AF Node Emergency APN Detection Reduces PCRF Signaling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems in communication networks fail to effectively prevent fraudulent use of emergency registrations, leading to increased processing burden and unnecessary signaling, as users can misuse emergency APNs to make non-emergency calls without proper detection.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a mechanism where the Application Function (AF) node in the communication network identifies the Access Point Name (APN) used by user terminals and receives an indicator from the Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) to determine if it's an Emergency-APN, allowing or rejecting communication sessions based on this information, thereby reducing the need for constant PCRF contact and signaling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the AF contacts the PCRF each time a user terminal attempts to establish a communication session to detect fraudulent use of emergency registrations, then the detection reliability is improved, but the signaling overhead and processing burden on the PCRF increase
Solution Approach 1:
The PCRF performs preliminary detection of whether the APN is an emergency APN during the initial registration phase, and provides this information to the AF in advance. This allows the AF to make fraud detection decisions locally without needing to contact the PCRF for each subsequent communication session, thereby reducing signaling overhead while maintaining detection reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The AF receives a copy of the emergency APN status information from the PCRF and stores it locally. This copied information enables the AF to independently perform fraud detection without repeated PCRF interactions, reducing the signaling burden while preserving the ability to detect fraudulent use of emergency registrations
2Measurement precision
If the AF contacts the PCRF for every communication session establishment attempt, then the fraud detection accuracy is improved, but the processing burden on the PCRF increases
Solution Approach 1:
The PCRF performs the computationally intensive task of determining whether an APN is an emergency APN during the initial registration phase, and provides this determination to the AF in advance. This preliminary action shifts the processing burden away from repeated PCRF interactions during communication session establishment, while maintaining accurate fraud detection capability
Solution Approach 2:
The AF is empowered to perform fraud detection independently using the emergency APN status information received from the PCRF. This self-service capability allows the AF to make fraud detection decisions locally without burdening the PCRF with repeated processing requests, thereby improving overall system productivity while maintaining detection accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for handling a communication session in a communications network. An Application Function node receives a request to register a user terminal in the communication network. The Application Function identifies an Access Point used by the terminal to register with the network, and send a request message to a Policy and Charging Register Function (PCRF). The request message includes an Access Point Name identifying an Access Point used by the user terminal. The AF receives a response message from the PCRF, including an indicator indicating whether the Access Point is an Emergency-Access Point. The AF subsequently receives a message from the user terminal that identifies a non-emergency terminating node. If the indicator indicates that the Access Point is not an Emergency-Access Point, the AF allows the communication session. If the indicator indicates that the Access Point is an Emergency-Access Point, then the AF rejects the communication session.