Second-UE Authentication Through PDU Session Modification

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-establishing authentication credentials and session context during initial network attachment. The UE and network store authentication vectors and security context in advance, allowing rapid re-authentication during session modifications without full authentication ceremonies, thus reducing authentication time while maintaining security

The patent extracts the authentication function from the general session management process by implementing dedicated authentication information elements within PDU session modification procedures. This separation allows authentication to be handled as a specialized sub-process with optimized workflows, reducing overall authentication time while maintaining network security requirements

The patent uses the serving network and SMF as intermediaries to facilitate device-to-device authentication in relay scenarios. The serving network acts as a trusted mediator that orchestrates authentication between relay UE and remote UE, managing security contexts and coordinating with the core network. This intermediary approach enhances security while avoiding the complexity of direct peer-to-peer authentication protocols between devices

The patent implements universal authentication mechanisms that work across multiple scenario types (direct connection, relay, network slicing) using the same core authentication framework. The EAP-based authentication procedure and security context management are designed to be scenario-agnostic, allowing the system to handle different device relationships without requiring separate complex authentication protocols for each case