Unified subscription identifier management in a communication system - Patents.com

Abstract

To construct a unified subscription identifier data structure at given user equipment in a communication system.SOLUTION: A unified subscription identifier data structure includes a plurality of fields that specify information for a selected one of two or more subscription identifier types and selectable parameters associated with the selected subscription identifier type. The information in the unified subscription identifier data structure is useable by given user equipment to access one or more networks associated with a communication system based on an authentication scenario corresponding to the selected subscription identifier type.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The field relates generally to communication systems, and more specifically, but not exclusively, to user subscription identifier management within such systems. [Background technology]

[0002] This section introduces aspects that may help facilitate a better understanding of the invention. Accordingly, the statements in this section are to be read in this light and are not to be understood as admissions about what is in the prior art or what is not in the prior art.

[0003] The fourth generation (4G) wireless mobile communication technology, also known as Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, has been designed to provide high capacity mobile multimedia with high data rates especially for human interaction. The next generation or fifth generation (5G) technology is intended to be used not only for human interaction but also for machine type communication in the so-called Internet of Things (IoT) networks.

[0004] 5G networks are intended to enable large-scale IoT services (e.g., large numbers of devices with limited capacity) and mission-critical IoT services (e.g., requiring high reliability), and improvements to legacy mobile communication services will be supported in the form of enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services that provide improved wireless Internet access to mobile devices.

[0005] In an exemplary communication system, user equipment such as a mobile terminal (subscriber) (5G UE in a 5G network, or more broadly, UE) communicates with a base station or access point referred to as a gNB in ​​a 5G network over an air interface. The access point (e.g., gNB) is an exemplary part of an access network of the communication system. For example, in a 5G network, the access network is referred to as a 5G system and is described in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 23.501, V15.0.0, entitled "Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; System Architecture for the 5G System," the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In general, the access point (e.g., gNB) provides the UE with access to a core network (CN), which in turn provides the UE with access to other UEs and / or to a data network, such as a packet data network (e.g., the Internet). 5G network access procedures are further described in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 23.502, VI5.1.0, entitled "Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Security Architecture and Procedures for the 5G System," the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Furthermore, security management details associated with 5G networks are further described in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 33.501, V0.7.0, entitled "Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Security Architecture and Procedures for the 5G System," the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0006] In 5G networks, a 5G compatible UE may include a Concealed Subscription Identifier (SUCI) as described in 3GPP TS 33.501 during a registration request procedure as described in 3GPP TS 23.502. The SUCI is a concealed (encrypted) form of the Subscriber Permanent Identifier (SUPI). In legacy 4G (LTE) networks, the subscription identifier used is the International Mobile Station Identifier (IMSI) as defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 23.003, V15.3.0, entitled "Technical Specification Group Core Network and Terminals; Numbering, Addressing and Identification", the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Managing such subscription identifiers can present significant challenges.

[0007] 3GPP; Technical Specification Group Core Network and Terminals; Non-Access-Stratum (NAS) protocol for 5G Systems (5GS); Stage 3 (Release 15) discloses how user equipment may request and obtain a specific type of mobile identifier among existing identifier types.

[0008] WO2014 / 053197A1 discloses a method of policy control and further discloses an extended apparatus enabling support of a user community profile that applies to multiple subscribers. Further disclosed is the generation and enforcement of community policies and charging rules derived from the user community profile and preferably deployed when establishing a session for a first user. Sessions to be established for subsequent users of the multiple users may be enforced according to the aforementioned community policies and charging rules may be enabled without the need to address them on an individual basis.

[0009] 3GPP; 23.501: SUPI terminology correction; 3GPP draft discloses a "Subscriber Permanent Identifier" that allows a globally unique 5G Subscriber Permanent Identifier (SUPI) to be assigned to each subscriber in a 5G system.

[0010] 3GPP;SA WG3;LS on Security aspects of ECIES for concealing IMSI or SUPI discloses the next generation of mobile networks (referred to as 5G). A new and generic term called SUPI (Subscription Permanent Identifier) ​​is disclosed, which is proposed to be used to represent a globally unique 5G subscription permanent identifier. D4 further proposes over-the-air concealment of IMSI or SUPI in 5G by ECIES (Elliptic Curve Integrated Encryption Scheme). Summary of the Invention

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS The illustrative embodiments provide improved techniques for managing subscription identifiers in a communication system.

[0012] For example, in one exemplary embodiment, a method includes the following steps: A unified subscription identifier data structure is constructed at a given user equipment in a communication system, the unified subscription identifier data structure including a plurality of fields that specify information about a selected one of two or more subscription identifier types and selectable parameters associated with the selected subscription identifier type, the information in the unified subscription identifier data structure usable by the given user equipment to access one or more networks associated with the communication system based on an authentication scenario corresponding to the selected subscription identifier type.

[0013] A further exemplary embodiment is provided in the form of a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having executable program code embodied therein that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the above steps. Yet a further exemplary embodiment includes an apparatus having a processor and a memory configured to perform the above steps.

[0014] Advantageously, during different authentication scenarios, a given user equipment utilizes a unified subscription identifier data structure to provide the appropriate subscription identifier (e.g., SUPI, SUCI, or IMSI) and associated parameters for a given authentication scenario.

[0015] These and other features and advantages of the embodiments described herein will become more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates a communication system in which one or more exemplary embodiments may be implemented. [Diagram 2] 1 illustrates user equipment and network elements / functions that provide subscriber identity management during authentication procedures, in which one or more exemplary embodiments may be implemented. [Diagram 3]A shows an IMSI format in which one or more exemplary embodiments may be implemented. B shows a SUPI format in which one or more exemplary embodiments may be implemented. C shows a SUCI format in which one or more exemplary embodiments may be implemented. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates a unified subscription identifier format, according to an example embodiment. [Diagram 5] 1 illustrates example field lengths for a unified subscription identifier format, according to an example embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates a unified subscription identifier format according to another example embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 illustrates a user equipment scheme utilizing a unified subscription identifier format, according to an example embodiment. [Figure 8] 1 illustrates a network entity scheme utilizing a unified subscription identifier format according to an example embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Embodiments are presented herein with exemplary communication systems and related techniques that provide subscription identifier management during authentication and other procedures in a communication system. However, it should be understood that the claims are not limited to the particular types of communication systems and / or processes disclosed. The embodiments may be implemented in a wide variety of other types of communication systems using alternative processes and operations. Although presented in the context of a wireless cellular system utilizing 3GPP system elements, such as 3GPP Next Generation Systems (5G), the disclosed embodiments may be adapted in a straightforward manner to a wide variety of other types of communication systems.

[0018] In accordance with exemplary embodiments implemented in a 5G communication system environment, one or more 3GPP Technical Specifications (TS) and Technical Reports (TR), such as the above-referenced 3GPP TS 23.003, 23.501, 23.502, and 33.501, may provide further description of network elements / functions and / or operations that may interact with some of the solutions of the present invention. Other 3GPP TS / TR documents may provide other conventional details that one skilled in the art would realize. However, while well suited to 5G-related 3GPP standards, embodiments are not necessarily limited to any particular standard.

[0019] Exemplary embodiments relate to subscription identifier management associated with 5G networks. Prior to describing such exemplary embodiments, a general description of the main components of a 5G network is described below in the context of Figures 1 and 2.

[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates a communication system 100 in which an exemplary embodiment is implemented. It will be understood that the elements illustrated in the communication system 100 are intended to represent the major functions provided within the system, such as UE access functions, mobility management functions, authentication functions, serving gateway functions, etc. As such, the blocks illustrated in FIG. 1 refer to specific elements in a 5G network that provide those major functions. However, other network elements may be used to implement some or all of the major functions represented. It will also be understood that not all functions of a 5G network are described in FIG. 1. Rather, functions that facilitate the description of the exemplary embodiment are represented. Subsequent figures may describe some additional elements / functions.

[0021] Thus, as shown, the communication system 100 includes a user equipment (UE) 102 that communicates with an access point (gNB) 104 over an air interface 103. The UE 102 may be a mobile station, which may include, by way of example, a mobile phone, a computer, or any other type of communication device. Thus, the term "user equipment" as used herein is intended to be broadly interpreted to encompass communication devices, including, by way of example, a combination of various different types of mobile stations, subscriber stations, or more generally, a data card inserted into other equipment, such as a laptop or smartphone. Such communication devices are also intended to encompass devices commonly referred to as access terminals.

[0022] In one embodiment, the UE 102 is composed of a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) portion and a Mobile Equipment (ME) portion. The UICC is the user dependent portion of the UE and includes at least one Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) and appropriate application software. The USIM securely stores permanent subscription identifiers and their associated keys used to identify and authenticate subscribers for access to the network. The ME is the user independent portion of the UE and includes terminal equipment (TE) functions and various mobile terminal (MT) functions.

[0023] The access point 104 is an exemplary part of an access network of the communication system 100. Such an access network may include, for example, a 5G system having multiple base stations and one or more associated radio network control functions. The base stations and radio network control functions may be logically separate entities, but in a given embodiment may be implemented in the same physical network element, such as, for example, a base station router or a femtocell access point.

[0024] The access point 104 in this exemplary embodiment is operatively coupled to a mobility management function 106. In a 5G network, the mobility management function is implemented by an access and mobility management function (AMF). A security anchor function (SEAF) may also be implemented by the AMF to enable the UE to securely connect with the mobility management function. A mobility management function as used herein is an element or function (i.e., an entity) in the core network (CN) portion of a communication system that manages or otherwise participates in access and mobility (including authentication / authorization) operations with the UE (through the access point 104), among other network operations. The AMF may also be more generally referred to herein as an access and mobility management entity.

[0025] The AMF 106 in this exemplary embodiment is operatively coupled to a Home Subscriber Function 108, i.e., one or more functions present in the subscriber's home network. As shown, some of those functions include an Authentication Server Function (AUSF) along with a Unified Data Management (UDM) function. The AUSF and UDM (separately or collectively according to the 4G Home Subscriber Server or HSS) may also be more generally referred to herein as authentication entities. In addition, the Home Subscriber Function may include, but is not limited to, a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), a Network Publishing Function (NEF), a Network Repository Function (NRF), a Policy Control Function (PCF), and an Application Function (AF).

[0026] The access point 104 is also operatively coupled to a Serving Gateway Function, or Session Management Function (SMF) 110, which is operatively coupled to a User Plane Function (UPF) 112. The UPF 112 is operatively coupled to a packet data network, e.g., the Internet 114. Further exemplary operations and functions of such network elements will not be described herein as they are not the focus of the exemplary embodiments and can be found in the appropriate 3GPP 5G documents.

[0027] It will be appreciated that this particular arrangement of system elements is merely exemplary, and that other types and arrangements of additional or alternative elements may be used to implement communication systems in other embodiments. For example, in other embodiments, system 100 may include other elements / functionality not expressly set forth herein.

[0028] Thus, the arrangement of Figure 1 is merely one example configuration of a wireless cellular system, and numerous alternative configurations of system elements may be used. For example, while only a single element / function is shown in the embodiment of Figure 1, this is merely for ease and clarity of illustration. Of course, a given alternative embodiment may include a greater number of such system elements, as well as additional or alternative elements of the type commonly associated with conventional system implementations.

[0029] It will also be noted that while FIG. 1 illustrates the system elements as single functional blocks, the various sub-networks that make up the 5G network are partitioned into so-called network slices. A network slice (network partition) includes a set of network functions (NFs) (i.e., a function chain) for each corresponding service type using network function virtualization (NFV) on a common physical infrastructure. A network slice is instantiated as needed for a given service, e.g., eMBB service, large-scale IoT service, and mission-critical IoT service. Thus, a network slice or function is instantiated when an instance of that network slice or function is created. In some embodiments, this involves installing or otherwise running the network slice or function on one or more host devices of the underlying physical infrastructure. The UE 102 is configured to access one or more of those services via the gNB 104.

[0030] 2 is a block diagram of a portion of a communication system 200 including a user equipment 202 and a network element / function 204 that, in an exemplary embodiment, provides subscription identifier management as part of an authentication procedure. In one embodiment, the network element / function 204 may be a UDM (as described above). However, it will be appreciated that the network element / function 204 may represent any network element / function that is configurable to provide subscription identifier management and other authentication techniques described herein.

[0031] The user equipment 202 includes a processor 212 coupled to a memory 216 and the interface circuit 210. The processor 212 of the user equipment 202 includes an authentication processing module 214, which may be implemented in the form of at least software executed by the processor. The processing module 214 performs subscription identifier management and other related techniques described in connection with subsequent figures and elsewhere herein. The memory 216 of the user equipment 202 includes a subscription identifier management data storage module 218 that stores data generated or otherwise used during subscription identifier management and other operations.

[0032] The network element / function 204 includes a processor 222 coupled to the memory 226 and the interface circuit 220. The processor 222 of the network element / function 204 includes an authentication processing module 224, which may be implemented at least in the form of software executed by the processor 222. The processing module 224 performs authentication techniques using a subscription identifier provided by the UE 202, as well as other techniques described in connection with subsequent figures and elsewhere herein. The memory 226 of the network element / function 204 includes an authentication processing data storage module 228 that stores data generated or otherwise used during authentication and other operations.

[0033] The processors 212 and 222 of the user equipment 202 and network element / function 204, respectively, may include, for example, a microprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), or other types of processing devices or integrated circuits, as well as portions or combinations of such elements. Such integrated circuit devices, as well as portions or combinations thereof, are examples of "circuitry" as that term is used herein. A wide variety of other arrangements of hardware and associated software or firmware may be used in implementing the exemplary embodiments.

[0034] The memories 216 and 226 of the user equipment 202 and the network element / function 204, respectively, may be used to store one or more software programs executed by the respective processors 212 and 222 to implement at least a portion of the functionality described herein. For example, subscription identifier management operations, as well as other authentication functionalities described in connection with subsequent figures and elsewhere herein, may be implemented in a straightforward manner using software code executed by the processors 212 and 222.

[0035] Thus, a given one of memories 216 or 226 may be considered an example of what is more generally referred to herein as a computer program product, or even more generally referred to as a processor-readable storage medium having executable program code embodied therein. Other examples of processor-readable storage media may include disks or other types of magnetic or optical media in any combination. Example embodiments may include articles of manufacture that include such computer program products or other processor-readable storage media.

[0036] Memory 216 or 226 may more specifically include electronic random access memory (RAM), such as, for example, static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), or other types of volatile or non-volatile electronic memory. The latter may include non-volatile memory, such as, for example, flash memory, magnetic RAM (MRAM), phase change RAM (PC-RAM), ferroelectric RAM (FRAM), etc. The term "memory" as used herein is intended to be interpreted broadly and may additionally or alternatively encompass portions or combinations of such devices, as well as, for example, read-only memory (ROM), disk-based memory, or other types of storage devices.

[0037] The interface circuits 210 and 220 of the user equipment 202 and network element / function 204, respectively, illustratively include transceivers or other communications hardware or firmware that enable the associated system elements to communicate with each other in the manner described herein.

[0038] It is apparent from FIG. 2 that the user equipment 202 is configured to communicate with the network element / function 204 via their respective interface circuits 210 and 220, and vice versa. If the network element / function 204 is a UDM, the user equipment and the UDM are operatively coupled (as shown in FIG. 1) via the gNB 104 and the AMF 106 and communicate via the gNB 104 and the AMF 106. This communication involves the user equipment 202 sending data to the network element / function 204 and the network element / function 204 sending data to the user equipment 202. However, in alternative embodiments, more or fewer network elements (in addition to or instead of the gNB and the AMF) may be operatively coupled between the network elements / functions 202 and 204. The term "data" as used herein is intended to be broadly construed to encompass any type of information that may be transmitted between a user equipment and one or more network elements / functions, including, but not limited to, messages, identifiers, keys, indicators, user data, control data, and the like.

[0039] It will be appreciated that the components of the particular arrangement shown in Figure 2 are examples only, and that numerous alternative configurations may be used in other embodiments. For example, any given network element / function may be configured to incorporate additional or alternative components and to support other communication protocols.

[0040] Other system elements (such as, but not limited to, the other elements shown in FIG. 1 ) may also each be configured to include components such as a processor, memory, and network interfaces, which need not be implemented on separate stand-alone processing platforms, but instead may represent, for example, different functional portions of a single common processing platform.

[0041] Given the general concepts described above, exemplary embodiments that address the problem of subscription identifier management will now be described.

[0042] As mentioned above, in legacy 4G (LTE) communication systems, the permanent subscription identifier is typically the International Mobile Station Identifier, or IMSI, of the UE. As defined in the above-referenced 3GPP TS 23.003, the IMSI is composed of the Mobile Country Code (MCC), Mobile Network Code (MNC), and Mobile Station Identification Number (MSIN). Typically, if the subscription identifier needs to be protected, only the MSIN portion of the IMSI needs to be encrypted. The MNC and MCC portions provide routing information used by the serving network to route to the correct home network. In 5G communication systems, the permanent subscription identifier is referred to as the Subscriber Permanent Identifier, or SUPI. Similar to the IMSI, the SUPI may utilize the MSIN to uniquely identify the subscriber. When the MSIN of the SUPI is encrypted, it is referred to as the Subscription Concealed Identifier, or SUCI.

[0043] However, it is understood herein that in different operating scenarios, the UE may need to represent the subscription identifier as a SUCI, SUPI, or IMSI. To address these and other subscription identifier management issues, the example embodiments propose a unified representation structure for subscription identifiers.

[0044] More specifically, the exemplary embodiments address the issue of using the appropriate subscription identifier representation, i.e., SUPI or its encrypted form SUCI, or even IMSI, in the registration request message sent by the UE to the network, as well as in the UE authentication procedure in a 5G network (note that the same or similar unified data structures may be exchanged between network entities). For example, while performing the 5G authentication and key agreement (AKA) procedure (see, e.g., 3GPP TS 33.501 referenced above), the UE may need to present the subscription identifier in three different formats SUCI, SUPI, or IMSI. If the authentication procedure uses the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) AKA' procedure (see, e.g., 3GPP TS 33.501 referenced above), then the representation uses the Network Access Identifier (NAI) format, i.e., "joe@example.com", as defined in Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Request for Comment (RFC) 7542, "The Network Access Identifier", May 2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0045] The issue of different subscription identifier formats is not addressed in the above-referenced TS 33.501, nor in any other Stage 3 specification. Only the usage of IMSI is defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 33.401, V15.3.0, entitled "Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; 3GPP System Architecture Evolution (SAE); System architecture", the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0046] 3A illustrates an IMSI format 300 in which one or more exemplary embodiments may be implemented. As shown, the format 300 includes a fixed length of 15 digits, consisting of a three-digit Mobile Country Code (MCC), a three-digit Mobile Network Code (MNC), and a nine-digit Mobile Station Identification Number (MSIN). In some cases, the MNC may be two digits and the MSIN may be ten digits. Further details regarding the IMSI are defined in the above-referenced 3GPP TS 23.003.

[0047] As explained above, if the authentication procedure uses the EAP-AKA' procedure or the EAP Transport Layer Security (TLS) procedure (each defined in the above-referenced 3GPP TS 33.501), then the subscription identifier representation uses the NAI format. RFC7542 states for 3GPP that the "username" part is a unique identifier derived from device specific information, and the "realm" part consists of information about the home network followed by the base string "3gppnetwork.org". For example, the subscription identifier in the NAI format may be represented as follows: 234150999999999@ims.mnc015.mcc234.3gppnetwork.org

[0048] Thus, for the EAP-AKA' procedure, the UE encodes its subscription identifier SUPI or SUCI in the NAI format as specified in RFC7542, for example MSIN@mnc.mcc.3gppnetwork.org.

[0049] 3B and 3C respectively show a SUPI format 310 and a SUCI format 320 in which one or more exemplary embodiments may be implemented. In this example, the SUPI format 310 includes an MCC field (3 digits), an MNC field (3 digits), an MSIN, and an UDM selector (8 bits). The SUCI format 320 is an encrypted form of the SUPI format 310 and includes an MCC field (3 digits), an MNC field (3 digits), an UDM selector field, an encrypted MSIN, and parameters for decrypting the encrypted MSIN, as shown.

[0050] In 3GPP SA3, it has been agreed to support at least two elliptic curves, Elliptic Curve Integrated Encryption Scheme (ECIES) curve A and curve B, for encrypting the MSIN portion of the SUPI while using the encryption identifier as the SUCI. In subsequent releases, 3GPP may specify more or fewer curves from the Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) family of curves, or may allow the use of proprietary curves to encrypt the MSIN. However, while using a standardized scheme is preferred, it is understood that a network operator may also decide to use its own specific encryption method. Furthermore, especially in transitional periods, a network operator may configure devices to use only a null scheme for the SUCI. A null scheme is implemented to return an output identical to the input, applied to both encryption and decryption (i.e., the MSIN is not encrypted). A null scheme is indicated by a scheme identifier in the SUCI and may therefore be presented by the Unified Subscription Identifier format in a similar manner.

[0051] Since the concealed subscription identifier SUCI is exchanged between the UE (102 in FIG. 1) and the UDM (part of 108 in FIG. 1) in the core network, the UDM needs to be configured to be able to understand how the UE has encoded the MSIN. Thus, since no other messages are exchanged between the UE and the UDM during the authentication process, the encoding method needs to be part of the exchanged format along with the encoded output itself. It is understood that the scheme for representing the SUCI therefore needs to support a flexible representation to fit multiple fields, with each field being flexible enough to support multiple options.

[0052] Exemplary embodiments address these and other challenges by providing a unified structure for representing subscription identifiers. For example, the unified structure in one exemplary embodiment can represent subscription identifiers such as SUCI, SUPI, and IMSI, along with various options associated with the use of each identifier during authentication and other operations.

[0053] 4 illustrates a unified subscription identifier format (data structure) 400 according to an example embodiment. Additionally, FIG. 5 illustrates example field lengths 500 for each field shown in the unified subscription identifier format 400 of FIG.

[0054] As shown, the unified subscription identifier format 400 includes the following fields (with example field lengths in parentheses): MCC field 402 (24 bits / 3 digits), MNC field 404 (24 bits / 3 digits), UDM selection parameter field 406 (8 bits), Encryption on / off field 408 (1 bit), KDF (Key Derivation Function) field 410 (3 bits), The KDF optional parameters field 412 (n bits / optional parameters dependent), Identifier type SUPI / SUCI / IMSI field 414 (2 bits), The ECIES curve selected for the encryption field 416 (4 bits), Ephemeral Public Key Pair field 418 (256 bits), Length field 420 of the encrypted MSIN (4 bits / 128, 192, 256, 512 bits / depending on the MSIN format), the MSIN or encrypted MSIN field 422 (length specified in field 420); MSIN MAC (Message Authentication Code of the MSIN field calculated using the selected ECIES curve) field 424 (256 bits), and Encryption Algorithm Identifier Field 426 (4 bits)

[0055] It will be appreciated that the field lengths described herein are exemplary in nature and thus are not intended to be limiting. Depending on the operating scenario in which the UE and the 5G network function, the field lengths may be set to different values. It will also be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, one or more other fields may be added to the data structure and / or some of the above fields may be removed and / or simply not used. Also, the positioning of the fields within the structure format 400 in FIG. 4 is exemplary in nature and thus alternative field arrangements are contemplated in other embodiments. By way of example only, one additional field that may be part of the data structure (or may be indicated in the UDM selection or other fields) is a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) field.

[0056] While some example embodiments provide for the UE to transmit the complete unified subscription identifier data structure (i.e., 400 in FIG. 4) to a given UDM (or one or more other network entities), alternative example embodiments avoid carrying many of the indicative parameters, such as, for example, the KDF, optional parameters of the KDF, the selected elliptic curve, the encryption algorithm identifier, etc., to minimize transmission overhead. As such, an alternative example unified subscription identifier data structure 600 is described in FIG. 6. As shown, the unified subscription identifier format 600 includes the following fields (with example field lengths in parentheses): MCC field 602 (24 bits / 3 digits), MNC field 604 (24 bits / 3 digits), UDM selection parameter field 606 (8 bits), Identifier type SUPI / SUCI / IMSI field 608 (2 bits), Length field 610 of the encrypted MSIN (4 bits / 128, 192, 256, 512 bits / depending on the MSIN format), the MSIN or encrypted MSIN field 612 (length specified in field 610); MSIN MAC (Message Authentication Code of the MSIN field calculated using the selected ECIES curve) field 614 (256 bits), and Profile Selection Field 616 (4 bits)

[0057] It will be appreciated that the field lengths described herein are exemplary in nature and thus are not intended to be limiting. Depending on the operating scenario in which the UE and the 5G network function, the field lengths may be set to different values. It will also be appreciated that in alternative embodiments, one or more other fields may be added to the data structure and / or some of the above fields may be removed and / or simply not used. Also, the positioning of the fields within the structure format 600 in FIG. 6 is exemplary in nature and thus alternative field arrangements are contemplated in other embodiments. By way of example only, one additional field that may be part of the data structure (or may be indicated in the UDM selection or other fields) is a network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) field.

[0058] Fields 602-614 provide the same information as their similarly named counterparts in data structure 400. However, data structure 600 includes a profile selection field 616. It will be appreciated that it may be beneficial to pre-establish certain standard profiles that will be used in the unified subscription identifier representation format between the UE and the UDM. Those agreed upon profiles may be defined as pre-set values ​​(just as an example, the 4-bit ECIES curve selected for the encryption field). In such a case, the agreed upon values ​​from the profile are used by the transmitting UE and the UDM, avoiding an actual exchange of values ​​for those parameters.

[0059] For example, in such a profile-based reduced-field version of the unified subscription identifier data structure, the UDM is configured to know that a given profile selection field of "0011" (when it is 4 bits) corresponds to a particular predefined setting for a field from the format of Figure 4 that is not transmitted in the reduced-field version of Figure 6, a profile selection field of "1010" means a different predefined setting, etc. Thus, the UDM pre-stores (or retrieves in real-time) a data structure for each possible profile that the UE will transmit (as the UE is configured to select different authentication scenarios).

[0060] Exemplary embodiments provide all UEs (e.g., 102 in FIG. 1 ) and network elements / functions, such as, but not limited to, the gNB (104 in FIG. 1 ), AMF (part of 106 in FIG. 1 ), SEAF (part of 106 in FIG. 1 ), AUSF (part of 108 in FIG. 1 ), and UDM (part of 108 in FIG. 1 ) to support alternative variations along with the unified subscription identifier formats 400 and 600.

[0061] FIG. 7 illustrates a method 700 for utilizing a unified subscription identifier format (eg, data structure 400 of FIG. 4 or data structure 600 of FIG. 6) from the perspective of a UE, in accordance with an example embodiment.

[0062] In step 702, the UE maintains a permanent subscription identifier (SUPI) or IMSI.

[0063] In step 704, the UE maintains its own private / public key pair along with the UDM's public key.

[0064] In step 706, the UE selects parameters (algorithm, curve, etc.) for encrypting the MSIN.

[0065] In step 708, the UE constructs an integrated subscription identifier data structure (e.g., 400 in FIG. 4) using the identifier type, encryption algorithm, curve indicator, public key, encrypted MSIN, MSIN MAC, MCC, MNC, UDM selector, KDF, optional KDF parameters, etc.

[0066] In step 710, the UE transmits a unified subscription identifier data structure to the selected UDM during a network access request (e.g., a registration request). In one embodiment, the unified subscription identifier data structure may be data structure 400 of FIG. 4 (i.e., an all-fields populated version), and in an alternative embodiment, the unified subscription identifier data structure may be data structure 600 of FIG. 6 (a profile-based reduced-field version). In further alternative embodiments, other variations of the unified subscription identifier data structure may be transmitted. The network entity (e.g., the UDM) is also configured to build or otherwise obtain / maintain such a unified subscription identifier data structure.

[0067] FIG. 8 illustrates a method 800 for utilizing a unified subscription identifier format (e.g., data structure 400 of FIG. 4 or data structure 600 of FIG. 6 ) from the perspective of a network entity (e.g., one or more of the network elements / functions described herein) in accordance with an example embodiment.

[0068] In step 802, a network entity receives an aggregate subscription identifier data structure.

[0069] In step 804, the network entity decodes the aggregate subscription identifier data structure, if necessary.

[0070] In step 806, the network element performs authentication of the transmitting UE based on an authentication scenario corresponding to the selected subscription identifier type in the received data structure.

[0071] It should therefore be reemphasized that the various embodiments described herein are presented by way of illustrative examples only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims. For example, alternative embodiments may utilize different communication system configurations, user equipment configurations, base station configurations, key pair provisioning and usage processes, messaging protocols, and message formats than those described above in the context of the illustrative embodiments. These and many other alternative embodiments within the scope of the appended claims will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.

Claims

1. A user equipment (102, 202) for a wireless communication system (100, 200), comprising: constructing, in the user equipment (102, 202) in the wireless communication system (100, 200), a unified subscription identifier data structure (400, 600), the unified subscription identifier data structure (400, 600) comprising a plurality of fields (402-426, 602-616) specifying information for a selected one of two or more subscription identifier types and parameters (408, 410, 412, 416, 418, 420, 426, 610) associated with the selected subscription identifier type; using the unified subscription identifier data structure (400, 600) to access one or more networks associated with the wireless communication system (100, 200) based on an authentication scenario corresponding to the selected subscription identifier type; a processor (212) and memory (216) configured to execute the plurality of fields (402, 404, 406, 422, 424) comprises a subscription identifier type field (414, 608) that specifies the selected one of two or more subscription identifier types; the plurality of fields (402, 404, 406, 422, 424) comprises an integrated data management, UDM, network entity selection parameter field (406, 606), the network entity performing to perform one or more of an integrated data management, UDM, function and an authentication server function, AUSF; The user equipment (102, 202).

2. 2. The user equipment (102, 202) of claim 1, wherein the subscription identifier type is selectable from a group consisting of a secured subscription identifier (SUCI), a subscriber permanent identifier (SUPI), and an international mobile station identifier (IMSI).

3. The user equipment (102, 202) of claim 1, wherein one field of the plurality of fields (402-426) is an encryption on / off field (408).

4. The user equipment (102, 202) of claim 3, wherein one field of the plurality of fields (402-426) is an encryption algorithm identifier field (426).

5. The user equipment (102, 202) of claim 1, wherein one field of the plurality of fields (402-426) is a key derivation function field (410).

6. The user equipment (102, 202) of claim 5, wherein one field of the plurality of fields (402-426) is a key derivation function parameters field (412).

7. The user equipment (102, 202) of claim 1, wherein one field of the plurality of fields (402-426, 602-616) is a mobile country code field (402, 602).

8. The user equipment (102, 202) of claim 1, wherein one field of the plurality of fields (402-426, 602-616) is a mobile network code field (404, 604).

9. 2. The user equipment (102, 202) of claim 1, wherein one field of the plurality of fields (402-426) is a field (416) that specifies a curve selected from an elliptic curve integrated encryption scheme.

10. The user equipment (102, 202) of claim 1, wherein one field of the plurality of fields (402-426) is an ephemeral public key pair field (418).

11. 2. The user equipment (102, 202) of claim 1, wherein one field of the plurality of fields (402-426, 602-616) is an encrypted mobile station identification number, MSIN, a field (420, 610) specifying a length of the field.

12. The user equipment (102, 202) of claim 11, wherein one field of the plurality of fields (402-426, 602-616) is an encrypted MSIN field (422, 612).

13. The user equipment (102, 202) of claim 11, wherein one field of the plurality of fields (402-426, 602-616) is an MSIN message authentication code field (424, 614).

14. The user equipment (102, 202) of claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication system (100, 200) comprises a 5G system.

15. The user equipment (102, 202) of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the unified subscription identifier data structure (400, 600) to at least one network entity (104, 204) in the wireless communication system (100, 200) to obtain access to the one or more networks associated with the wireless communication system (100, 200).

16. The user equipment (102, 202) of claim 1, wherein one field of the plurality of fields (602-616) is a profile selection field (616).

17. 17. The user equipment (102, 202) of claim 16, wherein the profile selection field (616) enables the user equipment (102, 202) to inform one or more network entities in the one or more networks associated with the wireless communication system (100, 200) to use pre-established values ​​for one or more selectable parameters associated with the selected subscription identifier field (300, 310, 320).

18. 18. The user equipment (102, 202) of claim 17, further comprising transmitting the unified subscription identifier data structure (600) having the profile selection field (616) and a reduced set of fields to at least one of the one or more network entities in the wireless communication system (100, 200) to obtain access to the one or more networks associated with the wireless communication system (100, 200).

19. constructing a unified subscription identifier data structure (400, 600) in a user equipment (102, 202) in a wireless communication system (100, 200), the unified subscription identifier data structure (400, 600) comprising a plurality of fields (402-426, 602-616) specifying information for a selected one of two or more subscription identifier types and parameters (408, 410, 412, 416, 418, 420, 426, 610) associated with the selected subscription identifier type; using the unified subscription identifier data structure (400, 600) to access one or more networks associated with the wireless communication system (100, 200) based on an authentication scenario corresponding to the selected subscription identifier type; Equipped with the plurality of fields (402, 404, 406, 422, 424) comprises a subscription identifier type field (414, 608) that specifies the selected one of two or more subscription identifier types; the plurality of fields (402, 404, 406, 422, 424) comprises an integrated data management, UDM, network entity selection parameter field (406, 606), the network entity performing to perform one or more of an integrated data management, UDM, function and an authentication server function, AUSF; method.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having executable program code embodied therein, the executable program code, when executed by a processor (212), causing the processor (212) to: constructing a unified subscription identifier data structure (400, 600) in a user equipment (102, 202) in a wireless communication system (100, 200), the unified subscription identifier data structure (400, 600) comprising a plurality of fields (402-426, 602-616) specifying information for a selected one of two or more subscription identifier types and parameters (408, 410, 412, 416, 418, 420, 426, 610) associated with the selected subscription identifier type; using the unified subscription identifier data structure (400, 600) to access one or more networks associated with the wireless communication system (100, 200) based on an authentication scenario corresponding to the selected subscription identifier type; Run the command, the plurality of fields (402, 404, 406, 422, 424) comprises a subscription identifier type field (414, 608) that specifies the selected one of two or more subscription identifier types; the plurality of fields (402, 404, 406, 422, 424) comprises an integrated data management, UDM, network entity selection parameter field (406, 606), the network entity performing to perform one or more of an integrated data management, UDM, function and an authentication server function, AUSF; The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

21. A network entity (104, 204) for a wireless communication system, comprising: receiving, at a network entity (104, 204), a unified subscription identifier data structure (400, 600), the unified subscription identifier data structure (400, 600) comprising a plurality of fields (402-426, 602-616) specifying information for a selected one of two or more subscription identifier types and parameters (408, 410, 412, 416, 418, 420, 426, 610) associated with the selected subscription identifier type; performing authentication of a user equipment (102, 202) based on an authentication scenario corresponding to said unified subscription identifier data structure (400, 600); a processor and memory configured to execute the plurality of fields (402, 404, 406, 422, 424) comprises a subscription identifier type field (414, 608) that specifies the selected one of two or more subscription identifier types; the plurality of fields (402, 404, 406, 422, 424) comprises an integrated data management, UDM, network entity selection parameter field (406, 606), the network entity performing to perform one or more of an integrated data management, UDM, function and an authentication server function, AUSF; The network entity (104, 204).

22. 22. The network entity (104, 204) of claim 21, wherein the processor and memory are further configured to perform the decoding of the unified subscription identifier data structure.

23. 22. The network entity (104, 204) of claim 21, wherein the subscription identifier type is selectable from the group consisting of a secured subscription identifier (SUCI), a subscriber permanent identifier (SUPI), and an international mobile station identifier (IMSI).

24. The network entity (104, 204) of claim 21, wherein one field of the plurality of fields (402-426) is an encryption on / off field (408).

25. The network entity (104, 204) of claim 24, wherein one field of said plurality of fields (402-426) is an encryption algorithm identifier field (426).

26. The network entity (104, 204) of claim 21, wherein one field of the plurality of fields (402-426) is a key derivation function field (410).

27. The network entity (104, 204) of claim 26, wherein one field of the plurality of fields (402-426) is a key derivation function parameters field (412).

28. The network entity (104, 204) of claim 21, wherein one field of said plurality of fields (402-426, 602-616) is a mobile country code field (402, 602).

29. The network entity (104, 204) of claim 21, wherein one field of said plurality of fields (402-426, 602-616) is a mobile network code field (404, 604).

30. The network entity (104, 204) of claim 21, wherein one field of the plurality of fields (402-426) is a field (416) specifying a curve selected from an elliptic curve integrated cryptography scheme.

31. The network entity (104, 204) of claim 21, wherein one field of the plurality of fields (402-426) is an ephemeral public key pair field (418).

32. 22. The network entity (104, 204) of claim 21, wherein one field of said plurality of fields (402-426, 602-616) is a ciphered mobile station identification number, MSIN, a field (420, 610) specifying a length of the field.

33. The network entity (104, 204) of claim 32, wherein one field of said plurality of fields (402-426, 602-616) is an encrypted MSIN field (422, 612).

34. The network entity (104, 204) of claim 32, wherein one field of said plurality of fields (402-426, 602-616) is an MSIN message authentication code field (424, 614).

35. The network entity (104, 204) of claim 21, wherein the wireless communication system (100, 200) comprises a 5G system.

36. The network entity (104, 204) of claim 21, wherein the processor and memory are further configured to execute receiving the unified subscription identifier data structure (400, 600) from the user equipment (102, 202) in the wireless communication system (100, 200) requesting to obtain access to one or more networks associated with the wireless communication system (100, 200).

37. The network entity (104, 204) of claim 21, wherein one field of the plurality of fields (602-616) is a profile selection field (616).

38. 38. The network entity (104, 204) of claim 37, wherein the profile selection field enables the user equipment (102, 202) to inform the network entities (104, 204) in one or more networks associated with the wireless communication system (100, 200) to use pre-established values ​​for one or more selectable parameters associated with the selected subscription identifier field (300, 310, 320).

39. The network entity (104, 204) of claim 38, wherein the processor and memory are further configured to execute receiving the unified subscription identifier data structure (400, 600) from the user equipment (102, 202) in the wireless communication system (100, 200) requesting to obtain access to one or more networks associated with the wireless communication system (100, 200).

40. receiving, at a network entity (104, 204), a unified subscription identifier data structure (400, 600), the unified subscription identifier data structure (400, 600) comprising a plurality of fields (402-426, 602-616) specifying information for a selected one of two or more subscription identifier types and parameters (408, 410, 412, 416, 418, 420, 426, 610) associated with the selected subscription identifier type; performing authentication of a user equipment (102, 202) based on an authentication scenario corresponding to said unified subscription identifier data structure (400, 600); Equipped with the plurality of fields (402, 404, 406, 422, 424) comprises a subscription identifier type field (414, 608) that specifies the selected one of two or more subscription identifier types; the plurality of fields (402, 404, 406, 422, 424) comprises an integrated data management, UDM, network entity selection parameter field (406, 606), the network entity performing to perform one or more of an integrated data management, UDM, function and an authentication server function, AUSF; method.

41. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having executable program code embodied therein, the executable program code, when executed by a processor, causing the processor to: receiving, at a network entity (104, 204), a unified subscription identifier data structure (400, 600), the unified subscription identifier data structure (400, 600) comprising a plurality of fields (402-426, 602-616) specifying information for a selected one of two or more subscription identifier types and parameters (408, 410, 412, 416, 418, 420, 426, 610) associated with the selected subscription identifier type; performing authentication of a user equipment (102, 202) based on an authentication scenario corresponding to said unified subscription identifier data structure (400, 600); Let them do so, the plurality of fields (402, 404, 406, 422, 424) comprises a subscription identifier type field (414, 608) that specifies the selected one of two or more subscription identifier types; the plurality of fields (402, 404, 406, 422, 424) comprises an integrated data management, UDM, network entity selection parameter field (406, 606), the network entity performing to perform one or more of an integrated data management, UDM, function and an authentication server function, AUSF; The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

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