Network Slice Selection with Bulk NSSAI Availability Subscriptions
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for subscription of notification of change in NSSAI availability information are not optimized, and the query for target AMF(s) in handover procedures often leads to inappropriate results.
Innovation Solution
A method where a service consumer, such as an AMF, sends a request to a service provider, like an NSSF, to subscribe to notifications of NSSAI availability changes for all TAIs supported by an AMF set, optimizing the subscription operation and ensuring accurate query results.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the service consumer subscribes to notifications for each TAI individually, then the notification coverage is complete, but the subscription operation complexity increases and signaling overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual TAI subscriptions into a single subscription operation by introducing a list structure (taiRangeList or taiList) that can contain multiple TAI identifiers. The service consumer subscribes to notifications for all TAIs in the list simultaneously, merging what would otherwise be multiple separate subscription operations into one unified operation, thereby reducing complexity while maintaining complete notification coverage
Solution Approach 2:
The subscription mechanism is enhanced to support both individual TAI subscriptions and bulk TAI list subscriptions. The system becomes universal by accepting either a single TAI identifier or a list of TAI identifiers in the subscription request, allowing the same subscription interface to serve multiple functions: individual TAI monitoring and comprehensive multi-TAI monitoring, thus reducing operational complexity without sacrificing coverage
2Ease of operation
If the service consumer queries target AMF(s) without considering S-NSSAI support, then the query operation is simple, but the query result accuracy decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by requiring the service consumer to prepare and include the target S-NSSAI list in the query request before querying for target AMFs. This preliminary specification of S-NSSAI criteria enables the NSSF to filter and match AMFs that support the specific network slices required, ensuring accurate query results while maintaining a relatively simple query operation through standardized request formatting
Solution Approach 2:
The NSSF acts as an intermediary between the service consumer and the AMF set, receiving the query request with S-NSSAI information, processing the matching logic, and returning appropriate target AMF identifiers. This intermediary mechanism simplifies the query operation for the service consumer while ensuring accurate results through the NSSF's specialized matching capability, which considers both S-NSSAI support and TAI compatibility
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatuses for facilitating network slice selection are disclosed. According to an embodiment, a service consumer sends, to a service provider, a request for subscribing to a notification of a change in network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) availability information. The request indicates that the notification is to be subscribed to for all tracking area identifiers (TAIs) supported by an access and mobility management function (AMF) set. The service consumer receives, from the service provider, a response to the request.