AUSF AKMA Key Registration for Roaming Terminal Authentication

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wireless communication systems face challenges in efficiently managing authentication and key management for terminals in roaming situations, particularly in handling AKMA key registration procedures across home and visited public land mobile networks.

Innovation Solution

The method and apparatus provide a mechanism for an authentication server function (AUSF) to determine if a terminal is roaming, and upon confirmation, register AKMA keys in both the home PLMN (HPLMN) and visited PLMN (VPLMN) AAnF, using the SUPI, AKMA anchor key, and A-KID, ensuring seamless authentication and key management for applications.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If the AUSF performs AKMA key registration only in the HPLMN AAnF, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of authentication for roaming terminals deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveAKMA key registration procedure complexityVSAvoidauthentication reliability for roaming terminals

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by making the AKMA key registration behavior context-dependent. The AUSF determines whether the terminal is roaming using the SN-name parameter, and selectively performs key registration in HPLMN AAnF, VPLMN AAnF, or both based on the roaming status. This ensures authentication reliability is maintained for roaming terminals while avoiding unnecessary complexity for non-roaming terminals.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Measurement precision

If the AUSF determines roaming status using additional parameters beyond SN-name, then the measurement precision of roaming detection is improved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveroaming status detection accuracyVSAvoidroaming detection complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements self-service by utilizing the SN-name parameter that is already available in the authentication request message from the terminal. The AUSF independently determines roaming status by comparing the SN-name with the HPLMN identifier, without requiring additional signaling or external verification. This maintains measurement precision while avoiding increased detection complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS20250380131A1Method and apparatus for authentication of user equipment in wireless communication system

Publication Date: 2025.12.11 LG ELECTRONICS INC

AI summary

The present disclosure relates to a method for operating an AUSF in a wireless communication system, and the method may include receiving a message related to primary authentication of a terminal, wherein the message related to the primary authentication includes an SUCI or 5G-GUTI and a serving network name (SN-name) of the terminal, generating an AKMA anchor key and an A-KID indicating the AKMA anchor key based on a network root key, performing a procedure of registering the AKMA anchor key in a first AAnF based on an SUPI, the AKMA anchor key and the A-KID, determining whether the terminal is a roaming terminal, and based on the terminal being the roaming terminal, performing a procedure of registering the AKMA anchor key in a second AAnnF.