Network Access Control via APN Channel Switching for Overdue Accounts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face service disruptions and inconvenience when their communication service account is overdue, as they must recharge using a different network or visit a local store, which can be time-consuming and dependent on external network availability.
Innovation Solution
A network access control method that allows switching between APN network channels, enabling communication through a specialized channel for recharging and service continuation without changing the primary network, using a server to manage and control the switching based on charging information and resource access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the user uses a different network to recharge when the account is overdue, then the user can recharge online, but the service continuity is disrupted and time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The network access is segmented into different APN channels: a first APN channel for normal service access and a second APN channel for recharging operations. This segmentation allows the system to route recharging traffic through a dedicated channel, enabling service continuity while the account is overdue without requiring users to switch to entirely different networks.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary mechanism (the second APN channel) that mediates between the overdue account state and the recharging operation. This intermediary channel allows recharging requests to be processed without disrupting the primary service connection, thus maintaining service continuity while enabling online recharging.
2Ease of operation
If the user goes to a local store to recharge when the account is overdue, then the user can recharge, but extra time is spent and the process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service recharging by allowing users to perform recharging operations online through the second APN channel without needing to visit physical stores. The system automatically processes recharging requests through the dedicated APN channel, eliminating the need for user travel and manual store interactions, thus significantly reducing time cost while maintaining ease of access.
3Reliability
If the system allows access to more network resource addresses through the second APN channel, then recharging can be accomplished without external network dependency, but the network channel complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The second APN channel is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a recharging channel and providing access to necessary network resources. This universal channel handles multiple operations (recharging, resource access) that would otherwise require separate external network connections, thereby improving reliability without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the recharging function and network resource access function into a single second APN channel. By combining these functions that were previously handled by separate external networks into one unified channel, the system improves reliability (no external network dependency) while managing complexity through consolidation rather than multiplication of channels.
Data Source
AI summary
A network access control method includes obtaining network information of an electronic device, determining, using the network information, whether the electronic device needs to use a first access point name (APN) network channel, and generating a network channel switching instruction in response to determining that the electronic device needs to use the first APN network channel. The network channel switching instruction instructs to switch the electronic device from a second APN network channel to the first APN network channel. The second APN network channel has access to more network resource addresses than the first APN network channel.