US 12,170,952 B2
Method and apparatus for enforcement of maximum number of protocol data unit sessions per network slice in a communication system
Sung Hwan Won, Flower Mound, TX (US); and Alessio Casati, West Molesey (GB)
Assigned to Nokia Technologies Oy, Espoo (FI)
Appl. No. 17/617,799
Filed by Nokia Technologies Oy, Espoo (FI)
PCT Filed Jun. 10, 2019, PCT No. PCT/IB2019/054829
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 9, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/250004, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 17, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0248314 A1, Aug. 4, 2022
Int. Cl. H04W 48/18 (2009.01); H04W 36/22 (2009.01); H04W 48/02 (2009.01); H04W 74/0833 (2024.01); H04W 76/30 (2018.01); H04W 84/04 (2009.01)
CPC H04W 48/18 (2013.01) [H04W 36/22 (2013.01); H04W 48/02 (2013.01); H04W 74/085 (2013.01); H04W 76/30 (2018.02); H04W 84/042 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method performed by a session management function, the method comprising:
receiving, from a user equipment (UE), through an access network (AN), a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment request message that indicates a request for establishment of a PDU session for the UE, the PDU session establishment message comprising Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (S-NSSAI);
upon detecting that a network slice associated with the S-NSSAI is subject to, for respective UE associated with the network slice, a respective cap on a number of PDU sessions on the network slice for the respective UE, transmitting a service request message to a policy control function, wherein the service request message includes an indication indicating that the network slice associated with the S-NSSAI is subject to the respective cap on the number of PDU sessions on the network slice for the respective UE, and wherein the indication relates to enforcing at the policy control function an increment of a counter associated with PDU sessions of the UE on the network slice associated with the S-NSSAI in an instance in which the network slice associated with the S-NSSAI has not reached the cap on the number of PDU sessions on the network slice for the UE;
receiving a response to the service request message from the policy control function; and
transmitting a response to the PDU session establishment request message to the UE based on the response to the service request message.