Network slice selection in wireless telecommunication networks
AssigneeT-Mobile USA, Inc.
InventorHichem Zait
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wireless telecommunication system may utilize multiple network slices, each of which may implement a different core network. In order to route initial attach requests to appropriate network slices and corresponding core networks, a mobility management component sends a received initial attach request to a network slice selector. The network slice selector queries a selection policy function to obtain a designation of a particular network slice to which the attach request should be directed. The network slice selector then sends a redirect request to the mobility management component, instructing the mobility management component to resend the attach request to the designated network slice.
Claims20
A wireless telecommunication system comprising:
- multiple network slices corresponding respectively to dedicated core networks of the wireless telecommunication system;
- a network slice selector;
- a slice selection policy function;
- a management component that receives network attach requests from wireless communication devices, the management component being configured to send a first create session request to the network slice selector in response to receiving a network attach request from a wireless communication device;
- the network slice selector being configured to send a slice request to the slice selection policy function in response to receiving the first create session request;
- the slice selection policy function being configured to select one of the multiple network slices based at least in part on one or more policies in response to receiving the slice request;
- the slice selection policy function being further configured to specify the selected one of the network slices to the network slice selector;
- and
- the network slice selector being further configured to redirect the first create session request to the selected one of the network slices.
The wireless telecommunication system of 1, wherein the slice selection policy function specifies the selected one of the network slices by specifying a network address of a gateway of the selected one of the network slices.
The wireless telecommunication system of 1, wherein:
- the network slice selector redirects the first create session request by sending a redirect response to the management component, the redirect response specifying the selected one of the network slices;
- and
- the management component is further configured to send a second create session request to the selected one of the network slices in response to receiving the redirect response.
The wireless telecommunication system of 1, wherein the management component comprises a mobile management entity (MME) of a long-term evolution (LTE) communication network.
The wireless telecommunication system of 1, wherein the management component comprises a control plane function of a 5th generation (5G) communication network.
The wireless telecommunication system of 1, wherein the slice selection policy function selects the one of the network slices further based at least in part on one or more of:
- information regarding services associated respectively with the network slices;
- a subscriber profile associated with the wireless communication device;
- or
- congestion of the respective dedicated core networks.
A method performed by a wireless telecommunications network having multiple core networks, the method comprising:
- receiving a network attach request originating from a wireless communication device;
- sending a first create session request to a network selector in response to receiving the network attach request;
- selecting, by the network selector, a core network from the multiple core networks based at least in part on which of multiple services is associated with the core network;
- sending a redirect response from the network selector in response to the first create session request, the redirect response specifying the core network;
- and
- sending a second create session request to the core network in response to the redirect response.
A wireless telecommunication system comprising:
- a management component that receives network attach requests from wireless communication devices;
- a network selector;
- the management component being configured to send a first create session request to the network selector in response to receiving a network attach request from a wireless communication device;
- the network selector being configured to select one of multiple core networks of the wireless telecommunication system based at least in part on which of multiple services is associated with said one of the multiple core networks;
- the network selector being further configured to redirect the first create session request to said one of the multiple core networks.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.