Method and device for managing user equipment policy in wireless communication system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a 5G or 6G communication system for supporting higher data transmission rates. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a first network entity for performing a user equipment-policy control function (UE-PCF) in a wireless communication system may comprise: a transceiver; and at least one processor for controlling the transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive a policy control creation request message from a second network entity for performing the UE-PCF; and transmit a policy control creation response message to the second network entity. According to a method and a device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the reliability of UE policy management by using a policy control reporting initiator that allows a network entity to provide a notification upon receiving a UE policy enforcement report.

Description

Method and device for managing terminal policies in a wireless communication system

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for managing terminal policies in a wireless communication system.

[0002] 5G mobile communication technology defines a wide frequency band to enable fast transmission speeds and new services, and can be implemented not only in the sub-6GHz frequency band such as 3.5 gigahertz (3.5GHz), but also in the ultra-high frequency band called millimeter wave (mmWave) such as 28GHz and 39GHz ('Above 6GHz'). In addition, for 6G mobile communication technology, which is called the system after 5G communication (Beyond 5G), implementation in the terahertz band (for example, the 3 terahertz (3THz) band at 95GHz) is being considered to achieve a transmission speed that is 50 times faster than 5G mobile communication technology and an ultra-low latency time that is reduced to one-tenth.

[0003] In the early stages of 5G mobile communication technology, the goal is to support services and satisfy performance requirements for enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC), and massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC). These include beamforming and massive MIMO to mitigate path loss of radio waves in ultra-high frequency bands and increase the transmission distance of radio waves, support for various numerologies (such as operation of multiple subcarrier intervals) and dynamic operation of slot formats for efficient use of ultra-high frequency resources, initial access technology to support multi-beam transmission and wideband, definition and operation of BWP (Bidth Part), new channel coding methods such as LDPC (Low Density Parity Check) codes for large-capacity data transmission and Polar Code for reliable transmission of control information, and L2 pre-processing (L2). Standardization has been made for network slicing, which provides dedicated networks specialized for specific services, and pre-processing.

[0004] Currently, discussions are underway to improve and enhance the initial 5G mobile communication technology in consideration of the services that 5G mobile communication technology was intended to support, and physical layer standardization is in progress for technologies such as V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) to help autonomous vehicles make driving decisions and increase user convenience based on their own location and status information transmitted by vehicles, NR-U (New Radio Unlicensed) for the purpose of system operation that complies with various regulatory requirements in unlicensed bands, NR terminal low power consumption technology (UE Power Saving), Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN), which is direct terminal-satellite communication to secure coverage in areas where communication with terrestrial networks is impossible, and Positioning.

[0005] In addition, standardization of wireless interface architecture / protocols is in progress for technologies such as intelligent factories (Industrial Internet of Things, IIoT) to support new services through linkage and convergence with other industries, Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) that provides nodes for expanding network service areas by integrating wireless backhaul links and access links, Mobility Enhancement technology including Conditional Handover and Dual Active Protocol Stack (DAPS) handover, and 2-step random access (2-step RACH for NR) that simplifies random access procedures. Standardization is also in progress for system architecture / services such as 5G baseline architecture (e.g., Service-based Architecture, Service-based Interface) for grafting Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN) technologies, and Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) that provides services based on the location of the terminal.

[0006] Once these 5G mobile communication systems are commercialized, an explosive increase in connected devices will be connected to the communication network, necessitating enhanced functionality and performance of 5G mobile communication systems and integrated operation of these connected devices. To this end, new research will be conducted on improving 5G performance and reducing complexity, supporting AI services, supporting metaverse services, and drone communications by utilizing eXtended Reality (XR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML) to efficiently support Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR).

[0007] In addition, the development of these 5G mobile communication systems includes new waveforms to ensure coverage in the terahertz band of 6G mobile communication technology, multi-antenna transmission technologies such as Full Dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), Array Antenna, and Large Scale Antenna, metamaterial-based lenses and antennas to improve the coverage of terahertz band signals, high-dimensional spatial multiplexing technology using Orbital Angular Momentum (OAM), Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) technology, as well as full duplex technology to improve the frequency efficiency and system network of 6G mobile communication technology, satellite, AI (Artificial Intelligence) from the design stage and AI-based communication technology that realizes system optimization by internalizing end-to-end AI support functions, and ultra-high-performance communication and computing resources to provide services with complexity that exceeds the limits of terminal computing capabilities. It can serve as a basis for the development of next-generation distributed computing technologies that can be realized by utilizing them.

[0008] To meet the growing demand for wireless data traffic following the commercialization of 4G communication systems, efforts are being made to develop improved 5G or pre-5G communication systems. For this reason, 5G or pre-5G communication systems are also referred to as "Beyond 4G Network" or "Post-LTE" systems. The 5G communication system specified by 3GPP is called the New Radio (NR) system.

[0009] To achieve high data rates, 5G communication systems are being considered for implementation in ultra-high frequency (mmWave) bands (e.g., the 60 GHz band). To mitigate radio path loss and increase the transmission range of radio waves in ultra-high frequency bands, beamforming, massive MIMO (massive MIMO), full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, analog beamforming, and large-scale antenna technologies have been discussed and applied to NR systems in 5G communication systems.

[0010] Additionally, to improve the network of the system, technologies such as evolved small cells, advanced small cells, cloud radio access networks (cloud RAN), ultra-dense networks, device-to-device communication (D2D), wireless backhaul, moving networks, cooperative communication, CoMP (Coordinated Multi-Points), and interference cancellation are being developed in 5G communication systems.

[0011] In addition, advanced coding modulation (ACM) methods such as FQAM (Hybrid FSK and QAM Modulation) and SWSC (Sliding Window Superposition Coding), as well as advanced access technologies such as FBMC (Filter Bank Multi Carrier), NOMA (non-orthogonal multiple access), and SCMA (sparse code multiple access) are being developed in 5G systems.

[0012] Meanwhile, the Internet is evolving from a human-centric network where humans create and consume information to an Internet of Things (IoT) network where information is exchanged and processed between distributed components, such as objects. The Internet of Everything (IoE) is also emerging, combining IoT technologies with big data processing technologies, such as those connected to cloud servers. To implement the IoT, technological elements such as sensing technologies, wireless and wired communication and network infrastructure, service interface technologies, and security technologies are required. Recently, research is being conducted on technologies such as sensor networks, Machine-to-Machine (M2M), and Machine-Type Communication (MTC) for connecting objects. In the IoT environment, intelligent IT (Internet Technology) services can be provided that collect and analyze data generated from connected objects to create new value for human life. IoT can be applied to areas such as smart homes, smart buildings, smart cities, smart or connected cars, smart grids, healthcare, smart appliances, and advanced medical services through the convergence and integration of existing IT (Information Technology) technologies with various industries.

[0013] Accordingly, various attempts are being made to apply 5G communication systems to IoT networks. For example, 5G communication such as sensor networks, machine-to-machine (M2M), and machine-type communication (MTC) are being implemented using techniques such as beamforming, MIMO, and array antennas. The application of cloud radio access networks (cloud RAN), a big data processing technology described above, can also be considered an example of the convergence of 5G and IoT technologies.

[0014] The present disclosure provides a method and device for transmitting information related to a terminal policy applied by a UE so that a network can verify the result of applying the terminal policy to the UE.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a first network entity performing a user equipment-policy control function (UE-PCF) in a wireless communication system comprises: a transceiver; and at least one processor controlling the transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive a policy control creation request message from a second network entity performing the UE-policy control function, and transmit a policy control creation response message to the second network entity.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the policy control generation response message may include a policy control report trigger (PCRT) based on a UE capability related to a policy enforcement report of the UE when the policy control generation request message includes the UE capability, and the policy control generation response message may instruct the PCRT to notify that the second network entity has received the policy enforcement report of the UE when the second network entity receives the policy enforcement report of the UE.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one processor,

[0018] The second network entity may be configured to receive a policy control update request message. In one embodiment, the policy control update request message may include information notifying that the policy control generation response message includes the policy control report initiator (PCRT) and the second network entity has received the policy enforcement report of the terminal, or information indicating the enforcement policy of the terminal.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the policy enforcement report of the terminal may be received by the second network entity through a policy association established between the second network entity and a third network entity performing a session management-policy control function (SM-PCF), and the policy association may be established based on the policy enforcement report of the terminal.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the policy enforcement report of the terminal may be characterized as a report on a policy applied to a session establishment request transmitted by the terminal to a fourth network entity performing an access management function (AMF).

[0021] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the policy association may be established based on an identifier of at least one of the first network entity or the second network entity.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first network entity may include a home public land mobile network (HPLMN) and the second network entity may include a visited public land mobile network (VPLMN).

[0023] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of a first network entity performing a user equipment-policy control function (UE-PCF) in a wireless communication system includes the steps of: receiving a policy control generation request message from a second network entity performing the UE-policy control function; and transmitting a policy control generation response message to the second network entity; wherein the policy control generation response message includes a policy control report trigger (PCRT) based on UE capability related to a policy enforcement report of a UE when the policy control generation request message includes UE capability, and wherein the policy control report trigger (PCRT) can instruct the second network entity to notify that the second network entity has received the policy enforcement report of the UE.

[0024] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a second network entity performing a user equipment-policy control function (UE-PCF) in a wireless communication system includes a transceiver; and at least one processor controlling the transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: transmit a policy control creation request message to a first network entity performing the UE-PCF, and receive a policy control creation response message from the first network entity, wherein the policy control creation response message includes a policy control report trigger (PCRT) based on a UE capability related to a policy enforcement report of the UE when the policy control creation request message includes the UE capability, and wherein the policy control creation response message can instruct the PCRT to notify that the second network entity has received the policy enforcement report of the UE.

[0025] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of a second network entity performing a user equipment-policy control function (UE-PCF) in a wireless communication system comprises the steps of: transmitting a policy control creation request message to a first network entity performing the UE-policy control function; and receiving a policy control creation response message from the first network entity; and wherein the policy control creation response message includes a policy control report trigger (PCRT) based on UE capability related to a policy enforcement report of a UE when the policy control creation request message includes UE capability, and when the policy control creation response message includes the policy control report trigger (PCRT) and the second network entity receives the policy enforcement report of the UE, it may instruct to notify that the policy enforcement report of the UE has been received.

[0026] According to the method and device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the reliability of terminal policy management can be improved by using a policy control reporting initiator that can notify when a terminal policy enforcement report is received from a network entity.

[0027] In addition, the effects that can be obtained from the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects that are not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs from the description below.

[0028] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a network structure and interface of a wireless communication system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a network structure and interface of a wireless communication system supporting interworking between EPS and 5GS according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a terminal policy transmission procedure between a network and a terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a terminal policy transmission procedure between a network and a terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a policy control creation and update procedure between a visiting UE-PCF and a home UE-PCF according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a network entity that performs a policy control function (PCF) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a network entity that performs session management function + packet data network gateway control (SMF+PGW-C) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. At this time, it should be noted that the same components in the attached drawings are represented by the same reference numerals as much as possible. In addition, it should be noted that the attached drawings of the present disclosure are provided to help understand the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to the forms or arrangements illustrated in the drawings. In addition, detailed descriptions of well-known functions and configurations that may obscure the gist of the present disclosure will be omitted. It should be noted that in the following description, only the parts necessary for understanding the operation according to various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described, and the description of other parts will be omitted so as not to distract from the gist of the present disclosure. In addition, although the present disclosure describes various embodiments using terminology used in some communication standards (e.g., 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)), this is merely an example for the purpose of explanation. The various embodiments of the present disclosure can be easily modified and applied to other communication systems.

[0036] It will be appreciated that each block of the processing flowchart drawings and combinations of the flowchart drawings in the present disclosure can be performed by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be installed in a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing equipment, such that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing equipment create a means for performing the functions described in the flowchart block(s). These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-available or computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to implement the functions in a specific manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-available or computer-readable memory can also produce an article of manufacture that includes an instruction means for performing the functions described in the flowchart block(s). Since the computer program instructions may be installed on a computer or other programmable data processing device, a series of operational steps may be performed on the computer or other programmable data processing device to create a computer-executable process, and the instructions that cause the computer or other programmable data processing device to perform the steps for performing the functions described in the flowchart block(s) may also provide steps for performing the functions described in the flowchart block(s).

[0037] Additionally, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code that contains one or more executable instructions for performing a specific logical function(s). It should also be noted that in some alternative implementation examples, the functions described in the blocks may occur out of order. For example, two blocks depicted in succession may actually be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on their respective functions.

[0038] Here, the term '~ part' used in this embodiment means software or hardware components such as FPGA (field programmable gate array) or ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), and the '~ part' performs certain roles. However, the '~ part' is not limited to software or hardware. The '~ part' may be configured to be on an addressable storage medium or may be configured to play one or more processors. Therefore, as an example, the '~ part' includes components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, processes, functions, properties, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functions provided within the components and '~ parts' may be combined into a smaller number of components and '~ parts' or further separated into additional components and '~ parts'. Additionally, the components and '~parts' may be implemented to activate one or more CPUs within a device or secure multimedia card. In addition, in an embodiment, the '~parts' may include one or more processors.

[0039] In this disclosure, phrases such as "A and / or B", "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", and "at least one of A, B, or C" can each include any one of the items listed together in that phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first", "second", or "first" or "second" may be used merely to distinguish the corresponding component from other corresponding components and do not limit the corresponding components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order).

[0040] In the present disclosure, network technology may refer to standard specifications defined by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) or 3GPP (e.g., TS 23.501, TS 23.502, TS 23.503, etc.), and components included in the network structure of FIG. 1 described below may mean a physical entity, or may mean software performing an individual function, or hardware combined with software. Reference symbols shown as Nx, such as N1, N2, N3, ..., in the drawings represent known interfaces between network functions (NFs) in a 5G core network (CN).

[0041] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a network structure and interface of a 5G system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] 5G (5) of Fig. 1 th The network entities included in the network structure of the system may include network functions (NF) depending on the system implementation.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 1, the network structure of a 5G system (100) may include various network entities. For example, the 5G system (100) may include an authentication server function (AUSF) (108), an access management function (AMF) (103), a session management function (SMF) (105), a policy control function (PCF) (106), an application function (AF) (107), a unified data management (UDM) (109), a data network (DN) (110), a network exposure function (NEF) (113), a network slicing selection function (NSSF) (114), and a network repository function (NRF) (115). Additionally, the 5G system (100) may include an edge application service domain repository (EDR), an edge application server (EAS), an EAS discovery function (EASDF), a user plane function (UPF) (104), a (radio) access network ((R)AN) (102), and a terminal, i.e., a user equipment (UE) (101).

[0044] Each NF of the 5G system (100) supports the following functions.

[0045] AUSF (108) processes and stores data for authentication of UE (101).

[0046] AMF (103) provides functions for access and mobility management per UE, and one UE can be connected to one AMF by default. Specifically, the AMF (103) provides signaling between core network (CN) nodes for mobility between 3GPP access networks, termination of a radio access network (RAN) control plane (CP) interface (i.e., N2 interface), termination of non-access stratum (NAS) signaling (N1), NAS signaling security (NAS ciphering and integrity protection), AS security control, registration management (registration area management), connection management, idle mode UE reachability (including control and performance of paging retransmission), mobility management control (subscription and policy), intra-system mobility and inter-system mobility support, support for network slicing, SMF selection, lawful intercept (LI) (for AMF events and interfaces to the LI system), provision of forwarding of session management (SM) messages between UE and SMF, transparent proxy for routing of SM (session management) messages, access It supports functions such as access authentication, access authorization including roaming permission check, provision of SMS message transfer between UE and short message service function (SMSF), security anchor function (SAF) and / or security context management (SCM).Some or all of the functions of AMF (103) may be supported within a single instance of AMF.

[0047] DN (110) refers to, for example, an operator service, Internet access, or a third-party service. DN (110) transmits a downlink protocol data unit (PDU) to UPF (104) or receives a PDU transmitted from UE (101) from UPF (104).

[0048] PCF (106) receives information about packet flows from the application server and provides a function to determine policies such as mobility management and session management. Specifically, PCF (106) supports functions such as supporting a unified policy framework for controlling network operations, providing policy rules so that control plane functions (e.g., AMF, SMF, etc.) can enforce the policy rules, and implementing a front end for accessing related subscription information for policy determination within a user data repository (UDR).

[0049] SMF (105) provides a session management function, and when UE (101) has multiple sessions, each session can be managed by a different SMF. Specifically, the SMF (105) supports functions such as session management (e.g., session establishment, modification, and termination, including tunnel maintenance between UPF (104) and (R)AN (102) nodes), UE IP (internet protocol) address allocation and management (optionally including authentication), selection and control of UP functions, traffic steering setup to route traffic from the UPF (104) to the appropriate destination, termination of the interface to policy control functions, enforcement of the control portion of policy and quality of service (QoS), lawful interception (LI) (for SM events and interfaces to the LI system), termination of the SM portion of NAS messages, downlink data notification, initiator of AN (access network) specific SM information (delivered to (R)AN (102) via N2 via AMF (103)), determination of Session and Service Continuity (SSC) mode of sessions, roaming functions, etc. Some or all of the functions of SMF (105) may be supported within a single instance of an SMF.

[0050] UDM (109) stores user subscription data, policy data, etc. UDM (109) includes two parts: an application front end (FE) and a user data repository (UDR).

[0051] The FE includes the UDM-FE, which handles location management, subscription management, and credential processing, and the PCF, which handles policy control. The UDR stores the data required for the functions provided by the UDM-FE and the policy profiles required by the PCF. The data stored in the UDR includes user subscription data and policy data, including subscription identifiers, security credentials, access and mobility-related subscription data, and session-related subscription data. The UDM-FE accesses the subscription information stored in the UDR and supports functions such as authentication credential processing, user identification handling, access authentication, registration / mobility management, subscription management, and SMS management.

[0052] UPF (104) transmits a downlink PDU received from DN (110) to UE (101) via (R)AN (102), and transmits an uplink PDU received from UE (101) via (R)AN (102) to DN (110). Specifically, the UPF (104) supports functions such as an anchor point for intra / inter RAT (radio access technology) mobility, an external PDU session point for interconnection to a data network, a user plane portion of packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection and policy rule enforcement, an uplink classifier to support lawful intercept, traffic usage reporting, routing of traffic flows to the data network, a branching point to support multi-homed PDU sessions, QoS handling for the user plane (e.g., packet filtering, gating, uplink / downlink rate enforcement), uplink traffic validation (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering. Some or all of the functions of UPF (104) may be supported within a single instance of a UPF.

[0053] AF(107) interacts with the 3GPP core network to provide services (e.g., support for application impact on traffic routing, access to network capability exposure, and interaction with policy frameworks for policy control).

[0054] (R)AN(102) is 4G(4 th It is a general term for a new radio access network that can support both evolved E-UTRA (E-UTRA), an evolved version of the previous generation of radio access technology, and new radio (NR) (e.g., gNB).

[0055] The gNB provides functions for radio resource management (i.e., radio bearer control, radio admission control, connection mobility control, dynamic allocation of resources to the UE in uplink / downlink (i.e., scheduling), IP (internet protocol) header compression, encryption and integrity protection of user data streams, selection of an AMF upon attachment of the UE if routing to the AMF is not determined from the information provided to the UE, routing of user plane data to UPF(s), routing of control plane information to the AMF, connection setup and teardown, scheduling and transmission of paging messages (originating from the AMF), scheduling and transmission of system broadcast information (originating from the AMF or operating and maintenance (O&M)), measurement and measurement reporting setup for mobility and scheduling, transport level packet marking in uplink, session management, support for network slicing, and QoS flows. It supports features such as mapping to management and data radio bearers, support for UEs in inactive mode, distribution of NAS messages, NAS node selection, radio access network sharing, dual connectivity, and tight interworking between NR and E-UTRA.

[0056] UE (101) refers to a user equipment. The user equipment may be referred to by terms such as terminal, mobile equipment (ME), or mobile station (MS). Furthermore, the user equipment may be a portable device such as a laptop, mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, or multimedia device, or may be a non-portable device such as a personal computer (PC) or vehicle-mounted device.

[0057] The NEF (111) provides a means to securely expose services and capabilities provided by 3GPP network functions, such as third parties, internal exposure / re-exposure, application functions, and edge computing. The NEF (111) receives information from other NF (s) (based on the exposed capability (s) of other NF (s)). The NEF (111) can store the received information as structured data using a standardized interface to a data storage network function. The stored information can be re-exposed to other NF (s) and AF (s) by the NEF (111) and used for other purposes, such as analysis.

[0058] NRF (115) supports service discovery. It receives NF discovery requests from NF instances and provides information about discovered NF instances to the NF instances. It also maintains available NF instances and the services they support.

[0059] Meanwhile, for convenience of explanation, FIG. 1 illustrates a reference model for a case where a UE (101) accesses one DN (110) using one PDU session, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0060] A UE (101) can access two (i.e., local and central) data networks simultaneously using multiple PDU sessions. In this case, two SMFs can be selected for different PDU sessions. However, each SMF can have the ability to control both the local UPF and the central UPF within the PDU session.

[0061] Additionally, the UE (101) may also access two (i.e., local and central) data networks simultaneously, for example, within a single PDU session.

[0062] NSSF (114) can select a set of network slice instances serving UE (101). In addition, NSSF (114) can determine allowed network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) and, if necessary, perform mapping to subscribed single-network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI). In addition, NSSF (114) can determine configured NSSAI and, if necessary, perform mapping to subscribed S-NSSAI. In addition, NSSF (114) can determine the set of AMFs used to serve UE or, depending on the configuration, can inquire NRF (115) to determine a list of candidate AMFs.

[0063] NRF (115) supports service discovery. It receives NF discovery requests from NF instances and provides information about discovered NF instances to the NF instances. It also maintains available NF instances and the services they support.

[0064] In the 3GPP system, a conceptual link connecting NFs within a 5G system is defined as a reference point. The following illustrates a reference point included in the 5G system architecture depicted in Figure 1.

[0065] - N1: Reference point between UE and AMF

[0066] - N2: Reference point between (R)AN and AMF

[0067] - N3: Reference point between (R)AN and UPF

[0068] - N4: Reference point between SMF and UPF

[0069] - N5: Reference point between PCF and AF

[0070] - N6: Reference point between UPF and DN

[0071] - N7: Reference point between SMF and PCF

[0072] - N8: Reference point between UDM and AMF

[0073] - N9: Reference point between two core UPFs

[0074] - N10: Reference point between UDM and SMF

[0075] - N11: Reference point between AMF and SMF

[0076] - N12: Reference point between AMF and AUSF

[0077] - N13: Reference point between UDM and authentication server function (AUSF)

[0078] - N14: Reference point between two AMFs

[0079] - N15: Reference point between PCF and AMF for non-roaming scenarios, reference point between PCF and AMF in visited network for roaming scenarios.

[0080] In the following description, the term "terminal" may refer to UE (101), and the terms "UE" and "terminal" may be used interchangeably. In this case, unless specifically defined additionally, the term "terminal" may be understood as UE (101).

[0081] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a network structure and interface of a wireless communication system supporting interworking between EPS and 5GS according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0082] The basic functions of the network entities of Fig. 2 corresponding to those of Fig. 1 can be referred to the description of Fig. 1.

[0083] 5GS may include a New Radio (NR) base station (NG-RAN (radio access node) or gNB (next generation node B)) (204) for wireless access of a terminal (UE) (201b), an access and mobility management function (AMF) (205), and, although not illustrated in FIG. 2, may include a session management function (SMF), a user plane function (UPF), a policy control function (PCF), a network slice selection function (NSSF), a unified data management (UDM), a unified data repository (UDR), etc. described in FIG. 1.

[0084] The EPS may include an E-UTRA base station (E-UTRAN (Evolved UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Terrestrial Radio Access Network) or eNB (evolved node B)) (202) for wireless access of a terminal (UE) (201a), a mobility management entity (MME) (203) for managing mobility of the terminal (UE) (201a), a serving gateway (SGW) (206) and a packet data network gateway (PGW) in charge of a user plane of the terminal (UE) (201a) (the PGW may be composed of a PGW-U (user) and a PGW-C (control)), a policy and charging rule function (PCRF) for managing policy information, a home subscriber server (HSS) for managing subscription information of the terminal (UE) (201a), etc.

[0085] According to one embodiment, the AMF (205) and MME (203) may be Network Functions (NFs) that manage wireless network access and mobility for a terminal. The SMF, SGW, and PGW are NFs that manage sessions for the terminal, and the session information may include Quality of Service (QoS) information, charging information, and information about packet processing. In addition, the UPF and PGW are NFs that process user plane traffic (e.g., user plane traffic) and may be controlled by the SMF and SGW. The PCF and PCRF may be NFs that manage operator policies (operator policies and / or public land mobile network (PLMN) policies) for providing communication services in a wireless communication system.

[0086] Additionally, the PCF can be divided into a PCF responsible for Access and Mobility (AM) policies and UE policies (i.e., UE-PCF) and a PCF responsible for Session Management (SM) policies (i.e., SM-PCF). The PCF responsible for AM / UE policies (i.e., AM-PCF / UE-PCF) and the PCF responsible for SM policies (i.e., SM-PCF) can be logically or physically separate NFs or can be a single NF logically or physically. The UDM and HSS can be NFs that store and manage UE subscription information. The UDR (212) can be an NF or database (DB) that stores and manages data. The UDR (212) can store the subscription information of the terminal and provide the subscription information of the terminal to the UDM. In addition, the UDR (212) can store operator policy information and provide the operator policy information to the PCF. NSSF may be an NF that performs the function of selecting network slice instances that serve a terminal or determining the NSSAI.

[0087] The above instance may mean a state in which NF exists in the form of software code, and physical and / or logical resources are allocated from a computing system (e.g., a specific computing system existing on a core network) to perform the function of the NF, thereby executing the function of the NF. For example, AMF instance, SMF instance, NSSF instance, etc. may mean a state in which physical and / or logical resources can be allocated and used for the operations of AMF, SMF, NSSF, etc. from a specific computing system existing on a core network, respectively. Therefore, when physical AMF, SMF, NSSF devices exist, and AMF Instance, SMF Instance, NSSF Instance that are allocated and use physical and / or logical resources for AMF, SMF, NSSF operations from a specific computing system existing on a network can perform the same operations.

[0088] The UDM of 5GS and the HSS of EPS can be configured as one combo node (or combination node) (referred to as UDM+HSS) (or referred to as HSS+UDM) (211). The UDM+HSS node (211) can store subscriber information of the terminal. The SMF of 5GS and the PGW-C of EPS can be configured as one combo node (referred to as SMF+PGW-C) (or referred to as PGW-C+SMF) (208). The PCF of 5GS and the Policy Control and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) of EPS can be configured as one combo node (referred to as PCF+PCRF) (or referred to as PCRF+PCF). The UPF of 5GS and the PGW-U of EPS can be configured as one combo node (referred to as UPF+PGW-U) (or referred to as PGW-U+UPF) (207). The terminal (201a) can access the MME (203) of the EPS via the E-UTRA base station (202) to use the EPS network service. In addition, the terminal (201b) can access the AMF (205) of the 5GS via the NR-RAN (204) to use the 5GS network service. In FIG. 2, different reference numbers are used for the terminals accessing the EPS and the terminals accessing the 5GS for convenience, but the terminals (201a, 201b) may be the same terminal. This is to indicate that the terminal can access either the EPS or the 5GS.

[0089] Additionally, in the present disclosure, EPS and 5GS may be referred to as a first network and a second network, or as a second network and a first network, respectively.

[0090] In this way, one NF or network entity can support different network systems simultaneously, and such NF, network node, or network entity can be called a combo node, combo NF, combined node, integrated NF, interworking node, interworking NF, etc. as described above. In addition, the function of the NF exemplified by the combo node may be implemented through interworking between two or more network entities. In addition, for convenience of illustration and description, an NF that supports different network systems simultaneously may be indicated using the "+" symbol or the " / " symbol. For example, when SMF and PGW-C are configured as one combo node, it can be expressed as PGW-C / SMF, PGW-C+SMF, SMF / PGW-C, or SMF+PGW-C.

[0091] Terminals (201a, 201b) can establish a session by connecting to a data network (e.g., an IP network providing Internet services) via 5GS or EPS. At this time, the terminals can distinguish each data network using an identifier called a Data Network Name (DNN) or an Access Point Name (APN). To distinguish the data networks, the DNN can be used in 5GS, and the APN can be used in EPS. The DNN and APN can be used to determine the NF, interfaces between NFs, operator policies, etc. related to the user plane when the terminal connects to a network system and a session. The DNN and the APN can be understood as equivalent information and can transmit the same information. The DNN can be used, for example, to select an SMF and UPF(s) for a PDU session, and can be used to select interface(s) (e.g., N6 interface) between a data network and a UPF for a PDU session. Additionally, the above DNN can be used to determine a mobile carrier's policy to apply to a PDU session.

[0092] In the following examples, combo nodes such as UDM+HSS node, PCF+PCRF node, SMF+PGW-C node, UPF+PGW-C node, etc. are described by omitting the name "node" for convenience of explanation. In addition, in the following examples, the definition of a message defined in one example can be applied with the same meaning in other examples that use the same message.

[0093] The above PCF can be divided into a session management-policy control function (SM-PCF) (210) in charge of session management policy (SM Policy) and a terminal-policy control function (UE-PCF) (209) in charge of mobility management policy (AM Policy) and / or terminal policy (UE Policy). The SM-PCF (210) can be connected to the SMF (SMF+PGW-C in FIG. 2) (208) through the N7 interface, and cannot be connected to the AMF (205). In other words, the SM-PCF (210) cannot support the N15 interface. In addition, the UE-PCF (209) can be connected to the AMF (205) through the N15 interface, and cannot be connected to the SMF (SMF+PGW-C in FIG. 2) (208). In other words, the UE-PCF (209) cannot support the N7 interface. SM-PCF (210) and UE-PCF (209) may be physically and / or logically located in one device or one PCF, but may be distinguished as different PCF instances.

[0094] The UE Policy provided to the UE by the above PCF may include an Access Network Discovery & Selection Policy (ANDSP), a UE Route Selection Policy, a V2X (Vehicle-to-everything) Policy, and / or a ProSe Policy.

[0095] Access Network Discovery & Selection Policy (ANDSP): Contains policy information required when a terminal selects a non-3GPP access network.

[0096] UE Route Selection Policy (URSP): Contains policy information required to route traffic going out of the terminal.

[0097] V2X Policy (V2XP): Contains policy information that provides the configuration parameters required for a terminal to perform V2X communication.

[0098] ProSe Policy (ProSeP): Contains policy information that provides the configuration parameters required for a terminal to perform ProSe Direct Discovery, ProSe Direct Communication, ProSe UE-to-Network Relay, and Remote UE communication.

[0099] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a terminal policy transmission procedure between a network and a terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0100] 5GS (5G system) and LTE and LTE-A systems are both wireless communication systems that provide packet-based services. 5GS is being developed to support interworking with the Evolved Packet System (EPS), which is based on LTE and LTE-A. In a 5G system, the 5G Core (5GC) network can provide UE policy information to terminals.

[0101] In a 5G system, terminal policy information determined by the PCF can be provided to the UE via the AMF, and the PCF can store the terminal policy information provided to the UE in the UDR. The PCF can perform a management function to keep the terminal policy information provided to the UE stored in the UDR up-to-date and maintain it identical to the terminal policy information actually stored in the UE. In a 5G system that supports EPC interworking, terminal policy information can be delivered to the UE via an EPC entity (e.g., SMF+PGW-C, MME) if the network and terminal support it.

[0102] Meanwhile, the UE may receive different terminal policies from the network for various services and applications, each of which may conflict or be similar. This creates the possibility that terminal policies may be applied in a manner different from what the network intended. Therefore, a verification method is needed to ensure that the PCF can trust the UE's terminal policy application method when managing terminal policies. Below, we describe a method for the PCF to receive and manage the UE's terminal policies.

[0103] Referring to FIG. 3, a terminal policy transmission procedure between a network and a terminal in a roaming state of the terminal is illustrated. Specifically, FIG. 3 illustrates an HPLMN (Home PLMN) (360) to which a terminal (300) is subscribed and a VPLMN (Visited PLMN) (370) from which the terminal receives services in a roaming state. The Home UE-PCF (330) is a network entity included in the HPLMN, and the AMF (310), Visited UE-PCF (320), SMF (340), and SM-PCF (350) are network entities included in the VPLMN. Even if the terminal is in a roaming state, the terminal policy is ultimately reported to the Home UE-PCF (330) of the HPLMN. Step 301 (S301): The UE (300) can request 5GS registration to the AMF (310) using a Registration Request message. This request may include the UE's capability to support URSP rule enforcement reporting to the network. In the present invention, the URSP rule enforcement report may refer to a terminal policy enforcement report, and the terms "URSP rule enforcement report" and "terminal policy enforcement report" may be used interchangeably for convenience.

[0104] Step 302 (S302): AMF (310) can respond to UE (300) by using a Registration Accept message to accept the 5GS registration request of UE (300) of step 301.

[0105] Step 303 (S303): AMF (310) can use the Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Create Request message to convey to Visited UE-PCF (320) the capability of UE (300) regarding whether it supports URSP rule enforcement reporting function to the network.

[0106] Step 304 (S304): The Visited UE-PCF (320) can use the Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Create Request message to inform the Home UE-PCF (330) of the UE's (300) capability to support the URSP rule enforcement reporting function to the network.

[0107] Step 305 (S305): If the Home UE-PCF (330) determines in Step 304 that the UE (300) has the capability to support the URSP rule enforcement reporting function to the network, it may decide to provide a Policy Control Report Trigger (PCRT) that enables notification when a URSP rule enforcement report is received from the UE (300). The Home UE-PCF (330) may provide the Visited UE-PCF (320) with at least one of a URSP rule and a PCRT that enables notification when a URSP rule enforcement report is received from the UE (300) using the Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Create Response message. The URSP rule that the Home UE-PCF (330) provides to the Visited UE-PCF (320) may include a URSP rule using Connection Capability.

[0108] Step 306 (S306): The visited UE-PCF (320) may transmit the URSP rule received in step 305 to the AMF (310) using the Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Create Response message. The URSP rule transmitted by the visited UE-PCF (320) to the AMF (310) may include a URSP rule using Connection Capability.

[0109] Step 307 (S307): AMF (310) can transmit the URSP rule received in step 306 to UE (300).

[0110] Step 308 (S308): The UE (300) may request the AMF (310) to establish a PDU session using a PDU Session Establishment Request message. As described in step 301 above, if the UE (300) supports the URSP rule enforcement reporting function to the network, the UE (300) may provide the AMF (310) with Connection Capability information indicating the URSP rule applied to the corresponding PDU session establishment request.

[0111] Step 309 (S309): AMF (310) may request SMF (340) to establish a PDU session using Nsmf_PDUSession_CreateSMContext Request message. This request may provide at least one of Connection Capability information indicating URSP rule applied to the corresponding PDU session establishment request received from UE (300) in step 308, and information related to UE Policy Association established by AMF (310) with UE-PCF (320) for UE policy management of the corresponding UE (300). The information related to UE Policy Association may include Identity of Visited UE-PCF (320) and / or Identity of Home UE-PCF (330).

[0112] Step 310 (S310): If the SMF (340) receives a URSP rule enforcement report from the AMF (310) in the step 309, the SMF (340) may determine that an association for policy management needs to be established between the SM-PCF (350) and the UE-PCF (320) in order to deliver the report to the UE-PCF. If the SMF (340) receives Connection Capability information indicating the URSP rule applied to the corresponding PDU session establishment request from the AMF (310) in the step 309, the SMF (340) may determine that the URSP rule enforcement report has been received. For example, the SMF (340) may request the SM-PCF (350) to establish an SM_ Policy Association (or UE Policy Association) with the UE-PCF, so that the Connection Capability information indicating the URSP rule applied to the corresponding PDU session establishment request received from the AMF (310) can be delivered.

[0113] Step 311 (S311): The SMF (340) may request the SM-PCF (350) to establish an SM Policy Association (or UE Policy Association) using the Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Create Request message. This request may include at least one of the Connection Capability information indicating the URSP rule applied to the corresponding PDU session establishment request received from the AMF (310) in step 309, and information related to the UE Policy Association established by the AMF (310) with the UE-PCF for UE Policy management of the corresponding UE (300).

[0114] Step 312 (S312): If the SM-PCF (350) receives a URSP rule enforcement report from the SMF (340) in the step 311, the SM-PCF (350) may determine that an association for policy management needs to be established between the SM-PCF (350) and the UE-PCF in order to deliver the report to the UE-PCF. If the SM-PCF (350) receives Connection Capability information indicating the URSP rule applied to the corresponding PDU session establishment request from the SMF (340) in the step 311, the SM-PCF (350) may determine that the URSP rule enforcement report has been received. For example, the SM-PCF (350) may request the UE-PCF to establish an SM Policy Association (or UE Policy Association) so that the Connection Capability information indicating the URSP rule applied to the corresponding PDU session establishment request received from the SMF (340) can be delivered. When determining the target UE-PCF to which the URSP rule enforcement report received from the SMF (340) will be delivered, the SM-PCF (350) may use the UE-PCF ID provided by the SMF (340) in step 311, or may obtain a UE-PCF ID by requesting the binding session function (BSF) (or other NF, which may include, for example, UDR, NRF). At this time, the UE-PCF ID may include an indicator or address indicating the Visited UE-PCF (320) and / or the Home UE-PCF (330).

[0115] Step 313 (S313): Based on the judgment in step 312, SM-PCF (350) may request SM Policy Association establishment (or UE Policy Association) to Visited UE-PCF (320) using Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Create Request message. This request may include Connection Capability information indicating the URSP rule applied to the corresponding PDU session establishment request received from SMF (340) in step 311.

[0116] Step 314 (S314): If the Visited UE-PCF (320) receives a URSP rule enforcement report from the SM-PCF (350) in step 313, it can determine that the condition of the PCRT that allows it to be notified when a URSP rule enforcement report is received from the UE (300) for the PCRT received from the Home UE-PCF (330) in step 305 is satisfied. If the SM-PCF (350) receives Connection Capability information indicating the URSP rule applied to the corresponding PDU session establishment request from the SM-PCF (350) in step 312, it can determine that the URSP rule enforcement report has been received.

[0117] Step 315 (S315): The Visited UE-PCF (320) may report to the Home UE-PCF (330) that it has received a URSP rule enforcement report from the UE (300) using the Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Update Request message. This report may include Connection Capability indicating the URSP rule applied to the corresponding PDU session establishment request received from the SM-PCF (350) in step 312.

[0118] Step 316 (S316): Home UE-PCF (330) can respond to Visited UE-PCF (320) using Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Update Response message.

[0119] Step 317 (S317): The Visited UE-PCF (320) may provide the NF, which provided the URSP rule enforcement report as in step 313, with a PCRT that enables it to be notified when it receives a URSP rule enforcement report from the UE (300) as the PCRT received from the Home UE-PCF (330) in step 305, so that it may decide to receive notifications even after step 317. For example, when the Visited UE-PCF (320) is notified by the SM-PCF (350) that it has received a URSP rule enforcement report from the UE (300) as in step 313, it may provide the PCRT to the SM-PCF (350) so that it can be notified even after that.

[0120] Step 318 (S318): The visited UE-PCF (320) may provide a PCRT to the SM-PCF (350) so that it can be notified when a URSP rule enforcement report is received from the UE (300), based on the judgment made in step 317. The visited UE-PCF (320) may provide a PCRT to the SM-PCF (350) so that it can be notified when a URSP rule enforcement report is received from the UE, using the Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Create Response message.

[0121] Step 319 (S319): If the SM-PCF (350) receives a PCRT that enables notification when a URSP rule enforcement report from the UE (300) is received from the Visited UE-PCF (320) in step 318, and / or if the SM-PCF (350) receives a URSP rule enforcement report from the SMF (340) in step 311, the SM-PCF (350) may provide the SMF (340) with a PCRT that enables notification when a URSP rule enforcement report from the UE (300) is received, and may decide to receive notification even after step 319. For example, if the SM-PCF (350) receives a PCRT that enables notification when a URSP rule enforcement report from the UE (300) is received from the Visited UE-PCF (320) in step 318, the SM-PCF (350) may decide to apply this to the SMF (340) as well. SM-PCF (350) can provide PCRT to SMF (340) to be notified when a URSP rule enforcement report is received from the UE (300) using the Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Create Response message.

[0122] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a terminal policy transmission procedure between a network and a terminal, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 corresponds to a method for applying the procedure described in FIG. 3 when a UE accesses the network via an MME. Therefore, the same content as described in FIG. 3 may be omitted.

[0123] Referring to FIG. 4, a terminal policy transmission procedure between a network and a terminal in a roaming state is illustrated. Specifically, FIG. 4 illustrates an HPLMN (Home PLMN) (460) to which a terminal (400) is subscribed and a VPLMN (Visited PLMN) (470) from which the terminal receives services in a roaming state. The Home UE-PCF (450) is a network entity included in the HPLMN, and the MME (410), SMF+PGW-C (420), and Visited UE-PCF (440) are network entities included in the VPLMN. Even if the terminal is in a roaming state, the terminal policy is ultimately reported to the Home UE-PCF (430) of the HPLMN.

[0124] Step 401 (S401): The UE (400) may request EPS registration to the MME (410) using an Attach Request message. This request may include at least one of the UE Policy Container and the UE's (400) capability for supporting URSP rule enforcement reporting to the network. The UE's (400) capability for supporting URSP rule enforcement reporting to the network may be provided in the form of extended protocol configuration options (ePCO) or protocol configuration options (PCO).

[0125] Step 402 (S402): The MME (410) may request session establishment to the SMF+PGW-C (420) using a Create Session Request message. This request may include at least one of the UE Policy Container and the UE's (400) capability for supporting URSP rule enforcement reporting to the network. The UE's (400) capability for supporting URSP rule enforcement reporting to the network may be provided in the form of an ePCO or PCO.

[0126] Step 403 (S403): SMF+PGW-C (420) may request SM-PCF (430) to establish an SM Policy Association using the Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Create Request message. This request may include at least one of the UE (400) Policy Container and the UE (400) capability of supporting a URSP rule enforcement reporting function to the network.

[0127] Step 404 (S404): SM-PCF (430) may request the establishment of a UE Policy Association to the Visited UE-PCF (440) using the Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Create Request message. This request may include at least one of the capabilities of the UE (400) regarding whether it supports a UE Policy Container and a URSP rule enforcement reporting function to the network.

[0128] Step 405 (S405): The visited UE-PCF (440) may request the home UE-PCF (450) to establish a UE Policy Association using the Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Create Request message. This request may include at least one of the UE Policy Container and the capability of the UE (400) to support the URSP rule enforcement reporting function to the network.

[0129] Step 406 (S406): If the Home UE-PCF (450) determines in step 404 that the UE (400) has the capability to support the URSP rule enforcement reporting function to the network, it may decide to provide a Policy Control Report Trigger (PCRT) that enables notification when a URSP rule enforcement report is received from the UE (400). The Home UE-PCF (450) may provide the Visited UE-PCF (440) with at least one of a URSP rule and a Policy Control Report Trigger (PCRT) that enables notification when a URSP rule enforcement report is received from the UE (400) using the Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Create Response message. The URSP rule that the Home UE-PCF (450) provides to the Visited UE-PCF (440) may include a URSP rule using Connection Capability.

[0130] Step 407 (S407): If the Visited UE-PCF (440) receives information about the capability of the UE (400) to support the URSP rule enforcement reporting function to the network from the SM-PCF (430) in step 404, the Visited UE-PCF (440) may determine to receive notification even after step 407 by providing a PCRT that allows the UE (400) to be notified when it receives a URSP rule enforcement report from the UE (400) received from the Home UE-PCF (450) in step 406.

[0131] Step 408 (S408): The visited UE-PCF (440) may use the Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Create Response message to transmit to the SM-PCF (430) at least one of the URSP rule received in step 406 and a policy control reporting initiator (PCRT) that enables notification when a URSP rule enforcement report is received from the UE (400). The URSP rule transmitted by the visited UE-PCF (440) to the SM-PCF (430) may include a URSP rule using Connection Capability.

[0132] Step 409 (S409): SM-PCF (430) may use the Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Create Response message to transmit to SMF+PGW-C (420) at least one of the URSP rules received in step 408 and a policy control reporting initiator that allows notification when a URSP rule enforcement report is received from UE (400). The URSP rules transmitted by SM-PCF (430) to SMF+PGW-C (420) may include a URSP rule using Connection Capability.

[0133] Step 410 (S410): SMF+PGW-C (420) may transmit the URSP rules received in step 409 to MME (410) using the Create Session Response message. The URSP rules transmitted by SMF+PGW-C (420) to MME (410) may include URSP rules using Connection Capability. The URSP rules may be provided in the form included in ePCO or PCO.

[0134] Step 411 (S411): The MME (410) may transmit the URSP rule received in step 410 to the UE (400) using the Attach Accept message. The URSP rule transmitted by the MME (410) to the UE (400) may include a URSP rule using Connection Capability. The URSP rule may be provided in a form included in an ePCO or PCO.

[0135] Step 412 (S412): The UE (400) may request a bearer resource modification to the MME (410) using a Request Bearer Resource Modification message. As described in step 401 above, if the UE (400) supports a URSP rule enforcement reporting function to the network, the UE (400) may provide the MME (410) with Connection Capability information indicating the URSP rule applied to the establishment of the corresponding PDN Connection (PDN Session, PDN session). The Connection Capability information indicating the URSP rule applied to the establishment of the corresponding PDN Connection may be provided in a form included in an ePCO or a PCO.

[0136] Step 413 (S413): The MME (410) may transmit a Bearer Resource Command message to the SMF+PGW-C (420). This message may include Connection Capability information indicating the URSP rules applied to the establishment of the corresponding PDN Connection described in step 412. The Connection Capability information indicating the URSP rules applied to the establishment of the corresponding PDN Connection may be provided in the form included in an ePCO or a PCO.

[0137] Step 414 (S414): If the SMF+PGW-C (420) receives a URSP rule enforcement report from the MME (410) in step 413, it can determine that the condition of the policy control report initiator (PCRT) that allows it to be notified when a URSP rule enforcement report is received from the UE (400) as the policy control report initiator (PCRT) received from the SM-PCF (430) in step 409 is satisfied. If the SMF+PGW-C (420) receives Connection Capability information indicating the URSP rule applied to the establishment of the corresponding PDN Connection from the MME (410) in step 413, it can determine that the URSP rule enforcement report has been received.

[0138] Step 415 (S415): SMF+PGW-C (420) may report to SM-PCF (430) that it has received a URSP rule enforcement report from UE (400) using the Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Update Request message. This report may include Connection Capability indicating the URSP rule applied to the corresponding PDN Connection establishment request received from MME (410) in step 413.

[0139] Step 416 (S416): SM-PCF (430) may report to Visited UE-PCF (440) that it has received a URSP rule enforcement report from UE (400) using the Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Update Request message. This report may include Connection Capability indicating the URSP rule applied to the corresponding PDN Connection establishment request received from SMF+PGW-C (420) in step 15.

[0140] Step 417 (S417): If the Visited UE-PCF (440) receives a URSP rule enforcement report from the SM-PCF (430) in step 416, it can determine that the condition of the Policy Control Report Initiator (PCRT) that allows it to be notified when a URSP rule enforcement report is received from the UE (400) as the Policy Control Report Initiator (PCRT) received from the Home UE-PCF (450) in step 406 is satisfied. If the Visited UE-PCF (440) receives Connection Capability information indicating the URSP rule applied to the establishment of the corresponding PDN Connection from the SM-PCF (430) in step 16, it can determine that the URSP rule enforcement report has been received.

[0141] Step 418 (S418): The Visited UE-PCF (440) may report to the Home UE-PCF (450) that it has received a URSP rule enforcement report from the UE (400) using the Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Update Request message. This report may include Connection Capability indicating the URSP rule applied to the corresponding PDN Connection establishment request received from the SM-PCF (430) in step 416.

[0142] Step 419 (S419): Home UE-PCF (450) can respond to Visited UE-PCF (440) using Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Update Response message.

[0143] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a policy control creation and update procedure between a visiting UE-PCF and a home UE-PCF according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0144] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a specific portion of a procedure between a visited UE-PCF (510) and a home UE-PCF (520) among the procedures illustrated in FIG. 3. In the present invention, the home UE-PCF (520) may be referred to as a first network entity and the visited UE-PCF (510) may be referred to as a second network entity.

[0145] Step 501 (S501): The visiting UE-PCF (510) may transmit a policy control creation request message to the home UE-PCF (520). The policy control creation request message may include an Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Create Request message corresponding to step 304 (S304) of FIG. 3.

[0146] Step 502 (S502): The Home UE-PCF (520) may transmit a policy control creation response message to the Visited UE-PCF (510). The policy control creation response message may include an Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Create Response message corresponding to step 305 (S305) of FIG. 3. The policy control creation response message may include a policy control report trigger (PCRT) based on UE capability related to a policy enforcement report of the UE when the policy control creation request message includes UE capability. The policy control report trigger (PCRT) may instruct the second network entity to notify that it has received the policy enforcement report of the UE when the second network entity receives the policy enforcement report of the UE.

[0147] Step 503 (S503): The visited UE-PCF (510) may transmit a policy control update request message to the home UE-PCF (520). The policy control update request message may include an Npcf_UEPolicyControl_Update Request message corresponding to step 315 (S315) of FIG. 3. The policy control update request message may notify that the policy control creation response message includes the policy control report initiator (PCRT) and the visited UE-PCF (510) has received the policy enforcement report of the terminal.

[0148] Additionally, the policy control update request message may include information indicating an enforcement policy of the terminal when the policy control generation response message includes the policy control report initiator (PCRT) and the visited UE-PCF (510) receives a policy enforcement report of the terminal.

[0149] In addition, the policy control update request message is received through a policy association established between a visiting UE-PCF (510) and an SM-PCF, and the policy association can be established based on a policy enforcement report of the terminal.

[0150] In addition, the policy enforcement report of the terminal is a report on the policy applied to the session establishment request transmitted by the terminal to the AMF, and the policy association can be established based on an identifier of at least one of the Home UE-PCF (520) or the Visited UE-PCF (510).

[0151] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a network entity that performs a policy control function (PCF) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0152] FIG. 6 illustrates the structure of a PCF according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The device may be an entity that performs a policy control function. The PCF may be divided into an SM-PCF that is responsible for session management policy (SM Policy) and an UE-PCF that is responsible for mobility management policy (AM Policy) and / or terminal policy (UE Policy). The SM-PCF and UE-PCF may be configured as separate devices, or may be configured to be logically distinct even if configured as the same device.

[0153] As illustrated in FIG. 6, the PCF of the present disclosure may include a transceiver (610) including a receiver and a transmitter, at least one control unit (processor) (620), and a memory (630). The transceiver (610) and the memory (630) may be connected to at least one control unit (620) so as to operate under the control of the at least one control unit (620). Of course, the present invention is not limited to the above example, and a network entity may include more or fewer components than the configuration illustrated in FIG. 6.

[0154] At least one control unit (620) can control the overall operation of the PCF to perform operations according to one or a combination of two or more embodiments of the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 4 of the present disclosure. The transceiver unit (610) can transmit and receive signals with the terminal and other network devices. The signals can include control messages, data information, etc. Meanwhile, the transceiver unit (610), at least one control unit (processor) (620), and memory (630) do not necessarily have to be implemented as separate modules, and of course, can be implemented as a single component in the form of a single chip. In addition, the control unit (processor) (620) can be an Application Processor (AP), a Communication Processor (CP), a circuit, an application-specific circuit, or at least one processor. The transceiver unit (610) can include at least one communication interface for transmitting and receiving signals with other network entities via wired / wireless.

[0155] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the memory (630) can store data such as basic programs, application programs, and setting information for the operation of the corresponding network entity. In addition, the memory (630) provides the stored data upon request of the control unit (processor) (620). The memory (630) can be configured as a storage medium or a combination of storage media such as a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, and a DVD. In addition, there can be a plurality of memories (630). In addition, the control unit (processor) (620) can perform at least one of the above-described embodiments based on a program for performing an operation according to at least one of the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure stored in the memory (630).

[0156] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a network entity that performs session management function + packet data network gateway control (SMF+PGW-C) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0157] The above device may be a network entity that performs a session management function and a packet data network gateway control function (Packet Data Network Gateway-Control, PGW-C). SMF+PGW-C may be a concept that includes the SMF of 5GS and the PGW-C of EPS as a single combo node.

[0158] As illustrated in FIG. 7, the SMF+PGW-C of the present disclosure may include a transceiver (710) including a receiver and a transmitter, at least one control unit (processor) (720), and a memory (730). The transceiver (710) and the memory (730) may be connected to at least one control unit (720) so as to operate under the control of the at least one control unit (720). Of course, the present invention is not limited to the above example, and a network entity may include more or fewer components than the configuration illustrated in FIG. 7.

[0159] At least one control unit (720) can control the overall operation of the SMF-PGW-C to perform operations according to one or a combination of two or more of the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 4 of the present disclosure. The transceiver unit (710) can transmit and receive signals with the terminal and other network devices. The signals can include control messages, data information, etc. Meanwhile, the transceiver unit (710), at least one control unit (processor) (720), and memory (730) do not necessarily have to be implemented as separate modules, and can of course be implemented as a single component in the form of a single chip. In addition, the control unit (processor) (720) can be an Application Processor (AP), a Communication Processor (CP), a circuit, an application-specific circuit, or at least one processor. The transceiver unit (710) can include at least one communication interface for transmitting and receiving signals with other network entities via wired / wireless.

[0160] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the memory (730) can store data such as basic programs, application programs, and setting information for the operation of the corresponding network entity. In addition, the memory (730) provides the stored data upon request of the control unit (processor) (720). The memory (730) can be configured as a storage medium or a combination of storage media such as a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk, a CD-ROM, and a DVD. In addition, there can be a plurality of memories (730). In addition, the control unit (processor) (720) can perform at least one of the above-described embodiments based on a program for performing an operation according to at least one of the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure stored in the memory (730).

[0161] The methods according to the embodiments described in the claims or specification of the present invention may be implemented in the form of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0162] When implemented in software, a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs (software modules) may be provided. The one or more programs stored in the computer-readable storage medium are configured for execution by one or more processors within an electronic device. The one or more programs include instructions that cause the electronic device to execute methods according to embodiments described in the claims or specification of the present invention.

[0163] These programs (software modules, software) may be stored in random access memory, non-volatile memory including flash memory, read only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disc storage device, compact disc ROM (CD-ROM), digital versatile discs (DVDs) or other forms of optical storage device, magnetic cassette. Or, they may be stored in a memory configured as a combination of some or all of these. In addition, each configuration memory may be included in multiple numbers.

[0164] Additionally, the program may be stored in an attachable storage device that is accessible via a communication network such as the Internet, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), a wide local area network (WLAN), a storage area network (SAN), or a combination thereof. Such a storage device may be connected to a device performing an embodiment of the present invention via an external port. Additionally, a separate storage device on the communication network may be connected to a device performing an embodiment of the present invention.

[0165] Meanwhile, the embodiments disclosed in the specification and drawings described above are merely specific examples to facilitate easy explanation and understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be interpreted to include all modifications or variations derived based on the technical concept of the present invention, in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein. Furthermore, each of the above embodiments may be combined and operated as needed.

Claims

1. In a first network entity performing a user equipment-policy control function (UE-PCF) in a wireless communication system, Transmitter and receiver; and comprising at least one processor controlling the transceiver; At least one processor of the above: Receives a policy control creation request message from a second network entity performing a terminal-policy control function, and configured to transmit a policy control creation response message to the second network entity, and The above policy control creation response message includes a policy control report trigger (PCRT) based on the UE capability when the policy control creation request message includes UE capability related to the policy enforcement report of the UE, and A first network entity characterized in that the above policy control reporting initiator (PCRT) instructs the second network entity to notify that it has received the policy enforcement report of the terminal when the second network entity receives the policy enforcement report of the terminal.

2. In the first paragraph, at least one processor, configured to receive a policy control update request message from the second network entity, and The above policy control update request message is: A first network entity characterized in that the policy control generation response message includes the policy control report initiator (PCRT), and when the second network entity receives the policy enforcement report of the terminal, includes at least one of information notifying that the policy enforcement report of the terminal has been received, or information indicating an enforcement policy of the terminal.

3. In paragraph 1, the policy implementation report of the terminal is as follows: Received by the second network entity through a policy association established between the second network entity and a third network entity performing a session management-policy control function (SM-PCF), The above policy association is established based on the policy enforcement report of the terminal, and A first network entity, characterized in that the policy association is established based on an identifier of at least one of the first network entity or the second network entity.

4. In paragraph 1, the policy implementation report of the terminal is as follows: A first network entity characterized in that the terminal is a report on a policy applied to a session establishment request transmitted to a fourth network entity performing an access management function (AMF).

5. In paragraph 1, A first network entity, characterized in that the first network entity comprises a home public land mobile network (HPLMN), and the second network entity comprises a visited public land mobile network (VPLMN).

6. A method of a first network entity performing a user equipment-policy control function (UE-PCF) in a wireless communication system, A step of receiving a policy control creation request message from a second network entity performing a terminal-policy control function; and comprising the step of transmitting a policy control creation response message to the second network entity; The above policy control creation response message includes a policy control report trigger (PCRT) based on the UE capability when the policy control creation request message includes UE capability related to the policy enforcement report of the UE, and A method characterized in that the above policy control reporting initiator (PCRT) instructs the second network entity to notify that it has received the policy enforcement report of the terminal when the second network entity receives the policy enforcement report of the terminal.

7. In paragraph 6, Further comprising the step of receiving a policy control update request message from the second network entity; The above policy control update request message is: A method characterized in that the above policy control generation response message includes the policy control report initiator (PCRT), and when the second network entity receives the policy enforcement report of the terminal, includes at least one of information notifying that the policy enforcement report of the terminal has been received, or information indicating the enforcement policy of the terminal.

8. In paragraph 6, the policy implementation report of the terminal is as follows: Received by the second network entity through a policy association established between the second network entity and a third network entity performing a session management-policy control function (SM-PCF), The above policy association is established based on the policy enforcement report of the terminal, and A method characterized in that the above policy association is established based on an identifier of at least one of the first network entity or the second network entity.

9. In paragraph 6, the policy implementation report of the terminal is as follows: A report on the policy applied to a session establishment request transmitted by the above terminal to a fourth network entity performing an access management function (AMF), and A method, characterized in that the first network entity is included in a home public land mobile network (HPLMN) and the second network entity is included in a visited public land mobile network (VPLMN).

10. In a second network entity performing a user equipment-policy control function (UE-PCF) in a wireless communication system, Transmitter and receiver; and comprising at least one processor controlling the transceiver; At least one processor of the above: A first network entity that performs the terminal-policy control function, transmits a policy control creation request message, and configured to receive a policy control creation response message from the first network entity; The above policy control creation response message includes a policy control report trigger (PCRT) based on the UE capability when the policy control creation request message includes UE capability related to the policy enforcement report of the UE, and A second network entity, characterized in that the above policy control creation response message instructs the policy control reporting initiator (PCRT) to notify that the second network entity has received the policy enforcement report of the terminal when the second network entity receives the policy enforcement report of the terminal.

11. In the 10th paragraph, at least one processor, configured to transmit a policy control update request message to the first network entity, and The above policy control update request message is: A second network entity characterized in that the policy control generation response message includes the policy control report initiator (PCRT), and when the second network entity receives the policy enforcement report of the terminal, includes information notifying that the policy enforcement report of the terminal has been received, or information indicating the enforcement policy of the terminal.

12. In the 10th paragraph, at least one processor, Through a policy association established between the second network entity and a third network entity performing a session management-policy control function (SM-PCF), a policy enforcement report of the terminal is received, The above policy association is established based on at least one of the identifiers of the policy enforcement report of the terminal, the identifier of the first network entity or the identifier of the second network entity, and The policy enforcement report of the above terminal is a report on the policy applied to the session establishment request transmitted by the above terminal to the fourth network entity performing the access management function (AMF), and A second network entity, characterized in that the first network entity is included in a home public land mobile network (HPLMN) and the second network entity is included in a visited public land mobile network (VPLMN).

13. A method of a second network entity performing a user equipment-policy control function (UE-PCF) in a wireless communication system, A step of transmitting a policy control creation request message to a first network entity performing a terminal-policy control function; and A step of receiving a policy control creation response message from the first network entity; and The above policy control creation response message includes a policy control report trigger (PCRT) based on the UE capability when the policy control creation request message includes UE capability related to the policy enforcement report of the UE, and A method characterized in that the above policy control generation response message includes the policy control report initiator (PCRT) and instructs the second network entity to notify that it has received the policy enforcement report of the terminal when it receives the policy enforcement report of the terminal.

14. In paragraph 13, comprising the step of transmitting a policy control update request message to the first network entity; The above policy control update request message is: A method characterized in that the above policy control generation response message includes the policy control report initiator (PCRT), and when the second network entity receives the policy enforcement report of the terminal, includes information notifying that the policy enforcement report of the terminal has been received, or information indicating the enforcement policy of the terminal.

15. In paragraph 13, the policy implementation report of the terminal is as follows: Received by the second network entity through a policy association established between the second network entity and a third network entity performing a session management-policy control function (SM-PCF), The above policy association is established based on at least one of the identifiers of the policy enforcement report of the terminal, the identifier of the first network entity or the identifier of the second network entity, The policy enforcement report of the above terminal is a report on the policy applied to the session establishment request transmitted by the above terminal to the fourth network entity performing the access management function (AMF), and A method, characterized in that the first network entity is included in a home public land mobile network (HPLMN) and the second network entity is included in a visited public land mobile network (VPLMN).

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