Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (publ)

Victor Ferraro Esparza

Fuencisla Garcia Azorero

Ignacio Rivas Molina

Angel Navas Cornejo

Susana Fernandez Alonso

Filipe Alexandre Rodrigues De Moura Leitao

Gunnar Mildh

Jari Tapio Vikberg

Haseeb Akhtar

Samy Touati

Fabian Castro Castro

Maria Cruz Bartolome Rodrigo

Robert Peter Khello

Miguel Cobo

Peter Lindau Nordhammer

Jonas Hogberg

Niklas Gertoft

Claes Hempel

Isabel Plata Andrés

Fuencisia Garcia Azorero

Network nodes and methods for control thereof for dynamic network slice selection. An AMF receives a UE request originating from the UE, the UE request being any one of a registration request and a session request. A network slice requester controls a transmitter to transmit a network slice selection request to a PC_NSS. A selection data manager of the PC_NSS determines selection data specifying one or more UE specific parameters affecting network slice selection. A network slice selector selects a network slice assignable for the UE, based on the selection data, determines network slice data and a corresponding network slice routing rule, and transmits them to the AMF. A network slice manager of the AMF controls assignment of a network slice to the UE in dependence on the received network slice data and network slice routing rule.

Network slice selection

A method, performed by a first node (), for managing data in a database () in a communications network () is described. The first node () operates in the communications network (). The first node () receives () a request from a second node () operating in the communications network (). The request is to modify an authorization to manage the data. The request is received as a service operation of a set of service operations provided by a service of the database (). The first node () provides () a response to the second node () based on the received request, and further based on the authorization as defined by a third node () operating in the communications network (). The first node () is a service producer of the database (), the second node () is a service consumer, and the third node () is an initial provisioner of the authorization.

First node, second node, third node, and methods performed thereby for managing data in a database in a communications network

An apparatus for user plane function, UPF, allocation is described. The UPF is configured to provide a Protocol Data Unit, PDU, connectivity service between a terminal device and a data network on a user plane, and the allocation is based on control information associated with an individual logical PDU entity. The control information defines priority information indicative of a priority of the PDU entity relative to other PDU entities and pre-emption information indicative of at least one of whether the PDU entity is capable of being pre-emptively allocated to a UPF over other PDU entities served by that UPF, and whether the PDU entity when served by a UPF is vulnerable to being re-allocated for pre-emptively allocating other PDU entities to that UPF. The apparatus is configured to detect an event that requires UPF allocation to a first PDU entity, to select a first UPF, wherein the first UPF is serving one or more second PDU entities, and to determine, for the selected UPF, insufficient resources for serving the first PDU entity. The apparatus is also configured to perform, responsive to determining the insufficient resources of the selected UPF, an evaluation of first priority information associated with the first PDU entity relative to second priority information associated with the one or more second PDU entities and at least one of first pre-emption information associated with the first PDU entity and second pre-emption information associated with the one or more second PDU entities. The apparatus is further configured to trigger, dependent on the result of the evaluation, allocation of the first PDU entity to either the first UPF or a second UPF.

Technique for user plane function allocation

A method aims at providing a service in a communication network, and comprises the following steps. An access to a service requiring authentication is initiated by a UE (), An identity management node () authenticates the UE, and then sends, to a PCRF node (), a message comprising: service information for identifying the service to which access is initiated, identification information for identifying the UE, and authentication information determined upon authenticating the UE. The PCRF node determines control rules to be applied to the service for the UE, based on the authentication information and service information. The PCRF node then triggers installation of the control rules in at least one network node () handling service data flows (SDF) for the service, to enforce the control rules on traffic associated with the service for the UE. The invention also relates to devices and computer programs for carrying such as method.

Methods, devices and computer programs for subjecting traffic associated with a service to a specific treatment

The invention relates to a method, by a policy controller, for generating policy rules for data packet flows in a communications network. The policy controllerhas access to a policy databaseand stores a service level agreement. The service level agreement contains a plurality of different service level identifiers, each service level identifier being associated with a set of conditions that govern the policy rules to be applied to the data packet flows in the communications network. The method comprises the following steps: An authorization request is received for a data packet flow, the authorization request comprising service information for a service and a service level identifier. The policy databaseis accessed and the set of conditions associated with the received service level identifier is determined. Further, based on the determined set of conditions, a policy rule to be applied to the data packet flow is generated. Policy controlleris configured to generate policy rules based on a third party or company profile, with the third party company being able to influence which policy rule should be selected by the policy controller. The authorization request may be received directly from an application function, AF. An input unitis provided via which the third party can define and agree upon the service level agreement with an operator of the communications network. A policy control enforcing function PCEFcan interact with the PCRFin order to enforce the policy rules.

Dynamic policy rule selection

According to the invention in a first aspect, there is provided a communication device () configured to form part of a telecommunications network and to carry out an access network discovery and selection function, ANDSF. The communication device comprises a receiver () configured to receive a request for access network policy information relating to a user equipment, UE, () and current UE location data. The communication device comprises a policy information unit () configured to determine primary information comprising access network policy information for the UE based at least in part on the current UE location data. The policy information unit is further configured to determine secondary information specifying one or more further UE locations at which the UE should make a further request for access network policy information. The communication device comprises a transmitter () configured to transmit the primary and secondary information towards the UE.

Access network discovery and selection function (ANDSF) using policy validity conditions and area update policy instructions

A system and method is provided for performing an access network discovery and selection function in a communication system. An access network discovery and selection function ('ANDSF') server is operable with a Third Generation Partnership Project ('3GPP') radio access network and a Wireless Fidelity (&#x201c;Wi-Fi&#x201d;) radio access network coupled to a core network. The ANDSF server is configured to communicate with a user equipment over an enhanced S14 interface. The enhanced S14 interface comprises Wi-Fi radio access technology data including a basis service set (&#x201c;BSS&#x201d;) load indication, security information, quality of experience information, backhaul network bandwidth and average throughput. The ANDSF server is also configured to provide policy information to the user equipment based on conditions in the Wi-Fi radio access network and the 3GPP radio access network.

Distributed access network discovery and selection function and method of operating the same

A method and corresponding apparatus for controlling service traffic in a communication network including an online charging system performing the steps of receiving a request for service traffic control, the request including at least data identifying a first communication network account; determining, based on the received data and a predefined set of rules, a first network traffic policy profile associated with the first account; transmitting to a Policy and Charging Rules Function PCRF a first policy control command including an identifier identifying the first network traffic policy profile stored in an network traffic policy profile entity, to be applied in controlling the service.

Method and apparatus for controlling service traffic in a communication network

An efficient interface for service exchange is provided between a circuit-switched communications network and a domain naming system (DNS) in a packet-switched communications network. A node in the circuit-switched communications network receives from a first entity a request for a first service involving a second entity associated with a second entity identifier. A message is sent from the circuit-switched network node to a DNS server in the packet-switched network requesting a second service related to the second entity identifier. The result of the second service from the DNS server is used in providing the first service.

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Valencia, Spain

Victor Ferraro Esparza