Method and Apparatus for use in a Communications Network

An apparatus for use in registering a mobile node of a telecommunications network to a subsystem of the network, the network having at least one node for maintaining or having access to policy and charging rules for users of the network and at least one node for enforcement of the policy and charging rules to traffic flows, the apparatus comprising:

• means for receiving a registration request message from the mobile node,
• means for selecting a candidate policy and charging rules node for the mobile node,
• means for determining whether the candidate policy and charging rules node has already been selected by a policy and charging rules enforcement node to serve the mobile node, and
• means for performing subsequent steps of the registration procedure based on the determination.

An apparatus in a node for providing policy and charging rules for users of a telecommunications network, said apparatus being utilized in a process of registering a mobile node of the telecommunications network to a subsystem of the network, the apparatus comprising:

• means for receiving an authorization request from a gateway node, said authorization request including an identifier of the mobile node and a request for the policy and charging rules node to serve the mobile node;
• means for setting a state for the mobile node and storing the identifier;
• means for receiving a validation request from a proxy node of the network, said validation request including the identifier of the mobile node and querying whether the policy and charging rules node has been requested by the gateway node to serve the mobile node;
• means for determining whether the apparatus has stored the identifier for the mobile node;
• and
• means for sending a response to the proxy node indicating that the policy and charging rules node has been requested by the gateway node to serve the mobile node if the apparatus has stored the identifier for the mobile node.

A computer program loaded on an internal memory of a proxy node of a telecommunications network, comprising software code portions for performing the following steps when the computer program is run on a processor of the proxy node:

• receiving a registration request message from the mobile node,
• selecting a candidate policy and charging rules node for the mobile node,
• determining whether the candidate policy and charging rules node has already been selected by a policy and charging rules enforcement node to serve the mobile node,
• continuing a registration procedure for the mobile node if the candidate node has already been selected by the policy and charging rules enforcement node to serve the mobile node, and
• if the candidate node has not been selected by the policy and charging rules enforcement node to serve the mobile node, repeating the selecting and determining steps for further candidate nodes until either a candidate node is selected that has already been selected by the policy and charging rules enforcement node to serve the mobile node, or no further candidate nodes exist.