Policy Control Server Speculation for Service Provisioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current communication networks face inefficiencies in handling and storing large numbers of pre-provisioned service-related products, leading to excessive storage requirements and complications in policy settings for automatically provisioned services, where only base product policy settings are retrieved, resulting in potential delays or incorrect policy applications for subscribers.
Innovation Solution
A policy control server is implemented to speculate and provide policy settings for automatically provisioned service-related products based on the subscriber's base product and category, enabling direct provisioning with correct policy settings upon request, reducing storage needs and improving handling efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pre-provisioned products are stored in the subscriber database for each eligible subscriber, then service authorization is enabled, but storage space requirements become excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the policy settings from the pre-provisioned product data and stores them separately in a policy database. Only the essential product identifiers and base policy references are kept in the subscriber database, while detailed policy settings are retrieved on-demand from the external policy database, significantly reducing storage requirements while maintaining authorization capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent pre-loads and caches policy settings from the policy database into the policy control server's memory before they are needed for service authorization. This preliminary action allows the system to quickly retrieve and apply policy settings without requiring extensive storage in the subscriber database, as the policies are prepared in advance in a centralized location.
2Quantity of substance
If automatically provisioned products are created on-demand, then storage requirements are reduced, but policy settings retrieval becomes complicated and delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements pre-loading of policy settings from the policy database into the policy control server's cache memory before actual service requests occur. This preliminary action ensures that when automatically provisioned products are created on-demand, the policy settings are already available in memory, eliminating retrieval delays and ensuring immediate policy application.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a policy database as an intermediary layer between the subscriber database and the policy control server. This intermediary stores master policy settings that can be efficiently queried and cached, serving as a buffer that resolves the conflict between on-demand product creation and rapid policy settings retrieval.
3Device complexity
If policy settings are retrieved only for existing base products, then system complexity is reduced, but correct policy application for automatically provisioned products cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the policy database as an intermediary that stores master policy settings for all products including automatically provisioned ones. When a product (whether base or automatically provisioned) needs policy settings, the system queries the policy database using the product identifier, ensuring the correct policy is retrieved without increasing the complexity of the subscriber database structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the policy control server continuously monitors product provisioning events and automatically retrieves updated policy settings from the policy database. This feedback loop ensures that policy settings are always synchronized with the current product state, maintaining reliability without requiring manual intervention or complex retrieval logic.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed is a method performed by a policy control server (60, 70) of a communication network (100) for facilitating provisioning of service-related products in the communication network. The method comprises receiving, from a node (50) of the communication network, a policy settings request message, requesting charging policy settings for service-related products of a subscriber of the communication network, the message comprising a subscriber identity, obtaining, based on the received subscriber identity, information of a number of first service-related products that are provision-capable for the subscriber, and selecting, based on the information of the obtained number of first products, a number of second service-related products that are tentative for the subscriber. The method further comprises obtaining, in response to the selection, policy settings for the number of second products, and sending, to the communication network node (50), the obtained policy settings for the number of second products. Thereby it is possible to provide the subscriber with the second tentative product with the correct setting in the same moment as the subscriber requests the second product.