Application Policy Handler for 5G Network Slice Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
User equipment (UE) in 5G wireless communication networks struggles to fully utilize the flexibility and efficiency of network slicing, leading to increased latency, decreased throughput, and dropped traffic due to its inability to selectively route traffic through optimized network slices and data networks, resulting in a degraded user experience.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an application policy handler (APH) component in UE that uses an application-based user equipment route selection policy (URSP) to route traffic through specific network slices and data networks, optimizing data sessions by identifying and utilizing the most suitable network resources based on application-specific rules.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If UE uses traditional routing methods without application-based policy control, then device complexity is reduced, but network performance (latency, throughput) deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an Application Policy Handler (APH) component as an intermediary between the application layer and the modem/routing layer. This APH component receives application identifiers, matches them with URSP rules, and determines appropriate routing parameters. By inserting this intermediary layer, the system achieves application-based route selection without requiring complex routing logic throughout the entire UE architecture, thus improving throughput while managing complexity through localized policy handling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-configuring URSP (User Equipment Route Selection Policy) rules that contain application identifiers and corresponding routing parameters. These rules are established before actual data transmission occurs. When an application needs to transmit data, the UE simply matches the application identifier against the pre-configured rules to determine the routing path, eliminating the need for real-time complex decision-making and reducing latency while maintaining manageable device complexity.
2Loss of time
If UE implements application-based route selection, then latency is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The APH component serves as a specialized intermediary that handles the complexity of application-based policy matching. It receives application identifiers from applications, queries the pre-configured URSP rules, and returns routing parameters to the modem. This concentrates the complexity in a single manageable component rather than distributing it throughout the system, enabling low-latency route selection while keeping overall device complexity controlled through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
By pre-configuring URSP rules with application identifiers and routing parameters before runtime, the system eliminates the need for complex real-time analysis. The APH component only needs to perform simple pattern matching between application identifiers and pre-defined rules during data transmission, significantly reducing processing time and latency while maintaining manageable complexity through the use of pre-computed routing decisions.
3Reliability
If UE routes traffic through optimized network slices, then user experience is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The APH component acts as an intermediary that manages network slice selection based on application requirements. It receives application identifiers, matches them with URSP rules that specify appropriate network slices, and configures the modem to use the selected slices for data transmission. This intermediary approach improves user experience by ensuring applications use optimized network slices while containing complexity within the policy management function rather than requiring complex slice management throughout the entire device.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-configuring URSP rules that map application identifiers to specific network slice parameters. Before actual data transmission occurs, these routing policies are established and stored in the UE. During runtime, the APH component simply needs to match application identifiers against these pre-configured rules to determine the appropriate network slice, improving user experience through optimized routing while minimizing complexity through the use of pre-determined slice selections.
Data Source
AI summary
A device can receive, using an application policy handler (APH) component included in the device, a request for a data session for an application associated with the device. The device can identify, using the APH component included in the device, a user equipment route selection policy (URSP) rule, associated with the application, included in a URSP. The device can identify, using the APH component, a network slice specified by the URSP rule associated with the application and a data network specified by the URSP rule associated with the application. The device can attempt, using a modem component included in the device, to establish the data session using the network slice specified by the URSP rule associated with the application and the data network specified by the URSP rule associated with the application.