Roaming Terminal Policy Enforcement via Home IP Address
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless mobile telecommunications networks face challenges in effectively applying policies to data packets of roaming mobile terminals, particularly when transitioning between home and visited networks, leading to inconsistencies in service quality and latency issues due to the reliance on static policies and complex tunneling protocols.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a method that allows policy managers in visited networks to enforce policies associated with a mobile terminal's home network IP address (HoA), enabling per-user and per-flow control, even when the terminal is roaming, by modifying the Advanced Internet Protocol (A-IMS) processes to apply policies directly in the visited network, thereby reducing latency and improving service consistency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If static policies are used for roaming terminals, then policy enforcement is simple, but service quality consistency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic policy enforcement by allowing visited network policy managers to apply policies associated with the terminal's home network IP address in real-time as the terminal roams. This replaces static pre-configured policies with dynamic policy retrieval and application, ensuring service quality consistency while maintaining operational simplicity through automated policy management.
2Reliability
If complex tunneling protocols are used, then policy enforcement capability is improved, but latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the policy enforcement function from complex tunneling protocols and implements it directly in the visited network. By separating policy management from the tunneling mechanism, the system achieves effective policy enforcement without the additional latency introduced by complex protocol processing, as policies are applied at the IP address level rather than requiring tunnel establishment and maintenance.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, at a visited network node, policy for a roaming terminal from a home network of the roaming terminal. The policy is associated with a home Internet Protocol (IP) address of the roaming terminal. The visited network node applies the policy in the visited network to data packets that include the home IP address. Applying the policy to a data packet encompasses either enforcing the policy at the node that applies the policy or sending data that indicates the policy to a different node that applies the policy based on the data sent, or both.