Methods, systems, and computer readable media for providing nested policy configuration in a communications network

A system for providing nested policy configuration in a communications network, the system comprising:

• a policy profile database for storing a first policy record associated with a first identifier, wherein the first identifier is associated with a first subscriber and wherein the first policy record includes a second identifier nested within the first policy record, the policy profile database including a second policy record associated with the second identifier;
• and
• a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) node comprising a computing platform having at least one processor and at least one network interface for obtaining the first policy record from the policy profile database using the first identifier, for obtaining the second policy record from the policy profile database using the second identifier obtained with the first policy profile information, and for applying a combined policy to the first subscriber, wherein the policy includes policy elements from the first and second policy records, wherein obtaining the first policy record includes performing a first query to the policy profile database using the first identifier, wherein the second identifier is different from the first identifier, wherein obtaining the second policy record includes performing a second query using the second identifier, wherein the second query is separate from the first query, and wherein the second policy record is separate from the first policy record.

A non-transitory, tangible computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and when executed by a processor of a computer performs steps comprising:

• at a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) node:
• obtaining, from a policy profile database, a first policy record associated with a first identifier, wherein the first identifier is associated with a first subscriber and wherein the first policy record includes a second identifier nested within the first policy record, wherein obtaining the first policy record includes performing a first query to the policy profile database using the first identifier;
• obtaining, using the second identifier obtained from the first policy record and from the policy profile database, a second policy record associated with the second identifier, wherein the second identifier is different from the first identifier, wherein obtaining the second policy record includes performing a second query using the second identifier, wherein the second query is separate from the first query, and wherein the second policy record is separate from the first policy record;
• and
• applying a combined policy to the first subscriber, wherein the combined policy includes policy elements from the first and second policy records.