LTE Gateway Hardware Trust Verification via Intermediary Server

The patent introduces a trust server as an intermediary component that mediates between the LTE network elements and the hardware trust systems. The trust server receives trust establishment requests from LTE network elements, coordinates with hardware trust modules, and manages trust relationships centrally. This intermediary approach improves network security through proper trust verification while avoiding direct complex integration between each LTE element and hardware trust systems, thus reducing overall integration complexity.

The patent implements preliminary trust verification during the bearer establishment phase. When a UE requests a trusted bearer, the system performs hardware trust verification and establishes trust relationships in advance before actual data transmission begins. The trust server pre- validates the hardware trust modules and prepares trusted communication channels ahead of time. This preliminary action ensures data security through proper verification while minimizing processing time during actual data transfer, as the trust framework is already in place.

The patent enables hardware trust modules within LTE network elements to perform self-verification and self-registration with the trust server. Each network element's hardware trust module can autonomously validate its own trust credentials and register its trust relationship with the trust server without requiring manual configuration or intervention. This self-service capability maintains network integrity through comprehensive verification while significantly reducing operational complexity, as the system automatically manages trust verification for all elements without requiring manual operations.