Authentication and authorization in a private mobile network

A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program for execution by a set of processing units, the program for authenticating and authorizing user devices requesting to access an SD-PMN (software-defined private mobile network) deployed for a particular geographic area, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

• from a new user device, receiving a request to access the SD-PMN;
• performing a look-up in a UDM (unified data management) comprising
• user information for a plurality of users authorized to access the SD-PMN to determine whether the new user device is authorized to access the SD-PMN;
• and
• upon determining that the new user device is authorized, directing a UPF (user plane function) deployed for the SD-PMN to enable the new user device to access the SD-PMN;
• wherein the set of instructions for receiving the request to access the SD-PMN from the new user device comprises a set of instructions for receiving the request to access the SD-PMN from an SD-WAN edge router deployed to a same location in the particular geographical area as the new user device;
• wherein the SD-PMN includes on-premises equipment having a radio access network (RAN), an access and mobility management (AMF) function, and the SD-WAN edge router which reside at an on-premises location;
• wherein the SD-PMN further includes SD-WAN point of presence (POP) equipment having the UDM, the SD-WAN POP equipment residing at an SD-WAN POP location which is different from the on-premises location;
• and
• wherein performing the look-up in the UDM includes:
• accessing the UDM of the SD-WAN POP equipment at the SD-WAN POP location to authenticate the new user device after the request to access the SD-PMN is received by the AMF at the on-premises location through the RAN at the on-premises location.

A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program for execution by a set of processing units, the program for authenticating and authorizing user devices requesting to access an SD-PMN (software-defined private mobile network) deployed for a particular geographic area, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

• from a new user device, receiving a request to access the SD-PMN;
• performing a look-up in a UDM (unified data management) comprising
• user information for a plurality of users authorized to access the SD-PMN to determine whether the new user device is authorized to access the SD-PMN;
• and
• upon determining that the new user device is authorized, directing a UPF (user plane function) deployed for the SD-PMN to enable the new user device to access the SD-PMN;
• wherein the set of instructions for receiving the request to access the SD-PMN from the new user device comprises a set of instructions for receiving the request to access the SD-PMN from an SD-WAN edge router deployed to a same location in the particular geographical area as the new user device;
• wherein the SD-PMN includes on-premises equipment having a radio access network (RAN) and the SD-WAN edge router which reside at an on-premises location;
• wherein the SD-PMN further includes SD-WAN point of presence (POP) equipment having an access and mobility management (AMF) function and the UDM which reside at an SD-WAN POP location which is different from the on-premises location;
• and
• wherein performing the look-up in the UDM includes:
• accessing the UDM of the SD-WAN POP equipment at the SD-WAN POP location to authenticate the new user device after the request to access the SD-PMN is received by the AMF at the SD-WAN POP location through the RAN at the on-premises location.