Roaming Policy Control Framework for Real-Time Traffic Enforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current inter-service provider systems lack real-time visibility and control over mobile subscribers' data traffic during roaming, leading to inefficiencies in managing data usage and quality of service, as they do not provide per-user policy control or monitoring capabilities.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a traffic detection and enforcement module within an interconnect network that utilizes deep packet inspection and a roaming policy database to customize and enforce data roaming policies, allowing mobile operators to monitor and control data traffic in real-time, and enabling mobile subscribers to manage their data usage and preferences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If inter-service provider systems provide interconnection at IP traffic level without per-user policy control, then service coverage and connectivity are improved, but real-time monitoring and control of data usage is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a policy control system as an intermediary component within the inter-service provider architecture. This system intercepts and inspects data traffic packets, extracts user identification information, and applies policy rules to control and monitor data usage. The intermediary maintains the IP-level interconnection functionality while adding per-user policy enforcement capabilities that were previously absent.
2Reliability
If separate roaming policy control systems are implemented for each operator, then real-time data usage control is achieved, but system complexity and deployment costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a universal policy control system that can be deployed within the inter-service provider infrastructure to serve multiple network operators simultaneously. The system implements multi-functional capabilities including traffic interception, user identification, policy rule evaluation, and real-time control enforcement. This universal approach eliminates the need for each operator to deploy separate dedicated systems, reducing overall complexity while maintaining reliable per-user data usage control.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method and corresponding apparatus performing roaming traffic detection and enforcement according to a roaming policy. At least one example embodiment includes a user network device roaming in a visited communications network, and being subscribed to a home communications network. The example embodiment further includes an interconnect network communicatively coupling the visited communications network and the home communications network, the interconnect network comprises a roaming policy database configured to store an identifier associated with the user network device, and a roaming policy for the user network device, and a traffic detection and enforcement module. According to some embodiments, the traffic detection and enforcement module may be configured to identify a data request being sent from the user network device in the visited mobile network by reading the identifier in the data request, and deny or allow the data request based on the roaming policy.