Anonymous RRC Connection for Private 5G Data Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current MDT technologies face challenges in protecting user privacy and security during data transmission due to the inclusion of location information, which is not adequately anonymized, leading to potential identity correlation and privacy breaches.
Innovation Solution
Establishing a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection in anonymous mode between an access network device and a terminal device, bypassing core network authentication to prevent the transmission of identifiable information, allowing for secure and private data exchange.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the terminal device establishes a conventional RRC connection with core network authentication, then the data transmission can be authorized and secured, but the user privacy and identity information are exposed during authentication
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an anonymous RRC connection as an intermediary communication channel between the terminal device and the access network device. This intermediary mechanism allows data transmission without requiring direct authentication with the core network, thus preventing identity information exposure while maintaining transmission security through anonymous authorization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the authentication step from the conventional RRC connection establishment process. By separating authentication from connection establishment, the terminal device can establish an anonymous RRC connection without undergoing core network authentication, thereby taking out the privacy-exposing authentication step while preserving security through alternative anonymous authorization mechanisms.
2Reliability
If the terminal device performs full authentication with the core network, then the data transmission is authorized, but the processing overhead and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the core network authentication step from the RRC connection establishment process. By taking out this energy-intensive authentication procedure, the terminal device can establish connections with reduced power consumption while maintaining operational authorization through anonymous mechanisms at the access network level.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial authentication by performing only the necessary minimal authorization checks at the access network device rather than full core network authentication. This partial action approach provides sufficient authorization for data transmission while avoiding the excessive power consumption associated with complete authentication sequences.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the terminal device establishes anonymous RRC connection, then the user privacy is protected, but the core network cannot perform authentication and authorization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the access network device as an intermediary that performs authorization functions in place of the core network. The access network device acts as a mediator that can validate anonymous terminal devices and authorize data transmission without requiring core network authentication, thus maintaining reliability through distributed authorization while preserving privacy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the authentication and authorization functions from the core network to the access network device. By dividing the network functions, the access network device can independently handle anonymous connection authorization without involving the core network in authentication, thereby maintaining authorization validity while protecting identity information.
Data Source
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AI summary
This application provides a communication method and apparatus, and a system, to protect security and user privacy in a data transmission process. After determining to establish a radio resource control RRC connection in anonymous mode, a terminal device sends a request to an access network device, to request to establish the RRC connection in anonymous mode, so that the access network device establishes the RRC connection in anonymous mode to the terminal device. For example, the access network device skips performing a step of establishing a connection for the terminal device to a core network device. Alternatively, the access network device establishes a connection for the terminal device to a core network device, but the terminal device does not send, to the core network device, identity information by using which the terminal device can be directly or indirectly identified. The solutions in this application may be applied to a communications system, for example, may be applied to a 5th generation 5G network.