Telecommunications networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10194448-B2
Application number	US-201515110076-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 8, 2015
Priority date	Jan 8, 2014
Publication date	Jan 29, 2019
Grant date	Jan 29, 2019

Abstract

A mobile telecommunications network includes: a radio access network having radio means (2000) for wireless communication with a plurality of terminals (10) registered with the telecommunications network and control means (700) operable to control interaction of the terminals with the radio access network; and a core (2030) including a store of policy information comprising group policy data (2210) applicable to a group of the terminals and individual policy data applicable to respective ones of the terminals (10), and distribution means operable to provide to the control means associated with each of the terminals an indicator of the group policy data applicable to each of the terminals and the individual policy data applicable to each of the terminals.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mobile telecommunications network including:
a radio access network having radio means for wireless communication with a plurality of terminals registered with the telecommunications network and a control platform structured to provide services to users of the plurality of terminals connected thereto, and
a core including a store of policy information comprising group policy data applicable to a group of the plurality of terminals and individual policy data applicable to respective ones of the terminals in the group, and distribution means operable to provide to the control platform associated with each of the terminals in the group an indicator of the group policy data applicable to each of the terminals in the group and the individual policy data applicable to each of the terminals in the group,
wherein a first individual policy data for a first terminal in the group of terminals includes at least one variation from the group policy data, and wherein a separate policy delta is created to identify the at least one variation.

2. The telecommunications network of claim 1 , wherein the first individual policy data includes an indication of the at least one variation.

3. The telecommunications network of claim 1 , wherein the core is operable to provide the group policy data to the control platform separately from the individual policy data applicable to each of the terminals in the group.

4. The telecommunications network of claim 1 , wherein the core is operable to provide to the control platform the group policy data, and wherein the indicator of the group policy data enables the control platform to determine to which of the terminals in the group the group policy data is applicable.

5. The telecommunications network of claim 1 , wherein the control platform is operable to derive, from the indicator of the group policy data and the individual policy data, a particular policy that is to be applied by the control platform.

6. The telecommunications network of claim 1 , wherein, when a modification is made to the group policy data, the core is operable to send an indication of the modification only to the control platform.

7. A method of operating a mobile telecommunications network, the mobile telecommunications network including a radio access network having radio means for wireless communication with a plurality of terminals registered with the telecommunications network and a control platform structured to provide services to users of the plurality of terminals connected thereto, and a core including a store of policy information comprising group policy data applicable to a group of the plurality of terminals and individual policy data applicable to respective ones of the terminals in the group, the method including:
providing, to the control platform associated with each of the terminals in the group, an indicator of the group policy data applicable to each of the terminals in the group and the individual policy data applicable to each of the terminals in the group, wherein a first individual policy data for a first terminal in the group of terminals includes at least one variation from the group policy data, and wherein a separate policy delta is created to identify the at least one variation.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first individual policy data includes an indication of the at least one variation.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the core provides the group policy data to the control platform separately from the individual policy data applicable to each of the terminals in the group.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the core provides to the control platform the group policy data, and wherein the indicator of the group policy data enables the control platform to determine to which of the terminals in the group the group policy data is applicable.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the control platform derives, from the indicator of the group policy data and the individual policy data, a particular policy that is to be applied by the control platform.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein, when a modification is made to the group policy data, the core sends an indication of the modification only to the control platform.

13. The telecommunications network of claim 1 , wherein corresponding individual policy data for a corresponding terminal controls how the control platform provides services to a user of the corresponding terminal.

14. The method of claim 7 , wherein corresponding individual policy data for a corresponding terminal controls how the control platform provides services to a user of the corresponding terminal.

Assignees

• Vodafone Ip Licensing Ltd

Inventors

• Bindrim Walter
• Moughton John
• Pollard Adam
• Fox David
• Cosimini Peter
• Cheng Matthew
• Pudney Christopher

Classifications

• H04L63/104 Primary

  Grouping of entities · CPC title

• H04W12/08

  Access security · CPC title

• H04W12/02

  Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII] · CPC title

• H04W72/53

  based on regulatory allocation policies · CPC title

• H04M15/66

  Policy and charging system · CPC title