Conditional QoS Policy Rules for Accurate Session Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
In cellular networks, the separation of control and user planes (CUPS) complicates determining which traffic has undergone Quality-of-Service (QoS) enforcement for charging and reporting purposes, especially in cases like adaptive bit rate (ABR) shaping based on congestion levels.
Innovation Solution
A policy control entity generates conditional QoS handling and charging rules based on subscriber data, which are transmitted to a session management entity to manage data packet sessions, and a user plane entity applies these rules, reporting on QoS enforcement actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If control and user planes are separated in 5G network architecture, then network flexibility and scalability are improved, but the ability to determine which traffic has undergone QoS enforcement for charging and reporting purposes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism between the control plane and user plane that enables QoS enforcement information to be captured and transmitted back to the control plane. This intermediary allows the separation of control and user planes while maintaining the ability to track QoS enforcement actions for charging and reporting purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the user plane entity reports QoS enforcement actions back to the control plane entity. This feedback loop enables the control plane to receive information about which traffic has undergone QoS enforcement, resolving the information loss problem while maintaining architectural separation.
2Measurement precision
If conditional QoS handling is implemented based on network conditions, then charging accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring policy rules in the control plane that specify conditional QoS handling requirements. These pre-defined rules enable accurate charging differentiation without requiring complex real-time decisioning logic, thus improving charging accuracy while limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the QoS enforcement functionality by separating policy control (control plane) from packet processing (user plane). This segmentation allows complex charging logic to be managed in the control plane while keeping the user plane focused on execution, thereby improving charging accuracy without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for operating a policy control entity (100) in a cellular network, the method comprising: —receiving subscriber data comprising a policy with an indication that a conditional Quality-of-Service handling is to be applied to a data packet session exchanged between a user equipment of a subscriber and an application in dependence on at least one condition, the sub-scriber data further comprising a charging indication used for charging the subscriber for the data packet session in dependence on the fact whether the conditional Quality-of-Service handling has been applied to the data packet session, —generating a policy and charging rule for the data packet session, the policy and charging rule comprising the conditional Quality-of-Service handling of the data packet session in dependence on the condition and the charging of the subscriber in dependence on the fact whether the conditional Quality-of-Service handling has been applied or not, —transmitting the generated policy and charging rule to a session management entity of the cellular network configured to manage the data packet session in the cellular network.