JP5348227B2 - Communication control method and mobile communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mobile communication system capable of a bearer resource control which covers the whole architecture in a system configuration with a flexibility of a policy enhanced. <P>SOLUTION: A local area policy controller 14 determines a resource amount of a local area network bearer which local area user plane apparatuses 11 and 12 provide to an end-to-end service based on a resource amount of a bearer service required to be used in the end-to-end service. A home policy control apparatus 15 determines a resource amount of a core network bearer which a home gate way apparatus 13 provides for the end-to-end service based on the resource amount of the bearer service demanded in order to be used in the end-to-end service. In addition, the home policy control apparatus 15, unless the resource amount of the core network bearer determined by itself matches the resource amount of the local area network bearer determined by the local area policy controller 14, performs processing so as to match them. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile communication system.

  Currently, in 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), LTE (Long Term Evolution) and SAE (System Architecture Evolution) are being studied. One of the important themes in the study is QoS (Quality of Service) control.

  In considering the QoS control of the entire SAE architecture of the SAE / LTE mobile communication system including the LTE network and the SAE core network, it is necessary to consider communication via the SAE core network between the visited side and the home side. Communication via the SAE core network is typically communication by roaming, and global roaming exchange of GSMA between VPLMN (Visible Public Land Mobile Network) on the visited side and HPLMN (Home PLMN) on the home side. Via the (GRX) network.

  At present, in the study on the QoS control of the SAE / LTE mobile communication system, the focus is on the QoS of the LTE network corresponding to the radio access network, and the QoS of the SAE core network has not been studied. Therefore, establishment of QoS control that covers the entire SAE architecture including the SAE core network is required.

  In general, VPLMN and HPLMN have different operators, and each PLMN has its own operator policy. Therefore, the policy applied to the HPLMN user may differ from the policy applied to the VPLMN user. Good.

  The VPLMN policy is defined by V-PCRF (Policy and Charging Rules Function), and the HPLMN policy is defined by V-PCRF. VPLMN PCEF (V-PCEF (Policy and Charging Enforcement Function Function)) follows a policy defined by V-PCRF, and HPLMN PCEF (H-PCEF) follows a policy defined by H-PCRF.

  The end-to-end service goes through the SAE core network between V-PCEF and H-PCEF. On the SAE core network, there is an SAE CN bearer between UPE (User Plane Entity; or V-IASA (IETF Administrative Support Activity)), which is V-PCEF, and IASA (or H-IASA), which is H-PCEF. Established. QoS control covering the entire SAE architecture including this SAE CN bearer is required.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an example of QoS control in a mobile communication system that provides an end-to-end service by connecting two nodes (a visited node and a gateway node) with a core network. This makes it possible to perform QoS control covering end-to-end services.

JP 2003-298616 A

  In the SAE / LTE mobile communication system being studied by 3GPP, an SAE architecture with a high degree of freedom in setting and changing policies is adopted. However, the control disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not consider the system configuration of such an SAE / LTE mobile communication system. Therefore, it cannot be easily applied as it is.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a mobile communication system capable of bearer resource control covering the entire architecture in a system configuration with a high degree of policy freedom.

In order to achieve the above object, the mobile communication system of the present invention provides:
A mobile communication system in which a visited network and a home network are connected via a core network,
A visited network bearer for an end-to-end service provided in the visited network, connected to a mobile terminal, and passing through the visited network, the core network, and the home network between the mobile terminal and a counterpart device A visited user plane device that relays the data of the end-to-end service by the resources of the visited network bearer,
Provided in the home network, connected to the mobile terminal via the core network and the visited user plane device of the visited network, providing resources of a core network bearer to the end-to-end service, A home gateway device that relays the data of the end-to-end service by network bearer resources;
The visited network bearer provided in the visited network and provided to the end-to-end service by the visited user plane device based on the resource amount of the bearer service required for use in the end-to-end service A policy control device that determines the resource amount of
Based on the amount of bearer service resources provided in the home network and required for use in the end-to-end service, the resource amount of the core network bearer provided to the end-to-end service by the home gateway device is determined. If the resource amount of the core network bearer determined by itself and the resource amount of the visited network bearer determined by the visited policy control device do not coincide with each other, home policy control for performing a process of matching them And a device.

  According to the present invention, the home policy control device and the visited policy control device cooperate to determine the resource amount of the bearer service on both the home side and the visited side provided to the end-to-end service, respectively. Resources that cover the entire architecture in a system configuration in which policy control is separated from user plane control to increase the degree of freedom of policy, because the resource amount of the bearer service on the side matches the resource amount of the bearer service on the visited side Control is possible.

  Further, according to the present invention, since the home policy control device and the in-zone policy control device are provided separately from the user plane, each operator's policy can be easily set or changed in the entire system, and the degree of freedom is increased. Is expensive.

In addition, the home policy control device applies the policy of the home network to the resource amount of the bearer service required for use in the end-to-end service, and then the requested resource amount to the in-zone policy control device A resource request signal including the following information, and in cooperation with the home gateway device, determine the resource amount of the core network bearer to be provided to the end-to-end service,
The visited policy control apparatus that has received the resource request signal from the home policy control apparatus, after applying the visited network policy to the requested resource amount information included in the resource request signal, Determining a resource amount of the visited network bearer to be provided to an end-to-end service, and transmitting an allocation response signal including information on the resource amount of the visited network bearer to the home policy control device;
The home policy control device that has received the response signal from the visited policy control device and the resource amount of the core network bearer determined by the home policy control device and the presence response signal notified from the visited policy control device by the assignment response signal. The resource amount of the service area bearer may be compared, and if they do not match, the matching process may be performed.

  The home policy control apparatus provides the core network to the end-to-end service when receiving a bearer request signal for requesting a bearer service resource to be used for the end-to-end service from the mobile terminal. Processing for determining the bearer resource amount and processing for causing the visited policy control device to determine the resource amount of the visited network bearer provided to the end-to-end service may be started.

In addition, the home policy control device transmits the resource request signal to the visited policy control device and determines the resource amount of the core network bearer to be provided to the end-to-end service. Requesting the resource requested from the mobile terminal,
When the home gateway device is requested for a resource from the home policy control device, the home gateway device responds to the home policy control device for the resource amount of the core network bearer that can be permitted for the request,
Upon receiving the resource request signal from the home policy control device, the visited policy control device determines the resource amount of the visited network bearer to be provided to the end-to-end service. Requesting an amount of resources based on the request for the resource request signal,
When the visited user plane device requests a resource from the visited policy control device, the visited user plane device may obtain a resource amount of the visited network bearer that can be permitted in response to the request and respond to the visited policy control device. Good.

The visited user plane device includes a visited user plane control device connected to the core network and a base station connected to the visited user plane control device and connected to the mobile terminal wirelessly. The visited user plane control device manages an access bearer with the base station, and the base station manages a radio bearer with the mobile terminal,
When the visited policy control apparatus receives the resource request signal from the home policy control apparatus, the visited policy control apparatus sends a visited network resource request signal requesting an amount of resources based on the request of the resource request signal to the visited user plane control apparatus. To
Upon receiving the visited network resource request signal, the visited user plane control apparatus obtains access bearer resources that can be granted to the end-to-end service, and requests a radio bearer resource from the base station. Send a signal,
When the base station receives the radio resource request signal, the base station may obtain radio bearer resources that can be granted to the end-to-end service.

In addition, when the visited user plane control apparatus receives a bearer request signal requesting a bearer service resource from the mobile terminal, the serving user plane control apparatus obtains an access bearer resource that can be permitted for the request by the bearer request signal, and A radio resource request signal for requesting a radio bearer resource from a station, and a core network resource request signal for requesting a core network bearer resource to the home gateway device;
When the base station receives the radio resource request signal, the base station obtains a resource amount of a radio bearer that can be permitted for the request of the radio resource request signal, and sends a radio resource allocation response signal including information on the resource amount of the radio bearer. Transmit to the serving user plane controller,
When the home gateway apparatus receives the core network resource request signal, the home gateway apparatus sends a core network resource allocation response signal including information on a resource amount of a core network bearer to be allocated to the core network resource request signal request to the serving user plane. To the control device,
The serving user plane control apparatus includes the radio bearer resource amount included in the radio resource allocation response signal received from the base station and the core network resource allocation response signal received from the home gateway apparatus. If the resource amount of the core network bearer is not the same, a process for matching them may be performed.

  In addition, the home policy control device may match the resource of the core network bearer determined by itself and the resource of the visited network bearer determined by the visited policy control device to the smaller one of them. Good.

  According to this, the home policy control device and the visited policy control device cooperate with each other in accordance with the smaller of the resource amount that can be provided on the home side and the resource amount that can be provided on the visited side. Therefore, it is possible to provide the maximum possible resources without any useless resource allocation on either the home side or the visited side.

  According to the present invention, resource control covering the entire architecture is possible in a system configuration in which policy control is separated from user plane control to increase the degree of freedom of policy.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the mobile communication system by this embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows the resource allocation operation | movement of the mobile communication system by this embodiment. It is a figure which shows a SAE bearer service architecture. It is a figure which shows two unicast SAE bearers each consisting of one SAE radio bearer and one SAE access bearer. It is a figure which shows the information flow of the resource establishment in a radio network. FIG. 2 shows an SAE CN bearer service architecture for roaming users. It is a figure which shows the information flow of the resource establishment in a core network. It is a figure which shows the SAE bearer service architecture in a 2nd Example. It is a figure which shows the information flow of resource establishment and QoS signaling (UE starting). It is a figure which shows the information flow of the resource establishment in the core network by UE starting.

  Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a mobile communication system according to the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, the mobile communication system according to the present embodiment includes a base station 11, a visited user plane control device 12, a visited policy control device 14 belonging to a visited network, and a home belonging to a home network. It has a gateway device 13 and a home policy control device 15. The base station 11 is connected to the mobile terminal 16, and the home gateway device 13 is connected to the counterpart device 18. The user plane control device 12 and the home gateway device 13 are connected to each other via the core network 17. The mobile communication system according to the present embodiment includes a visited policy control device 14 and a home policy control device 15 in consideration of the system configuration of the SAE / LTE mobile communication system.

  The mobile terminal 16, the base station 11, the located user plane control device 12, the core network 17, the home gateway device 13, the located policy control device 14, and the home policy control device 15 belong to the SAE system.

  The mobile terminal 16 is a terminal connected to the base station 11 by radio waves, and is a mobile phone, for example. Here, it is assumed that the mobile terminal 16 and the counterpart device 18 perform end-to-end communication. Examples of the counterpart device 18 include other mobile terminals and servers.

  On the one hand, the base station 11 is connected to the in-zone user plane control device 12, and on the other hand, it manages the resources of the radio bearer service. A typical example of a bearer service resource is a transmission band. The base station 11 connects to the mobile terminal 16 by radio waves, and provides radio bearer service resources to the end-to-end service between the mobile terminal 16 and the counterpart device 18. And the base station 11 relays the data which the mobile terminal 16 and the serving user plane control apparatus 12 transmit / receive using the resource of the radio bearer service provided to the end-to-end service.

  The serving user plane control device 12 is connected to the home gateway device 13 via the core network 17 on the one hand, and connected to the base station 11 on the other hand, and manages resources of the access bearer service with the base station 11. Yes. The serving user plane control device 12 provides an access bearer service resource to the end-to-end service between the mobile terminal 16 and the counterpart device 18, and the base station 11 and the home gateway device using the access bearer service resource. 13 relays data to be transmitted and received.

  The home gateway device 13 is connected to the serving user plane control device 12 via the core network 17 on the one hand, manages the core network bearer service on the core network 17, and is connected to the partner device 18 on the other hand. The home gateway device 13 provides the core network bearer service resource to the end-to-end service between the mobile terminal 16 and the counterpart device 18, and uses the resource of the core network bearer service to The data transmitted and received by the counterpart device 18 is relayed.

  The visited policy control device 14 uses the radio bearer service resource provided by the base station 11 for the end-to-end service and the access bearer service resource provided by the visited user plane control device 12 for the end-to-end service. Control is performed based on cooperation with the policy control device 15. At this time, the located policy control device 14 may inquire the base station 11 and the located user plane control device 12 about the amount of bearer service resources each can provide.

  In addition, the visited policy control device 14 may apply a policy determined by an operator of the visited network in determining the resource amount of the radio bearer service and the resource amount of the access bearer service. For example, in determining the resource amount to be granted, the priority of the roaming user may be set lower than the priority of the user who has joined the visited network.

  The home policy control device 15 controls the resources of the core network bearer service that the home gateway device 13 provides for the end-to-end service based on cooperation with the visited policy control device 14. At this time, the home policy control device 15 may inquire the home gateway device 13 about the amount of bearer service resources that can be provided.

  The home policy control device 14 may apply a policy determined by an operator of the home network in determining the resource amount of the core network bearer service.

  At that time, the home policy control device 15 determines the resource amount of the bearer service required for the end-to-end service (hereinafter referred to as “requested resource amount”) and the resource amount provided by the base station 11 and the serving user plane control device 12. (Hereinafter referred to as “the amount of resources in the area”) and the amount of resources provided by the home gateway device 13 (hereinafter referred to as “the amount of home resources”), the amount of resources finally allocated to the end-to-end service (hereinafter referred to as “allocated resource amount” "). Then, the located policy control apparatus 14 performs control for making the “located resource amount” coincide with the “allocated resource amount” as necessary. The home policy control device 15 performs control for making the “home resource amount” coincide with the “allocated resource amount” as necessary.

  FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing a resource allocation operation of the mobile communication system according to the present embodiment. Assume that a bearer service resource request is generated by the end-to-end service between the mobile terminal 16 and the counterpart device 18. The resource amount of the bearer service requested at this time is the “request resource amount”.

  The home policy control device 15 may apply the home network policy to the “requested resource amount”. As a method of applying the home network policy, for example, the home policy control device 15 may change the “request resource amount” in accordance with the home network policy. Alternatively, the home policy control apparatus 15 may add the determined policy information of the home network to the “request resource amount” and transmit it. In this case, the device that has received the “request resource amount” to which the home network policy is added may apply the policy to the request resource amount.

  As shown in FIG. 2, first, the home policy control device 15 transmits a resource request to the located policy control device 14 (step 101). This resource request includes “requested resource amount” information.

  Subsequently, the home policy control device 15 performs home resource allocation processing in cooperation with the home gateway device 13 (step 102). In the home resource allocation process, the home policy control device 15 acquires the resource amount of the core network bearer service that can be provided from the home gateway device 13 and determines the “home resource amount” that can be provided on the home side based on the information. In this embodiment, the home gateway device 13 provides the “home resource amount” of core network bearer service resources to the end-to-end service at this time.

  On the other hand, when the visited policy control apparatus 14 receives the resource request from the home policy control apparatus 15, the visited policy control apparatus 14 performs the visited resource allocation process in cooperation with the visited user plane control apparatus 12 and the base station 11 (step 103).

  The visited policy control device 14 may apply the visited network policy to the “requested resource amount” before the visited resource allocation process. As a method of applying the policy of the visited network, for example, the visited policy control device 14 may change the “request resource amount” according to the policy of the visited network. Alternatively, the in-zone policy control device 14 may add the determined in-zone network policy information to the “request resource amount” and transmit it. In this case, the device that has received the “request resource amount” to which the policy of the visited network is added may apply the policy to the request resource amount.

  In the in-zone resource allocation process, the “in-zone resource amount” is determined from the resource amount of the access bearer service that can be permitted by the in-zone user plane control device 12 and the resource amount of the radio bearer service that can be permitted by the base station 11. In this embodiment, the visited user plane control device 12 provides the resource of the access bearer service of “visited resource amount” to the end-to-end service at this time. In addition, the base station 11 provides the radio bearer service resource of “the amount of resources in the area” to the end-to-end service.

  Subsequently, the located policy control device 14 transmits an allocation response including information on “located resource amount” to the home policy control device 15 (step 104).

  When both the “home resource amount” and the “local resource amount” are determined, the home policy control device 15 compares them to determine the final “allocated resource amount” (step 105). For example, if the “home resource amount” and the “local resource amount” are equal, the “allocated resource amount” may be set to the same resource amount. Further, if the “home resource amount” and the “local resource amount” are different, the “allocated resource amount” may be the same resource amount as the smaller one of them.

  If the “home resource amount” is equal to the “located resource amount” and the same “allocated resource amount” is determined, the mobile communication system may end the process as it is. However, if “home resource amount” and “local resource amount” are different, and the same “allocated resource amount” is determined, whichever is smaller, excess resources are allocated to the larger one, It is preferable to update to match the “allocated resource amount”. In this embodiment, resource update processing is performed in that case (step 106).

  If there is an extra “home resource amount”, the home policy control device 15 updates the “home resource amount” in cooperation with the home gateway device 13 to match the “allocated resource amount”.

  Further, when there is an excess in the “local resource amount”, the home policy control device 15 updates the “local resource amount” so that it matches the “allocated resource amount”. To instruct. Upon receiving the instruction, the in-zone policy control device 14 updates the “in-zone resource amount” in accordance with the instruction.

  According to the present embodiment, the home policy control device 15 and the visited policy control device 14 cooperate to determine the amount of bearer service resources on both the home side and the visited side provided to the end-to-end service, respectively. In addition, since the resource amount of the bearer service on the home side and the resource amount of the bearer service on the visited side are matched, the overall architecture is improved in a system configuration in which policy control is separated from user plane control to increase the degree of freedom of policy. Can be controlled.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the home policy control device 15 and the visited policy control device 14 that manage each operator's policy, the base station 11 that actually provides the bearer service resources to the end-to-end service, Since it is provided separately from the service area user plane control device 12 and the home gateway device 13, the policy of each operator can be easily set or changed in the entire system, and the degree of freedom is high. For example, the in-zone policy control device 14 may distinguish between a user who subscribes to the own network and a roaming user and perform different QoS control. By allocating resources prior to roaming users for users who are subscribed to the own network, it is possible to promote the user's subscription to the own network.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the home policy control device 15 and the visited policy control device 14 cooperate to reduce either the resource amount that can be provided on the home side or the resource amount that can be provided on the visited side. The amount of allocated resources is determined according to the direction, and if there is an excess on either the home side or the visited side, an update is made to eliminate the excess, so both the home side and the visited side There is no useless resource allocation and the maximum possible resources can be allocated.

  Next, as each embodiment, an example applied to the SAE / LTE mobile communication system studied in 3GPP will be described. A UE (User Equipment) appearing in the description of each embodiment corresponds to the mobile terminal 16. Both the eNodeB and LTE-RAN (Radio Access Network) correspond to the base station 11. UPE, MME / UPE, and V-PCEF all correspond to the serving user plane controller 12. Both IASA and H-PCEF correspond to the home gateway device 13. The peer entity corresponds to the counterpart device 18. The V-PCRF corresponds to the located policy control device 14, and the H-PCRF corresponds to the home policy control device 15.

[First embodiment]
In the first embodiment, first, an explanation of important issues related to a presumed QoS concept and the QoS concept will be described. Next, the SAE bearer service architecture and the QoS control division configuration will be described. Furthermore, resource establishment and QoS signaling and SAE CN bearer resource establishment and QoS signaling will be described.

(1. Explanation of important issues regarding QoS concept)
The following are important issues regarding the QoS concept.

  -Means to provide enhanced QoS for services that require a higher QoS or policy than that provided by the default IP access bearer.

  A simpler SAE / LTE QoS profile than the current UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) QoS profile (ie UMTS bearer service attribute). At the same time, it is preferable to avoid a complex mechanism as a mapping mechanism between the SAE / LTE QoS profile and the UMTS QoS profile. It is better that multiple mappings between UMTS and SAE / LTE QoS profiles do not result in QoS changes.

  -Resource establishment or resource reservation signaling including QoS profile signaling and direction of the signaling procedure (ie network activation / UE activation).

  How can the current UMTS signaling model be simplified by deriving IP bearer-level and RAN-level QoS and policy configuration from QoS-related signaling performed at the application level (eg, IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem))? We should also consider whether this can be simplified. This includes considerations regarding the use of QoS related information (eg, DSCP (Differentiated Services Code Point) marking) for each packet.

(2. QoS concept)
An MME / UPE / AS anchor (access gateway: aGW) receives a Policy Control and Charging (PCC) rule including a QoS request from the PCRF every time a new service is requested by the UE. If the requested QoS cannot be provided by the default IP bearer / connectivity service, an additional SAE bearer service is required.

  The aGW receives details about the end-to-end service that needs to be transferred from the PCRF. That is, the aGW filters the description contents of the QoS description (at least bit rate information and “traffic class” indicating a request for delay / priority) regarding the termination of the IP flow. The aGW may generate a collection of each traffic class consisting of all end-to-end services mapped to the same traffic class and the QoS description (at least bit rate) associated with them. The eNodeB receives the aggregate QoS description for each SAE bearer service. Whenever an end-to-end service is started / terminated / modified, the aGW receives the relevant information, updates the aggregate QoS description and forwards it to the eNodeB.

  Both the aGW and the UE map the end-to-end service IP flow to the SAE bearer service.

  The eNodeB and the aGW need to know in advance the aggregate QoS description of the SAE bearers so that packets belonging to different SAE bearer services can be distinguished. The eNodeB uses it for scheduling (DL) and policy (UL), and the aGW uses it for policy (DL + UL).

  For the downlink, the eNodeB processes the IP packet according to the aggregate QoS description of the SAE bearer service. For the uplink, the eNodeB manages each IP packet for the aggregate QoS description of the SAE bearer service.

(3. SAE bearer service architecture)
FIG. 3 shows the SAE bearer service architecture.

The SAE bearer service layered architecture is shown in FIG. Here, the bearer service definition as given in 3GPP TS 23.107 is still applicable. This can be said as follows.
-The bearer service includes everything that enables provision of contracted QoS. These are in particular control signaling, user plane transport, and QoS control functions.

The following is a list of what the SAE bearer service provides.
-Wise aggregation of IP end-to-end service flow QoS-IP header compression (and provision of relevant information for UE)
-UP encryption (and provision of relevant information for UE)
-Additional SAE bearer services that can be added to the default IP service if high priority processing of end-to-end service signaling packets is required-Specification of mapping / multiplexing information for the UE-Accepted QoS information for the UE These are provided by the SAE bearer service.

Lists what the SAE CN bearer service provides.
-Transport of SAE bearer service data units between UPE (or V-IASA) and IASA according to the required QoS-Link of SAE bearer service to each SAE CN bearer service (and vice versa)
These are provided by the SAE CN bearer service.

Examples provided by the SAE radio bearer service are listed below.
-Transport of SAE bearer service data unit between eNodeB and UE according to the requested QoS-Link of SAE radio bearer service for each SAE bearer service These are provided by SAE radio bearer service.

  Examples provided by the SAE access bearer service are listed below.

-Transport of SAE bearer service data units between aGW and eNodeB according to the requested QoS;
-Definition of aggregate QoS description of SAE bearer service to eNodeB-Link of SAE access bearer service for each SAE bearer service These are provided by SAE access bearer service.

(4. QoS control division configuration)
FIG. 4 shows two unicast SAE bearers each consisting of one SAE radio bearer and one SAE access bearer.

  A service data flow (SDF) is a set of packet flows. The UE uplink (ULPF) couples the SDF to the uplink SAE bearer, and the PCEF downlink packet filter (DLPF) couples the SDF to the downlink SAE bearer.

  Each unicast SAE bearer is associated with one UE and one “traffic class”. There is a one-to-one correspondence between SAE radio bearers and SAE access bearers.

  FIG. 4 shows PCEF in a manner that assumes that UPE and IASA are co-located. If the UPE is separated from the IASA, the DLPF is placed in the IASA.

  SAE bearers (ie, corresponding SAE CN bearers, SAE radio bearers, and SAE access bearers) become the level of division of QoS control in the SAE / LTE access system. That is, the same processing (for example, scheduling principle) is performed on a plurality of SDFs mapped to the same SAE bearer. Providing different QoS for the two SDFs results in the need to establish a separate SAE bearer for each SDF.

(5. Resource establishment and QoS signaling)
Resource establishment and QoS signaling provide QoS / policy information to network entities that control radio / network resources. Radio / network resources are controlled by providing information about user subscriptions, UE and radio / network capabilities, radio / network resource availability, certain operator policies, and services being used.

  It is assumed that resources can always be granted, even if the requested QoS is not met, i.e. the QoS is downgraded by the network / radio. The requested network resource can be negotiated / renegotiated.

  It is assumed that resource establishment and QoS signaling are prior to QoS request signaling. This can be either application signaling (eg IMS) or IP bearer signaling. This may lead to the establishment of an additional IP bearer (equivalent to a UMTS PS bearer). Application signaling is performed on the already established resources of the default IP access bearer. The application function negotiates with the UE for media components and their characteristics and provides relevant information to the PCRF.

  For operator controlled services (eg IMS), SAE / LTE supports network-initiated SAE bearer establishment and network-initiated SAE bearer modification. That is, since the network controls SAE bearer signaling, it is responsible for requesting the appropriate bearer QoS parameters.

  Resource establishment is triggered by a resource request from the PCRF that translates the media information into the required policy / QoS information, or by IP bearer signaling that includes the policy / QoS information. In the latter case, it is assumed that the network performs in advance QoS authentication that adds policy information to bearer signaling. Activation of resource establishment by PCRF may be supported for non-IMS services.

  The resource establishment function includes both various functions necessary for setting up network and radio resources, and each signaling to the UE to combine radio resources with the application layer and apply the authenticated QoS to it. It is out.

  The MME / UPE checks whether the approved resource matches the range defined in the user's subscription profile and initiates resource allocation to the wireless part of the network.

  The responsible LTE-RAN function checks resource availability, configures the required resources, and finally configures the radio resources for the service and which resources are linked to which IP or session flows. Notify the UE.

FIG. 5 shows an information flow of resource establishment in the wireless network.
1) The UE establishes a signaling relationship with the network running on the default IP access bearer.
2) MME / UPE establishment is triggered by a resource request that includes policy / QoS information corresponding to the requested service.
3) The MME / UPE checks the UE's subscription, performs admission control according to the received QoS information and available resources, and applies the received policy information. The location of the policy enforcement point may be in the (mutual access) mobility anchor.
4) The MME / UPE initiates resource establishment to the responsible LTE-RAN function.
5) The responsible LTE-RAN function executes permission control. It is presumed that the received QoS information needs to be converted into wireless QoS information. Radio resource allocation and proper placement of the scheduler are performed according to the converted QoS information.
6) Information on the radio configuration required for the service and related information linking radio resources to IP or session flows are provided to the UE.
7) The MME / UPE is notified of the result of successful resource establishment.
8) The MME / UPE reports the result of the resource establishment along with the negotiated QoS.

(6. SAE CN bearer resource establishment and QoS signaling)
In the case of a roaming UE, the SAE CN bearer extends from the UPE (or V-IASA) of the VPLMN (where V-PCEF is located) to the IASA of HPLMN (where H-PCEF is located).

  Since operator policies are applied on a per network basis, there may be different policies applied to HPLMN roaming users and VPLMN roaming users. As a result, the SAE roaming architecture requires a V-PCRF function in the VPLMN that allows the visiting operator to adjust the policy / QoS information provided by the H-PCRF in the HPLMN.

  The following diagram shows the SAE roaming architecture for policy control and operator-controlled service charging and QoS operation, depicting the SAE CN bearer.

  FIG. 6 shows the SAE CN bearer service architecture for roaming users.

  Resource establishment and QoS signaling procedures provide QoS / policy information to network entities that control radio / network resources. Radio / network resources are controlled by applying information about user subscriptions, UE and radio / network capabilities, radio / network resource availability, certain operator policies, and what services are being used .

  Since two operator networks are included and each network has its own PCEF, it is preferable to adjust the SAE CN bearer if the bearer attributes are different.

FIG. 7 shows an information flow of resource establishment in the core network.
1) The V-PCRF is activated by a resource request (from the H-PCRF) that includes policy / QoS information corresponding to the requested service.
2) The V-PCRF performs authentication and policy determination based on a local operator policy.
3) The V-PCRF sends policy / QoS information to the MME / UPE.
4) The MME / UPE starts resource establishment for the LTE-RAN function in charge. Referring to FIG. 7, we begin policy / QoS enforcement (through embedded PCEF).
5) The MME / UPE reports the result of resource establishment to the V-PCRF along with the negotiated QoS.
6) The V-PCRF reports the result of resource establishment to the H-PCRF along with the negotiated QoS.

7) The H-PCRF performs authentication and policy determination based on the home operator policy (for example, SPR).
8) The H-PCRF sends to the IASA policy / QoS information that initiates the enforcement of the policy / QoS (through the embedded PCEF).
9) The IASA reports the result of the resource establishment to the H-PCRF along with the negotiated QoS.

  10) Since steps 2-6 and steps 7-9 are executed in parallel, the established resources are compared. If the QoS established for each bearer does not match (eg V-PCRF downgraded the requested resource due to more VPLMN policies, or IASA could not grant the requested resource The H-PCRF initiates a QoS update procedure for either the V-PCRF or the IASA, depending on where the QoS degradation occurred.

  In the first embodiment described above, it is not particularly defined whether the bearer establishment procedure is started from the network side or the UE side. With regard to this point, as a trend of examination of 3GPP, network activation is mainly studied, but the necessity of bearer establishment by UE activation is also studied.

  The default IP access bearer is established when the UE first connects to the network. In this state, the user application is not running and therefore no PCRF is involved. In this case, it is reasonable to set up a default IP access bearer with reference to MME / UPE subscription.

  Also, the UE may request another IASA to establish another default IP access bearer for an IASA different from that already established in the initial default IP access. Again, no user application is running and thus no PCRF is involved.

  There are situations like these that require a UE-initiated bearer establishment procedure.

[Second Embodiment]
In the second embodiment, an example including a UE-initiated bearer establishment procedure will be described.

  In the second embodiment, first, an explanation of important issues related to the presumed QoS concept and the QoS concept will be described, followed by the SAE bearer service architecture, QoS control division configuration, resource establishment, and QoS signaling (network activation). After the description, a configuration is described in which resource establishment, QoS signaling (UE activation), and effects on terminals used in the existing architecture are described. However, the explanation of important issues regarding the QoS concept, the QoS concept, the SAE bearer service architecture, the QoS control division configuration, the resource establishment and the QoS signaling (network activation) are the same as those in the first embodiment. ~ 5. The explanation is omitted because it is the same as. Up to that point, the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the proposed SAE bearer service architecture.

  FIG. 8 shows the SAE bearer service architecture in the second embodiment. Referring to FIG. 8, in the second embodiment, the positions of the SAE bearer service and the SAE CN bearer service are different from those in the first embodiment. However, this difference is not essential to affect the operation of each device. Also, this difference is not due to the introduction of UE activation described above.

(6. Resource establishment and QoS signaling (UE activation))
The UE-initiated resource establishment procedure is used by the UE when a default IP access bearer needs to be established. This procedure is used not only when the UE first connects to the network, but also at other times. For example, a UE with multiple PDN access capabilities requests (for other PDNs) establishment of a second default IP access bearer that is different from that already established for the first default IP access bearer. Is the time.

  In order to initiate this procedure, the MME / UPE needs to obtain QoS information necessary for establishing a default IP access bearer.

  How accurately the MME / UPE obtains this information is outside the scope of the important issues addressed here. This would be based, for example, on subscription information exchanged between the HSS (Home Subscriber Server) and the MME / UPE or by direct signaling between the UE and the MME / UPE.

  For the resource establishment function, the same concept as resource establishment and QoS signaling (network activation) is applied.

FIG. 9 shows an information flow of resource establishment and QoS signaling (UE activation).
1) The UE requests a default IP access bearer. This request contains information about the PDN that the UE wants to access, and possibly also the specific resource request for that IP bearer. This information can be provided as part of the “connection request” message, so this step can be omitted if the first default IP access bearer has been established in the initial network connection procedure.
2) The MME / UPE performs admission control according to the received QoS information and available resources based on the UE subscription information (provided during network connection by the HSS) and applies the received policy.
3) The MME / UPE starts resource establishment for the LTE-RAN function in charge.
4) The MME / UPE initiates resource establishment for the selected IASA for its default IP access bearer.
5) The responsible LTE-RAN function executes permission control. It is presumed that it is necessary to convert the received QoS information into wireless QoS information. Radio resource allocation and proper placement of the scheduler are performed according to the converted QoS information.
6) Information on the radio configuration required for the service and related information linking radio resources to IP or session flows are provided to the UE.
7) The MME / UPE is notified of the result of successful resource establishment.
8) The MME / UPE is notified of the result of successful resource establishment.

  9) Since access / radio bearer establishment (steps 3, 5, 6, 8) and CN bearer establishment (steps 4 and 7) are performed in parallel, MME / UPE is Compare whether the finally established resources match. If there is a mismatch, the MME / UPE initiates a QoS update procedure for either LTE RAN or IASA (depending on where the QoS degradation occurred).

  10) The MME / UPE notifies the successful establishment of the default IP bearer. As part of this message, the MME / UPE also informs the UE about the resources that are finally established for that IP bearer. This information can be provided as part of the “connection acknowledge” message, so this step can be omitted if the first default IP access bearer has been established in the initial network connection procedure.

(7. Effect on terminals used in existing architecture)
The UE Preferably, it has the ability to establish a default IP access bearer as described in the section.

  In the second embodiment described above, an example in which the UE sends a default IP bearer request to the MME / UPE in the UE-initiated resource establishment procedure is shown, but other procedures are also possible.

[Third embodiment]
In the third embodiment, another example of a bearer establishment procedure for UE activation will be described.

FIG. 10 shows an information flow of resource establishment in the core network by UE activation.
1) The UE requests a default IP access bearer from the H-PCRF. This request contains information about the PDN that the UE wants to access, and possibly also the specific resource request for that IP bearer. Steps 2 to 11 shown in FIG. 10 are the same as steps 1 to 10 shown in FIG.
12) The H-PCRF notifies the UE of the successful establishment of the default IP bearer. As part of this message, the H-PCRF also notifies the UE about the resources that are finally established for that IP bearer.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Base station 12 User area control apparatus 13 Home gateway apparatus 14 Policy control apparatus 15 Home policy control apparatus 16 Mobile terminal 17 Core network 18 Other apparatus 101-106 Step

Claims (4)

A VPLMN (Visited Public Land Mobile Network) network and a HPLMN (Home Public Land Mobile Network) network are connected to each other, and a first control device for controlling a policy of the VPLMN network and a policy of the VPLMN network in the VPLMN network A first execution device that executes control, and a movement that includes, within the HPLMN network, a second control device that controls the policy of the HPLMN network and a second execution device that executes policy control of the HPLMN network A communication control method for controlling a policy applied to a roaming user in a communication system,
A first step in which the second control device makes a resource request to the first control device;
A second step in which the second control device performs a resource allocation process for the second execution device;
The communication control method, wherein the first step and the second step are executed in parallel.   The second control device further includes a third step of comparing the resource amount according to the first step with the resource amount according to the second step, and matching when the amount does not match. Item 4. The communication control method according to Item 1. A mobile communication system for controlling a policy applied to a roaming user,
VPLMN (Visited Public Land Mobile Network) network and HPLMN (Home Public Land Mobile Network) network connected to each other;
A first control device for controlling the policy of the VPLMN network in the VPLMN network, and a first execution device for executing policy control of the VPLMN network;
A second control device that controls the policy of the HPLMN network and a second execution device that executes policy control of the HPLMN network in the HPLMN network;
Resource request means for the second control device to make a resource request to the first control device;
Resource allocation means for the second control device to perform resource allocation processing for the second execution device;
The mobile communication system, wherein the resource request means and the resource allocation means are processed in parallel.   The said 2nd control apparatus further has compared with the resource amount by the said resource request | requirement means, and the resource amount by the said resource allocation means, It is further made to match when those amounts do not correspond. Mobile communication system.