Authentication Request Privacy Indicators for 4G/5G Subscriber Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication systems, particularly in 5G networks, face challenges in efficiently managing user equipment privacy by encrypting subscription identifiers, leading to unnecessary computing resource waste and incompatibilities between 4G and 5G networks.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a Server Location Function (SLF) to decrypt encrypted subscription identifiers, such as the MSIN part of IMSI, instead of the Home Subscriber Server (HSS) or User Data Management (UDM), and using privacy indicators to manage authentication requests efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If authentication requests are routed through traditional network elements (MME, HSS, PCRF), then network control and security are maintained, but user location and subscription information are exposed to potential unauthorized access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces privacy indicators as an intermediary mechanism that mediates between authentication requests and network elements. These indicators are embedded in authentication requests and indicate whether the user has opted for privacy protection, allowing the network to route requests appropriately without exposing sensitive information to unauthorized elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the authentication process by introducing privacy indicators that divide users into different categories (privacy-protected vs. non-privacy-protected). This segmentation allows the network to handle different user types through different routing paths, preventing exposure of location information for privacy-protected users while maintaining normal authentication for others.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If privacy protection mechanisms are implemented for all users, then location privacy is preserved, but network processing complexity and overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by implementing privacy protection only for users who have explicitly opted in, rather than for all users. The privacy indicators allow the network to apply privacy-preserving routing selectively, reducing unnecessary processing overhead for users who do not require privacy protection while still protecting those who have opted in.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of user identification from traditional subscription-based routing to privacy-indicator-based routing. By embedding privacy indicators in authentication requests and using these indicators to determine routing behavior, the system dynamically adjusts network processing based on user privacy preferences rather than applying a fixed complex routing mechanism to all users.
3Productivity
If traditional authentication routing is used without privacy indicators, then network processing is straightforward, but user location information can be accessed by unauthorized network elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by embedding privacy indicators in authentication requests before they reach network elements like MME, HSS, or PCRF. This preliminary marking allows network elements to make routing decisions based on the privacy indicator without requiring complex real-time analysis, maintaining processing efficiency while preventing unauthorized access to location information for privacy-protected users.
Data Source
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AI summary
For example, a method comprises: receiving, at an element or function in a communication network from a user equipment (102) of the communication network, a message comprising one or more privacy indicators and a request, wherein the request comprises a subscription identifier for a subscriber associated with the user equipment (102), the one or more privacy indicators comprising a field indicating whether the subscription identifier in the request is privacy-protected; determining one or more privacy features for processing the message based on the one or more privacy indicators; processing the message comprising the request to determine the subscription identifier; and identifying at least one of a Home Subscriber Server, HSS, or a User Data Management, UDM, function to which to provide the request.