Network slicing selection and association methods, devices, terminals, systems and media

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for selecting a set of functions of a communication infrastructure (10), namely a so-called network slice (TR1, TR2, TR3), the set of functions being used to transmit data relating to at least one application (App1, App2, App3, App4, App5) installed on a user terminal (51, 53) attached to the infrastructure (10), the method being implemented by the terminal (51, 53) and comprising: sending a request message including at least one application identifier to a rule management entity (40, 60); receiving a response message from the rule management entity (40, 60) including at least one rule relating to the network slice (TR1, TR2, TR3) associated with the at least one application identifier, the at least one rule being related to the parameter “single network slice selection auxiliary information” identifying the network slice; and selecting the network slice (TR1, TR2, TR3) according to the obtained at least one rule.

Description

[0001] This patent application is a divisional application of the following invention patent application:

[0002] Application Number: 201880035894.4

[0003] Application date: May 25, 2018

[0004] Invention Title: Application-Related Selection of Network Slices Technical Field

[0005] This patent application belongs to the technical field of telecommunications infrastructure and network slicing. Background Technology

[0006] The architecture of mobile telecommunications networks is standardized by a standardization group called 3GPP. This is especially true for so-called "2G," "3G," and "4G" mobile networks, whose various architectures are defined in the technical specifications established by this organization.

[0007] Until the "4G" generation of mobile networks currently being deployed in most countries, various network architectures typically relied on very specific equipment dedicated to certain precise functions, both at the access network and core network levels, particularly for packet transmissions originating from or destined for mobile terminals. Up to this point, a single set of functions was used in the deployed network infrastructure, regardless of the type of traffic. The various flows of a session were thus cyclical through the same set of functions (routing, addressing, flow control, naming, etc.).

[0008] The inherent lack of flexibility and scalability in this type of traditional architecture necessitates envisioning a more flexible architecture for next-generation mobile networks (known as "5G") to enable rapid response to extremely diverse demands in terms of traffic and quality of service. It should be noted that 5G networks are designed to encompass both mobile and fixed networks. Therefore, the technologies inherent in 5G network development involve both fixed and mobile infrastructure.

[0009] Among the envisioned solutions, one of the most promising relies on network slicing technology, specifically mentioned in the 3GPP Technical Report TR 23.799v2.0.0 of December 2016.

[0010] The concept of network slicing aims to create multiple network instances, also known as "network slices" in English. Figure 1A simplified view of the layout of a communication infrastructure 10 according to the prior art is presented, which includes network slices TR1, TR2, and TR3, each representing a shared function (routing, addressing, flow control, naming, etc.) implemented, for example, in a data center. Terminal 50 is connected to two network slices, TR1 and TR2, while terminal 51 is attached to slice TR2 and terminal 53 is attached to slice TR3. Slice TR1 provides access to data network 12, network slice TR2 provides access to network 22, and network slice TR3 provides access to network 32. In this example, network slices provide access to different data networks, but network slices can also provide access to the same communication network. These slices, which can be compared to different mobile networks, are identified by the characteristics of the data flow traveling on the network slices, exhibiting commonalities in terms of destination, transmission, and shared security constraints within the network slices.

[0011] Therefore, each slice is optimized for the specific type of service and / or the needs of a certain type of client or terminal.

[0012] Terminals (specifically mobile terminals) support an increasing number of applications proposed by various parties among the network operators and application providers to which the terminals connect. Traffic generated by these diverse applications must be carried on various network slices implemented within the communication infrastructure to which the terminals are connected. A network slice consists of network functions and configurations that enable the fulfillment of the needs associated with the services, clients, or terminals related to that slice. Not all network slices deployed by operators are configured with the same transport characteristics; the idea is to adapt the architecture and network slices to the needs of the use cases associated with that network slice. For example, a network slice implemented for services associated with IoT (Internet of Things) services, such as handling meter readings, may require managing a large number of terminals, but the bit rate associated with each terminal is relatively low. Services provided to specialized customers will require advanced security and availability features. The goal is to activate only the functions essential for the use cases corresponding to a given network slice. The purpose of this network slice architecture is to provide operators with greater flexibility and to provide clients with services corresponding to their needs by activating the functions necessary for the requested services.

[0013] Therefore, this network slicing technology allows telecommunications network operators to create “custom” networks, enabling them to provide optimized solutions for a wide range of scenarios with highly diverse constraints in terms of functionality and performance.

[0014] It enables the simultaneous execution of multiple network slices within the same telecommunications network, allowing various services to be provided to different customers on the same network.

[0015] When a terminal connects to a telecommunications network, it must select one or more network slices corresponding to the terminal or the services activated on that terminal. As indicated above, a terminal has a large number of applications under its control, each of which can request parameters for transmitting data associated with these specific services, and therefore, a network slice suitable for its needs must be selected.

[0016] 3GPP specification TR 23.799 (version 2.0.0, December 2016) indicates that networks will be able to provide rules to terminals that allow terminals to select network slices based on the services they wish to use. This specification does not specify when or how terminals generate and use these rules to actually design for the delivery of application data on the appropriate network slice.

[0017] The purpose of this invention is to overcome these shortcomings. Summary of the Invention

[0018] This invention seeks to improve the situation by means of a method that selects a set of functions of a communication infrastructure, namely so-called network slicing, for transmitting data related to at least one application installed on a user terminal attached to said infrastructure, the method being implemented by the terminal and including:

[0019] - The step of sending a request message including at least one application identifier to the rule management entity.

[0020] - The step of receiving a response message from the rule management entity, including at least one rule related to the network slice associated with the at least one identifier.

[0021] - The step of selecting network slices based on at least one of the obtained rules.

[0022] Network slicing can be advantageously implemented to transmit data for one or more applications that share equivalent quality of service (latency, bit rate, priority). Therefore, a network composed of multiple network slices can transmit diverse data streams with different characteristics, while providing configurations for each type of data and transmission parameters suitable for the various data streams associated with the applications used.

[0023] The selection method advantageously enables the selection of network slices that meet the needs of applications whose data circulates on the selected slice. The terminal running the application transmits the application's identifier (for which a network slice must be selected) to a rule management entity responsible for associating rules with the application. When a new application is installed on the terminal, the terminal determines the application's identifier and transmits it to the management entity to receive rules that allow it to associate network slices with this identifier. Upon receiving the rules, the terminal can determine the network slice, for example, by maintaining a table that associates rules with the network slice to be selected. This selection method allows only the rules that are useful to it to be obtained, i.e., the rules corresponding to the application installed on the terminal. Alternatively, specifically, if the management entity knows that the terminal can support a large number of rules, the rule management entity returns a set of rules to the terminal, not just those corresponding to the received identifier. The transmitted rules may, for example, correspond to the parameter S-NSSAI (Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information) used by the terminal to determine the network slice corresponding to the application.

[0024] According to existing technology, the need to construct communication networks as network slices has been identified. However, this existing technology does not propose any means to associate network slices with application-related characteristics, so as to transmit terminal data streams according to their characteristics by selecting network slices suitable for these characteristics.

[0025] According to one aspect of the invention, in the selection method, the request message includes an identifier of an application installed on the terminal when the terminal is attached to the infrastructure.

[0026] A terminal attached to the network may have multiple applications installed. In this case, the terminal must obtain the set of rules corresponding to these various applications. Therefore, when a terminal attaches to the network, it needs to obtain these different rules. Since the terminal does not have to invoke the rule management entity when it needs to use an application, this allows the terminal to maintain all rules upon attachment and use the application more quickly thereafter. The protocol used to transmit request messages can be a protocol used for attaching to the infrastructure or an attachment-independent protocol, such as the API REST (Applications Programming Interface - Representational State Transfer) specifically designed to transmit identifiers to the rule server.

[0027] According to another aspect of the invention, in the selection method, the request message is a message related to the attachment of the terminal.

[0028] In addition, rule restoration during terminal attachment can be implemented by using the communication protocol used during attachment.

[0029] For example, when a terminal connects to a mobile telecommunications network, it can retrieve the rules presented in the data of the PCO (Protocol Configuration Option) during the establishment of a PDN (Packet Data Network) connection, and if the network is a fixed network, the terminal can obtain the rules in the DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) or PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) messages used to connect to the fixed network.

[0030] According to another aspect of the invention, in the selection method, the at least one application identifier further includes information related to the application version.

[0031] Depending on the network architecture and network slice deployment options, rule association may require information about the application version. The application version can be associated with a network slice, for example, while the latest version, which integrates more delivery performance or security parameters, can be associated with a network slice based on advanced parameters offering better performance.

[0032] According to another aspect of the invention, the at least one application identifier is determined by the terminal.

[0033] Applications may have a unique identifier that allows rule management entities to explicitly distinguish the application or, in effect, the version of the application based on this identifier. This is particularly true if the application is loaded from an application server accessible from a terminal attached to any type of communication infrastructure. In some cases, the application's identifier may not be explicitly available to the management entity, and the terminal may be able to determine the application's unique identifier. Depending on the circumstances, a suffix or prefix may be added to the identifier that may not be explicit enough. The suffix or prefix may, for example, identify the application server invoked to load the application, or identify the terminal's operating system or, in fact, the terminal's identifier, or a combination of these. The determined identifier must be explicitly available to the management entity so that the management entity can select rules based on this identifier. Any prefixes or suffixes added must be interpreted by the management entity.

[0034] The various aspects of the selection method described above can be implemented independently of each other or in combination with each other.

[0035] The present invention also relates to a method for associating at least one rule related to a set of functions of a communication infrastructure, i.e., a so-called network slice, with an identifier of an application attached to said infrastructure, implemented in a rule management entity, characterized in that the method comprises:

[0036] - The step of receiving a request message from the terminal that includes at least one application identifier.

[0037] - The step of determining at least one rule related to the network slice associated with the at least one identifier.

[0038] - The step of sending a response message to the terminal including the determined at least one rule.

[0039] The association method is implemented by a rule management entity in its client-server type associated with the terminal requesting rules for the application. To determine the rules associated with an application identifier, the terminal invokes the rule management entity, which may include an internal or external database where rules corresponding to the application identifier are stored. During the attachment of the terminal to the communication infrastructure, this association method advantageously allows for the identification of all network slices corresponding to diverse applications presented on the terminal, or actually different versions of applications.

[0040] According to one aspect of the invention, in this association method, a priority parameter is associated with at least one rule and is transmitted to the terminal.

[0041] Application-related data can be transmitted across multiple network slices. For example, depending on whether the terminal is attached to the accessed network ("roaming") or its "parent" network, application data can be transmitted across different network slices. Alternatively, application data can be carried across different slices specifically based on the availability or quality of service (QoS) criteria of the network slices at a given time. For management entities, it may be useful to transmit priority indicators in addition to transmission rules. Thus, the terminal can determine which rule to prioritize and which other rule to consider if the latter is unavailable. In the case of roaming, the network slice with the highest priority corresponding to the parent network may not be selected, and the terminal then selects a second network slice or one of the network slices with a lower priority according to a terminal selection algorithm.

[0042] According to another aspect of the invention, in the association method, the rule associated with at least one identifier is related to the service category.

[0043] Network slicing can be advantageously implemented for applications requiring the same processing from the operator to meet specific quality of service (QoS) standards. Therefore, real-time applications can be associated with one network slice, while less constrained applications can be associated with another. Thus, service categories can be determined based on application identifiers, and the terminal can select the appropriate network slice by invoking a server or using an internal database, utilizing the received information about the service category.

[0044] According to another aspect of the invention, in this association method, a default rule is determined and transmitted to the terminal when at least one application identifier is not associated with any rule.

[0045] Numerous applications, or rather, application versions, are loaded onto the operator's client terminals, making it difficult for operators to associate explicit rules with each application or application version. In practice, management entities need to be updated very regularly with new applications, and these applications need to be analyzed to match their data to corresponding rules in a way that matches the data transmission of these applications based on their parameters and the operator's policies regarding the communication network slices. Therefore, it is advantageous to define explicit rules for the most widespread applications or application versions, and associate default rules with applications that are the least common or least strategic for the operator responsible for associating the rules. Thus, a limited number of rules will be used to manage application diversity, and data from the least significant applications for the operator will be transmitted on the network slice associated with the default rules.

[0046] According to another aspect of the invention, in the association method, the rule management entity is implemented in the application server.

[0047] A rule management entity can be advantageously implemented within an application server. In fact, when a terminal downloads a new application, this rule management entity can also retrieve the rules corresponding to the downloaded application. Therefore, rule acquisition is optimized because no additional server needs to be invoked during application download. Furthermore, it appears advantageous to transmit one or more rules that allow the application to be used on the communication infrastructure, in addition to the application itself. Assuming the communication network architecture is carrier-specific, it may be necessary to identify the carrier's network or operator in order to provide rules corresponding to that network or operator, thereby ensuring the connection of the terminal, specifically the carrier-independent application server involved.

[0048] The various aspects of the association method described above can be implemented independently of each other or in combination with each other.

[0049] The present invention also relates to an apparatus for selecting a set of functions of a communication infrastructure, namely so-called network slicing, the set of functions being used to transmit data related to at least one application of a user terminal attached to said infrastructure, the apparatus comprising:

[0050] - A sender capable of sending a request message, including at least one application identifier, to the rule management entity.

[0051] - A receiver capable of receiving from the rule management entity a response message including at least one rule relating to the network slice associated with the at least one identifier.

[0052] - A selection module that can select network slices based on the obtained at least one rule.

[0053] This apparatus, capable of implementing the selection method just described in all its embodiments, is intended for implementation in a terminal.

[0054] The present invention also relates to an apparatus for associating rules related to a set of functions of a communication infrastructure, namely so-called network slicing, with identifiers of applications attached to said infrastructure, implemented in a rule management entity, the apparatus comprising:

[0055] - A receiver capable of receiving request messages from a terminal that include at least one application identifier.

[0056] - A determining module, which is capable of determining at least one rule related to the network slice associated with the at least one identifier.

[0057] - A transmitter capable of sending a response message to the terminal including the determined at least one rule.

[0058] This apparatus, capable of implementing the association method just described in all its embodiments, is intended for implementation in rule management entities.

[0059] The present invention also relates to a system for selecting network slices, the system comprising a terminal including a selection device and a rule management entity including an association device.

[0060] The present invention also relates to a computer program comprising instructions for implementing the steps of the selection method just described when the program is executed by a processor.

[0061] The present invention also relates to a computer program comprising instructions for implementing the steps of the association method just described when the program is executed by a processor.

[0062] These programs can use any programming language and can be in the form of source code, object code, or code in between, such as partially compiled code, or any other desired form.

[0063] The present invention provides an information medium that can be read by a computer and includes instructions of the aforementioned computer program.

[0064] The information medium can be any entity or device capable of storing programs. For example, the medium can include storage devices such as ROM (e.g., CD ROM or microelectronic circuit ROM) or magnetic recording devices (e.g., disk (floppy disk) or hard disk).

[0065] Furthermore, the information medium can be a transmittable medium, such as an electrical signal or optical signal, that can be transmitted via cable or optical fiber, radio, or other means. Specifically, the program according to the invention can be downloaded via an internet-type network.

[0066] Alternatively, the information medium may be an integrated circuit incorporating the program, the circuit being adapted to execute or be used to execute the method in question.

[0067] The present invention also relates to a method for selecting a set of functions of a communication infrastructure (10), namely a so-called network slice (TR1, TR2, TR3), the set of functions being used to transmit data relating to at least one application (App1, App2, App3, App4, App5) installed on a user terminal (51, 53) attached to the infrastructure (10), the method being implemented by the terminal (51, 53) and comprising: - sending a request message including at least one application identifier to a rule management entity (40, 60); - receiving a response message from the rule management entity (40, 60) including at least one rule relating to the network slice (TR1, TR2, TR3) associated with the at least one application identifier, the at least one rule relating to a parameter “single network slice selection auxiliary information” identifying the network slice; - selecting the network slice (TR1, TR2, TR3) according to the obtained at least one rule.

[0068] The present invention also relates to a method for associating at least one rule related to a set of functions of a communication infrastructure (10), namely a so-called network slice (TR1, TR2, TR3), with the identifiers of applications (App1, App2, App3, App4, App5) of terminals (51, 53) attached to the infrastructure (10) in a rule management entity (40, 60), characterized in that the method comprises: - receiving a request message including at least one application identifier from the terminal (51, 53); - determining at least one rule related to the network slice (TR1, TR2, TR3) associated with the at least one application identifier, the at least one rule being associated with a parameter “single network slice selection auxiliary information” identifying the network slice; - sending a response message including the determined at least one rule to the terminal (51, 53).

[0069] The present invention also relates to an apparatus (100) for selecting a set of functions of a communication infrastructure (10), namely a so-called network slice (TR1, TR2, TR3), the set of functions being used to transmit data relating to at least one application (App1, App2, App3, App4, App5) of a user terminal (51, 53) attached to the infrastructure (10), the apparatus comprising: - a transmitter (110) capable of sending a request message including at least one application identifier to a rule management entity; - a receiver (120) capable of receiving from the rule management entity a response message including at least one rule relating to the network slice associated with the at least one application identifier, the at least one rule being associated with a parameter “single network slice selection assistance information” identifying the network slice; and - a selection module (101) capable of selecting a network slice based on the obtained at least one rule.

[0070] The present invention also relates to an apparatus (200) for associating rules related to a set of functions of a communication infrastructure (10), namely so-called network slices (TR1, TR2, TR3), with identifiers of applications (App1, App2, App3, App4, App5) of terminals (51, 53) attached to the infrastructure (10) in a rule management entity (40, 60), the apparatus comprising: - a receiver (220) capable of receiving a request message from a terminal including at least one application identifier; - a determination module (201) capable of determining at least one rule associated with the network slice associated with the at least one application identifier, the at least one rule being associated with a parameter “single network slice selection auxiliary information” identifying the network slice; and - a transmitter (210) capable of sending a response message to the terminal including the determined at least one rule.

[0071] The present invention also relates to a terminal, including the selection device just described.

[0072] The present invention also relates to a system for selecting network slices, the system comprising: - terminals (51, 53) already described, - a rule management entity (40, 60) including the association device (200) already described.

[0073] The present invention also relates to a computer-readable recording medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program including instructions that, when run by a processor, perform the steps of the method just described. Attached Figure Description

[0074] Other advantages and features of the invention will become more apparent after reading the following description of specific embodiments of the invention, given by way of simple illustrative and non-limiting examples, and the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0075] - Figure 1 A simplified view of the layout of communication infrastructure based on existing technologies is presented.

[0076] - Figure 2 A communication infrastructure according to one aspect of the present invention is presented.

[0077] - Figure 3 An overview of a method for selecting network slices according to a first embodiment of the present invention is presented.

[0078] - Figure 4 An overview of a method for selecting network slices according to a second embodiment of the present invention is presented.

[0079] - Figure 5 An exemplary structure of an apparatus for selecting network slices according to one aspect of the present invention is presented.

[0080] - Figure 6 An exemplary structure of an apparatus for associating rules according to one aspect of the present invention is presented. Detailed Implementation

[0081] In the following description, examples of several embodiments of the invention in mobile communication infrastructure are presented, but the invention can also be implemented in fixed network infrastructure.

[0082] First refer to Figure 2 It presents a communication infrastructure according to one aspect of the present invention.

[0083] Terminal 51 supports applications App1, App2, and App3, while terminal 53 supports applications App2 and App4. In this example, applications App1 and App2 are considered to be audio and video applications, respectively, while applications App3 and App4 are so-called non-real-time applications, such as those used for text transmission. The operator of communication infrastructure 10 constructs its infrastructure by deploying three network slices TR1, TR2, and TR3 for transmitting audio data, video data, and non-real-time data, respectively. These three slices TR1, TR2, and TR3 are implemented within the same communication infrastructure 10 and instantiated using software resources from a public data center, but provide capabilities and performance suitable for transmitting data streams appropriate to their respective applications. Specifically, network slice TR1 provides some insignificant transmission capability but has very low latency. Network slice TR2 requires significant transmission capability to loop video data streams and requires relatively low latency. In addition, this slice has the capability for temporary memory buffering. Finally, the last slice TR3 is characterized by fairly significant capability and fairly significant latency. This infrastructure can be supplemented with other network slices not shown in the figure, depending on the operator's needs. Specifically, default network slices can be envisioned for unidentified application streams or streams that do not require specific delivery characteristics.

[0084] Network slices TR1 and TR2 provide access to a service platform hosted on a communication network 22 included in the operator's communication infrastructure 10, while slice TR3 provides access to a data network 32 not included in infrastructure 10. This data network can be, for example, a service provider's network or a corporate network.

[0085] The communication infrastructure also includes a rules server 40, which provides rules for associating network slices with terminal applications.

[0086] It should be noted that, depending on the alternative, network slicing can include the functionality of a separate access network, the functionality of a separate core network, or the functionality of both an access network and a core network. In practice, the selection method can be implemented for any type of network slice under consideration.

[0087] Combination Figure 3 This presents an overview of a method for selecting network slices according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0088] In steps not shown in the figure, terminal 51 is attached to the network via 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) or via BBF (Broadband Forum) according to known processes specified in the prior art when terminal 51 is attached to a mobile network or when terminal 51 is attached to a fixed network, in accordance with known processes specified in the prior art.

[0089] During step E1, either during the attachment process or, optionally, once the terminal has been attached to the communication infrastructure, terminal 51 transmits a request message M1 to the rules server 40. This request message includes the identifier of the application already installed on terminal 51. This message can be a specific message or, in cases where the rules server 40 is co-located with another server invoked by terminal 51 for attachment to the communication infrastructure, such as an AAA (Authentication, Authorization, Accounting) server or a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server. The protocol used to transmit the message can be, for example, HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). It should be noted that terminal 51 can transmit all identifiers in a single message, or, alternatively, assign one identifier per message.

[0090] According to one variation, terminal 51 can transmit messages to rule server 40 that include not only the application but also the application version. In this case, an appropriate network slice corresponding not only to the application but also to the application version can be associated. Therefore, the latest version of the application can benefit from better-performing network slice parameter transmission. Furthermore, the prospect of providing network slices suitable for application versions may represent an argument that encourages users to use the latest version of the application and thus limits the complex management of different application versions.

[0091] Several possibilities exist for notifying the terminal about the identity and / or address of the rule server to be invoked to obtain rules. If the terminal has a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module), this information can be configured on the card. Alternatively, the terminal can obtain the information via protocols such as OMA-DM (Open Mobile Alliance-Device Management) or DHCP. Another alternative is to obtain information about the rule server in control plane messages, for example, when the terminal is attached to an access network. Alternatively, information about the rule server can be derived from a portion of the application identifier. For example, for rules applicable to applications whose identifier begins with com.example, the rule server could be located at slice.com.xample.

[0092] When rule server 40 receives request message M1 from terminal 51 during step F1, it determines the rule corresponding to the received application identifier during step E20. To accomplish this task, rule server 40 can use an internal database or a database located external to the rule server. Alternatively, the rule server can invoke a management server to obtain the rules.

[0093] During step E2, rule server 40 transmits rules to terminal 51 in response message M2. The rule server can choose to transmit one rule per message, or select to transmit all rules in a single message.

[0094] In step F2, terminal 51 receives response message M2 and, based on the received rules, determines the network slices associated with the diverse installed applications during step E21. Terminal 51 may, for example, maintain a table associating each application with a network slice, and refer to this table when the application cycles through data streams related to that application. Alternatively, depending on the option, the terminal may add information about the network slices to the software of each application, so that the network slice is directly identified when the application is launched. It should be noted that the determination of network slices is independent of application usage and can be performed before the application is actually activated.

[0095] During step E3, for example, after an action by the end user, an application is activated on terminal 51. During step E21, network slice TR2 has been identified for this application. In this example, it is assumed that terminal 51 has not yet associated any application with network slice TR2. Up to this point, the application activated on terminal 51 does not actually need to select slice TR2. Terminal 51 transmits message M3 attached to network slice TR2 using the parameter S-NSSAI (Single-Network Slice Selection Assistance Information), specifically identifying network slice TR2, according to prior art specifically described in 3GPP specification TS 23.502 (March 2017 version 0.3.0).

[0096] If the attachment process is successful, specifically according to the authentication process, the device in slice TR2 (e.g., a mobile gateway or a BNG (Broadband Network Gateway) type device) receives message M3 during step F3 and transmits connection confirmation message M4 to terminal 51 during step E4. From this point onward, when terminal 51 receives message M4 during step F4, it can actually transmit the application data on slice TR2.

[0097] During step E5, terminal 51 invokes application server 70 to load a new application. Therefore, terminal 51 transmits message M5 requesting the application, for example, using the HTTP protocol. Server 70 can be either a public application server or a server specific to the communication infrastructure responsible for implementing network slicing within it. Upon receiving message M5 during step F5, and if the application server agrees to assign the new application requested by terminal 51, it transmits the application requested in message M6 to terminal 51 during step E6. Upon receiving message M6 during step F6, terminal 51 then holds onto the new application for which no network slice has been selected.

[0098] Then, during step E7, the terminal invokes the rule server 40 by transmitting message M7, which includes the identifier of the application loaded during steps E5, F5, E6, and F6. The application identifier may have already been transmitted by the application server 40, specifically if the application is a public application with an explicit identifier, or if the terminal has defined its own identifier according to a technique that must be understood by the rule server, typically by adding the identifier of the terminal or its operating system to the application's identifier, thus making it explicit and usable by the rule server. After receiving the request message M7 during step F7, the rule server 40 associates the rule with the identifier received during step E22 and transmits the rule to the terminal 51 in message M8 during step E8.

[0099] Once the rules have been received in message M8 during step F8, terminal 51 determines the network slice for this application based on the rules received in message M8 during step E23. Here, it is assumed that network slice TR2 has been determined for this application activated on the terminal, and terminal 51 does not need to reattach to this network slice, as this has already been completed during steps E3, F3, E4, and F4.

[0100] Terminal 51 can store rules received for an application, such that the terminal can avoid repeatedly calling the rule server to obtain rules when it needs to associate rules with an application, even if the application has been uninstalled or the rule server has lost the obtained rules. On the one hand, this storage step avoids network overload due to rule request and reception messages; on the other hand, it avoids repeated calls to the management entity. Furthermore, since the step of retrieving rules from the management entity is no longer needed, storing the obtained rules enables faster application usage. Alternatively, this storage can avoid the terminal having to call the rule server, including in cases involving different applications. If the application has a canonical identifier, the terminal can infer the rules to be applied to the second application based on the first rule obtained for the first application. For example, if the first application is App1.tpsreel.com, and if the terminal has retrieved rule A, the terminal can reuse this rule for all applications of type %.tpsreel.com, where % can take any value.

[0101] Terminal 53 can also load new applications, which may be the same as or different from the applications loaded by terminal 51 during steps E9, F9 and E10, F10 according to the progress of steps E5, F5, E6, F6 of terminal 51.

[0102] Once the application has been received in message M10 during step F10, terminal 53 invokes rule server 40 during step E11 to obtain rules for associating a network slice with the application by dispatching the application's identifier in request message M11. Rule server 40 receives message M11 during step F11. During step E24, since the identifier transmitted by terminal 53 does not correspond to any specific slice, or according to the entity responsible for the rules, the application's data does not require specific processing for a specific network slice, server 40 determines the rules for associating a default slice during step E24. The server transmits this rule in message M12 during step E12. Terminal receives response message M12 during step F12. When terminal 53 receives the rule from server 40, the terminal selects default slice TR1 during step E25, and if the terminal is not already connected to the default slice, it connects to the default slice during application activation. Apart from the different network slices, according to the descriptions in steps E3, F3, E4, and F4, this connection was established during steps E13, F13, E14, and F14.

[0103] Now for reference Figure 4 This document presents an overview of a method for selecting network slices according to a second embodiment of the present invention. This second embodiment is distinguished from the first embodiment by the fact that the application server itself contacts the authorization server to obtain application-related rules, so that the application and associated rules can then be transmitted to the terminal wishing to install the application.

[0104] During step E'1, terminal 51 transmits a request message M'1 to application server 70 for loading a new application. Application server 70 is also a rules server, but obtains rules from an authorized server of the operator to which terminal 51 is connected. When server 70 receives request message M'1 during step F'1, it associates the rules with the application requested by terminal 51 by invoking rule server 40. If the application server is an operator-independent server, and the terminal has already established an identifier by adding, for example, an operator prefix or suffix, server 70 identifies the rules server 40 to be invoked based on the application identifier transmitted by terminal 51, according to one option. According to another option, server 70 identifies server 40 based on the IP address used by terminal 51 to transmit message M'1, or according to yet another option, by a configuration that associates the rules server with terminal 51's parameters (IMEI code, IMSI code). During step E'2, server 70 invokes authorization server 40 by transmitting message M'2 to obtain one or more rules associated with the application requested by terminal 51. Upon receiving message M'2 during step F'2, authorization server 40 transmits multiple rules, each with a priority parameter specific to each rule in message M'3, to application server 70 during step E'3. Rule server 70 obtains message M'3 during step F'3.

[0105] During step E'4, rule server 70 transmits the application, the received rules, and associated priority parameters to terminal 51 in response message M'4. Upon receiving this message M'4 during step F'4, terminal 51 determines the network slice to be used for the received application during step E'21. Terminal 51 attaches to its "parent" network and considers the rule with the highest priority to determine the network slice corresponding to the application. Thereafter, terminal 51... Figure 3 Attachment is performed during steps E'5, F'5, E'6, and F'6 of steps E3, F3, E4, and F4.

[0106] During step E'7, terminal 51 invokes server 70 to load a new application via message M'7. This message is identical to message M'1, except for the application. During step F'7, server 70 receives message M'7 and associates one or more rules with the application requested by terminal 51. Server 70 has already associated the rules with this application during a previous invocation and has stored these rules. Therefore, the server associates the requested application with the rules stored during step E'22 without invoking the authorization server, and transmits the application and rules to terminal 51 in message M'8 during step E'8. During step F'8, terminal 51 receives message M'8 and selects network slice TR2 based on these rules, and does not connect to this network slice during application startup because the terminal has previously attached to it.

[0107] Terminal 53 is considered to be attached to a network that is actually the network being accessed, and therefore the terminal is in a roaming state. During step E'11, terminal 53 invokes application server 70 to obtain an application by transmitting message M'11. The server receives request message M'11 during step F'11. During step E'12, server 70 initiates an association phase by dispatching message M'12 to rule server 60 corresponding to terminal 53 or to the operator ensuring terminal 53 is connected to the communication infrastructure. Server 60 receives message M'12 during step F'12, and during step E'13, transmits the rules associated with the identifier of the application requested by terminal 53 to application server 70 in message M'13. Priority parameters are also transmitted. During step F'13, server 70 receives message M'13 including rules and priority parameters, and stores these information items related to the identifier of the application for which the server has requested these rules. When these information items are transmitted by the authorization server 60, they are actually valid, and these rules are transmitted to terminal 53 along with the application or in a specific message M'14, which is different from the message that includes the application during step E'14. Application server 70 transmits rules stored by a rule server that does not send invalid or inconsistent rules to terminals calling the same application but based on a different communication infrastructure than the previous one. During step F'14, terminal 53 receives message M'14, which includes the rules and an optional application. During step E'25, since terminal 53 is located on the accessed network, terminal 53 selects a rule based on the obtained rules and its priority parameter corresponding to the roaming situation. During step E'25, terminal 53 determines the network slice TR1 corresponding to the rule with the lower priority from the obtained rules. When the application is activated, terminal 53 then connects to network slice TR1 during steps E'15, F'15, E'16, and F'16, which are equivalent to steps E'5, F'5, E'6, and F'6, except for this time difference in terminal connection to the accessed network.

[0108] According to another embodiment, the terminal selection rule can be executed in two stages. In the first two embodiments, the terminal obtains rules from a rule server or an application server that has previously obtained rules from an authorization server. In the third embodiment, the rule server transmits information items to the terminal regarding the service category corresponding to the received application identifier. Upon receiving the information about the service category, the terminal matches the service category with the corresponding slice identifier by invoking a server or by using an internal base station that associates the service category with a network slice. In the case where the internal base station contacts the server to associate the service category with the slice, the server can be the same as or a different server that was invoked to obtain the service category. The obtained information about the service category corresponds to the rules related to the requested network slice, but the selection of the slice differs from the first two embodiments. This embodiment is specifically suited to a context in which an operator has constructed its communication network by deploying network slices suitable for transmitting data based on characteristics related to its service category (such as defined and not only defined using the Diffserv method).

[0109] Combination Figure 5 The present invention presents an exemplary structure of an apparatus for selecting network slices according to one aspect of the present invention.

[0110] The apparatus 100 for selecting a set of functions (so-called network slices) of communication infrastructure implements a selection method, various embodiments of which have just been described.

[0111] Such a device 100 can be implemented in a terminal. The terminal can be a mobile terminal or a fixed terminal.

[0112] For example, device 100 includes a processing unit 106 equipped with, for example, a microprocessor μP and driven by a computer program 105 stored in memory 107 and implementing the selection method according to the invention. During initialization, the code instructions of the computer program 105 are loaded into, for example, RAM memory before being executed by the processor of processing unit 106.

[0113] This device 100 includes:

[0114] -Sender 110, which is capable of sending the identifier (Ident) of at least one application of the terminal to the rule management entity.

[0115] - Receiver 120, which is capable of receiving from the rule management entity at least one rule Reg related to the network slice associated with the identifier received by the at least one application.

[0116] - Determine module 101, which is capable of determining network slices based on the obtained at least one rule Reg.

[0117] Combination Figure 6 The present invention presents an exemplary structure of a device for associating rules according to one aspect of the invention.

[0118] The apparatus 200 for associating rules with a set of functions of a communication infrastructure (so-called network slices) implements a selection method, various embodiments of which have just been described.

[0119] Such a device 200 can be implemented in a terminal, which may be a mobile terminal or a fixed terminal.

[0120] For example, device 200 includes a processing unit 206 equipped with, for example, a microprocessor μP and driven by a computer program 205 stored in memory 207 and implementing the selection method according to the invention. During initialization, the code instructions of the computer program 205 are loaded into, for example, RAM memory before being executed by the processor of processing unit 206.

[0121] This device 200 includes:

[0122] - Receiver (220), which is capable of receiving at least one application identifier (Ident) from the terminal.

[0123] - Association module 201, which is capable of associating at least one rule Reg related to the identifier received by the at least one application.

[0124] -Sender 220, which is capable of sending the at least one associated rule Reg to the terminal.

[0125] Combination Figure 5 and Figure 6 The module being described can be a hardware module or a software module.

[0126] The exemplary embodiments of the invention presented above are merely some of the embodiments that are conceivable. Methods for selecting network slices and for associating rules with a set of functions of a communication infrastructure enable improvements in the client's experience quality. In practice, network slices can be matched with specific characteristics of a group of applications that share common features and request the same or similar processing. Therefore, operators of communication infrastructures can implement different mobile networks (identified herein as network slices) within the same infrastructure to carry data streams with similar characteristics. This structure of the communication infrastructure can be more or less desirable depending on whether the operator considers, for example, service categories, application versions, one application, or a group of applications. According to another example, operators can also associate network slices based on the service provider offering the application. For example, based on whether the application is provided by provider A, provider B, or the operator itself, the application's data can be associated with slices that specifically implement more or less guarantees regarding quality of service.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a set of functions of a communication infrastructure (10), namely a so-called network slice (TR1, TR2, TR3), the set of functions being used to transmit data relating to at least one application (App1, App2, App3, App4, App5) installed on a user terminal (51, 53) attached to said infrastructure (10), the method being implemented by said terminal (51, 53) and comprising: - The step of sending a request message including at least one application identifier to the rule management entity (40, 60). - The step of receiving a response message from the rule management entity (40, 60), the response message including at least one rule related to the network slice (TR1, TR2, TR3) associated with the at least one application identifier, the at least one rule being related to the parameter "single network slice selection auxiliary information" that identifies the network slice. - The step of selecting network slices (TR1, TR2, TR3) based on the obtained at least one rule.

2. The selection method as described in claim 1, wherein, The request message includes the identifiers of the applications (App1, App2, App3, App4, App5) installed on the terminals (51, 53) when the terminals (51, 53) are attached to the infrastructure (10).

3. The selection method as described in claim 2, wherein, The request message is related to the attachment of the terminal (51, 53) to the infrastructure (10).

4. The selection method as described in claim 1, wherein, The at least one application identifier also includes information related to the version of the application (App1, App2, App3, App4, App5).

5. The selection method as described in claim 1, wherein, The at least one application identifier is determined by the terminal (51, 53).

6. A method for associating at least one rule, implemented in a rule management entity (40, 60), relating to a set of functions of a communication infrastructure (10), namely a so-called network slice (TR1, TR2, TR3), with the identifiers of applications (App1, App2, App3, App4, App5) of terminals (51, 53) attached to said infrastructure (10), characterized in that, The method includes: - The step of receiving a request message including at least one application identifier from the terminal (51, 53). - The step of determining at least one rule related to the network slice (TR1, TR2, TR3) associated with the at least one application identifier, said at least one rule being related to the parameter "single network slice selection auxiliary information" that identifies the network slice. - The step of sending a response message to the terminal (51, 53) including the determined at least one rule.

7. The association method as described in claim 6, wherein, The priority parameter is associated with the at least one rule and is transmitted to the terminal (51, 53).

8. The association method as described in claim 6, wherein, The at least one rule associated with the at least one application identifier is related to the service category.

9. The association method as described in claim 6, wherein, If the at least one application identifier is not associated with any rule, a default rule is determined and transmitted to the terminal (51, 53).

10. The association method as described in claim 6, wherein, The rule management entities (40, 60) are implemented in the application server (70).

11. An apparatus (100) for selecting a set of functions of a communication infrastructure (10), namely a so-called network slice (TR1, TR2, TR3), the set of functions being used to transmit data relating to at least one application (App1, App2, App3, App4, App5) of a user terminal (51, 53) attached to the infrastructure (10), the apparatus comprising: - A transmitter (110) capable of sending a request message including at least one application identifier to a rule management entity. - Receiver (120), which is capable of receiving from the rule management entity a response message including at least one rule related to the network slice associated with the at least one application identifier, the at least one rule being related to the parameter "single network slice selection assistance information" that identifies the network slice. - Selection module (101) is capable of selecting network slices based on the obtained at least one rule.

12. An apparatus (200) for associating rules related to a set of functions of a communication infrastructure (10), namely so-called network slices (TR1, TR2, TR3), with identifiers of applications (App1, App2, App3, App4, App5) of terminals (51, 53) attached to the infrastructure (10), implemented in a rule management entity (40, 60), the apparatus comprising: - Receiver (220), which is capable of receiving a request message from the terminal including at least one application identifier. - A determining module (201) capable of determining at least one rule related to the network slice associated with the at least one application identifier, the at least one rule being related to the parameter "single network slice selection auxiliary information" that identifies the network slice. - A transmitter (210) capable of sending a response message to the terminal including the determined at least one rule.

13. A terminal comprising the selection device as described in claim 11.

14. A system for selecting network slices, the system comprising: -The terminal (51, 53) as described in claim 13, - Rule management entity (40, 60), which includes the association device (200) as described in claim 12.

15. A computer-readable recording medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program comprising instructions, when executed by a processor, to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1-10.

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