5G Roaming Signaling Routing Using Embedded SEPP Identifiers

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing roaming signaling message sending method in 5G networks involves multiple interactions between the visited SEPP and NRF, leading to low forwarding efficiency and increased device costs.

Innovation Solution

The method involves adding the identifier of the home core network device and the visited SEPP device into the roaming signaling message, allowing the visited SEPP to forward the message directly to the home network without needing to store a correspondence between virtual and home NRF identifiers, and includes security verification steps to enhance system stability and efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the visited SEPP performs multiple signaling interactions with the visited NRF to obtain virtual identifier correspondence, then the roaming signaling message can be forwarded correctly, but the message forwarding efficiency is reduced and device costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveroaming signaling message forwarding accuracyVSAvoidmessage forwarding efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The visited NRF pre-generates and embeds the home NRF identifier and visited SEPP identifier into the roaming signaling message before forwarding it to the visited SEPP. This preliminary action eliminates the need for subsequent signaling interactions between the visited SEPP and visited NRF to obtain identifier correspondences, thereby resolving the contradiction by improving forwarding efficiency while maintaining accurate message routing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The solution extracts the identifier correspondence information (home NRF identifier and visited SEPP identifier) from the complex signaling interaction process and directly embeds it into the roaming signaling message itself. This extraction eliminates the need for separate signaling exchanges, resolving the contradiction between forwarding accuracy and efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If the visited SEPP stores the correspondence between home NRF identifier and virtual identifier, then the message can be forwarded accurately, but device costs and storage requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemessage routing accuracyVSAvoidstorage requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The solution extracts the routing information (home NRF identifier and visited SEPP identifier) from the SEPP's internal storage requirements and embeds it directly into the roaming signaling message. This eliminates the need for the visited SEPP to maintain storage tables for identifier correspondences, resolving the contradiction between routing accuracy and device complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of storing identifier correspondences in the visited SEPP, the solution copies the necessary routing information (home NRF identifier and visited SEPP identifier) directly into each roaming signaling message. This copying approach eliminates storage requirements while ensuring accurate message routing, resolving the contradiction between reliability and device complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentEP4040820B9Method for sending roaming signaling message, related device and communication system
Publication Date: 2026.01.14 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP4040820B9 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4040820B9 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4040820B9 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

This application provides a roaming signaling message sending method, to resolve a problem in the conventional technology that roaming signaling message sending efficiency is low because a visited core network device needs to perform signaling interaction with a visited SEPP device for a plurality of times to obtain a virtual identifier of the visited SEPP device. In this application, after receiving a roaming signaling message, a visited core network device adds an identifier of a home core network device and an identifier of a visited SEPP into the roaming signaling message, and then sends a roaming signaling message including the identifier of the home core network device and the identifier of the visited SEPP to the visited SEPP, so that the visited SEPP can forward the roaming signaling message to a home network based on the identifier of the home core network device. In this way, a quantity of times of signaling interaction between the visited SEPP and the visited core network device is reduced, and message forwarding efficiency is improved.