Local Service Authorization in Roaming Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless broadband communications, when there is no direct roaming agreement between a local network and a home operator, the home operator cannot authorize local services for user equipment (UE) accessing the local network, limiting service usage in roaming scenarios.
Innovation Solution
A method where the UE sends an access request to the local network, which forwards characteristic information, including local service details, to the home network, allowing the home network to authorize access and provide local services based on subscription data and local service information, even without a one-to-one roaming agreement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a direct roaming agreement is established between every local network and home operator, then service authorization can be performed, but the complexity of network agreements and device complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a service provider as an intermediary entity that establishes roaming agreements with home operators. This intermediary approach allows multiple local networks to access home network services without requiring direct bilateral agreements between each network pair. The service provider acts as a mediator that facilitates service authorization and information exchange, thereby reducing the overall complexity of roaming agreement management while maintaining reliable service authorization capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The service provider is designed to serve multiple local networks and multiple home operators simultaneously, performing universal service authorization functions. This multi-functional approach allows a single service provider to handle roaming agreements for numerous networks, eliminating the need for each local network to establish separate direct agreements with each home operator, thus reducing device and agreement complexity while preserving service authorization reliability.
2Reliability
If the home network processes all service authorization requests directly, then service security is maintained, but the network load and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The service authorization process is segmented into multiple components: the service provider handles initial service information collection and local service matching, while the home operator focuses on final authorization decisions based on subscription data. This segmentation distributes processing load away from the home network, improving overall network productivity while maintaining security through the home operator's retained authorization authority.
Solution Approach 2:
The service provider performs preliminary actions by collecting service information from local networks, matching it with subscription data, and preparing authorization recommendations before submitting requests to the home operator. This preliminary processing reduces the complexity and volume of requests reaching the home network, thereby improving processing efficiency while the home operator maintains security through final authorization approval.
3Measurement precision
If service information is collected from multiple sources, then service matching accuracy improves, but the information processing complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The service provider acts as an intermediary that systematically collects service information from multiple local networks and home operators, standardizes the data formats, and performs matching operations. This intermediary approach manages the complexity of multi-source information processing while improving service matching accuracy through centralized coordination and standardized processing procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms service information from different sources into standardized parameters and formats that can be efficiently compared and matched. By changing the representation parameters of service data into a common framework, the system improves matching accuracy while reducing the complexity of handling diverse information formats from multiple sources.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for authorizing a local service and a related device are disclosed. The method includes: In a roaming scenario, when there is no one-to-one roaming agreement between a service provider of a local network and a home operator, if UE accesses a home network, a home network device may authorize a local service based on subscription data of the UE and local service information of the local network when the UE is authorized to access the home network and if the service provider and the home operator are in a same roaming consortium, so that the UE can use a service of a visited location, to reduce load of the home network and improve network resource utilization. Further, the UE may obtain a local service selection policy that is generated based on the authorized local service, to initiate the local service, so that unnecessary information sending can be avoided, and communication resource utilization can be improved.