Method for configuring user equipment, user equipment and rule management device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for configuring a user device, the user device being assigned a plurality of identifiers, each identifier uniquely identifying the user in at least one communication network, the method comprising, for at least one application (Appj): - a step (F30) of obtaining at least one rule associating at least one flow of the application with at least one slice of the at least one communication network, the at least one slice being used for routing data related to the at least one flow and information associating the slice with an identifier from the plurality of identifiers of the user; - a step (F40) of configuring the user device with the at least one rule (RUL(U) / Appj) so that the user device executes (F60) the at least one rule when accessing (F50) the application.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of telecommunications.

[0002] More specifically, the present invention relates to telecommunication network architectures that implement techniques for slicing networks, commonly referred to as "network slicing."

[0003] The invention has particular application in mobile telecommunication networks. Background Art

[0004] The architecture of mobile telecommunication networks currently deployed or being deployed is defined by a standardization group called 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project). This is particularly true of mobile networks known as second generation ("2G or GSM"), third generation ("3G") and fourth generation ("4G") mobile networks.

[0005] Until the fourth generation, the network architectures defined by the 3GPP group were generally based on specific equipment dedicated to precise functions, either in the access network or in the network core, in particular with regard to the transmission of packets from or to mobile terminals.

[0006] The inherent lack of flexibility and upgradability of this type of architecture has led the 3GPP group to envision a more flexible architecture for the next generation of mobile networks, namely "5G" networks, in order to be able to respond quickly to the extremely diverse needs in terms of traffic or quality of service envisaged for 5G networks. It should be noted that 5G networks are intended to be related to both mobile and fixed networks.

[0007] Among the solutions envisioned, one of the most promising is based on network slicing technology. This technology is specifically described in the technical specification 3GPP TS23.501v15.7.0 in September 2019. It allows network operators to create customized and independent end-to-end logical networks for their customers from the same physical network infrastructure, which are able to provide optimized solutions for various scenarios corresponding to various constraints in terms of functionality, performance capabilities and quality of service.

[0008] More specifically, the concept of network slicing allows the creation of multiple network instances, also called “network slices.” A network slice consists of network functions, hardware resources (e.g., storage and compute), and configurations to meet the requirements of services, clients, and / or terminals attached to that slice.

[0009] By showing Figure 1 A simplified view of a communication infrastructure INF is shown, comprising network slices SL1, SL2 and SL3, each representing a mobile network, the network slices SL1, SL2 and SL3 sharing functions implemented in a data center, such as routing, addressing, data flow control, naming functions, etc. Figure 1 In the example of , network slices SL1, SL2 and SL3 grant access to three different data networks DN1, DN2 and DN3. However, it should be noted that network slices can grant access to the same data network. Each network slice can be associated with a different mobile network and is determined by the characteristics of the data flows passing through the network slice, which have common points in terms of, for example, destination, routing and security constraints, which justify common management within the same network slice. Therefore, each of the slices is optimized for the requirements of one type of service and / or one type of client and / or terminal. Figure 1 In the example shown, terminal T1 is connected to network slices SL1 and SL2, terminal T2 is connected to slice SL2, and terminal T3 is connected to slice SL3.

[0010] The terminals of mobile network users currently also support an increasing number of applications provided by various stakeholders in the telecommunications field (network operators, service providers, terminal manufacturers, etc.). Each of these applications may have specific requirements for the routing of data attached to it (in other words, it sends or receives). These data are transmitted, for example, by the terminal via a network slice on which it is registered or associated with a USIM (Universal Subscriber Identity Module) embedded in the terminal. The USIM specifies in a known manner the applications stored in the UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card), also commonly referred to as the SIM card, allowing the terminal to be securely registered on a network, in particular a cellular network.

[0011] Therefore, the recommendation is to select a network slice that is suitable for its requirements in order to transmit the data sent and received by each application. The technical specification 3GPP TS23.501v15.7.0 of September 2019 indicates that the network can provide rules to the terminal, allowing the terminal to select a network slice according to the services it wishes to use. However, this technical specification considers a terminal equipped with a single USIM card that allows the terminal to register on a single network. Therefore, the rules provided to the terminal are implicitly related to the slices of a single network that the terminal can register via its USIM card.

[0012] However, some terminals are configured to accommodate two USIM cards (this is called a "dual SIM" terminal). These two USIM cards may or may not allow the terminal to benefit simultaneously from connectivity provided, for example, by two different network infrastructures managed by different operators, or by the same network infrastructure but according to two different offers (for example a "professional offer" and a "personal offer", each of which can be associated with a specific service provided by the operator of the network infrastructure). Under the current state of the art, the user of a "dual SIM" terminal can manually configure in his / her terminal the USIM card they wish to use, when his / her terminal allows it, according to the type of traffic sent and received by the terminal (voice, data or SMS (Short Message Service) messages). For this reason, all voice type traffic sent or received by the terminal uses the USIM card manually configured by the user for voice type traffic, all data type traffic sent or received by the terminal uses the USIM card manually configured by the user for data type traffic, all SMS type traffic sent or received by the terminal uses the USIM card manually configured by the user for SMS type traffic, and this is the case for various applications installed on the terminal.

[0013] Technical specification 3GPP TS23.501 does not mention how to manage the use of this type of "dual SIM" terminals (or more generally, "multi-SIM" terminals) in combination with network slicing technology. Summary of the invention

[0014] The present invention solves this drawback in particular by proposing a method for configuring a user equipment intended for use by a user assigned a plurality of identifiers, each uniquely identifying said user on at least one communication network, the method being implemented by the user equipment and comprising, for at least one application:

[0015] - a step of obtaining at least one rule associating at least one flow of said application with at least one slice of said at least one communications network for routing data related to said at least one flow and information associating said slice with an identifier from said plurality of identifiers of the user; and

[0016] - The step of configuring the user device with the at least one rule so that the user device executes the at least one rule when accessing the application.

[0017] Accordingly, another object of the present invention is a user equipment intended for use by a user, the user being assigned a plurality of identifiers, each identifier uniquely identifying the user on at least one communication network, the user equipment comprising:

[0018] - an acquisition module configured to acquire at least one rule associating at least one flow of an application with at least one slice of said at least one communications network for routing data related to said at least one flow and information associating said slice with an identifier of said plurality of identifiers from said user; and

[0019] - an execution module configured to execute said at least one rule when the application is accessed.

[0020] An application is understood herein to mean any type of program or software that is intended to be installed on a device for performing a task, or a set of basic tasks that are performed using the operating system and the hardware resources of the device. For example, an application may be a video game, a web browser, a multimedia player, an online business application, a health data transfer, etc. It should be noted that the present invention is equally applicable when the application is installed on the user device or on another device that can be accessed by the user device (e.g., on a remote server, etc.).

[0021] There is no restriction on the nature of the user equipment (or UE) to which the present invention is applied. It can be a terminal such as a smart phone, a laptop, a digital tablet computer, a connection object, or a router, etc. In addition, the various modules of the user equipment can be hosted by different physical entities.

[0022] It should be noted that, in view of the above technical problems, the present invention is described with reference to a "dual SIM" or "multi-SIM" user device; however, it is more generally applicable to any user device intended to be used by a user, the user being assigned a plurality of different identifiers, each of which uniquely identifies the user on at least one communication network. Such identifiers are, for example, identifiers of the IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) type used in particular in 4G networks, or identifiers of the SU-PI (User Permanent Identifier) ​​type used in particular in 5G networks, or even identifiers of the MAC (Media Access Control) address type used for non-3GPP networks of the WLAN (Radio Access Network) type. These identifiers are identifiers that are independent of each other and permanently assigned to the user: in other words, they are unchanged as long as the user benefits from the network subscription. In a specific embodiment, these identifiers may be stored in a plurality of embedded USIM modules and / or network cards in the user device, respectively.

[0023] Therefore, in a particular embodiment, the invention also relates to a user equipment configured to accommodate a plurality of USIM modules and / or network cards, wherein each card and / or each module is associated with a different identifier from a plurality of identifiers allocated to the user.

[0024] The multiple identifiers identify the user and allow them to register via his / her user equipment with multiple different networks (e.g., with different public land mobile networks or PLMNs), or to register with the same network but benefit from different offers or subscriptions, each offer or subscription being associated with a different identifier of the user (e.g., a "professional subscription" and a "personal subscription" are provided by the same network operator based on the same network infrastructure). From the network's point of view, these identifiers are managed as if they were assigned to as many different users as possible.

[0025] The present invention proposes to configure (e.g., automatically) a user device with multiple identifiers, thereby allowing the user device to access one or more networks, wherein one or more rules assign one or more slices of the or these networks to at least one flow of an application. Each rule preferably includes an identifier of the mentioned application. It should be noted that a rule can associate all flows of the same application with the same slice of one or more networks that the user device can access via multiple identifiers assigned to the user. However, if necessary, the present invention also provides additional granularity, allowing the network slices to be used to be distinguished according to the various types of flows that can be sent or received by the same application, or even to distinguish the network slices to be used separately according to each flow that can be sent or received by the same application. For example, various types of flows or various flows may correspond to flows that transmit different types of data (audio, video, text, etc.), corresponding to flows with different destination addresses, different remote IP addresses, different remote ports, etc. For example, consider the criteria for distinguishing flows listed in Table 5.2.1 of the 3GPP TS24.526 specification, version v16.1.0, entitled “User Equipment (UE) policies for 5G System (5GS); Stage 3”, published in September 2019.

[0026] In other words, the rules transmitted to the user equipment for its configuration take into account the fact that the user equipment benefits from multiple connectivity by virtue of multiple identifiers assigned to the user. They are advantageously established by taking into account the characteristics of the network slices associated with the various network(s) with which the user equipment can be registered and the services associated with these network slices given the specific characteristics of the considered application. It should be noted that the rules provided to the user equipment may relate to applications that are not installed on it or will not be executed; in this case, if applicable, they are not taken into account and can be removed from its configuration.

[0027] In an alternative embodiment, the rules retrieved by the user device are related to the applications installed thereon.

[0028] For example, a user device may provide identifiers of its hosted applications to the entity responsible for establishing rules when registering with one or more networks on which the user has an identifier, or at any other time (eg, when installing a new application).

[0029] According to the invention, if the identifiers assigned to the user correspond to various networks, the information explicitly associated with each network slice in each rule advantageously allows to explicitly specify the network to which the slice is attached, or, if the slices are attached to the same network, to explicitly specify the identifier that the user device must use in order to access the network slice.

[0030] In a particular embodiment, for a slice of a communications network, the information includes:

[0031] - said identifier from said plurality of identifiers of a user;

[0032] - an identifier of a module of said terminal containing said identifier; or

[0033] - an identifier of a communication network, wherein said identifier is assigned to said user.

[0034] In other words, the information associated with each network slice associated with an application flow contains a direct reference to a user identifier used to communicate on that network slice, or an indirect reference to that identifier by means of, for example, a module containing that identifier or even the network to which it is attached (if the identifiers assigned to users typically identify these users on various networks). In the example of a multi-SIM user device, this information thus allows specifying the SIM that corresponds to the slice in question and that the user device must use for the application flows associated with that slice.

[0035] As a result of the invention, a multi-SIM user device can therefore receive association rules between applications (or even application flows) and network slices for each of its embedded USIM modules and / or network cards. The invention thus allows to associate a USIM module with a slice of the corresponding network for an application of a user device, or even for various flows of the same application of a user device. Flows of the same application can thus be allocated on various slices of the various networks according to the specific characteristics of each of these flows: this avoids being restricted to a static allocation according to the type of traffic exchanged with the user device (voice, data, SMS). Due to the granularity provided by the invention, the characteristics of the network are better adapted to the specific characteristics of each application installed on the terminal, resulting in a better availability of applications and services provided to the user, and therefore an improved user experience compared to the prior art.

[0036] In a particular embodiment, the rules acquired by the user device are determined by a rule management entity. The rule management entity may be located in an intermediary gateway between the networks to which the user subscribes, or in a single network if the user subscribes to the network via different subscriptions. As an alternative embodiment, it is not necessarily associated with the network and may be an entity independent of the network.

[0037] Therefore, according to another aspect, another object of the present invention is a method for managing rules implemented by a rule management entity, at least one user being assigned a plurality of identifiers, each of which uniquely identifies the user on at least one communication network, the method comprising, for the at least one user:

[0038] - a step of determining at least one rule associating at least one flow of an application with at least one slice of said at least one communications network for routing data related to said at least one flow and information associating said slice with an identifier of said plurality of identifiers from said user; and

[0039] - The step of transmitting said at least one rule to a user equipment of the user.

[0040] Accordingly, another object of the present invention is a rule management entity, comprising:

[0041] a determination module configured to determine at least one rule associating at least one flow of an application with at least one slice of at least one communications network for routing data related to said at least one flow and information associating said slice with an identifier of a plurality of identifiers assigned to said user and uniquely identifying said user on said at least one communications network, respectively; and

[0042] - a transmission module configured to transmit the at least one rule to a user equipment of the user.

[0043] It should be noted that, depending on the context considered, the rules may be transmitted to the user equipment directly or indirectly via one or more entities of the network to which the user equipment subscribes.

[0044] For example, in certain embodiments, the at least one rule is acquired when associating (or recording or attaching) the user equipment with the at least one communication network.

[0045] In this way, the user device automatically and without any delay has the rules to be applied in order to access applications hosted by it or that it may have access to. This occurs in a manner that is imperceptible to the user of the user device.

[0046] As an alternative embodiment, the rules can be manually configured in the user device, for example, by a user of the user device via a user interface provided for this purpose. Such an interface is, for example, a configuration menu available on the user device.

[0047] According to yet another alternative embodiment, the rules may be statically configured in software of the user device.

[0048] As described above, the rules for each application are determined by taking into account the various network slices and, if applicable, the various available networks. It should be noted that preferably, these rules are determined by taking into account the characteristics and subscriptions of each user; however, in a particular embodiment, it is also conceivable that the rules are defined only according to the specific characteristics of the application and that the same rule is sent to all users, who are then responsible for not taking into account rules that are not applicable. They can also take into account other parameters, such as hardware and / or software characteristics of the user's device.

[0049] Various configurations can be envisioned for each rule.

[0050] Thus, for example, the same rule may associate multiple different network slices with one or more flows of an application. The multiple network slices may correspond to the same network or different communication networks.

[0051] In this embodiment, an application may simultaneously access various network slices identified by the rules, for example, in order to distribute the load among the various network slices.

[0052] As an alternative embodiment, a usage priority may be assigned to each of the plurality of different slices.

[0053] If these slices are attached to different networks, this allows the user device to determine which network it must use first (e.g., which USIM module or network card), allowing a fallback solution if that network is not accessible (e.g., because no USIM module or corresponding network card is activated inside the user device).

[0054] For example, in certain embodiments, the usage priorities assigned to the various network slices included in the rules may be assigned by the rule management entity in order to distribute the load on the various network slices. As an alternative embodiment, other criteria for establishing priorities between network slices may be envisioned. These criteria may be particularly relevant to the user, for example, based on the user's subscription to one or more related networks, or based on the network coverage that the user has, etc.

[0055] The rules may also include instructions for using the network slices included in the rules, such as in a rule including multiple different network slices, instructions for distributing the load among these different network slices, or instructions for nominally using a specific slice and another specific slice as a backup, etc.

[0056] Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the administrative entity may associate with each rule an execution priority for the rule.

[0057] This priority allows the user device to select the rule to be applied first in the event of a conflict between two rules determined for two different applications to be executed simultaneously (e.g., the user device can only transmit traffic over the network at a given time, and the two ongoing applications are associated with network slices belonging to different networks). As an alternative embodiment, the priority can be provided by way of an indication, and the user device can decide to take other actions in the event of a conflict.

[0058] In certain embodiments of the present invention, the configuration method and / or the rule management method is implemented by a computer.

[0059] Another object of the invention is a computer program on a recorded medium, capable of being implemented in a computer according to the invention or more generally in a user equipment and comprising instructions suitable for implementing the configuration method as described above.

[0060] Another object of the invention is a computer program on a recorded medium, which program can be implemented in a computer according to the invention or more generally in a rules management entity and comprises instructions suitable for implementing the rules management method as described above.

[0061] Each program may use any programming language, and may be in the form of source code, object code, or an intermediate code between source code and object code, such as in a partially compiled form, or in any other desirable form.

[0062] Another object of the present invention is an information medium or a computer-readable recording medium and comprising instructions of the above-mentioned computer program.

[0063] The information or recording medium may be any entity or device capable of storing a program. For example, the medium may include a storage device such as a ROM (e.g., a CD-ROM or a microelectronic circuit ROM), or even a magnetic recording device (e.g., a hard disk or a flash memory).

[0064] Furthermore, the information or recorded medium may be a transmissible medium such as an electrical or optical signal, which may be routed via an electrical or optical cable, by a radio link, by a wireless optical link, or by other means.

[0065] The program according to the invention can in particular be downloaded over a network of Internet type.

[0066] Alternatively, the information or recording medium may be an integrated circuit incorporating a program, the circuit being adapted to execute or used to execute the configuration method according to the present invention or the rule management method according to the present invention.

[0067] According to another aspect, the object of the invention is a system comprising:

[0068] - at least one user equipment according to the invention intended for use by a user assigned a plurality of identifiers uniquely identifying said user on at least one communication network;

[0069] - An entity managing the rules according to the invention.

[0070] In a specific embodiment:

[0071] - the at least one communication network comprises a plurality of communication networks;

[0072] - the transmission module of the management entity is configured to transmit the at least one rule to an entity in each communication network that manages the user; and

[0073] - Each entity managing said users of each communication network is configured to transmit (directly or indirectly) said at least one rule to said user equipment when associating said user equipment with that communication network.

[0074] In another embodiment, the plurality of identifiers are assigned to the user by a single communication network, and the rule management entity is an entity of the single communication network.

[0075] In yet another embodiment, the rule management entity is an entity independent of the at least one network.

[0076] The system benefits from the same advantages as the rule configuration and management method (as well as the user equipment and rule management entity) according to the present invention cited above.

[0077] It is also conceivable that, in other embodiments, the configuration method, rule management method, user equipment, rule management entity and system according to the present invention have a combination of all or part of the above features. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0078] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate non-limiting embodiments. In the drawings:

[0079] [ Figure 1 ] Figure 1 As described above, it represents the network infrastructure implementing the slicing technology in the prior art;

[0080] [ Figure 2 ] Figure 2 A first embodiment of a system according to the invention is shown;

[0081] [ Figure 3 ] Figure 3 In a specific embodiment, Figure 2 An example of a hardware architecture of a rule management entity of a system according to the present invention;

[0082] [ Figure 4 ] Figure 4 In a specific embodiment, Figure 2 An example of the hardware and functional architecture of a user device according to the present invention of the system;

[0083] [ Figure 5 ] Figure 5 In the first embodiment, the Figure 2 The main steps of the rule management method implemented by the rule management entity of the system; and

[0084] [ Figure 6 ] Figure 6 In the first embodiment, the Figure 2 The main steps of the configuration method implemented by the user equipment of the system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0085] As described above, the present invention falls within the context of a communication network using network slicing technology.

[0086] In this case, the present invention proposes a mechanism for configuring a user device with rules, wherein each rule associates one or more flows of a given application with one or more network slices, wherein these network slices are optionally attached to different networks (e.g., PLMNs). To this end, for example, a user device is provided with multiple USIM modules and / or network cards, allowing the user device to be associated with the various networks, or associated with a single network via various subscriptions.

[0087] It should be noted that the present invention is applicable to any type of real-time or non-real-time application (audio, video, text transmission, multimedia player, etc.), which can be installed locally on the user equipment or downloaded from an application server that is public or managed by a service provider, or even by the operator of one of the networks, etc.

[0088] Figure 2 A first embodiment of a system 1 according to the invention configured for implementing such a mechanism is shown.

[0089] In this first embodiment, it is assumed that the user U has a user device UE2 according to the present invention that is configured to accommodate multiple UICC cards (for example, K UICC cards, K represents an integer greater than or equal to 2), and each UICC card stores a USIM module. Each USIMk module (where k represents an integer between 1 and K) includes an application that allows the user U to register and securely access different communication networks NWk to which the user has subscribed. To this end, each USIMk module stores an identifier IDk(U) assigned to the user U by the operator of the network NWk. This identifier uniquely, permanently and unchangeably identifies the user on the network NWk (i.e., throughout the period that the user subscribes to the network). It should be noted that the user U can also specify a single user or a group of users, such as a community.

[0090] exist Figure 2 In the example of , the communication networks NW1, ..., NWK are 3GPP 5GS (5G system) networks, and the identifier IDk (U) is a SUPI type identifier. However, there is no restriction on the nature of the communication networks NW1, NW2, ..., NWK and the nature of the access network to which they are granted access. The communication network may in particular relate to any cellular mobile network defined by the 3GPP standards (2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, etc.), or other types of networks, such as fixed networks, non-3GPP networks, such as WLAN (wireless local area network) networks (e.g., Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) networks), etc. The identifier IDk (U) depends on the nature of the network under consideration. Therefore, for example, as an alternative embodiment, the identifier may relate to an IMSI type identifier for 2G, 3G, 4G networks, a MAC address for a WLAN network, etc.

[0091] It is assumed that each network NWk implements slicing technology for its subscribers, as mentioned in the aforementioned 3GPP TS23.501 specification. SL1(k), ..., SLNk(k) represent the available slices of the network NWk, where Nk represents an integer greater than or equal to 1, corresponding to the number of slices proposed by the network NWk, and Nk can vary from one network NWk to the next and can evolve over time. This slicing technology itself is known and will not be described in further detail here. In a known manner, each network slice is uniquely identified on the network to which the network slice belongs using the S-NSSAI ("Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information") identifier defined in the specifications TS23.501 and TS23.003 of version v16.0.0, entitled "Technical Specification Group Core Network and Terminals; Number, Addressing and Identification" published by the 3GPP standard in September 2019.

[0092] In a first embodiment described herein, the rules (generally denoted RUL) for configuring the user equipment UE2 are determined by a rule management entity 3 according to the invention, which is associated with the various networks NW1, ..., NWK and is hosted in an intermediary gateway 4 interfaced with the various networks. More specifically, in this case, in the case of a 5G network, the intermediary gateway 4 interfaces with the PCF (Policy Control Function) management entity (respectively denoted PCF1, ..., PCFK) of the flow policy of each network NW1, ..., NWK. In a manner known per se, the PCF entity allows controlling the policy in the 5GS network, in particular on the AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) entity (respectively denoted AMF1, ..., AMFK) of the networks NW1, ..., NWK, responsible for recording / attaching (or more generally associating) the user equipment to the networks NW1, ..., NWK and locating them.

[0093] It should be noted that Figure 2In the envisaged example, for simplicity, the rule management entity 3 is associated with K networks NW1, ..., NWK corresponding to the K USIM modules of the user equipment UE2, that is, the rule management entity defines the rule RUL for users who have subscribed using these networks, and for this purpose can see the characteristics of the network slices corresponding to the various networks. However, this assumption itself is not restrictive. In addition to the networks NW1, ..., NWK, the rule management entity 3 can be associated with other networks. The rule management entity can also be an entity independent of the networks NW1, ..., NWK (for example, it can use the connectivity of one of the networks to communicate with the user equipment UE2 and discover the slices provided by each network from the information it sends to the user equipment UE2).

[0094] In the embodiment described herein, the intermediary gateway 4 has the hardware architecture of a computer, such as Figure 3 Schematically shown, the rule management entity 3 is based on this architecture. The mediating gateway comprises in particular a processor 5, a random access memory 6, a read-only memory 7, a non-volatile flash memory 8, and communication means 9 comprising one or more communication interfaces allowing it to communicate in particular with the PCF entities of the networks NW1, ..., NWK.

[0095] In the embodiment described herein, the read-only memory 7 of the intermediary gateway 4 is a recording medium according to the present invention, which can be read by the processor 5 and on which the computer program PROG4 according to the present invention is recorded, and the program includes instructions defining the main steps of the rule management method according to the present invention. The program PROG4 also defines the functional modules of the rule management entity 3 (and the corresponding intermediary gateway 4), which are based on or control the above-mentioned hardware elements 5 to 9. These functional modules specifically include (see Figure 2 ):

[0096] - a determination module 3A, configured to determine for at least one user equipment at least one rule RUL as described in further detail below, the at least one rule associating one or more slices of one or more networks with one or more flows of at least one application; and

[0097] - A transmission module 3B configured to transmit the at least one regular RUL to (multiple) relevant user equipments. It should be noted that such transmission may occur directly or indirectly via one or more intermediate nodes. Therefore, in the first embodiment described herein, the regular RUL is sent to the relevant user equipments by means of the PCF and AMF entities of the network associated with the relevant user equipments, as described in further detail below.

[0098] exist Figure 2In the envisaged example, the user equipment UE2 is a terminal, such as a smartphone, a computer, or even a digital tablet.

[0099] Figure 4 The example of the functions and hardware architecture of the user equipment UE2 is schematically shown. Figure 4 In the example, the user equipment UE2 is a dual SIM device, ie, configured to accommodate two different USIM modules (ie, module USIM1 and module USIM2), so as to allow the user equipment to be associated with two networks NW1 and NW2 respectively.

[0100] Traditionally, the user equipment UE2 also includes a TE (terminal equipment) module and two ME (mobile equipment) modules. Each ME module itself includes a TA (terminal adapter) module, an NT (network terminal) module and an RT (radio terminal) module. As shown in the figure, the various modules communicate together via various interfaces (Cu, R, Tu, Uu). Such modules and interfaces are known per se and are described in particular in the specification document 3GPP TS 21.905, version v15.1.0, entitled "Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Vocabulary for 3GPP Specifications", published in December 2018, and in Chapter 9 of the book entitled "Introduction to Mobile Network Engineering: GSM, 3G-WCDMA, LTE and the Road to 5G", John Wiley and Sons, published in 2018 by A. Kukushkin (see Figure 9.3 on page 123). The interface Tu connects a specific part in the user equipment to the access network and the network core; this interface is usually dedicated.

[0101] The TE module of the user equipment UE2 differs from a conventional TE module in that, in this case, it integrates various modules configured to implement the configuration method according to the present invention and more specifically in the first embodiment described herein:

[0102] - an access module 2A configured to access a plurality of applications Appj (j=1, ..., J) installed on the user equipment UE2 (e.g., in the non-volatile memory 10 of the user equipment UE2) via an application interface provided therefor, where J represents an integer greater than or equal to 1. Figure 4 In the example shown, three applications App1, App2 and App3 are installed on the user equipment UE2;

[0103] - an acquisition module 2B configured to acquire at least one rule RUL determined by the rule management entity 3 for an application installed on the user equipment UE2; and

[0104] - an execution module 2C configured to execute said at least one rule when accessing an application installed on the user equipment UE2.

[0105] In the first embodiment described herein, the modules 2A, 2B and 2C are, for example, software modules defined by means of instructions of a computer program PROG2 comprising instructions corresponding to the main steps of the configuration method according to the invention.

[0106] It should be noted that the applications Appj (j=1, ..., J) are not necessarily applications that exist locally on the user equipment UE2; these applications or at least some of them may have been downloaded to the user equipment UE2 from a public or private application server. In addition, the applications and the number of applications that exist on the user equipment UE2 may evolve over time (applications may be deleted and other applications may be added, so that the rules RUL configured about the user equipment UE2 may also evolve over time). It is assumed in this article that each application, whether it is installed on the user equipment UE2 or not and is generally represented as App (e.g., in Figure 4 App in the envisioned example (App1, App2 or App3) is identified by an application identifier denoted as IDApp. There is no associated limitation on the form of the identifier, as long as the management entity 3 and the user equipment UE2 can understand and know it.

[0107] As an alternative embodiment, all or part of the application programs APPj (j=1, . . . , J) may be installed on a physical entity separate from the user equipment UE2, for example, on a server accessible to the user equipment.

[0108] In addition, there is no associated restriction on the nature of the user equipment UE2. In fact, the present invention is also applicable to user equipment types other than terminals, in particular to routers, or to user equipment with TE and ME modules that can be distributed on multiple different physical entities (e.g., partially distributed on terminals, partially distributed on enterprise-level routers, etc.).

[0109] Now refer to Figure 5The various steps of the rule management method according to the present invention are described because these steps are implemented by the rule management entity 3 in the first embodiment.

[0110] In this first embodiment, the rule management entity 3 associated with the networks NW1, ..., NWK determines, via its determination module 3A, rules RUL for a plurality of applications App during a phase called provisioning phase (step E10). In this case, the plurality of applications includes in particular all or part of the applications Appj (j=1, ..., J) installed on the user equipment UE2 of the user U.

[0111] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described herein, the rule management entity 3 determines the rules RUL individually for each user for which it is responsible for defining rules (in other words, in this case, for each user that has subscribed to the network NW1, ..., NWK associated with the rule management entity 3). To this end, the rule management entity 3 takes into account the characteristics of the subscriptions made by the users to the operators of the networks NW1, ..., NWK. To this end, it is assumed that the rule management entity 3 is, for example, configured with information related to the subscriptions made by each user for which rules need to be defined. In particular, in this case, the rule management entity 3 is configured with a list of networks (e.g., PLMNs) that these users access via their respective user equipment, the rights granted by their subscriptions, the associated quality of service attributes, the hardware and software characteristics of the user equipment of the users, etc. Of course, this list is neither exhaustive nor limiting to the present invention. These are merely illustrative examples of information that the rule management entity 3 can be configured with and can use to define the rules RUL. Furthermore, it should be noted that this information may evolve over time and is therefore dynamically updated on the rule management entity 3 (e.g., continuously, or at (pre-)determined time intervals, or even when changes are detected, etc.).

[0112] As an alternative embodiment, the rule management entity 3 may access this information by directly querying the operators of the networks to which the user has subscribed or by accessing databases populated and updated by these operators, so that the information reflects the current status of the user's subscriptions through these operators.

[0113] According to yet another alternative embodiment, an application installed in a user equipment of a user managed by the rule management entity 3 may be configured to register with the rule management entity 3 and provide the information thereto.

[0114] It should be noted that in another embodiment, the rule management entity 3 may no longer determine the rule RUL for each user individually, but may combine all users and determine the rule for each application.

[0115] In the first embodiment described herein, the rule management entity 3 determines for each user a set of rules RUL for which a plurality of applications are predefined. Throughout the remainder of the specification, reference is made to the rules established for user U for ease of understanding, however the considerations presented are equally applicable to all users managed by the rule management entity 3.

[0116] It may in particular concern applications for which an agreement has been established between the supplier of the application and the operator of the network NW1 , . . . , NWK associated with the rule management entity 3 , or applications to which the user U concerned has subscribed.

[0117] As an alternative embodiment, multiple applications can be established according to the services subscribed by the user U on the networks NW1, ..., NWK associated with the rule management entity 3. It can also take into account the applications installed on the user equipment UE2 of the user U. Figure 3 In the envisaged example, the rule management entity 3 may determine rules for three applications App1, App2 and App3 installed on the user equipment UE2. To this end, it may be envisaged that the user equipment UE2 notifies the rule management entity 3 of the applications it hosts via a network associated with it through one of its USIM modules. Alternatively, such a network may detect (by analyzing traffic related to the user equipment UE2) that an application is installed on the user equipment UE2 and notify the rule management entity 3.

[0118] As described above, each rule determined by the rule management entity 3 via its determination module 3A associates at least one flow of a given application App with at least one slice of the communication network from the networks NW1, ..., NWK to which the user U has subscribed for routing data related to the flow. Depending on the desired granularity, different rules can be determined for each different flow of the application, a part of the flow (e.g., by flow type), or all flows of the application. For example, according to the nature (i.e., type) of these flows (e.g., audio, video, text), allocating flows from the same application to different network slices can allow better adaptation to the transmission conditions of these flows. This can also allow the load to be distributed across the various available network slices.

[0119] There is no restriction on the criteria used to associate a network slice with the flows of each application considered by the rule management entity 3. Advantageously, the rule management entity 3 is able to see all network slices proposed by a set of networks NW1, ..., NWK, so that it can associate application flows belonging to network slices of the various networks.

[0120] This association may be performed dynamically based on knowledge of the state of the available network slices corresponding to the various networks NW1, ..., NWK. It may also be based on a query to a database within the rule management entity 3 or a database accessible on an external server to associate an application identifier and / or one or more flow identifiers of said application with a network slice suitable for routing data related to these flows. Such a database may be established together with the operators of the networks NW1, ..., NWK corresponding to the available network slices.

[0121] More specifically, according to the present invention, each rule determined for one or more flows of an application of user U associates the flow or flows with at least one network slice SLi(k) (i may be equal to 1, ..., Nk) and information (explicitly) linking the network slice with an identifier IDk(U) that uniquely identifies user U on the network NWk (k may be equal to 1, ..., K) to which the network slice belongs.

[0122] In a first embodiment, each identifier IDk(U) identifies a user U on a different network NWk, this information may consist of an identifier of the network NWk, usually also denoted PLMNId and corresponding to the MCC (Mobile Country Code) and MNC (Mobile Network Code) codes of the network NWk. In fact, in a first embodiment, the network identifier explicitly specifies the identifier IDk(U) and therefore the USIMk module that the user U must use in order to access the network slice.

[0123] As an alternative embodiment, the information may be the identifier IDk(U) itself, or an identifier of a module (e.g., a USIM module or a network card) of the user equipment UE2 of the user U that contains the identifier IDk(U), such as an ICCid (serial number of a UICC card) or an eID identifier.

[0124] As described above, the rule management entity 3 may associate each flow or a group of flows of an application with one or more different network slices selected by the rule management entity 3 from the network slices provided by the networks NW1, ..., NWK. Each flow and each application affected by the rule is identified in the rule by an identifier, allowing them to be unambiguously identified from the network and from the user equipment UE2. When multiple network slices are associated with the same flow or the same group of flows, these network slices may belong to the same network or to different networks. In addition, they may be associated with usage priorities assigned by the rule management entity 3, or the rule may include one or more instructions for using the multiple network slices, such as instructions for distributing the load on various network slices.

[0125] The rule management entity 3 may take into account different criteria in order to assign usage priorities to each network slice. The priorities set by the rule management entity 3 may take into account, for example, subscription characteristics of the user U, and / or specific hardware and / or software characteristics of the user equipment UE2 of the user U, or may be intended to distribute the load on various network slices, etc.

[0126] By way of illustration, examples of rules are provided in Table 1 below.

[0127] [Table 1]

[0128]

[0129] In this table:

[0130] - the "IDFlow" field indicates the identifier of one or more flows affected by the rule; it should be noted that the flows affected by the rule can be specified by their characteristics (e.g., a flow can be specified by its destination address, the port it uses, etc.), without having to use an identifier;

[0131] - the "Context" field indicates the connectivity context of the user equipment to which the rule applies (depending on whether the user equipment is in a configuration benefiting from sole connectivity (i.e. via a single USIM module) or in a configuration benefiting from simultaneous multiple connectivity); it should be noted that this context may be conveyed in the rule or may be a prerequisite for the user equipment; and

[0132] - The "S-NSSAI / PLMNId" field indicates the slices associated with the flow, where each slice is identified by an S-NSSAI identifier and is associated with information of an identifier that allows the slice to connect to the user U, which uniquely identifies the slice on the network to which the slice belongs. In Table 1, this information is the identifier (PLMNId) of the associated network NWk. Each slice can also be associated with a usage priority and / or, when multiple slices are specified, rules for using these slices can be added to the rules.

[0133] Furthermore, when determining rules for multiple applications, the management entity 3 may include in each rule a usage priority for the rule in order to prioritize the access of the application to slices of the networks NW1, ..., NWK to a certain extent. These usage priorities are intended to allow management of any conflicts between rules that may arise on the user equipment UE2 during simultaneous access to multiple applications. Such conflicts may occur, for example, when multiple applications are executed simultaneously and each rule associated with each application returns to the use of a different network while the user equipment UE2 can only access a single network at a given moment (the user equipment UE2 is then referred to as a "single active" user equipment). It should be noted that these usage priorities may have restrictive values ​​for the user equipment UE2 (which then have to be applied to manage conflicts between applications) or, on the contrary, may have indicative values ​​that the user equipment UE2 is free to disregard.

[0134] Thus, according to rule RUL1, when the user equipment UE2 benefits from simple connectivity via one of its USIM modules (i.e. it can only use one of these modules at a given time, for example because it is configured in "single active" mode), the flows with identifier Flow1 of the application App1 are associated as a priority (corresponding to "PRIO1") with the slice of the network NW1 (PLMNId=PLMN1) with the identifier S-NSSAI1, and then with the slice of the network PLMN2 with the identifier S-NSSAI1 according to a lower priority (corresponding to "PRIO2"). In other words, according to this rule RUL1, the user equipment UE2 must preferentially use the network slice S-NSSAI1 of the network NW1 (corresponding to the identifier PLMN1) for the flows corresponding to the identifier Flow1 of the application App1. If this user equipment does not have connectivity on the network NW1 (for example because its module USIM1 is deactivated), it can use the network slice S-NSSAI1 of the network NW2 for these flows.

[0135] According to rule RUL2, when the user equipment UE2 benefits from multi-connectivity via its two USIM modules (i.e. it can use its modules USIM1 and USIM2 simultaneously), the flow with identifier Flow1 of the application App1 can also be sent equally on a slice of the network NW1 (PLMNId=PLMN1) with identifier S-NSSAI1, or on a slice of the network PLMN2 with identifier S-NSSAI1.

[0136] According to rule RUL3, when the user equipment UE2 benefits from multiple connectivity via its two USIM modules (i.e. it can use its modules USIM1 and USIM2 simultaneously), the flow with identifier Flow1 of the application App1 is distributed over the slice of the network NW1 (PLM-NId=PLMN1) with identifier S-NSSAI1 and over the slice of the network PLMN2 with identifier S-NSSAI1 in order to balance the load between the two network slices. To this end, the user equipment UE2 may have been preconfigured to manage the load distribution of one or more data applications.

[0137] It should be noted that, as an alternative embodiment, upon receiving a rule associating one or more flows of an application with several different network slices, the user equipment UE2 may poll the rule management entity 3 about the possibility of distributing the load among these multiple network slices, and may implement such load distribution upon receiving a positive response from the rule management entity 3, without additional instructions provided by the rule management entity 3 for using the multiple network slices.

[0138] Of course, these examples are provided by way of illustration only, and other examples of rules are contemplated.

[0139] Once the rules management entity 3 determines the rules RUL for each user and each application, these rules are transmitted by the application to the relevant user via its transmission module 3B (step E20). In the first embodiment described herein, this transmission is carried out indirectly via the networks NW1, ..., NWK to which the user has subscribed, more specifically via the PCF and AMF entities of these networks.

[0140] More specifically, in the first embodiment described herein, in the provisioning phase, the rule management entity 3 sends the rules RUL of the users who have subscribed to each network NWk (k=1, ..., K) to each entity PCFk (k=1, ..., K) of the network. In the example of a user U who has subscribed to the networks NW1, ..., NWK, the rule management entity 3 therefore sends the rules RUL (U) determined for the user U to the entities PCF1, PCF2, ..., PCFK of the networks NW1, NW2, ..., NWK. This transmission ends the provisioning phase.

[0141] It should be noted that in order to guarantee the integrity and up-to-dateness of the rules RUL(U) reaching the user equipment U via the networks NW1, ..., NWK, the rule management entity 3 may sign these rules and / or associate these rules with a timestamp (in a manner known per se and not described here).

[0142] Now refer to Figure 6The various steps of the configuration method according to the present invention are described because these steps are implemented by the user equipment UE2 of the user U (more specifically, by its TE module) in the first embodiment.

[0143] In this first embodiment, when the user equipment UE2 is associated with various networks NW1, ..., NWK, the rules RUL(U) determined for the user U by the rule management entity 3 are transmitted to the user equipment.

[0144] More specifically, when a USIMk module (where k is selected from 1, ..., K) is activated on the user equipment UE2 to access the network NWk (manually by the user U or automatically, for example when the user equipment UE2 is powered on) (step F10), the user equipment UE2 is associated by means of its module USIMk with the corresponding network NWk that uniquely identifies the user U on the network NWk by means of the identifier IDk(U) (step F20). Depending on the network concerned, this association may involve registering (or attaching) the user equipment UE2 to the network NWk, more specifically, in this case, to the entity AMFk of the network NWk, and in particular includes an authentication of the user equipment by means of the identifier IDk(U). Such a procedure is known per se and is not further described here.

[0145] This association triggers the user equipment UE2 to obtain the rules RUL(U) for multiple applications App determined by the rule management entity 3 for the user U (step F30). More specifically, the entity AMFk associated with the user equipment UE2 requires the PCFk entity to obtain the rules RUL(U) determined by the rule management entity 3. After receiving these rules RUL(U), the entity AMFk transmits these rules to the user equipment UE2, more specifically, to the module 2B of the TE module of the user equipment UE2, for example, using the URSP (UE Routing Policy) rules defined by the 3GPP standard and described in particular in the above-mentioned 3GPP TS24.526 document.

[0146] The rules RUL(U) thus obtained are transmitted to the execution module 2C of the user equipment UE2 for interpretation and application. The user equipment stores these rules, for example, in a non-volatile memory of the user equipment UE2 (step F40). For this reason, the TE module is configured to, when the user equipment UE2 accesses one of its hosted applications (in Figure 3 In the example, when any one of the applications App1, App2 and App3) (or as an alternative embodiment, the application is on a remote server), the rule RUL(U) is executed via its execution module 2C.

[0147] This operation is repeated for each network NWk with which the user equipment UE2 is associated using the unique identifier IDk(U) assigned to it by each network NWk. It should be noted that for this reason the user equipment UE2 may receive the rule RUL(U) multiple times. In an alternative embodiment, if applicable, the rule management entity 3 may send priority rules to the user equipment UE2 to apply between the rules received from the various networks NWk, in particular if these rules differ from each other.

[0148] When the TE module of the user equipment UE2 detects access to the application Appj ("yes" response in the test step F50), the execution module 2C identifies whether at least one of the rules RUL(U) is related to the application Appj, and if applicable, when the application Appj is accessed, executes one or more identified rules for routing the flow related to the application, denoted as RUL(U) / Appj (step F60). In other words, the execution module sends and receives the flow of the application according to the instructions indicated in the rule and the priorities assigned to the respective network slices (if applicable) through one or more network slices associated with the flow indicated in the rule RUL(U) / Appj.

[0149] It should be noted that in the case where multiple applications are executed simultaneously and rules conflict, as described above, the user equipment UE2 can select a rule to be executed according to the usage priority provided in each rule by the rule management entity 3 .

[0150] Furthermore, it should be noted that if a new application is installed on the user equipment UE2 and the user equipment has no rules for this application, the rule management entity 3 may be requested to provide such rules while indicating for example the identifier of the newly installed application.

[0151] Thus, by virtue of the present invention, the user equipment UE2 can benefit from the combined advantages of "network slicing", multi-connectivity and differentiated treatment of applications depending on and including differentiated flows related to each application. This results in a significantly improved user experience compared to the prior art, and in a way that is imperceptible to the user, the configuration of his / her user equipment UE2 can be performed automatically without the need for user intervention. However, in a specific embodiment, it should be noted that manual configuration of the user equipment UE2 by the user U in order to use the rule RUL(U) can be envisaged. For example, the user can select from the proposed rules, or delete rules that are not relevant to the applications installed on his / her user equipment UE2, etc.

[0152] In just reference Figures 2 to 6In the described first embodiment, the identifier IDk(U) stored in the module USIMk (k=1, ..., K) embedded in the user equipment UE2 identifies the user U on different networks NW1, ..., NWK (for example, networks managed by different operators). However, the present invention is not limited to this context. In a second embodiment, the present invention can also be applied when the identifier IDk(U) stored in the module USIMk (k=1, ..., K) embedded in the user equipment UE2 identifies the user U on the same network (for example, NW1=NW2=...=NWK corresponds to the same network infrastructure managed by the same operator and associated with the same operator code MCC-MNC), but corresponds to different subscriptions (or subscription offers). Figure 4 In the example shown, for example, module USIM1 corresponds to a personal subscription made by user U with an operator of network NW1 (and corresponds to identifier ID1(U)), and module USIM2 corresponds to a professional subscription made by user U with an operator of the same network NW1 (and corresponds to identifier ID2(U)). Identifiers ID1(U) and ID2(U) are, for example, IMSI or SUPI identifiers, uniquely identifying user U on network NW1 in the context of his / her two subscriptions, respectively. Thus, when user equipment UE2 accesses network NW1 via the personal subscription of user U, it associates with network NW1 using module USIM1 and stores the corresponding identifier ID1(U) in module USIM1. When user equipment UE2 accesses network NW1 via the professional subscription of user U, it associates with network NW1 using module USIM2 and stores the corresponding identifier ID2(U) in module USIM2.

[0153] In this second embodiment, the network slices considered by the rule management entity 3 during the step E10 of determining the rules therefore belong to the same network NW1. However, they may correspond to different subscriptions of the user U and therefore to different qualities of service, access to different services, etc. In other words, the user may have access to various network slices depending on the subscription and, more specifically, the USIM module used by the user to access the network NW1. The information linking each slice identified in the rule to the identifier IDk(U) of the user U cannot then be limited to the identifier of the network NW1, since this is the same for each identifier IDk(U) of the user U. In the second embodiment, therefore, this information preferably consists of the identifier IDk(U) itself corresponding to the network considered, or of the identifier of the USIM module containing the identifier IDk(U), therefore used to access the network considered.

[0154] Furthermore, it should be noted that in the second embodiment, the rule management entity 3 can be integrated into an entity of the network NW1. In this case, the rules RUL(U) can be transmitted directly to the user equipment UE2 by the rule management entity 3 when it is associated with the network NW1 (regardless of the USIM module used), or, as in the first embodiment previously described, with the help of one or more PCF and AMF modules of the network NW1 (depending on the architecture envisaged, the same PCF and the same AMF can be considered for both subscriptions, or a dedicated PCF and AMF for each subscription).

[0155] The other steps and operation modes described with reference to the first embodiment are applicable to the second embodiment.

[0156] A third embodiment can also be envisaged, corresponding to a combination of the two first embodiments already described, in which the user equipment UE2 is configured to accommodate USIM modules allowing it to associate with different networks as well as USIM modules allowing it to associate with the same network. Preferably, in this third embodiment, the rule management entity 3 is an entity outside the network under consideration, and the information associating each network slice with the identifier IDk(U) of the user U is, as in the second embodiment, either the identifier IDk(U) itself or the identifier of the module containing the identifier IDk(U).

[0157] In the above three embodiments, the rules RUL(U) are provided to the user equipment UE2 when it is associated with one or more networks to which it has subscribed. As an alternative embodiment, it is conceivable to provide these rules RUL(U) at other times, for example, upon request from the user equipment UE2 (after installing a new application, for example, which does not have rules), etc.

[0158] Furthermore, in these three embodiments, it has been envisaged that the user equipment UE2 is automatically configured using rules provided by the rule management entity 3 in a manner that is not noticeable to the user U. In a fourth embodiment, it is envisaged that the configuration is implemented by the user U via a user interface of the user equipment UE2, such as a configuration menu available on the multi-SIM user equipment UE2. To this end, the user equipment UE2 has identifiers of the network slices (for each network NWk with a unique identifier IDk(U)) to which it has access. The user U can then define rules RUL(U) via the above-mentioned user interface to use these different slices for all or part of the flows of each application installed on their user equipment, and in this way the user equipment can be configured to use these rules when accessing the applications.

[0159] As an alternative embodiment, the user equipment may be configured in a "hard" way in the user equipment software according to rules RUL(U), eg provided by an external entity like the rule management entity 3 or by the user U.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a user equipment (UE2) intended for use by a user (U), the user being assigned a plurality of identifiers (ID1(U), ID2(U), ..., IDK(U)), each identifier uniquely identifying the user on at least one communication network (NW1, ..., NWK), the method being implemented by the user equipment and comprising, for at least one application (Appj): - a step of obtaining (F30) at least one rule associating at least one flow of said application with at least one slice of said at least one communications network for routing data related to said at least one flow and information associating said slice with an identifier of said plurality of identifiers from said user; - A step (F40) of configuring the user equipment with said at least one rule (RUL(U) / Appj) so that the user equipment executes (F60) said at least one rule when accessing (F50) said application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: The at least one rule is acquired when associating (F20) the user equipment with the at least one communication network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein: The at least one rule includes a plurality of different slices.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein: In the at least one rule, a usage priority is assigned to each of the plurality of different slices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein: The steps of acquiring and configuring the user equipment are performed by means of a user interface available on the user equipment.

6. A method for managing rules implemented by a rule management device (3), wherein at least one user (U) is assigned a plurality of identifiers (ID1(U), ID2(U), ..., IDK(U)), the plurality of identifiers uniquely identifying the user on at least one communication network (NW1, ..., NWK), the method comprising: for the at least one user: - a step (E10) of determining at least one rule associating at least one flow of an application with at least one slice of said at least one communications network for routing data related to said at least one flow and information associating said slice with an identifier of said plurality of identifiers from said user; and - A step (E20) of transmitting said at least one rule to a user equipment of said user.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6 further includes a step of assigning a usage priority to each slice when at least one determined rule includes multiple slices of the at least one communication network.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein: At least one determined rule comprising a plurality of slices of the at least one communication network comprises instructions for distributing a load across the plurality of slices.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein: The rules associated with the various application flows include a priority for use of the rules.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: For a slice of a communication network, the information includes: - said identifier from said plurality of identifiers of the user; - an identifier of a module of said user equipment comprising said identifier; or - An identifier is an identifier of the communication network assigned to the user.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: The at least one rule includes an identifier of the application.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: The application is an application installed on the user device.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: At least two of the identifiers assigned to the user identify the user on two different communication networks.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: At least two of the identifiers assigned to the user identify the user on the same communication network.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: At least one rule associates multiple slices corresponding to different communication networks with at least one flow of an application.

16. A user equipment (UE2) intended for use by a user, the user being assigned a plurality of identifiers, each identifier uniquely identifying the user on at least one communication network, the user equipment comprising: - an acquisition module (2B) configured to acquire at least one rule associating at least one flow of an application with at least one slice of said at least one communications network for routing data related to said at least one flow and information associating said slice with an identifier of said plurality of identifiers from said user; - an execution module (2C) configured to execute said at least one rule when accessing said application.

17. A user equipment (UE2) as claimed in claim 16, which is configured to accommodate multiple global user identity modules USIM and / or network cards, each card and / or each module (USIM1, ..., USIMK) being associated with a different identifier (ID1(U), ..., IDK(U)) from the multiple identifiers.

18. A rule management device (3), comprising: - a determination module (3A) configured to determine, for at least one user, at least one rule associating at least one flow of an application with at least one slice of at least one communication network, the at least one user being assigned a plurality of identifiers (ID1(U), ID2(U), ..., IDK(U)), the plurality of identifiers respectively uniquely identifying the user on the at least one communication network (NW1, ..., NWK), the at least one slice being used for routing data related to the at least one flow and information associating the slice with an identifier from the plurality of identifiers assigned to the user; as well as - a transmission module (3B) configured to transmit said at least one rule to a user equipment of said user.

19. A system (1) for a communication network, comprising: - at least one user equipment (UE2) as claimed in claim 16 or 17, intended for use by a user, the user being assigned a plurality of identifiers which uniquely identify said user on at least one communication network; - A rules management device (3) as claimed in claim 18.

20. The system (1) of claim 19, wherein: - the at least one communication network comprises a plurality of communication networks (NW1, ..., NWK); - the transmission module of the rule management device is configured to transmit the at least one rule to the entity (PCF1, ..., PCFK) managing the user in each communication network; as well as - Each entity (PCF1, ..., PCFK) managing said users of each communication network is configured to transmit said at least one rule to said user equipment when associating said user equipment with this communication network.

21. The system (1) of claim 19, wherein: The plurality of identifiers are allocated to the user by a single communication network (NW1), and the rule management device (3) is an entity of the single communication network.

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