In a wireless communication system, a Session Management Function (SMF) transfers signaling to a User Plane Function (UPF) to deliver a wireless data service to a wireless User Equipment (UE). The UPF exchanges user data with the wireless UE over a source Radio Unit (RU) to deliver the wireless data service. A Radio Resource Control (RRC) detects the RU handover of the wireless UE from the source RU to a target RU and transfers an RU handover notice for the wireless UE the SMF. The SMF transfers new signaling to the UPF to modify the wireless data service for the wireless UE. The UPF exchanges additional user data with the wireless UE over the target RU to deliver the modified wireless data service to the wireless UE.

Systems and methods define an enhanced charging function (CHF) in a communication network by creating a type of slice analysis functionality. For example, the system can access slice information from multiple Policy Control Functions (PCFs) and determine analytics for multiple slices associated with a subscriber user/device or group of subscriber users/devices. Using the enhanced CHF, the system can trigger slice level decisions at a higher level of the hierarchy based on information being aggregated for family devices/plans, category, quota, usage, or other groupings at the CHF instead of just at the individual slice level (e.g., similar to standard PCF functionality).

Detect, at a cable/fiber broadband network termination unit of a cable/fiber broadband multi-service operator, an interruption in service to a cable/fiber broadband network customer unit—small cell pair. Responsive to detecting the interruption, the termination unit advises a charging server of the operator of the interruption in service, a corresponding identifier of the customer unit—small cell pair, and a corresponding account identifier. Responsive to termination unit advising the charging server, the charging server advises a backend server of an associated cellular network of a customer identifier corresponding to the account identifier. Responsive to the charging server advising the backend server, the backend server advises a policy control function of the associated cellular network to modify network parameters of the associated cellular network to compensate for the interruption in service.

Techniques and architectures enable a wireless communications network to allow for dynamic changes or on-the-fly selections of Fair Usage thresholds or other thresholds and to allow for the Fair Usage thresholds to be associated with individual subscribers of the wireless communications network. Subscriber groups of relatively small granularity or individual subscribers may be assigned a profile that sets forth actions to be applied to subscribers in response to the subscribers reaching particular thresholds of data usage.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for resource cleanup in communications networks are disclosed. One method for resource cleanup in a communications network comprises: at a policy control function (PCF) comprising at least one processor: receiving, from a binding support function (BSF), a first notification indicating a potentially stale or inactive first binding record, wherein the first notification includes context data associated with the first binding record; determining that resource cleanup associated with the first binding record should be performed; and initiating, using the context data, resource cleanup associated with the first binding record at one or more network entities.

A technique for hiding topological information in a message that leaves a trusted network-domain is presented. The message pertains to a subscriber session and comprises a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of a message originator. The originator is located in a first network domain, and the message is directed towards a destination in a second network domain. A method aspect comprises the steps of receiving the message, determining the FQDN comprised in the message and determining an identifier associated with the message. The identifier comprises at least one of a subscriber identifier, a session identifier and a destination identifier. Further, the method comprises applying a cryptographic operation on the FQDN and the identifier, or on information derived therefrom, to generate a cryptographic value. The message is then processed by substituting at least a portion of the FQDN with the cryptographic value prior to forwarding the message towards the second network domain.

A user equipment (UE) includes a transceiver and a processor. The transceiver is configured to receive, from a network, a paging message including an indication for delayed paging. The indication for delayed paging indicates that the UE is allowed to delay a response to the paging message. The processor is configured to identify the indication for delayed paging in the paging message.

A method for determining a policy control network element, in which a mobility management network element obtains first indication information, where the first indication information indicates to select a same policy control network element as a policy control network element for access and mobility management and a policy control network element for session management; the mobility management network element receives a session establishment request from a terminal for establishing a first session; and the mobility management network element sends second indication information and information about a first policy control network element to a session management network element based on the first indication information, where the second indication information indicates to select a same policy control network element as a policy control network element used for access and mobility management and a policy control network element used for session management of the first session.

A method for managing an application exchange platform includes receiving, from a developer, a service function, wherein the service function includes configuration details for an application available through an online application exchange. The method includes deploying the service function in the application exchange, identifying a first domain event requesting access to the service function from a user, and calling the service function in the online application exchange, in response to the first domain event. The method also includes recording a metric associate with the service function and a return parameter, emitting a second domain event indicative of a completion of the service function, and charging, with a billing tool, an appropriate party based on a usage metadata for the service function. A system and a non-transitory, computer-readable memory storing instructions to cause the system to perform the above method are also provided.

The embodiments herein relate to Sx protocol extension to support node PDR. In one embodiment, there proposes a method (500) in a first network node (301) configured as control plane function (CPF). The first network node (301) is coupled to a second network node (302) configured as user plane function (UPF) via an Sx interface. The method (500) comprising transmitting (S501) a message associated with a Packet Detection Rule (PDR) to the second network node (302) via the Sx interface, wherein the PDR is applicable to more than one Sx session. With embodiments herein, the CPF-UPF signaling throughput can be minimized significantly, and the memory footprint per Sx session can be decreased.