Base Station Private Network Access Control via AMF Mediation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless communication systems lack an efficient method to determine whether a guest wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU) should be granted access to a private Customer Premises Network (CPN) based on its subscription status and authorized identifiers.
Innovation Solution
A method performed by a base station configured with a list of allowed General Public Subscription Identifiers (GPSIs), which involves receiving a registration request from a guest WTRU, transmitting this request with an authorization indication to an Access Control and Mobility Management Function (AMF), and determining access based on a comparison of the guest WTRU's GPSI with the allowed GPSIs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a base station manually checks each guest WTRU's subscription status and authorized identifiers against a whitelist, then network security is improved, but the authorization process complexity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) as an intermediary between the base station and the authorization database. The AMF handles the complex task of retrieving and verifying WTRU subscription status and authorized identifiers against the whitelist, while the base station only needs to forward authentication requests and receive authorization decisions. This mediator approach maintains high security through comprehensive verification while simplifying the base station's authorization process.
2Reliability
If the base station performs detailed authorization checks including subscription status and identifier comparison, then access control reliability is improved, but the registration processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by having the AMF retrieve the WTRU's subscription status and authorized identifiers from the database in advance, before the base station needs to make authorization decisions. The AMF pre-processes the authentication information and prepares authorization decisions, so that when the base station receives the authentication request, the verification can be completed quickly by comparing against pre-retrieved data rather than performing complex real-time database queries.
3Reliability
If the system implements comprehensive authorization verification with GPSI comparison and whitelist checking, then network security is improved, but the ease of operation for guest access deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the WTRU to autonomously perform the initial authentication sequence with the base station using its credentials. The WTRU independently retrieves its subscription information and authorized identifiers, then presents them for verification. This self-service approach maintains comprehensive security checks while simplifying the user experience, as the guest device handles the complex authorization data preparation without requiring manual intervention from network operators.
Data Source
AI summary
A base station device may include a processor and memory. The base station device may be configured to receive a registration request from a WTRU. The registration request may include an indication that the WTRU is requesting access to a private network. The base station device may send the registration request to a network node. The base station device may receive an identifier of the WTRU from a network node. The base station device may determine whether the WTRU is authorized to access the private network based on the received identifier of the WTRU and a list of allowed device identifiers for the private network. The base station device may send authorization information and an indication that the WTRU has been authorized to access the private network to the network node. The base station device may forward a registration accept message to the WTRU.