Search

EP-4740610-A1 - METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR RETRIEVING SLICE DATA IN A COMMUNICATION NETWORK

EP4740610A1EP 4740610 A1EP4740610 A1EP 4740610A1EP-4740610-A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method and a system for retrieving slice data in a communication network The method includes receiving, at a transceiver unit [302], a set of data associated with one or more tracking area identifiers (TAIs) from one or more clients. Further the method includes transmitting, by the transceiver unit [302], the received set of data to one or more Network Slice Selection Functions (NSSFs) [116]. The method further encompasses storing, by a storing unit [304], the set of data in one or more repositories associated with the one or more NSSFs [116]. Furthermore, the method includes retrieving, by a processing unit [306], a slice data from the one or more repositories based on an event when a request is received to access the slice data for a TAI from the one or more TAIs.

Inventors

  • BHATNAGAR, AAYUSH
  • JHA, ADITYAKAR
  • KHANDELWAL, Ankush
  • SINGH, HEMANT KUMAR
  • RANI, MEENAKSHI
  • YADAV, Santosh K
  • VASHISHTH, Yog
  • Sarohi, Meenakshi
  • SINHA, ANURAG

Assignees

  • Jio Platforms Limited

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240626

Claims (17)

  1. 1. A method to retrieve slice data in a communication network, the method comprising: receiving, at a transceiver unit [302], a set of data associated with one or more tracking area identifiers (TAIs) from one or more provisioning clients [502]; transmitting, by the transceiver unit [302], the received set of data to one or more Network Slice Selection Functions (NSSFs) [116]; storing, by a storing unit [304], the set of data in one or more repositories associated with the one or more NSSFs [116]; and retrieving, by a processing unit [306], a slice data from the one or more repositories based on an event when a request is received to access the slice data for a TAI from the one or more TAIs.
  2. 2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the slice data is stored in one or more repositories associated with the one or more NSSFs [116] in a synchronous manner.
  3. 3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the request to propagate the slice data across the one or more NSSFs [116] is received via a web-socket connection [512],
  4. 4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the set of data comprises a set of slice data associated with one or more PLMNs and a list of corresponding one or more TAIs.
  5. 5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the slice data comprises of details associated with available network resources, and network slice capabilities.
  6. 6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more NSSFs [116] are part of a cluster, configured to synchronise the set of data in a uniform manner by broadcasting, by the transceiver unit, the received set of data to the one or more NSSFs [116],
  7. 7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the broadcasting is triggered by an update to the slice data in the one or more repositories.
  8. 8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the set of data associated with the one or more tracking area identifiers (TAIs) is received in a slice database from the one or more provisioning clients [502],
  9. 9. A system to retrieve slice data in a communication network, the system comprising: a transceiver unit [302], configured to: receive a set of data for one or more tracking area identifiers (TAIs) from one or more provisioning clients [502]; and transmit the received set of data to one or more Network Slice Selection Functions (NSSFs) [116]; a storing unit [304] configured to store the set of data in one or more repositories associated with the one or more NSSFs [116]; and a processing unit [306] configured to retrieve a slice data from the one or more repositories based on an event when a request is received to access the slice data for a TAI from the one or more TAIs.
  10. 10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the slice data is stored in one or more repositories associated with the one or more NSSFs [116] in a synchronous manner.
  11. 11. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the request to propagate the slice data across the one or more NSSFs [116] is received via a web-socket connection [512],
  12. 12. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the set of data comprises a set of slice data associated with one or more PLMNs and a list of corresponding one or more TAIs.
  13. 13. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the slice data comprises of details associated with available network resources, and network slice capabilities.
  14. 14. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the one or more NSSFs [116] are part of a cluster, configured to synchronise the set of data in a uniform manner by broadcasting, by the transceiver unit, the received set of data to the one or more NSSFs [116],
  15. 15. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the broadcasting is triggered by an update to the slice data in the one or more repositories.
  16. 16. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the set of data associated with the one or more tracking area identifiers (TAIs) is received in a slice database from the one or more provisioning clients [502],
  17. 17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for retrieving slice data in a communication network, the instructions comprising executable code which, when executed by one or more units of a system, causes: a transceiver unit [3021] to: receive a set of data for one or more tracking area identifiers (TAIs) from one or more provisioning clients [502]; and transmit the received set of data to one or more Network Slice Selection Functions (NSSFs) [116]; a storing unit [304] configured to store the set of data in one or more repositories associated with the one or more NSSFs [116]; and a processing unit [306] configured to retrieve a slice data from the one or more repositories based on an event when a request is received to access the slice data for a TAI from the one or more TAIs.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR RETRIEVING SLICE DATA IN A COMMUNICATION NETWORK TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication systems. More particularly, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to retrieving slice data in a communication network. BACKGROUND [0002] The following description of the related art is intended to provide background information pertaining to the field of the disclosure. This section may include certain aspects of the art that may be related to various features of the present disclosure. However, it should be appreciated that this section is used only to enhance the understanding of the reader with respect to the present disclosure, and not as admissions of the prior art. [0003] Wireless communication technology has rapidly evolved over the past few decades, with each generation bringing significant improvements and advancements. The first generation of wireless communication technology was based on analog technology and offered only voice services. However, with the advent of the second-generation (2G) technology, digital communication and data services became possible, and text messaging was introduced. 3G technology marked the introduction of high-speed internet access, mobile video calling, and location-based services. The fourth generation (4G) technology revolutionized wireless communication with faster data speeds, better network coverage, and improved security. Currently, the fifth generation (5G) technology is being deployed, promising even faster data speeds, low latency, and the ability to connect multiple devices simultaneously. With each generation, wireless communication technology has become more advanced, sophisticated, and capable of delivering more services to its users. [0004] In the 5G communication system, several functional modules are provided, for example an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), and/or a Network Repository Function (NRF), etc., one or more of which interacts with each other to implement multiple operations of the 5G communication system. NSSF is one of the key components of 5G communication system. One such operation relates to assigning of slice to the UE in the 5G wireless communication. Notably, the NSSF is an important network function in the 5G wireless communication system. The NSSF is provided to select different slices (for different service types), as per the requirement of different UEs. The 5G communication system can deploy multiple Network Slice Instances delivering exactly the same features for different groups of UEs. The NSSF offers services to the AMF and NSSF in a different PLMN via the NSSF service-based interface. Following are the key Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) functionalities: • Authorize the set of network slice instances for AMF Availability (Registration). • Determining the Allowed NSS Al for selection of Slice. • Determining the AMF Set /Candidate list to be used to serve the UE based on the AMF Availability (registration). [0005] Existing solutions in network slice management, particularly in Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMN), often face significant challenges in managing the enormous volume of slice data associated with different Tracking Area Identifiers (TAIs). The prior art involves querying large datasets, which can contain data for thousands of TAIs and hundreds of slices. The existing techniques are not only inefficient but also time-consuming, leading to delays that adversely affect the network's response times to slice data requests. Furthermore, the lack of an effective synchronization mechanism in the prior art means that any updates to the slice data require repeated queries across all Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) instances, further complicating the process and introducing latency. The existing systems are typically reliant on traditional database models, which are not optimized for the dynamic and extensive data requirements of modern 5G networks, thereby struggling with scalability and real-time data retrieval challenges. This results in a bottleneck effect, especially when the system attempts to handle simultaneous queries from multiple clients, thus impacting overall network performance and reliability. [0006] Thus, there exists an imperative need in the art to provide an efficient system and method for retrieving slice data in a communication network. SUMMARY [0007] This section is provided to introduce certain aspects of the present disclosure in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify the key features or the scope of the claimed subject matter. [0008] An aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a method for retrieving slice data in a communication network. The method includes receiving, at a transceiver unit, a set of data associated with one or more tracking area identifiers (T