Application function dependent policy control

A method for controlling, by an application function (AF) apparatus, policy rules of a packet based service data flow that is transmitted to a subscriber of a mobile communications network, the AF apparatus comprising a subscriber profile repository (SPR) containing information from which policy rules to be applied to packet based service data flows can be determined, a network interface, an interface towards a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) of the mobile communications network and further comprising a data processing system comprising one or more processors for implementing a policy server and implementing an application function (AF), the method comprising:

• the AF apparatus employing the AF to provide a service to a subscriber using a user device;
• the AF apparatus providing an identify of the subscriber;
• the AF apparatus detecting packet based service data flows in the mobile communications network, said packet based service data flows in the mobile communications network comprising a packet based service data flow destined for the user device;
• the AF apparatus identifying the packet based service data flow destined for the user device;
• the AF apparatus using the identity of the subscriber to obtain from the subscription profile repository subscriber information associated with the identified subscriber;
• the AF apparatus determining a subscriber dependent policy rule for said identified packet based service data flow based on the subscriber information obtained from the SPR;
• and
• the AF apparatus applying the determined subscriber dependent policy rule, independently from the PCRF of the mobile communications network, to the identified packet based service data flow, wherein a single network node of the network contains each of the one or more processors for implementing the policy server and implementing the AF, the network interface, the interface towards the PCRF of the mobile communications network, and the data store storing the SPR, wherein
• applying the determined subscriber dependent policy rule comprises the AF apparatus transmitting to the PCRF a request to increase the priority of the identified service data flow destined for the user device.