5G Slice Session Activation With Network-Side Authorization Checks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current 5G network specifications lack consistency in managing network slice information, leading to unnecessary storage, insufficient control of slice usage, and limitations in slice activation due to misconfigured or misused user terminals, and network unawareness of authorized slices during packet data session requests.
Innovation Solution
A method for managing packet data session requests in 5G networks that involves a network device receiving slice activation requests, verifying authorization using subscription identifiers, and performing slice authentication if necessary, without requiring prior registration checks, thus optimizing storage and processing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the network stores slice authorization information (Allowed NSSAI and Rejected NSSAI) during registration, then the terminal can control which slices to request, but the network level does not have consistent information and cannot verify authorization at packet data session activation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the slice authorization verification from the registration phase to the packet data session activation phase. Instead of storing authorization information during registration, the network now retrieves and verifies slice authorization information at the time of session activation, adding a temporal dimension to when verification occurs. This resolves the inconsistency by ensuring verification happens when the session is actually requested, not when registration occurred.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary verification step where the network device retrieves slice authorization information from subscription data during packet data session activation. This intermediary process acts as a mediator between the terminal's slice request and the network's authorization decision, ensuring that verification is performed with current, accurate information rather than relying on potentially inconsistent stored data.
2Productivity
If the terminal analyzes Rejected NSSAI to avoid requesting rejected slices, then registration requests are reduced, but the network cannot detect misconfigured terminals requesting unauthorized slices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional approach by not relying on the terminal to self-regulate based on Rejected NSSAI information. Instead of the terminal avoiding rejected slices through local analysis, the network now performs active verification of slice authorization during packet data session activation. This inversion shifts the control mechanism from terminal-side avoidance to network-side verification, detecting and blocking unauthorized requests regardless of terminal configuration.
3Reliability
If the SMF checks subscription rights during packet data session activation, then authorization is verified, but bandwidth authorization for current access type and registration zone is not checked
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple authorization checks into a single comprehensive verification process during packet data session activation. Instead of separate checks for subscription rights, slice authorization, and bandwidth permissions, the network device now performs all these verifications simultaneously by retrieving complete subscription data that includes slice authorization information, access type restrictions, and bandwidth permissions. This combining approach maintains reliability while reducing the complexity of managing multiple separate check mechanisms.
Data Source
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Figure 3a
Figure 3b
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for managing a request to activate a packet data session for a user terminal (UE1) capable of transmitting and receiving data over a communications network organised into network slices, the user terminal comprising a subscription identifier for at least one of the slices of the network, the method being implemented by at least one network device (NE1), and comprising receiving (300) a request to activate a packet data session from the user terminal (UE1) for a network slice, the activation request comprising an identifier of the requested slice, which identifier is obtained from a parameter comprising one or more user-subscribed slice identifiers; obtaining (310), from the subscription identifier, at least one item of information for determining an authorisation for the requested slice; verifying (320) the authorisation for the requested slice taking into account the at least one item of information for determining an authorisation for the obtained requested slice and, if the verification is negative, rejecting the request to activate a packet data session for the requested slice.