BBERF Relocation Deferred Linking in EPS Roaming

The patent applies preliminary action by establishing the gateway control session between the destination BBERF and visited PCRF before completing the handover process. The session is prepared in advance with deferred linking, allowing the actual policy association to occur later when all handover parameters are confirmed, thus preventing policy inconsistencies while maintaining service continuity.

The patent implements dynamics by making the linking timing flexible rather than fixed. The linking operation is deferred until the appropriate moment in the handover process, allowing the system to adapt the linking timing based on whether BBERF relocation is involved. This dynamic approach resolves the contradiction between immediate service continuity and eventual policy consistency.

The patent applies local quality by implementing deferred linking specifically in roaming scenarios with BBERF relocation, rather than applying it universally. The visited PCRF and home PCRF work together with specialized handling for this specific case, adding complexity only where needed while keeping other handover scenarios simple and straightforward.

The patent uses the S9 session between visited PCRF and home PCRF as an intermediary mechanism. The home PCRF provides session identity information to the visited PCRF, which then uses this information to perform the deferred linking operation. This intermediary approach manages the complexity by distributing the deferred linking functionality across multiple network entities rather than concentrating it in one place.