Network Slice Capability Enablement Server for Service Continuity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional telecommunications networks lack the ability to seamlessly manage and provide network slice capabilities across multiple networks with different identifiers, especially when user equipment roams between home and foreign networks, leading to service continuity issues.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing a network slice capability enablement server to interact with both the user equipment and multiple telecommunications networks, allowing for native subscription to one network while using services from another, ensuring service continuity through application service continuity requests and interactions between the vertical application layer server, network slice capability enablement server, and both telecommunications networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a user equipment uses a single telecommunications network with native subscription, then network management is simple and reliable, but service continuity cannot be maintained when roaming to foreign networks with different network identifiers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a home network identifier mapping entity that acts as an intermediary between the user equipment and foreign networks. This entity stores mappings between home network identifiers and foreign network identifiers, enabling the UE to maintain service continuity by translating identifiers when roaming, thus resolving the contradiction between service continuity and network management complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing network identifier mappings in the home network before the user equipment roams. The mapping entity stores correspondence relationships between home network identifiers and various foreign network identifiers in advance, so that when roaming occurs, the UE can immediately use the pre-configured mappings to maintain service continuity without complex real-time negotiations
2Adaptability or versatility
If network slice capabilities are provided across multiple telecommunications networks, then service versatility and adaptability improve, but the complexity of managing different network identifiers increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mapping entity provides universal functionality by handling multiple types of network identifiers (PLMN IDs, network slice identifiers, etc.) and supporting various network types (5G, 4G, etc.) through a single unified mechanism. This allows the system to manage multi-network slice capabilities across different telecommunications networks without proportionally increasing complexity, as the same mapping principle applies universally across all networks and identifier types
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for using a user equipment with first and second telecommunications networks having, or using, different network identifiers in relation to or in the framework of service enabler architecture layer for verticals, SEAL, wherein the first and second telecommunications networks provide the possibility to use specific network slices, a first specific network slice of the first telecommunications network and a second specific network slice of the second telecommunications network, via a network slice capability enablement server, NSCE server, to a vertical application layer server, VAL server, that is a recognized user of network slice-related enablement capabilities regarding the first and second specific network slices, and wherein the user equipment is a vertical application layer user equipment comprising a vertical application layer client, VAL client, and a network slice capability enablement client, NSCE client, wherein the user equipment has a native subscription to the first telecommunications network but lacks a native subscription to the second telecommunications network, wherein, in order to realize service continuity even in case that the user equipment is connected via the second telecommunications network only, the method comprises the following steps: -- in a first step, the vertical application layer server transmits a message to the network slice capability enablement server, thereby requesting an application service continuity requirement request, -- in a second step, the network slice capability enablement server interacts with the first telecommunications network, the second telecommunications network, and the user equipment in view of realizing application service continuity to the user equipment.