AF-Specific User Endpoint Identifiers for On-Demand Network Provisioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems face errors when application function-specific user endpoint identifiers (UEIds) are not provisioned in advance or have been deleted, leading to failed service operations, and there is a need for dynamic generation of these identifiers to ensure user privacy and anonymity.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for dynamically generating application function-specific UEIds by querying a unified data repository and creating new identifiers when they are missing, using existing identifiers as a basis and storing them for future use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If application function-specific UEIds are provisioned in advance, then service operations can proceed smoothly, but system complexity and provisioning overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by checking whether an AF-specific UEId already exists in the unified data repository before attempting to use it. This preliminary check prevents errors by identifying missing identifiers early in the process, allowing the system to dynamically generate them only when necessary, thus balancing reliability with reduced provisioning complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service by automatically detecting when an AF-specific UEId is missing and dynamically generating a new one without requiring manual provisioning intervention. The processing system queries the unified data repository, determines if an identifier exists, and generates a new identifier autonomously when needed, reducing the burden on external provisioning systems.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If AF-specific UEIds are used for different application functions, then user privacy is protected by preventing tracking across applications, but identifier management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments user identification by creating application function-specific UEIds that are unique to each AF. This segmentation ensures that each application function receives a distinct identifier, preventing cross-application tracking while maintaining user privacy. The unified data repository organizes these segmented identifiers efficiently, managing the complexity through structured data storage and retrieval mechanisms.
3Reliability
If dynamic generation of UEIds is implemented, then errors from missing identifiers are eliminated, but processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs a preliminary query of the unified data repository to check if an AF-specific UEId already exists before initiating dynamic generation. This preliminary action avoids unnecessary generation processes for existing identifiers, reducing processing time while maintaining reliability by ensuring identifiers are available when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The processing system autonomously generates AF-specific UEIds only when the unified data repository indicates they are missing. This self-service approach eliminates errors from missing identifiers while minimizing computational overhead by generating identifiers on-demand rather than pre-generating all possible identifiers, thus balancing reliability with efficient resource utilization.
Data Source
AI summary
In one example, the present disclosure describes a device, computer-readable medium, and method for dynamically generating an application function-specific user endpoint identifier. For instance, in one example, a method performed by a processing system including at least one processor includes receiving, from a network exposure function of a communications network, a request for an application function-specific user endpoint identifier that is unique to a user endpoint device and an application function residing externally to the communications network, querying a unified data repository for the application function-specific user endpoint identifier, determining, based on a response from the unified data repository, whether the application function-specific user endpoint identifier exists in the unified data repository, dynamically generating the application function-specific user endpoint identifier, and forwarding the application function-specific user identifier, as dynamically generated, to the network exposure function.