Method and apparatuses for policy and charging control of machine-to-machine type communications

A user database system with subscription and subscriber data for users of an IP Connectivity Access Network, hereinafter IP-CAN, and of a Policy and Charging Control, hereinafter PCC, architecture, the user database system comprising:

• a storage arranged for storing a number of user community profiles, each user community profile including PCC-related information applicable to a plurality of users, and wherein each user community profile is associated with a group identifier that identifies user identifiers of the plurality of users to which the user community profile is applicable, the group identifier comprising a regular expression that identifies the user identifiers for the plurality of users by including an indication of a range of users to identify the plurality of users;
• a receiver arranged for receiving a request of a user profile for a user from a Policy and Charging control Rules Function, hereinafter PCRF, server of the PCC architecture, the request including a user identifier;
• a processing unit arranged for determining the group identifier that identifies the user identifier and for determining the user community profile associated with the group identifier;
• and
• a sender arranged for submitting an answer to the PCRF server with the user community profile.

A Policy and Charging control Rules Function, hereinafter PCRF, server for Policy and Charging Control, hereinafter PCC, of user sessions at an IP Connectivity Access Network, hereinafter IP-CAN sessions, for a plurality of users, the PCRF server comprising:

• a first interfacing unit arranged for receiving from a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function, hereinafter PCEF, device a request of PCC rules for an IP-CAN session established by a user identified by a user identifier;
• a second interfacing unit arranged for:
• submitting to a user database system a request of a user profile for the user identified by the user identifier, and for receiving from the user database system a user community profile including PCC-related information applicable to a plurality of users;
• and
• receiving from the user database system a group identifier associated with the user community profile, and wherein the first interfacing unit is arranged for submitting the group identifier along with the community PCC rules to the PCEF device, the group identifier comprising a regular expression that identifies the user identifiers for the plurality of users by including an indication of a range of users to identify the plurality of users;
• a rules generator arranged for generating community PCC rules corresponding to the user community profile;
• and
• the first interfacing unit arranged for submitting the community PCC rules to the PCEF device to be enforced therein for the plurality of users.

A Policy and Charging Enforcement Function, hereinafter PCEF, device for enforcement of Policy and Charging Control, hereinafter PCC, on user sessions at an IP Connectivity Access Network, hereinafter IP-CAN sessions, for a plurality of users, the PCEF device comprising:

• a first interfacing unit arranged for receiving from an IP-CAN node a request of establishment of an IP-CAN session for a first user of the plurality of users;
• a second interfacing unit arranged for requesting PCC rules for the IP-CAN session, by providing an identifier of the first user, to a Policy and Charging control Rules Function, hereinafter PCRF, server, and for receiving from the PCRF server community PCC rules applicable for the plurality of users;
• a processing unit arranged for associating the group identifier with the community PCC rules, the group identifier comprising a regular expression that identifies the user identifiers for the plurality of users by including an indication of a range of users to identify the plurality of users;
• at least one of the first interfacing unit and the second interfacing unit arranged for obtaining a group identifier identifying the plurality of users for which the community PCC rules are applicable;
• and
• an enforcing unit arranged for installing the community PCC rules to be applied for the first user and all subsequent users identified by the group identifier.