node including one or more of the following: receiving, at the network device, a message; determining, in response to receiving the message, that a set of supported features should be transmitted to a partner device; determining, based on the partner device, whether a default set of features should be overridden; if the default set of supported features should be overridden, transmitting an alternative set of features to the partner device; and if the default set of supported features should not be overridden, transmitting a standard set of features based on the default set of features to the partner device.

Supported feature override

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method performed by a policy and charging rules node (PCRN) for managing a session for a roaming subscriber. The method may include: defining a roaming agreement associated with at least one roaming partner and including at least one limitation; receiving a session establishment request; extracting a subscription identifier; determining an active roaming partner by comparing the subscription identifier to the roaming partner profile; selecting the roaming agreement including the active roaming partner; and enforcing the at least one limitation when processing the session establishment request. The PCRN may include: a roaming agreement storage; a first interface configured to receive a session establishment request for a roaming subscriber; a roaming manager configured to identify a roaming partner associated with the roaming subscriber and a roaming agreement associated with the roaming partner; and a second interface configured to communicate session information with a roaming partner PCRN.

PCRN roaming agreement

Various exemplary embodiments relate to a method performed by a policy and charging rules node (PCRN) of communicating with a roaming partner. The method may include: defining a roaming partner profile including a network identifier and a primary realm; receiving a session establishment request at the PCRN; extracting a subscription identifier from the session establishment request; determining an active roaming partner by comparing the subscription identifier to the network identifier; and establishing an S9 session with the primary realm of the active roaming partner. Another method may include: defining a roaming partner profile including a primary realm and at least one secondary realm; receiving an S9 session establishment request; extracting an origin realm from the S9 session establishment request; determining an active roaming partner by comparing the origin realm to the primary realm and the secondary realms of the roaming partner profile; and responding to the S9 session establishment request.

Organization of roaming partner realms into primary and secondary

A method and apparatus are provided for allowing a single platform to recognize and process both Diameter messages and Radius messages. A gateway is provided for translating Radius messages received from a wireline device into NASReq messages. A Diameter Proxy Agent receives both Diameter messages from a wireless device and the NASReq messages from the gateway. The Diameter Proxy Agent selects a PCRF to which to pass a NASReq message, and upon receipt of a NASReq message the PCRF either creates or updates a NASReq session object. By recognizing and processing Radius messages, wireline services can be offered at the same time as wireless services without requiring the use of a second platform. In addition, use of the PCRF server to support wireline services offers much better scalability than that offered by traditional AAA servers.

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Kanata, Canada

Lui Chu Yeung