Key-based authentication for a mobile edge computing network

A network equipment (NE), comprising:

• at least one memory;
• and
• at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the NE to:
• receive, at a first network function of a mobile edge computing network, a network key request from a second network function of the mobile edge computing network, the network key request comprising a registration request message for a user equipment (UE) that is integrity protected with a first network key;
• derive, at the first network function, the first network key based on a previously derived second network key associated with the first network function;
• verify an integrity of the registration request message using the first network key;
• and
• send a key response message to the second network function that comprises an indication of verification of the integrity of the registration request message and the first network key.

A network equipment (NE), comprising:

• at least one memory;
• and
• at least one processor coupled with the at least one memory and configured to cause the NE to:
• receive, at a network function of a wireless core network, a registration request message from a user equipment (UE), the registration request message comprising at least one of an identifier for the UE and an indication that the UE is capable of communicating with a mobile edge computing network;
• derive a second network key for a first network function of a mobile edge computing network based on a first network key associated with the network function of the wireless core network;
• receive an authentication request message for the UE from the first network function of the mobile edge computing network, the authentication request message integrity protected with the second network key;
• and
• in response to verifying an integrity of the authentication request message using the second network key, send an authentication response message to the first network function of the mobile edge computing network that indicates that the UE is authenticated for communicating with the mobile edge computing network.