Service Chain Controller for Roaming UE in Visited Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Evolved Packet Core (EPC) architecture is inflexible and inefficient in supporting new use cases and handling the increased number of devices in 5G networks, particularly in roaming scenarios, due to its rigid standardization process and maintenance of multiple tunnels per device.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a Mobile Service Chaining (MSC) architecture that separates control and user planes, allowing for dynamic creation of service chains and user plane function nodes, enabling efficient packet routing and scalability by using control plane nodes and service chain controllers to manage user plane packets traversing UPF nodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If EPC architecture maintains one tunnel per device, then device connectivity is ensured, but network complexity and resource consumption increase with massive device scale
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network architecture into control plane and user plane functions, allowing independent scaling and management. The UPF nodes are segmented as separate user plane entities that can be dynamically instantiated and managed without affecting the core control plane, thus reducing overall network complexity while maintaining device connectivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces service chain controllers as intermediary entities that manage the creation and configuration of service chains and UPF nodes. These controllers act as mediators between the control plane and user plane, simplifying the management of massive device connections by abstracting the complexity of individual tunnel management.
2Stability of the object's composition
If EPC architecture uses rigid standardization process, then network stability is maintained, but flexibility to support new use cases decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic service chains that can be programmatically created, modified, and deleted based on specific use cases. The service chain controllers enable dynamic instantiation of UPF nodes and configuration of service functions, allowing the network to adapt to new requirements without changing the core standardized architecture, thus maintaining stability while enabling flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a service chain management dimension to the traditional EPC architecture. By introducing service chain controllers and UPF nodes as a new layer between the control plane and user plane, the network gains additional degrees of freedom to support diverse use cases without compromising the stability of the core EPC standardized components.
3Reliability
If EPC architecture routes traffic through PGW in home network, then roaming connectivity is ensured, but routing efficiency and latency increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-configures service chains and UPF nodes in visited networks before actual data traffic flows. When a UE roams, the service chain controller in the visited network has already established the necessary user plane paths and UPF instances, enabling immediate efficient routing without requiring traffic to backhaul to the home network PGW, thus improving routing speed while maintaining roaming connectivity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The embodiments herein relate to a method performed by a control plane node (303) for handling a UE (101) which roams into a visited network (100a). At least the network in which the control plane node (303) is comprised is a MSC network. The control plane node (303) transmits a create chain request message to a service chain controller (305). The create chain request message is a request to create a chain of UPF nodes (308) that user plane packets to or from the UE (101) should traverse. The control plane node (303) receives a create chain response message from the service chain controller (305). The create chain response message indicates that the requested chain has been created.