Methods, systems, and devices for federated blockchain-enabled handover authentication
AssigneeAT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
InventorMoshiur Rahman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, authenticating, by a federated blockchain controller, a user equipment located within a cell coverage area of a network that includes heterogeneous cells. The federated blockchain controller can provide encryption data to the user equipment and corresponding authentication information to one or more multi-access edge computing (MEC) devices associated with the heterogeneous cells to enable secure and efficient handovers for the user equipment amongst the heterogeneous cells, without a need for additional handover reauthentication procedures. Other embodiments are disclosed.
Claims20
A device, comprising:
- a processing system including a processor;
- and
- a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
- obtaining data relating to a user equipment, wherein the user equipment is communicatively coupled to a first access point of a plurality of access points, and wherein the first access point is associated with a first cell of a plurality of heterogeneous cells of a network;
- determining that a received authentication information vector associated with blockchain data corresponds to the user equipment;
- generating a validation message responsive to the determining that the received authentication information vector corresponds to the user equipment;
- and
- based on identifying, from the data relating to the user equipment, that the user equipment is moving toward a second cell of the plurality of heterogeneous cells, transmitting the validation message to a second access point of the plurality of access points that is associated with the second cell, wherein the validation message causes the second access point to proceed with a handover for the user equipment without undergoing a handover authentication procedure.
A non-transitory machine-readable storage device, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
- providing, to a blockchain controller, data relating to a user equipment to authenticate the user equipment, wherein the user equipment is communicatively coupled to a network via a first access point, and wherein the first access point is associated with a first cell of a plurality of heterogeneous cells of the network;
- and
- based on an authentication information vector received from the blockchain controller that corresponds to the user equipment and based on determining that the user equipment is moving toward a second cell of the plurality of heterogenous cells, communicating with a second access point associated with the second cell, to effect a handover for the user equipment from the first cell to the second cell, wherein the communicating prevents the second access point from undergoing a handover authentication procedure when conducting the handover for the user equipment.
A method, comprising:
- obtaining, by a processing system including a processor, data relating to a user equipment, wherein the data includes information identifying the user equipment, and wherein the user equipment is communicatively coupled to a first access point associated with a first cell of a plurality of heterogeneous cells of a network;
- providing, by the processing system, encryption data to the user equipment responsive to a successful authentication of the user equipment using the data relating to the user equipment;
- and
- transmitting, by the processing system, an authentication information vector to a first multi-access edge computing (MEC) device, wherein the authentication information vector corresponds to the encryption data and enables the first MEC device to, based on identifying that the user equipment is traveling toward a second access point associated with the first cell, cause the second access point to perform a handover for the user equipment without a need for the second access point to undergo a handover authentication procedure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.