Federated URSP Updates for Seamless Border Roaming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies face challenges in maintaining seamless service continuity for V2X applications when a terminal crosses a border between different countries, leading to increased latency and potential service interruptions due to inefficient update of the UE Route Selection Policy (URSP) during roaming.
Innovation Solution
A method is proposed to establish a federation of networks at the border, utilizing a federated policy control function node to update the URSP in the visited network, leveraging unified data repositories and application layer information to identify and manage user equipment belonging to a specific class, ensuring seamless roaming and continuous service.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the URSP is updated using traditional roaming procedures when a UE crosses a border, then the service continuity may be maintained, but the latency increases and service interruptions occur due to inefficient update procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring federated policy control function nodes at border locations and pre-establishing unified data repositories before roaming occurs. When a UE crosses a border, the URSP update is immediately available from the pre-positioned federation node, eliminating the latency of traditional cross-border signaling procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a federation of policy control function nodes as intermediaries at border locations. These intermediary nodes facilitate rapid URSP updates by localizing the policy control function at the border, avoiding direct communication with remote home network nodes and thus reducing latency while maintaining service continuity.
2Loss of time
If a federation of networks is established with federated policy control function nodes to enable rapid URSP updates, then the latency is reduced and service continuity is improved, but the device complexity and network architecture complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the policy control function into traditional home network PCF nodes and new federation PCF nodes deployed at border locations. This segmentation allows URSP updates to be handled by the nearest federation node during cross-border roaming, reducing latency while maintaining the original home network PCF for non-border scenarios, thus managing complexity through functional division.
Solution Approach 2:
The federation of policy control function nodes is designed to serve multiple functions: handling URSP updates for cross-border roaming, providing localized policy control, and maintaining compatibility with traditional roaming procedures. This multi-functionality justifies the added architectural complexity by delivering multiple benefits from the same infrastructure.
3Device complexity
If traditional roaming procedures are used without application layer information, then the network architecture remains simple, but the service continuity cannot be maintained for V2X applications with strict latency requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds the application layer dimension to traditional network layer roaming procedures. By incorporating application layer information (V2X service requirements, latency constraints) into the URSP update mechanism through federation nodes, the system enables service continuity for latency-sensitive applications without fundamentally redesigning the entire network architecture.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method is proposed to assist a roaming of a user equipment from a first network to a second network, said first and second networks being located in respective regions separated by a border. The method comprises, upon detection of a crossing of said border by the user equipment, a use by the second network of application layer information to handle an application layer of a roaming of the user equipment from the first network to the second network. More particularly, the user equipment transmits to at least one of said first and second networks a signal according to which it belongs to a specific class of user equipment being supported by a federation of networks including at least the first and second networks, so as to update a route selection policy of the user equipment being defined as belonging to said specific class. This updated route selection policy is then used by the second network to handle the application layer for the roaming of the user equipment, said roaming being thereby seamless for the user equipment.