OCS Subscription for Network Event Triggers
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing architecture for Policy and Charging Control (PCC) in telecommunications networks leads to inefficient signaling, causing unnecessary overload in nodes like the Serving Gateway (SGw) and Packet Data Network Gateway (PDN-Gw) due to excessive reporting of access network information changes, which can result in performance penalties and prevent the Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) from making informed policy decisions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a mechanism where the Online Charging System (OCS) subscribes to access network event triggers via the PCRF, allowing it to receive only relevant information through the Sx interface, reducing unnecessary signaling and optimizing the reporting of access network changes, thereby minimizing the overload on SGw and PDN-Gw nodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all access network information changes are reported through SGw and PDN-Gw to PCRF via Gx interface, then PCRF can make informed policy decisions, but SGw and PDN-Gw nodes experience unnecessary signaling overload and performance penalties
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the event subscription functionality from PCRF and places it directly in OCS. OCS now directly subscribes to access network event triggers via Sx interface, receiving only charging-relevant events without requiring all intermediate nodes to forward every access network information change. This removes the unnecessary signaling burden from SGw and PDN-Gw while maintaining PCRF's ability to make informed decisions through OCS-provided charging status information.
2Measurement precision
If OCS subscribes to all access network event triggers directly, then charging information can be updated accurately, but signaling complexity and subscription management burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of OCS subscribing to all possible access network events, the system implements partial action by having OCS subscribe only to event triggers that are relevant for charging decisions. The PCRF filters and forwards only those events that impact charging status, reducing signaling complexity while maintaining charging information accuracy. This selective subscription approach avoids the burden of managing subscriptions to all potential events.
3Reliability
If PCRF receives all access network information changes, then it can make accurate policy decisions, but the signaling path becomes inefficient and causes node overload
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces OCS as an intermediary between the access network event triggers and PCRF. OCS receives charging-relevant events directly from the access network via Sx interface, processes them to determine charging status changes, and then notifies PCRF only when charging status changes occur. This intermediary role filters out unnecessary events, improving signaling efficiency while maintaining the accuracy needed for PCRF to make informed policy decisions.
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods and apparatus for notification of network events to an Online Charging System (OCS) in a telecommunications network. A network node (700) for use in an Online Charging System (1 10) in a telecommunications network, the Online Charging System storing charging information relating to service and/or charging for a user equipment, the node comprising: an event determiner (714) configured to determine one or more network events of which the node should be notified; a subscription message determiner (716) configured to determine a subscription message comprising data indicating the determined one or more network events, and configured to control a transmitter (702) to transmit the subscription message to a further node (800) for use as a Policy and Charging Rules Function (100); a receiver (704) configured to receive a notification from the further node (800) that at least one of the one or more network events has occurred; and a charging information updater (718) configured to update the charging information stored in the node based on the received notification.