Session Signature for IMS Media Routing Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
In IMS infrastructure, the optimization of user plane routing for roaming subscribers is challenging due to the lack of control over the user plane when it is routed without accompanying control plane, leading to ambiguity in operator responsibility and inefficient routing.
Innovation Solution
A method is proposed where a session signature is inserted into the media transfer session, allowing the control plane to be routed back to the visited IMS network, enabling both planes to be routed together through the interconnect network, thereby associating the media transfer session with the operator sourcing it.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the user plane is routed separately from the control plane to optimize transmission path, then transmission latency is reduced and bandwidth is improved, but operator responsibility becomes ambiguous and control is lost
Solution Approach 1:
A session signature acts as an intermediary element inserted into user plane packets. This signature contains operator identification information that enables network entities to determine operator responsibility without requiring the control plane to accompany the user plane, thus resolving the contradiction between fast separate routing and clear operator accountability
Solution Approach 2:
The session signature provides feedback information about operator responsibility directly in the user plane data stream. Network entities can evaluate this signature to determine which operator is responsible for the media transfer session, enabling proper routing decisions and billing without needing to track the control plane separately
2Reliability
If the control plane is routed back to the visited IMS network to maintain control, then operator responsibility is clarified, but routing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The essential control function of determining operator responsibility is extracted from the control plane and embedded directly into the user plane through the session signature. This allows the user plane to be routed independently while still maintaining the ability to determine operator responsibility, avoiding the need to route the control plane back and reducing routing complexity
3Productivity
If the user plane is routed through an optimized path close to the end-user, then transmission efficiency is improved, but the path may differ from the control plane path
Solution Approach 1:
The session signature serves as a mediator that carries operator identification information through the optimized user plane path. This enables different network entities along the optimized path to independently determine operator responsibility without requiring coordination with the control plane path, simplifying path management while maintaining transmission efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a mechanism for having an operator of an IP network that is applied for transferring the media transfer session stream for an IP Multimedia Subsystem, IMS, call to relate this stream to a specific operator of the home-network of the calling party User Equipment. By having, e.g., a Session Border Gateway, SBG, insert a specific signature, associated with the operator sourcing the media transfer session for the calling party UE, into the path carrying the media transfer session stream, the operator of the IP transport network is, by discovery of the specific signature, and its characteristics enabled to discover the operator sourcing the media transfer session.