5G Access Token Engine for Secure Roaming Service Continuity
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Solution Overview
Problem
5G networks face challenges in seamless roaming due to varying authentication methods, leading to service denials and security vulnerabilities when visiting devices lack required access tokens, impacting user experience and network reliability.
Innovation Solution
An access token engine within the home network generates or retrieves access tokens on behalf of visiting devices, using attributes from service requests to ensure seamless connectivity and security by validating access tokens dynamically.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If strict security protocols are enforced requiring access tokens for all service requests, then network security is improved, but service availability deteriorates when tokens are missing or expired
Solution Approach 1:
The home network acts as an intermediary between the visitor network and the service provider. When a service request arrives without a valid access token, the home network dynamically generates a token on behalf of the visiting client device and inserts it into the request before forwarding to the producer NF, thus mediating the authentication process and ensuring both security and service continuity
Solution Approach 2:
The home network performs preliminary authentication and token generation actions before the service request reaches the producer NF. By pre-generating the access token and embedding it in the forwarded request, the system ensures that the producer NF receives a fully authenticated request without needing to implement complex fallback mechanisms
2Productivity
If access tokens are dynamically generated by the home network, then service continuity is improved, but network complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The home network provides self-service authentication capabilities by automatically generating access tokens for visiting devices without requiring manual intervention or complex coordination with the visitor network. The system uses attributes from the incoming service request to create tokens, enabling autonomous authentication that maintains service continuity while keeping the implementation relatively simple
Solution Approach 2:
The home network's access token engine serves multiple functions: it validates incoming requests, generates access tokens dynamically, modifies service requests by embedding tokens, and forwards authenticated requests to producer NFs. This multi-functionality consolidates authentication, authorization, and request routing capabilities into a single component, managing complexity through functional integration
Data Source
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AI summary
Various embodiments of the present technology generally relate to systems and methods for providing an access token engine for dynamically generating access tokens for visiting consumers within a 5G network. In an example, an access token engine, which may be part of a first network, may receive a service request from a visitor consumer network function (NF) that is part of a second network. The access token engine may determine that the service request lacks an access token for receiving services from the first network and retrieve an access token for the visitor consumer NF based on the service request. The access token engine may then generate an updated service request including the service request and the access token. The updated service request may be transmitted to a producer NF within the first network for furnishing the service request for the visitor consumer NF based on the access token.