Method and apparatus for processing slice selection data for a user

Abstract

The present invention addresses the complexity issues in the current 5G UDR and, in one embodiment, is used for: dividing a data set currently provided for multiple NF service consumers in the 5G UDR into multiple different SBA services, where each SBA service is associated with one or more data subsets among the data subsets associated with the data set, and each SBA service is provided for one or more of the multiple NF service consumers. In another embodiment, the present invention is used for: storing multiple SBA services for a data set provided for multiple NF service consumers in the UDR, where each SBA service is associated with one or more data subsets among the multiple data subsets associated with the data set, and each SBA service is provided for one or more of the multiple NF service consumers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to service processing in a 5G network, and more particularly, the present invention relates to the introduction of a service-based architecture. Background Art

[0002] 3GPP TS23.501 v15.1.0 defines a network function (NF) as a processing function adopted by 3GPP or defined by 3GPP in a 5G network, which has a defined functional behavior and interfaces defined by 3GPP. An NF can be implemented as a network element on dedicated hardware or as a software instance running on dedicated hardware. For example, Figure 1 Represented by a service-based interface as disclosed in 3GPP TS23.501, a roaming 5G system architecture - a local breakout scenario with an application function (AF) in a VPLMN is shown.

[0003] 5G includes disruptive changes, that is, traditional peer-to-peer interfaces and protocols are modified by the so-called service-based architecture (SBA), in which each NF (as an NF producer or NF provider) can provide one or more services to one or more NF consumers by means of HTTP / REST. The NF producer communicates with the NF consumer via a specific reference point. An NF service is a type of capability exposed by an NF (NF service producer or NF service provider) to other authorized NFs (NF service consumers) through a service-based interface (SBI) or reference point.

[0004] A service producer is instantiated for use by a service consumer instance. Service instances are defined at system establishment, but the number of instances is dynamic: increase / decrease, failure, programmed maintenance, etc. NF discovery and NF service discovery enable an NF to discover a set of NF instances with a specific NF service or target NF type. The NF Repository Function (NRF) supports NF discovery and NF service discovery.

[0005] For this purpose, at least in part as Figure 2 and Figure 3 shown, the NRF receives registrations and deregistrations from NF service producers, allows NF service consumers to discover and select available NF service producers, and authorizes NF service consumers to access NF service producers.

[0006] In addition to this, as Figure 1 shown, the 5G network also includes a Unified Data Management (UDM) entity to store subscriber data, and in a hierarchical architecture, the UDM stores data in a 5G Unified Data Repository (UDR). As Figure 4As shown, the UDR supports the following: storing and retrieving subscription data by, for example, the UDM, storing and retrieving policy data by, for example, the Policy Control Function (PCF), and storing and retrieving structured data for exposure and application data for application detection by, for example, the Network Exposure Function (NEF). The UDM, PCF, and NEF communicate with the UDR via the Nudr interface.

[0007] 3GPP TS23.502 v15.1.0 basically defines three types of data (subscription data, policy data, and data for exposure), which are stored in the UDR and can be obtained from exemplary NF service consumers (UDM, PCF, NEF) through appropriate service operations for NF service data management (DM) provided by the UDR. 5G UDR is a storage architecture defined to support a data hierarchical architecture, where data is stored in the UDR and the logic for accessing the data is provided in each NF.

[0008] According to 3GPP TS23.501, multiple UDRs can be deployed, each UDR storing a data set, or even the data can be divided into multiple subscriber sets, for example, based on a separate SUPI or SUPI range. This requires the Nudr service registrar to indicate what data it stores (e.g., data set and SUPI range or separate SUPI), and which consumers can read this information upon discovery and use this information to select the corresponding UDR instance. This partitioning / segmentation by subscriber identity and / or subscriber range applies to the UDR, UDM, and AUSF.

[0009] 3GPP TS23.502 also discloses the UDR service, i.e., Nudr_Data Management (DM) and operations, as Figure 5 shown.

[0010] 5G UDR is a storage architecture defined to support a data hierarchical architecture, defined in the same way as defined for pre-5G (since 3GPP Release 13). At that time, compared with the previous monolithic network function (NF) / application where both data and logic were part of the same network entity, the hierarchical architecture was a new paradigm. One of the main advantages of the hierarchical architecture is the centralization and integration of subscription data, although it fails to provide easy open access to the stored data because the 3GPP interface for accessing the pre-5G UDR was not fully standardized (the previous Ud interface).

[0011] The 5G UDR is the evolution of the pre-5G UDR, mainly in the following areas: Nudr is defined to be implemented as SBI; based on the data structure transmitted in the JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) body under standardization, Nudr is defined to be DB technology agnostic (e.g., schema, data model, etc.); and not only subscription data is stored, but also new data is stored (as Figure 4 shown), and it can be extended for new versions. Therefore, 3GPP will implement multi-vendor standard access to subscription data and other data related to multiple consumers.

[0012] 5G has also been developed with the aim of defining service-based architecture (SBA) services instead of NF services, and SBA services are expected to be more suitable for deployment in a cloud-native architecture (CNA) to meet specific requirements, such as: services that can be deployed / developed / updated / upgraded / scaled independently of other services; loose coupling, where one service should not always need to execute another service, although service chaining can be allowed; reusability; lifespan; and so on.

[0013] To this end, it is expected that SBA services are implemented by multiple microservices, so that data within the SBA services can be accessed via a single microservice acting as a "data manager" and only linking this "data manager" microservice to an internal data model that is not coupled to other microservices. Once this is achieved, it is a good way to benefit from CNA.

[0014] However, Nudr_DM is not an SBA service with the same meaning as the rest of the SBA services, mainly because it is a logically single (multi-type) data repository, that is, the 5G UDR does not provide application logic but only stores data and provides SBI for accessing this data. In addition, the 5G UDR is designed to store different data types and is expected to be extended to store all data types that different consumers may need.

[0015] The first drawback is the increased complexity of the UDR, because support for new data types will require new / modified data models accessed through different keywords. Compared with the pre-5G UDR, the complexity of the new 5G UDR increases as long as the data volume increases, which requires a new internal data model accessed through different keywords. For example, application data may not even have keywords or use application IDs (compared with the mandatory subscriber keywords), and it is not clear what will be included in the open data. As the new data stored in the UDR for future versions increases, this complexity will increase. An internal mapping from the external standard data structure transmitted in the JSON body in Nudr to the internal DB technology-related data model is required, which is complex and requires high processing power.

[0016] The second drawback is the tightly coupled provisioning that stems from having a Nudr data structure that is agnostic to any DB internals, such that the rich properties of the native DB APIs cannot be exploited. For example, in Release 15, only a few data requests are defined for basic CRUD (Create-Read-Update-Delete) operations. As long as the effort for normalization (DB agnostic) is high and potentially infeasible, it is not possible to flexibly search or modify individual data attributes in a tree structure (as allowed by LDAP) or a table structure.

[0017] This means that Nudr will not support operations required by, for example, provisioning applications that need complex searches of individual attributes, large updates, etc. In fact, provisioning is outside the scope of 3GPP. Then, any commercial UDR solution will need to retain another way to access the data as well as Nudr. One trend is to retain LDAP from pre-5G UDR solutions (which has a proprietary data model) and add new Nudr HTTP / REST with standard basic data structures on top of it.

[0018] This means that provisioning applications or any other applications that require richer access than Nudr (such as those provided by native DB APIs or at least by LDAP) will be coupled to some DB internals, i.e., the data model in the DB or native API properties has a dependency on the application design. In fact, this is considered an anti-pattern that should be avoided in CNA. The pattern to follow is not to allow multiple consumers to access the stored data, but rather to provide access via a single microservice acting as a data manager, as described above.

[0019] The third drawback is the need for application logic for Nudr service registration, discovery, and selection. Since the UDR stores different types of data, a possible solution could be to deploy multiple UDR instances, each storing only one data type. However, the service provided by the UDR is unique: Nudr_DM, such that service instances should register in the NRF the information about which data set is stored, and consumers should receive this information at discovery and use it for selection. However, registration / discovery / selection is not application agnostic, which means that the service adds complexity.

[0020] The fourth drawback is geographical data partitioning, which has been used in previous generations of networks but poses important constraints for 5G UDR. For example, if the UDR is partitioned into different subscriber sets, different consumer pools (such as UDM) only access a specific UDR, so data partitioning is also required between different consumer pools (such as UDM). In addition, the registration, discovery, and selection of Nudr services (and their consumers: Nudm, Nausf, Npcf, Nnef) require application logic, where each Nudr service only provides support for one subscriber set. That is, a non-scalable and cumbersome mapping table that needs to be configured / maintained between subscriber sets will be required, and this Nudr instance (as well as Nudr service consumers such as Nudm, Nausf, Npcf, Nnef) serves these subscribers. The subscriber set can be defined by a series of SUPIs (or more generally, UE identifiers), but in many cases, it is also defined by a single SUPI. Summary of the Invention

[0021] The present invention aims to overcome these drawbacks and provide a method for accessing UDR. In one embodiment, the method includes: dividing a data set currently provided for multiple NF service consumers (such as UDM, PCF, NEF) in 5G UDR into multiple different SBA services, where each SBA service is associated with one or more data subsets among the multiple data subsets associated with the data set, and each SBA service is provided for one or more NF service consumers (such as UDM) among the multiple NF service consumers (such as UDM, PCF, NEF).

[0022] In another embodiment, the method includes: storing multiple SBA services for a data set provided for multiple NF service consumers (such as UDM, PCF, NEF) in UDR, where each SBA service is associated with one or more data subsets among the multiple data subsets associated with the data set, and each SBA service is provided for one or more NF service consumers (such as UDM) among the multiple NF service consumers (such as UDM, PCF, NEF).

[0023] The proposal is to develop the centralized 5G UDR in the traditional hierarchical architecture into multiple different SBA services, each SBA service providing access to specific, independent, and limited data sets that can only be accessed through the same service operation (implementing a "data manager" mode for this data). Thus, in the above two embodiments, the method further includes: registering, at the UDR, the identifiers of the multiple SBA services processed at the UDR and the identifier of the UDR with the NRF; at the NRF, receiving a service discovery request with the identifier of an SBA service from an NF service consumer; assuming the NRF knows the UDR that processes the SBA service, sending, from the NRF to the NF service consumer, the identifier of the UDR that processes the SBA service; sending, from the NF service consumer to the UDR identified by the identifier of the UDR, a service request for the SBA service; and at the NF service consumer, receiving, from the UDR, information data related to the one or more data subsets associated with the SBA service.

[0024] For illustrative purposes, this document focuses on the subscription data required by existing 5G (data) consumers: access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), and SMS function (SMSF) via the UDM. The same analysis will apply to the subscription data required by other Nudr consumers (such as PCF, NEF) or other data sets stored in the UDR.

[0025] In one embodiment, the following SBA services are provided:

[0026] Access and Mobility Subscription Data Management (AccessMobilitySubsData), which has the following data subsets: access and mobility subscription data, slice selection subscription data, UE context in AMF data. It also has the data provided when an AMF (or similar future new consumer) registers.

[0027] Session Subscription Data Management (SessionSubsData), which has the following data subsets: SMF selection subscription data, UE context in SMF data, session management subscription data. It also has the data provided when an SMF (or similar future new consumer) registers.

[0028] SMS Subscription Data Management (SMSSubsData), which has the following data subsets: SMS management subscription data, SMS subscription data. It also has the data provided when an SMSF (or similar future new consumer) registers.

[0029] For all new SBA services, query, update, subscribe, unsubscribe, and notify service operations are defined; and for each service operation, operation semantics are also defined.

[0030] On the other hand, the present invention can be implemented by a computer program that can be loaded into the internal memory of a computer having an input unit, an output unit, and a processing unit, and includes executable code adapted to execute the above method steps. In particular, the executable code can be recorded in the computer-readable carrier. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The features, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent by reading this specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are:

[0032] Figure 1 The roaming 5G system architecture is shown in a service-based interface representation - the local breakout scenario with an Application Function (AF) in the VPLMN;

[0033] Figure 2 The service registration of NF service providers in the NRF is shown;

[0034] Figure 3 The service discovery of NF service providers by NF service consumers in the NRF is shown;

[0035] Figure 4 The basic component structure with 5G UDR content and a consumer is shown;

[0036] Figure 5 The Nudr_DM service operations for NF services and an exemplary NF service consumer are shown;

[0037] Figure 6 The Nudr_DM data subset for the data set corresponding to the NF service is shown;

[0038] Figure 7 The SBA services and service operations for NF services and an exemplary NF service consumer are shown;

[0039] Figure 8 The basic component structure with SBA services and data in the 5G UDR and a consumer accessing the SBA services and data is shown;

[0040] Figure 9 The basic component structure of the UDR according to one embodiment is shown;

[0041] Figure 10 The basic component structure of an NF service consumer node according to one embodiment is shown;

[0042] Figure 11 Shows an exemplary sequence of actions performed by the UDR according to one embodiment;

[0043] Figure 12 Shows an exemplary sequence of actions performed by the UDR according to another embodiment;

[0044] Figure 13 Shows an exemplary sequence of actions performed by an NF service consumer node according to one embodiment;

[0045] Figure 14 Shows an exemplary sequence of actions further performed by the UDM acting as an NF service consumer node according to one embodiment;

[0046] Figure 15 Shows the basic component structure of the UDR according to another embodiment;

[0047] Figure 16 Shows the basic component structure of an NF service consumer node according to another embodiment;

[0048] Figure 17 Shows an exemplary sequence of actions performed for service registration and discovery according to 3GPP;

[0049] Figure 18 Shows an exemplary sequence of actions performed for service execution and selection storage according to one embodiment;

[0050] Figure 19 Shows an exemplary sequence of actions performed for service registration and discovery according to one embodiment. Detailed Description

[0051] The following describes the currently preferred embodiments of apparatuses and methods for evolving the centralized 5G UDR in a traditional hierarchical architecture into multiple different SBA services, each SBA service providing access to a specific, independent, and limited data set that can be accessed only through the same service operation (implementing a "data manager" mode for this data). In this way, the constraints identified above for the development of the UDR and its consumers are overcome or minimized, and these new SBA services are well-suited for CNA.

[0052] For illustrative purposes, this document focuses on the subscription data required by existing 5G data consumers: all via the AMF, SMF, and SMSF of the UDM. The same analysis can be applied to the subscription data required by other Nudr consumers (e.g., PCF, NEF) or other data sets stored in the UDR.

[0053] The AMF, SMF, and SMSF use the Nudm_SDM service to access data via the UDM that obtains data from the UDR using the Nudr_DM service. In this regard, the Nudm_SDM service performs certain logic on the data obtained from the UDR, such as feature support, data access authorization enforcement, etc.

[0054] The data currently obtained by the AMF, SMF, and SMSF via the UDM using the Nudm_SDM service is disclosed in 3GPP TS 23.502, clause 5.2.3.3.1, and this data is organized in a so-called Subscription Data Type, that is, a set of data obtained at one time, as shown in Table I below.

[0055]

[0056]

[0057]

[0058] Table I - Nudm_SDM Subscription Data Type

[0059] The UDM obtains these subscription data types as a whole from the UDR. However, 3GPP TS 23.502, clause 5.2.12.2.1 discloses different data structures for Nudr, where the Data Set Subscription Data corresponds to the complete Table I disclosed above (as disclosed in clause 5.2.3.3.1), and the Data Set is associated with a plurality of so-called Data Subsets, as disclosed in Figure 6 In

[0060] Regarding the definition of SBA services targeted in this specification, multiple options are possible, depending on the granularity of the functions to be provided, which determines the data owned by each service.

[0061] In this specification, the following SBA services 20 as shown in Figure 7 are discussed:

[0062] Access and Mobility Subscription Data Management (AccessMobilitySubsData) 20a, which owns the following data subsets: access and mobility subscription data, slice selection subscription data, UE context in AMF data. It also owns the data provided when the AMF (or a similar future new consumer) registers.

[0063] Session Subscription Data Management (SessionSubsData) 20b, which has the following data subsets: SMF selection subscription data, UE context in SMF data, session management subscription data. It also has the data provided when registering with the SMF (or a similar future new user).

[0064] SMS Subscription Data Management (SMSSubsData) 20c, which has the following data subsets: SMS management subscription data, SMS subscription data. It also has the data provided when registering with the SMSF (or a similar future new user).

[0065] For all new SBA services 20, query, update, subscribe, unsubscribe, and notify service operations 26 are defined; and for each service operation, operation semantics 27 are also defined, as Figure 7 shown.

[0066] By partitioning the previous data sets into multiple different and specific SBA services, the AMF, SMF, and SMSF (as defined in the 3GPP TS23.502 call flow) can continue to request subscription data type 10a from the UDM, instead of obtaining the corresponding data from the UDR via Nudr_DM for each corresponding data subset 12. Due to the query operation for the corresponding newly proposed SBA service 20a, 20b, or 20c, the UDM can access the corresponding specific information, as the case may be.

[0067] For example, in Figure 8 the embodiment shown, the UDM 4 can determine that for a request for subscription data type 10a received from the AMF 7, the UDM 4 obtains the access and mobility subscription data management 20a from the UDR 1; and for a request for subscription data type 10a received from the SMF 8, the UDM 4 obtains the session subscription data management 20b.

[0068] Referring to the exemplary registration process call flow disclosed in clause 4.2.2.2.2 of 3GPP TS23.502, further improvements in defining SBA services are discussed. For simplicity, the interaction between the UDM and the UDR is not shown in the figure of this call flow, but these interactions are reflected in the corresponding text of actions 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d.

[0069] With the definition of the new SBA services as described above, actions 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d in clause 4.2.2.2.2 of 3GPP TS23.502 require some modifications discussed below.

[0070] Procedure 14a - b. If the AMF has changed since the last registration procedure, or if the UE provides a SUPI that does not reference a valid context in the AMF, or if the UE registers to the same AMF to which it is already registered to a non - 3GPP access (i.e., the UE is registered on a non - 3GPP access and initiates this registration procedure to add a 3GPP access), the new AMF registers with the UDM using Nudm_UECM_Registration and subscribes to receive a notification when the UDM deregisters this AMF. The UDM stores the AMF identifier associated with the access type and does not delete the AMF identifiers associated with other access types. The UDM stores the information provided at registration in the AccessMobilitySubsData service through an update operation.

[0071] The AMF uses Nudm_SDM_Get to obtain the access and mobility subscription data, SMF selection subscription data, and UE context in the SMF data. This requires the UDM to obtain this information from the AccessMobilitySubsData and SessionSubsData services through a query operation. After receiving a successful response, the AMF uses Nudm_SDM_Subscribe to subscribe to receive a notification when the data request is modified, and the UDM subscribes to the AccessMobilitySubsData and SessionSubsData services through a subscription operation. If the GPSI is available in the UE subscription data, the GPSI is provided to the AMF in the access and mobility subscription data from the UDM.

[0072] The new AMF provides the access type for which it serves the UE to the UDM and sets the access type to "3GPP access". The UDM stores the associated access type and the serving AMF in the AccessMobilitySubsData through an update operation.

[0073] After obtaining the access and mobility subscription data from the UDM, the new AMF creates an MM context for the UE.

[0074] For an emergency registration where the UE is not successfully authenticated, the AMF will not register with the UDM.

[0075] For an emergency registration, the AMF will not check access restrictions, area restrictions, or subscription restrictions. For an emergency registration, the AMF will ignore any unsuccessful registration response from the UDM and continue the registration process.

[0076] Action 14c. When the UDM stores the associated access type (e.g., 3GPP) and the serving AMF (as indicated in step 14a), it will cause the UDM to initiate a Nudm_UECM_DeregistrationNotification (see clause 5.2.3.2.2) to the old AMF corresponding to the same (e.g., 3GPP) access (if it exists). The old AMF deletes the UE's MM context. If the service NF deletion reason indicated by the UDM is initial registration, then as described in clause 4.2.2.3.2, the old AMF invokes the Nsmf_PDUSession_ReleaseSMContext(SUPI, PDU session ID) service operation for all associated SMFs towards the UE to notify the UE that it has been deregistered from the old AMF. The SMF will release the PDU session upon receiving this notification.

[0077] Action 14d. The old AMF unsubscribes from the UDM for data using Nudm_SDM_unsubscribe.

[0078] That is, the access to the entire data set in UDR 1 for subscribing to data 10b is replaced by the access to specific SBA services 20a, 20b, or 20c (depending on the data required in each case).

[0079] The advantage of this proposal is that such a solution is suitable for 3GPP Release 16, in which it is desired to deploy services independently of any NF, that is, the services need to be independent. Therefore, there is no need to define any new NF or retain the existing UDR. Instead, the newly proposed services are used independently of any NF.

[0080] Therefore, in this specification, a method for accessing data in UDR 1 is provided, and this method is executed at the UDR.

[0081] According to Figure 11 In one embodiment shown, the method includes step S-1110: dividing the data set 10b provided for multiple NF service consumers 11 in the UDR into multiple SBA services 20, where each SBA service (e.g., 20a) is associated with one or more data subsets (e.g., 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) among the multiple data subsets 12 associated with the data set 10b, and each SBA service (e.g., 20a) is provided for one or more NF service consumers 21 among the multiple NF service consumers 11.

[0082] In this embodiment, the method further includes steps S-1120: registering the identifiers of a plurality of SBA services (such as 20a, 20b, 20c) processed at the UDR and the identifier of the UDR with the NRF 2; step S-1130: receiving a service request for an SBA service (such as 20a) from the NF service consumer 3; and step S-1140: sending information data related to one or more data subsets (such as 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with the SBA service (such as 20a) to the NF service consumer 3.

[0083] According to Figure 12 In another embodiment as shown, the method includes step S1210: storing a plurality of SBA services 20 for a data set 10b provided for a plurality of NF service consumers 11 in the UDR, where each SBA service (such as 20a) is associated with one or more data subsets (such as 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) among the plurality of data subsets 12 associated with the data set 10b, and where each SBA service (such as 20a) is provided for one or more of the plurality of NF service consumers 11.

[0084] In this another embodiment, the method further includes steps S-1220: registering the identifiers of a plurality of SBA services (such as 20a, 20b, 20c) processed at the UDR and the identifier of the UDR with the NRF 2; step S-1230: receiving a service request for an SBA service (such as 20a) from the NF service consumer 3; and step S-1240: sending information data related to one or more data subsets (such as 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with the SBA service (such as 20a) to the NF service consumer 3.

[0085] In this specification, a method for accessing data in the UDR 1 is also provided, and this method is executed at the NF service consumer node 3 or 4.

[0086] According to Figure 13 In an embodiment as shown, the method includes steps S-1310: sending a service discovery request with the identifier of an SBA service (such as 20a) to the NRF 2; step S-1320: receiving the identifier of the UDR 1 instance that processes the SBA service 20a from the NRF 2; step S-1330: sending a service request for the SBA service 20a to the UDR1 identified by the identifier of the UDR instance; and step S-1340: receiving information data related to one or more data subsets (such as 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with the SBA service 20a from the UDR 1.

[0087] In Figure 14In the sub - embodiment shown, for the embodiment discussed above with reference to Figure 13 and in the case where the NF service consumer node is the UDM 4, the method may further include step S - 1410: receiving, from another network node (which may be, for example, the AMF node 7 or the SMF node 8), an NF service 10a request for the data set 10b provided for a plurality of NF service consumers 11 in the UDR 1; and step S - 1420: based on another network node (such as 7 or 8), determining the SBA service 20a to which the service request is sent towards the UDR 1.

[0088] When this is the case, after receiving, during the above - mentioned step S - 1340, information data related to one or more data subsets (such as 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with the SBA service (such as 20a) from the UDR 1, the method further includes step S - 1430: sending an NF service 10a response to another network node 7 or 8 according to the information data related to one or more data subsets (such as 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a).

[0089] To perform the methods discussed with reference to Figure 11 and Figure 12 different embodiments of the UDR 1 or 60 are shown in Figure 9 and Figure 15 According to one embodiment shown, the UDR 60 or 1 may include at least one processor 620 and at least one memory 610 storing processor - executable instructions 614. In this UDR, at least one processor is docked with at least one memory to execute the processor - executable instructions, whereby the UDR is operable to perform the actions disclosed below.

[0090] According to Figure 9 In one embodiment shown, the UDR 60 or 1 may include at least one processor 620 and at least one memory 610 storing processor - executable instructions 614. In this UDR, at least one processor is docked with at least one memory to execute the processor - executable instructions, whereby the UDR is operable to perform the actions disclosed below.

[0091] Thus, in one embodiment, Figure 9 the UDR shown is operable to: divide the data set 10b provided for a plurality of NF service consumers 11 in the UDR into a plurality of SBA services 20, where each SBA service (such as 20a) is associated with one or more data subsets (such as 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) among the plurality of data subsets 12 associated with the data set 10b, and where each SBA service (such as 20a) is provided for one or more NF service consumers 21 among the plurality of NF service consumers 11. In a sub - embodiment, the service processor 627 running in the processor 620 may divide the data set into a plurality of SBA services.

[0092] In another embodiment, Figure 9The illustrated UDR is operable to: store multiple SBA services 20 for a data set 10b provided for multiple NF service consumers 11 in the UDR, where each SBA service (e.g., 20a) is associated with one or more data subsets (e.g., 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) among the multiple data subsets 12 associated with the data set 10b, and where each SBA service (e.g., 20a) is provided for one or more NF service consumers 21 among the multiple NF service consumers 11. In a sub - embodiment, a service processor 627 running in a processor 620 may store multiple SBA services for the data set.

[0093] In two embodiments, Figure 9 The illustrated UDR is further operable to: via a transmitter 640, register the identifiers of multiple SBA services 20a, 20b, 20c processed at the UDR and the identifier of the UDR with the NRF 2; via a receiver 630, receive a service request for an SBA service (e.g., 20a) from an NF service consumer 3; and via the transmitter 640, send information data related to one or more data subsets (e.g., 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with the SBA service (e.g., 20a) to the NF service consumer 3.

[0094] In a sub - embodiment of the two embodiments, a service processor 627 running in a processor 620 may process the logic related to the SBA service, such as registering and retrieving data related to one or more data associated with the SBA service, while a protocol processor 624 running in the processor 620 may control the transmitter 640 and the receiver 630 to send and receive messages.

[0095] If needed, Figure 9 The illustrated UDR 60 or 1 may be supplemented in a memory with a data section 618 to store SBA services and corresponding data subsets and the NF service consumers of each SBA service.

[0096] Therefore, Figure 9The UDR shown may include at least one processor 620 and at least one memory 610, which communicate with each other, communicate with a protocol processor 624, a service processor 627, a receiver 630, and a transmitter 640, and communicate with other elements or units of the UDR. The at least one memory 610 may include volatile and / or non-volatile memory. In particular, the at least one memory 610 may have a computer program 614 and data 618 stored therein. The computer program 614 may be loaded into the at least one memory 610 from a computer program product 650 (e.g., any non-transitory computer-readable medium storing the computer program). The data 618 may include SBA services and corresponding data subsets, as well as NF service consumers for each SBA service. The at least one processor 620 may be configured to perform the functions of the protocol processor 624 and the service processor 627.

[0097] According to Figure 15 In another embodiment shown, in one embodiment, the UDR 60 or 1 is operable to: divide a data set 10b provided for a plurality of NF service consumers 11 in the UDR into a plurality of SBA services 20, where each SBA service (e.g., 20a) is associated with one or more data subsets (e.g., 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) among the plurality of data subsets 12 associated with the data set 10b, and where each SBA service (e.g., 20a) is provided for one or more NF service consumers 21 among the plurality of NF service consumers 11. In a sub-embodiment, the service processor 627 running in the processor 620 may divide the data set into a plurality of SBA services.

[0098] In another embodiment, Figure 15 The UDR shown is operable to: store a plurality of SBA services 20 for a data set 10b provided for a plurality of NF service consumers 11 in the UDR, where each SBA service (e.g., 20a) is associated with one or more data subsets (e.g., 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) among the plurality of data subsets 12 associated with the data set 10b, and where each SBA service (e.g., 20a) is provided for one or more NF service consumers 21 among the plurality of NF service consumers 11. In a sub-embodiment, the service processor 627 running in the processor 620 may store a plurality of SBA services for the data set.

[0099] In two embodiments, Figure 15The UDR shown can also be operated to: register identifiers of multiple SBA services 20a, 20b, 20c processed at the UDR and the identifier of the UDR with NRF 2 via transmitter 640; receive a service request for an SBA service (e.g., 20a) from an NF service user 3 via receiver 630; and send information data related to one or more data subsets (e.g., 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with the SBA service (e.g., 20a) to the NF service user 3 via transmitter 640.

[0100] Reference above Figure 15 In sub-embodiments of the two embodiments discussed, the UDR may include a service handler 627 operable to process logic associated with the SBA service, such as registering and retrieving data associated with one or more data associated with the SBA service, and a protocol handler 624 operable to control a transmitter 640 and a receiver 630 to send and receive messages.

[0101] In order to implement the above reference Figure 13 and Figure 14 The methods discussed in Figure 10 and Figure 16 Different embodiments of NF service user nodes 70, 3 or 4 are shown.

[0102] according to Figure 10 In one embodiment shown, the NF service user node 70, 3 or 4 may include at least one processor 720 and at least one memory 710 storing processor executable instructions 714. In the NF service user node, at least one processor interfaces with at least one memory to execute the processor executable instructions, whereby the NF service user node is operable to perform the actions disclosed below.

[0103] therefore, Figure 10 The NF service user node shown is operable to: send a service discovery request with an identifier of an SBA service (e.g., 20a) to NRF 2 via transmitter 740; receive an identifier of a UDR 1 instance that handles the SBA service (e.g., 20a) from NRF 2 via receiver 730; send a service request for the SBA service (20a) to UDR 1 identified by the identifier of the UDR instance via transmitter 740; and receive information data related to one or more data subsets (e.g., 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with the SBA service (e.g., 20a) from UDR 1 via receiver 730.

[0104] In one embodiment where the NF service consumer node implements UDM 4, Figure 10The NF service consumer node shown is also operable to: receive, via receiver 730, an NF service 10a request for a data set 10b provided for a plurality of NF service consumers 11 in the UDR 1 from another network node (which may be, for example, the AMF node 7 or the SMF node 8); determine, based on the other network node, the SBA service (such as 20a) for which the service request is directed to the UDR 1; and, after receiving information data related to one or more data subsets (such as 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with the SBA service (such as 20a) from the UDR 1, send an NF service 10a response to the other network node via transmitter 740 according to the information data related to the one or more data subsets (such as 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a).

[0105] In a sub - embodiment, Figure 10 The NF service consumer node shown may include a service processor 728 running in the processor 720, which is configured to process logic related to the SBA service, such as SBA service discovery and retrieving data related to one or more data associated with the SBA service; and a UDR protocol processor 726 running in the processor 720, which is configured to control the transmitter 740 and the receiver 730 to send and receive messages.

[0106] In an embodiment where the UDM 4 is implemented in the NF service consumer node 70, Figure 10 The NF service consumer node shown may include a UDM protocol processor 724 running in the processor 720, which is configured to control the transmitter 740 and the receiver 730 to send and receive messages to / from another network node (which may be, for example, the AMF node 7 or the SMF node 8).

[0107] If needed, as Figure 10 The NF service consumer nodes 70, 3, or 4 shown may be supplemented with a data section 718 in the memory to store the SBA service and the corresponding data subsets for each SBA service.

[0108] Therefore, Figure 10The NF service consumer node shown may include at least one processor 720 and at least one memory 710, which communicate with each other, communicate with a UDM protocol processor 724 (if provided), a UDR protocol processor 726, a service processor 728, a receiver 730, and a transmitter 740, and communicate with other elements or units of the NF service consumer node. The at least one memory 710 may include volatile and / or non-volatile memory. In particular, the at least one memory 710 may have a computer program 714 and data 718 stored therein. The computer program 714 may be loaded into the at least one memory 710 from a computer program product 750 (such as any non-transitory computer-readable medium storing the computer program). The data 718 may include SBA services and corresponding data subsets for each SBA service. The at least one processor 720 may be configured to perform the functions of the UDM protocol processor 724 (if provided), the UDR protocol processor 726, and the service processor 728.

[0109] According to Figure 16 In another embodiment shown, the NF service consumer node 70, 3, or 4 is operable to: send, via the transmitter 740, a service discovery request to the NRF 2 having an identifier of an SBA service (such as 20a); receive, via the receiver 730, an identifier of an instance of the UDR 1 that processes the SBA service (such as 20a) from the NRF 2; send, via the transmitter 740, a service request for the SBA service (20a) to the UDR 1 identified by the identifier of the UDR instance; and receive, via the receiver 730, information data related to one or more data subsets (such as 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with the SBA service (such as 20a) from the UDR 1.

[0110] In one embodiment in which the NF service consumer node implements the UDM 4, Figure 16 The NF service consumer node shown is further operable to: receive, via the receiver 730, an NF service 10a request for a data set 10b provided for a plurality of NF service consumers 11 in the UDR 1 from another network node (such as an AMF node 7 or an SMF node 8); determine, based on the other network node, the SBA service (such as 20a) for which the service request is directed to the UDR 1; and, after receiving information data related to one or more data subsets (such as 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with the SBA service (such as 20a) from the UDR 1, send an NF service 10a response to the other network node via the transmitter 740 according to the information data related to the one or more data subsets (such as 22a, 23a, 24a, 25a).

[0111] In a sub-embodiment,Figure 16 The NF service consumer node shown may include: a service processor 728 configured to process logic related to SBA services, such as SBA service discovery and retrieving data related to one or more data associated with the SBA service; and a UDR protocol processor 726 configured to control a transmitter 740 and a receiver 730 to send and receive messages.

[0112] In an embodiment where the NF service consumer node 70 implements the UDM 4, Figure 16 The NF service consumer node shown may include a UDM protocol processor 724 configured to control the transmitter 740 and the receiver 730 to send and receive messages to / from another network node (such as an AMF node 7 or an SMF node 8).

[0113] On the other hand, Figure 17 A method according to 3GPP TS23.501 and TS23.502 is shown.

[0114] In this method, actions S-1710 to S-1730 can be performed in any order. Each UDR registers its NF profile. For example, there are 3 different UDRs, and each UDR stores a different data set. In this regard, clause 6.2.6 of TS23.501 discloses the NF profile content of NF instances maintained in the NRF. For each UDR NF, each Nudr_DM service must provide the corresponding "identification of the stored data / information", that is, a means for identifying whether it is UDR-1, UDR-2 or UDR-3 and which data is stored in each UDR, so as to allow the user to select the UDR to be used.

[0115] Action S-1740. The UDR user (i.e., the user of the Nudr_DM service) (UDM in this example) needs to indicate the NF and service name to be discovered (i.e., Nudr_DM), and it will return (action S-1750) the information of each registered Nudr_DM and the NF profile information, which identifies the data sets stored in each NF.

[0116] Therefore, a method for service execution and selection storage as shown in Figure 18 can be followed so that the UDM front end (UDM-FE) can distinguish the destination UDR according to the required data when selecting the destination provider service, as described below in the figure. As shown in Figure 18 shown:

[0117] Action S-1810. As an exemplary use case, it can be considered when the AMF needs to access a UE subscriber data. The AMF requests this information from the UDM-FE using the Nudm_SubsDataMng_Get operation for a specific UE identifier (e.g., SUPIx).

[0118] Action S-1820. The UDM-FE needs to identify which Nudr service to use to access the corresponding data. The UDM-FE needs to check the information provided at registration and may also require some local configuration. In this example, only one UDR stores the subscription data is considered.

[0119] Action S-1830. The UDM-FE executes the Nudr service registered by UDR-1 (i.e., using the provided IP address or FQDN).

[0120] As with the method described in the reference Figure 17 the method shown Figure 18 requires some information to be provided at registration, stored in the NRF, and then provided to the service consumer at discovery. In addition, the service consumer needs to store this information and check it each time to select the correct instance.

[0121] That is, the Nudr_DM service defined in the existing TS requires knowledge of the internal components of the UDR, i.e., knowledge of the different data sets stored and even the possible subscription partitions. Not only does Nudr_DM require this knowledge, but any of its consumers and the NRF also require this knowledge. In addition to this, it is required that this information be stored in both the NRF and any consumer.

[0122] All of these require managing data, storage requirements, and increasing the complexity of service consumers and producers.

[0123] However, according to an embodiment of the present specification, a new method for service registration and discovery is provided, as Figure 19 shown. Based on assigning internal data sets or even subsets to different services (instead of only using one Nudr_DM service), this method is based on data-agnostic (and application-agnostic) registration, discovery, and selection. As Figure 19 shown:

[0124] Actions S-1910 to S-1930. Each data set can be accessed via a different new service (e.g., NewServiceSubsData, NewServiceApplicationData, NewServiceExpData). Then, each service is registered without providing anything else.

[0125] Action S-1940. At discovery, the UDR user (UDM in this example) discovers the required service. In this case, the service is NewServiceSubsData as it requires access to subscription data.

[0126] The present invention can also be implemented by a computer program that can be loaded into the internal memory of a computer having an input unit, an output unit, and a processing unit. To this end, the computer program includes executable code adapted to perform the above method steps when running on the computer. In particular, the executable code can be recorded in a carrier-readable device in the computer.

[0127] Other advantages of this solution are discussed below.

[0128] The first advantage is that the UDR complexity is limited and even reduced compared to pre-5G UDR. Instead of storing "all" data under the same Nudr service, new independent and smaller services are defined. Each service has a smaller data volume and a limited set of use cases to be modeled. The mapping from the Nudr standard data structure to the internal data model is more economical and simpler.

[0129] The second advantage is that the Nudr standard data structure limitations are reduced, and the provisioning coupling can be reduced. The goal of Nudr remains basic CRUD (Create-Read-Update-Delete) operations. However, simple searches or modifications of individual data attributes may be more economical and may be standardized in 3GPP as they can greatly reduce the complexity of the data to be managed / accessed. In this way, the provisioning application will still be coupled to the internal data model, but based on the possibility of rich Nudr standard access, the coupling can be limited.

[0130] The third advantage is that Nudr service registration, discovery, and selection do not require application logic. Different services are registered, discovered, and / or selected. This follows the view of some operators that services should be simplified so as not to include any logic (such as addressing) that is not required for performing the functions of service provision. This simplifies the service provider and user logic and thus simplifies development and updates.

[0131] The fourth advantage is that there is no need for subscriber data partitioning (which depends on each implementation solution for the new proposed service). Different independent services are defined to access smaller data sets, which means that each service needs to access less data. Since the new data is standardized, the data is not placed in a growing UDR, but new services will be defined to provide proper access to this data. Therefore, it is possible to avoid reaching the maximum scalability limit, although this depends on each specific implementation solution, because the scalability limit depends not only on the maximum amount of data stored, but also on, for example, the number of subscribers and the business model. However, for the same requirements (business model, number of subscribers, etc.), having smaller services (with much less data than a large Nudr service) makes it more difficult to reach the scalability limit. Therefore, when there is no need for subscriber data partitioning, this simplifies network deployment. In addition, for the Nudr service (and its consumers: Nudm, Nausf, Npcf, Nnef), registration, discovery, and selection do not require application logic.

[0132] The present invention has been described in connection with various embodiments, which are intended to be illustrative and non - limiting. It is contemplated that those skilled in the art may modify these embodiments, and all such modifications that fall within the scope of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

[0133] In this regard, some preliminary embodiments are listed below.

[0134] Embodiment :

[0135] 1. A method for accessing data in a Unified Data Repository (1) UDR, the method comprising:

[0136] Dividing a data set (10b) provided in the UDR for a plurality of Network Function NF service consumers (11) into a plurality of Service - Based Architecture SBA services (20), wherein each SBA service (20a) is associated with one or more data subsets (22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) among a plurality of data subsets (12) associated with the data set (10b), and wherein each SBA service (20a) is provided for one or more of the plurality of NF service consumers (11);

[0137] Registering, at the UDR, identifiers of the plurality of SBA services (20a, 20b, 20c) processed at the UDR and an identifier of the UDR with a Network Repository Function (2) NRF;

[0138] At the NRF (2), receiving a service discovery request having an identifier of an SBA service (20a) from an NF service consumer (3);

[0139] At the NRF (2), determine the UDR instance handling the SBA service (20a);

[0140] Send, from the NRF (2) to the NF service consumer (3), the identifier of the UDR instance handling the SBA service (20a);

[0141] Send, from the NF service consumer (3) to the UDR (1) identified by the identifier of the UDR instance, a service request for the SBA service (20a); and

[0142] At the NF service consumer (3), receive, from the UDR (1), information data related to one or more data subsets (22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with the SBA service (20a).

[0143] 2. A method for accessing data in a Unified Data Repository (1) UDR, the method comprising:

[0144] For a data set (10b) provided for a plurality of Network Function NF service consumers (11) in the UDR, store a plurality of Service-Based Architecture SBA services (20), wherein each SBA service (20a) is associated with one or more data subsets (22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) of a plurality of data subsets (12) associated with the data set (10b), and wherein each SBA service (20a) is provided for one or more of the plurality of NF service consumers (11);

[0145] Register, from the UDR to the Network Repository Function (2) NRF, the identifiers of the plurality of SBA services (20a, 20b, 20c) processed at the UDR and the identifier of the UDR;

[0146] At the NRF (2), receive, from the NF service consumer (3), a service discovery request having the identifier of the SBA service (20a);

[0147] At the NRF (2), determine the UDR instance handling the SBA service (20a);

[0148] Send, from the NRF (2) to the NF service consumer (3), the identifier of the UDR instance handling the SBA service (20a);

[0149] Send, from the NF service consumer (3) to the UDR (1) identified by the identifier of the UDR instance, a service request for the SBA service (20a); and

[0150] At the NF service consumer (3), information data related to one or more data subsets (22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with the SBA service (20a) is received from the UDR (1).

[0151] 3. A method for accessing data in a unified data repository (1) UDR, the method being executed at the UDR (1) and comprising:

[0152] Dividing (S-1110) a data set (10b) provided for a plurality of network function NF service consumers (11) in the UDR into a plurality of service-based architecture SBA services (20), wherein each SBA service (20a) is associated with one or more data subsets (22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) of the plurality of data subsets (12) associated with the data set (10b), and wherein each SBA service (20a) is provided for one or more of the plurality of NF service consumers (11);

[0153] Registering (S-1120) the identifiers of the plurality of SBA services (20a, 20b, 20c) processed at the UDR and the identifier of the UDR with the network repository function (2) NRF;

[0154] Receiving (S-1130) a service request for an SBA service (20a) from an NF service consumer (3); and

[0155] Sending (S-1140) information data related to one or more data subsets (22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with the SBA service (20a) to the NF service consumer (3).

[0156] 4. A method for accessing data in a unified data repository (1) UDR, the method being executed at the UDR (1) and comprising:

[0157] Storing (S-1210) a plurality of service-based architecture SBA services (20) for a data set (10b) provided for a plurality of network function NF service consumers (11) in the UDR, wherein each SBA service (20a) is associated with one or more data subsets (22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) of the plurality of data subsets (12) associated with the data set (10b), and wherein each SBA service (20a) is provided for one or more of the plurality of NF service consumers (11);

[0158] Registering (S-1220) the identifiers of the plurality of SBA services (20a, 20b, 20c) processed at the UDR and the identifier of the UDR with the network repository function (2) NRF;

[0159] Receive (S-1230) a service request for the SBA service (20a) from the NF service user (3); and

[0160] Send (S-1240) information data related to one or more data subsets (22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with the SBA service (20a) to the NF service user (3).

[0161] 5. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 or 4, wherein the identifiers for registering a plurality of SBA services (20a, 20b, 20c) include: for each SBA service (20a), registering the identifiers of one or more associated data subsets (22a, 23a, 24a, 25a).

[0162] 6. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the data set (10b) corresponds to the so-called data management DM NF service (10a).

[0163] 7. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the data set (10b) corresponds to a subscription data set.

[0164] 8. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 7, wherein the SBA service (20) corresponds to access and mobility subscription data management (20a), and one or more data subsets (22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with the SBA service (20) include any one of the following: access and mobility subscription data, slice selection subscription data, UE context in AMF data, and AMF registration data.

[0165] 9. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 8, wherein the SBA service (20) corresponds to session subscription data management (20b), and one or more data subsets (22b, 23b, 24b, 25b) associated with the SBA service (20) include any one of the following: SMF selection subscription data, UE context in SMF data, session management subscription data, and SMF registration data.

[0166] 10. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 9, wherein the SBA service (20) corresponds to SMS subscription data management (20c), and one or more data subsets (22c, 23c, 24c) associated with the SBA service (20) include any one of the following: SMS management subscription data, SMS subscription data, and SMSF registration data.

[0167] 11. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 10, wherein different value sets of one or more data subsets (22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with each SBA service (20a) are stored based on a user or a user equipment UE.

[0168] 12. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 11, wherein query, update, subscribe, unsubscribe, and notify operations are defined for each SBA service and can be used by one or more NF service consumers.

[0169] 13. The method according to embodiments 11 and 12, wherein each query, update, subscribe, unsubscribe, and notify operation can be used by one or more NF service consumers based on a user or a UE.

[0170] 14. A unified data repository (60, 1) UDR, configured to:

[0171] Divide a data set (10b) provided for a plurality of network function NF service consumers (11) in the UDR into a plurality of service-based architecture SBA services (20), wherein each SBA service (20a) is associated with one or more data subsets (22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) of a plurality of data subsets (12) associated with the data set (10b), and wherein each SBA service (20a) is provided for one or more NF service consumers (21) among the plurality of NF service consumers (11);

[0172] Via a transmitter (640), register an identifier of a plurality of SBA services (20a, 20b, 20c) processed at the UDR and an identifier of the UDR with a network repository function (2) NRF;

[0173] Via a receiver (630), receive a service request for an SBA service (20a) from an NF service consumer (3); and

[0174] Via a transmitter (640), send information data related to one or more data subsets (22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with the SBA service (20a) to the NF service consumer (3).

[0175] 15. A unified data repository (60, 1) UDR, configured to:

[0176] For a data set (10b) provided for multiple network function NF service consumers (11) in a UDR, store multiple service-based architecture SBA services (20), wherein each SBA service (20a) is associated with one or more data subsets (22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) among the multiple data subsets (12) associated with the data set (10b), and wherein each SBA service (20a) is provided for one or more NF service consumers (21) among the multiple NF service consumers (11);

[0177] Via a transmitter (640), register the identifiers of multiple SBA services (20a, 20b, 20c) processed at the UDR and the identifier of the UDR with a network storage function (2) NRF;

[0178] Via a receiver (630), receive a service request for an SBA service (20a) from an NF service consumer (3); and

[0179] Via a transmitter (640), send information data related to one or more data subsets (22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with the SBA service (20a) to the NF service consumer (3).

[0180] 16. The UDR according to any one of embodiments 14 or 15 is further configured to: perform the method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 13.

[0181] 17. A method for accessing data in a unified data repository (1) UDR, the method being executed at a network function NF service consumer (70, 3, 4) node and including:

[0182] Send (S-1310) a service discovery request having an identifier of a service-based architecture SBA service (20a) to a network storage function (2) NRF;

[0183] Receive (S-1320) from the NRF (2) the identifier of a UDR (1) instance that processes the SBA service (20a);

[0184] Send (S-1330) a service request for the SBA service (20a) to the UDR (1) identified by the identifier of the UDR instance; and

[0185] Receive (S-1340) from the UDR (1) information data related to one or more data subsets (22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with the SBA service (20a).

[0186] 18. The method according to embodiment 17 further includes:

[0187] Receive (S-1410) an NF service (10a) request for a data set (10b) provided for multiple NF service consumers (11) in the UDR (1) from another network node (7, 8);

[0188] Based on another network node (7, 8), determine (S-1420) the SBA service (20a) to which the service request is sent towards the UDR (1); and

[0189] After receiving (S-1340) from the UDR (1) information data related to one or more data subsets (22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with the SBA service (20a), send (S-1430) an NF service (10a) response to another network node (7, 8) according to the information data related to one or more data subsets (22a, 23a, 24a, 25a).

[0190] 19. A network function NF service consumer (70, 3, 4) node, configured to:

[0191] Via a transmitter (740), send a service discovery request with an identifier of a service-based architecture SBA service (20a) to a network storage function (2) NRF;

[0192] Via a receiver (730), receive from the NRF (2) an identifier of a UDR (1) instance that processes the SBA service (20a);

[0193] Via a transmitter (740), send a service request for the SBA service (20a) to the UDR (1) identified by the identifier of the UDR instance; and

[0194] Via a receiver (730), receive from the UDR (1) information data related to one or more data subsets (22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with the SBA service (20a).

[0195] 20. The NF service consumer (70, 4) node according to embodiment 19, further configured to:

[0196] Via a receiver (730), receive from another network node (7, 8) an NF service (10a) request for a data set (10b) provided for multiple NF service consumers (11) in the UDR (1);

[0197] Based on another network node (7, 8), determine the SBA service (20a) to which the service request is sent towards the UDR (1); and

[0198] After receiving (S-1340) information data related to one or more data subsets (22a, 23a, 24a, 25a) associated with the SBA service (20a) from the UDR (1), an NF service (10a) response is sent to another network node (7, 8) via a transmitter (740) according to the information data related to the one or more data subsets (22a, 23a, 24a, 25a).

[0199] 21. A computer program (614) comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor (620), cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 13.

[0200] 22. A computer program (714) comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor (720), cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of embodiments 17 to 18.

[0201] 23. A computer program product (650, 750) comprising the computer program according to embodiment 21 and / or 22.

Claims

1. A method for accessing data in a Unified Data Repository (UDR), the method comprises: storing, for a data set provided for a plurality of Network Functions (NF) service consumers in the UDR, a plurality of Service-Based Architecture (SBA) services, wherein each SBA service is associated with one or more of a plurality of data subsets associated with the data set, and each SBA service is provided for one or more of the plurality of NF service consumers; registering, at the UDR, identifiers of the plurality of SBA services processed at the UDR and an identifier of the UDR with a Network Repository Function (NRF); receiving, at the NRF, a service discovery request having an identifier of an SBA service from an NF service consumer; sending, from the NRF, an identifier of the UDR that processes the SBA service to the NF service consumer; sending, from the NF service consumer, a service request for the SBA service to the UDR identified by the identifier of the UDR; and receiving, at the NF service consumer, information data related to the one or more data subsets associated with the SBA service from the UDR.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein registering the identifiers of the plurality of SBA services includes: for each SBA service, registering identifiers of the associated one or more data subsets.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the data set corresponds to a Data Management (DM) NF service.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the data set corresponds to a subscription data set.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the SBA service corresponds to Access and Mobility Subscription Data Management, and the one or more data subsets associated with the SBA service include any one of the following: access and mobility subscription data, slice selection subscription data, UE context in AMF data, and AMF registration data.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the SBA service corresponds to Session Subscription Data Management, and the one or more data subsets associated with the SBA service include any one of the following: SMF selection subscription data, UE context in SMF data, session management subscription data, and SMF registration data.

7. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the SBA service corresponds to SMS Subscription Data Management, and the one or more data subsets associated with the SBA service include any one of the following: SMS management subscription data, SMS subscription data, and SMSF registration data.

8. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein different value sets of the one or more data subsets associated with each SBA service are stored based on a user or a User Equipment (UE).

9. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein query, update, subscribe, unsubscribe, and notify operations are defined for each SBA service and can be used by the one or more NF service consumers.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, each query, update, subscribe, unsubscribe, and notify operation can be used by the one or more NF service consumers based on a user or a UE.

11. A Unified Data Repository (UDR) comprising at least one processor configured to: store multiple Service-Based Architecture (SBA) services for a data set provided for multiple Network Function (NF) service consumers in the UDR, wherein, each SBA service is associated with one or more of a plurality of data subsets associated with the data set, and each SBA service is provided for one or more of the multiple NF service consumers; register, via a transmitter, an identifier of the multiple SBA services processed at the UDR and an identifier of the UDR with a Network Repository Function (NRF); receive, via a receiver, a service request for an SBA service from an NF service consumer; and send, via the transmitter, information data related to the one or more data subsets associated with the SBA service to the NF service consumer, wherein the UDR is further configured to: execute a method for accessing data in the Unified Data Repository (UDR), the method comprising: store multiple Service-Based Architecture (SBA) services for a data set provided for multiple Network Function (NF) service consumers in the UDR, wherein each SBA service is associated with one or more of a plurality of data subsets associated with the data set, and each SBA service is provided for one or more of the multiple NF service consumers; register, from the UDR, an identifier of the multiple SBA services processed at the UDR and an identifier of the UDR with a Network Repository Function (NRF); at the NRF, receive a service discovery request with an identifier of an SBA service from an NF service consumer; send, from the NRF, an identifier of the UDR that processes the SBA service to the NF service consumer; send, from the NF service consumer, a service request for the SBA service to the UDR identified by the identifier of the UDR; and at the NF service consumer, receive information data related to the one or more data subsets associated with the SBA service from the UDR.

12. A method for accessing data in a Unified Data Repository (UDR), the method being executed at a Network Function (NF) service consumer node and comprising: send a service discovery request with an identifier of a Service-Based Architecture (SBA) service to a Network Repository Function (NRF); receive, from the NRF, an identifier of the UDR that processes the SBA service; send a service request for the SBA service to the UDR identified by the identifier of the UDR; and and receive information data related to one or more data subsets associated with the SBA service from the UDR.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: Receive an NF service request for a data set provided for multiple NF service consumers in the UDR from another network node; Based on the another network node, determine the SBA service for which the service request is sent towards the UDR; And After receiving the information data related to the one or more data subsets associated with the SBA service from the UDR, send an NF service response to the another network node according to the information data related to the one or more data subsets.

14. A network function NF service consumer node, comprising at least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to: Send a service discovery request with an identifier of a service-based architecture SBA service to a network repository function NRF via a transmitter; Receive an identifier of a UDR that processes the SBA service from the NRF via a receiver; Send a service request for the SBA service to the UDR identified by the identifier of the UDR via the transmitter; And Receive information data related to one or more data subsets associated with the SBA service from the UDR via the receiver.

15. The NF service consumer node according to claim 14, further configured to: Receive an NF service request for a data set provided for multiple NF service consumers in the UDR from another network node via the receiver; Based on the another network node, determine the SBA service for which the service request is sent towards the UDR; And After receiving the information data related to the one or more data subsets associated with the SBA service from the UDR, send an NF service response to the another network node via the transmitter according to the information data related to the one or more data subsets.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including a computer program, the computer program including instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to execute a method for accessing data in a unified data repository UDR, the method Comprises: Store multiple service-based architecture SBA services for a data set provided for multiple network function NF service consumers in the UDR, wherein each SBA service is associated with one or more data subsets of the multiple data subsets associated with the data set, and wherein each SBA service is provided for one or more of the multiple NF service consumers; Register the identifiers of the multiple SBA services processed at the UDR and the identifier of the UDR from the UDR to a network repository function NRF; At the NRF, receive a service discovery request with an identifier of an SBA service from an NF service consumer; Send the identifier of the UDR that processes the SBA service to the NF service consumer from the NRF; Send a service request for the SBA service from the NF service consumer to the UDR identified by the identifier of the UDR; and At the NF service consumer, receive information data related to the one or more data subsets associated with the SBA service from the UDR.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a computer program, the computer program comprising instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to execute a method for accessing data in a unified data repository UDR, the method being executed at a network function NF service consumer node and comprising: Send a service discovery request with an identifier of a service-based architecture SBA service to a network repository function NRF; Receive, from the NRF, an identifier of a UDR that processes the SBA service; Send a service request for the SBA service to the UDR identified by the identifier of the UDR; and Receive, from the UDR, information data related to one or more data subsets associated with the SBA service.

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