Wireless Encryption Signaling Delay Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless telecommunications, particularly in UMTS and LTE networks, the existing security mode command and response signalling causes delays during session establishment and handover procedures due to changes in encryption keys, which can impact performance in delay-sensitive applications like Push-to-talk.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced to combine the security mode command and Non Access Stratum (NAS) message into a single combined message, where the security mode command is unencrypted and the NAS message is encrypted, allowing for simultaneous transmission of encryption information and user data, thereby reducing additional signalling delays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If security mode command and response signalling is used to inform the mobile terminal of the new encryption key, then security is maintained, but additional delay is introduced in session establishment and handover procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the security mode command (SMC) and the data packet into a single transmitted message. The SMC contains encryption information (such as new encryption keys) while the data packet contains user data encrypted using those same keys. By merging these two separate signalling steps into one, the patent eliminates the sequential delay where the SMC must be received and processed before encrypted data transmission can begin, thus reducing session establishment and handover delays while maintaining security.
2Loss of information
If separate security mode command and data packet transmission is used, then encryption information can be clearly distinguished, but signalling complexity and delay increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the security mode command and data packet into a single composite message structure. The SMC portion contains encryption information (algorithm identifiers, key information) while the data packet portion contains user data encrypted with those keys. This single combined transmission reduces signalling complexity by eliminating separate SMC and data transmission steps, while the internal structure maintains clear distinction between encryption information and user data through separate fields within the same message.
Solution Approach 2:
Within the combined message, the patent segments the information into distinct parts: the SMC section contains encryption parameters and keys, while the data packet section contains the encrypted user data. This segmentation allows the receiver to clearly distinguish and process encryption information separately from user data, maintaining information clarity while benefiting from the reduced signalling overhead of a single combined transmission.
Data Source
AI summary
An example of the present invention is a method of transmitting encrypted user data to a mobile terminal in a wireless telecommunications network. The method comprises sending to the mobile terminal a data packet. The data packet comprises both an identifier of encryption information to be used in recovering encrypted user data, and user data encrypted using the encryption information.