US-20260128917-A1 - OPERATING A CUSTOMER PREMISES EQUIPMENT WITH A BROADBAND ACCESS NETWORK OF A TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK, WHEREIN THE BROADBAND ACCESS NETWORK COMPRISES AT LEAST ONE ACCESS NODE

US20260128917A1US 20260128917 A1US20260128917 A1US 20260128917A1US-20260128917-A1

Abstract

A method for operating a customer premises equipment with a broadband access network of a telecommunications network includes: in a first step, a customer premises equipment transmits a request to be connected to the broadband access network, via a specific access node, to a service edge entity or functionality and/or to a policy controller entity or functionality; in a second step, the customer premises equipment receives, from the service edge entity or functionality and/or from the policy controller entity or functionality line ID information; and in a third step, the customer premises equipment initiates a protected data transmission tunnel to a business support system entity or functionality, wherein the data transmission tunnel is specific to the customer premises equipment, and wherein the line ID information as well as identifier information, relating to the customer premises equipment, is transmitted, using the tunnel, to the business support system entity or functionality.

Inventors

Thomas Haag
Klaus Meyer

Assignees

DEUTSCHE TELEKOM AG

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20240218
Priority Date: 20230220

Claims (12)

1 . A method for operating a customer premises equipment with a broadband access network of a telecommunications network, wherein the broadband access network comprises at least one access node, wherein a specific access node of the broadband access network is enabled to operatively connect the customer premises equipment to the telecommunications network in view of providing communication services and/or communication access services to a user related or connected to the customer premises equipment, wherein the broadband access network comprises a service edge entity or functionality and a policy controller entity or functionality as well as a business support system entity or functionality, wherein, in case that the customer premises equipment is unknown to the telecommunications network or has previously not been connected to the telecommunications network, the method comprises the following steps: in a first step, the customer premises equipment transmits a request to be connected to the broadband access network, via the specific access node, to the service edge entity or functionality and/or to the policy controller entity or functionality, wherein thereby the specific access node also transmits a line ID information related to the connection, or port, used by the customer premises equipment, in a second step, the customer premises equipment receives, from the service edge entity or functionality and/or from the policy controller entity or functionality the line ID information, in a third step, the customer premises equipment initiates a protected data transmission tunnel to the business support system entity or functionality wherein the data transmission tunnel is specific to the customer premises equipment and wherein the line ID information as well as an identifier information, relating to the customer premises equipment is transmitted, using the data transmission tunnel, to the business support system entity or functionality.
2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the business support system entity or functionality comprises a legitimation gateway, wherein the protected data transmission tunnel is, in a first sub-step of the third step, initiated towards the legitimation gateway, wherein, in a second sub-step of the third step, the customer premises equipment transmits, using the protected data transmission tunnel, personal and/or commercial identity information as well as the line ID to the legitimation gateway.
3 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the customer premises equipment receives, prior to the second sub-step of the third step, the personal and/or commercial identity information using a data transmission interface, especially a near-filed communication interface and/or a short-range communication interface, especially a Bluetooth interface, and/or a wireless local area network communication interface, wherein especially the personal and/or commercial identity information is received from an identity document device and/or a smartcard device and/or a mobile computing device or smart phone.
4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein, during the first and second steps, the customer premises equipment on the one hand, and the service edge entity or functionality and/or the policy controller entity or functionality on the other hand, communicate using at least one out of the following: point-to-point-over ethernet-protocol (PPPoE), especially using a PPPoE active discovery initiation (PADI) message in the first step, and a PPPoE active discovery offer (PADO) message in the second step, dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) especially using a DHCP discover message in the first step, and a DHCP offer message in the second step, DHCPv6, especially using a DHCP router solicitation (RS) message in the first step, and a DHCP router advertisement (RA) in the second step.
5 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein, during the first and second steps, the customer premises equipment transmits the identifier information, relating to the customer premises equipment, wherein especially the identifier information relating to the customer premises equipment corresponds to a hardware address of the customer premises equipment, especially a medium access control (MAC) address.
6 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein, after the second step and prior to the third step, the customer premises equipment transmits a request, especially a DNS request, regarding the business support system entity or functionality and/or the legitimation gateway, and the customer premises equipment receives an information regarding the business support system entity or functionality and/or the legitimation gateway.
7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the customer premises equipment is connected to the specific access node using one or a plurality out of the following a shared medium, especially a point-to-multipoint access mechanism and especially a passive optical network or a part thereof or a data over cable service interface specification coaxial (DOCSIS) cable network, wherein the customer premises equipment especially corresponds to an optical network terminal or an optical network unit, and wherein the specific access node especially corresponds to an optical line terminal, a point-to-point medium, especially using a digital subscriber line access (DSL) especially using multi-service access node (MSAN) elements.
8 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein, especially during the second step, the service edge entity or functionality and/or the policy controller entity or functionality provides an internet protocol connection to the customer premises equipment in view of realizing or providing to the customer premises equipment a walled garden functionality, especially a connectivity to a domain name system entity or functionality.
9 . A system or broadband access network or telecommunications network comprising a broadband access network for operating a customer premises equipment with the broadband access network, wherein the broadband access network comprises at least one access node, wherein a specific access node of the broadband access network is enabled to operatively connect the customer premises equipment to the telecommunications network in view of providing communication services and/or communication access services to a user related or connected to the customer premises equipment, wherein the broadband access network comprises a service edge entity or functionality and a policy controller entity or functionality as well as a business support system entity or functionality, wherein, in case that the customer premises equipment is unknown to the telecommunications network or has previously not been connected to the telecommunications network, the system or the broadband access network or the telecommunications network is configured such that: the customer premises equipment transmits a request to be connected to the broadband access network, via the specific access node, to the service edge entity or functionality and/or to the policy controller entity or functionality, wherein thereby the specific access node also transmits a line ID information related to the connection, or port, used by the customer premises equipment, the customer premises equipment receives, from the service edge entity or functionality and/or from the policy controller entity or functionality the line ID information, the customer premises equipment initiates a protected data transmission tunnel to the business support system entity or functionality, wherein the data transmission tunnel is specific to the customer premises equipment, and wherein the line ID information as well as an identifier information, relating to the customer premises equipment, is transmitted, using the data transmission tunnel, to the business support system entity or functionality.
10 . A business support system entity or functionality or legitimation gateway or central office point of delivery comprising a business support system entity or functionality or a legitimation gateway, provided to be used as part of the system or broadband access network or a telecommunications network according to claim 9 .
11 . A program comprising a computer readable program code which, when executed on a computer and/or on a network node of a telecommunications network and/or on a business support system entity or functionality or a legitimation gateway, especially of a central office point of delivery, or in part on the network node of a telecommunications network and/or in part on the business support system entity or functionality or the legitimation gateway, especially of the central office point of delivery, causes the computer and/or the network node of the telecommunications network and/or the business support system entity or functionality or the legitimation gateway, especially of the central office point of delivery, to perform the method according to claim 1 .
12 . A computer-readable readable medium comprising instructions which when executed on a computer and/or on a network node of a telecommunications network and/or on a business support system entity or functionality or a legitimation gateway, especially of a central office point of delivery, or in part on the network node of a telecommunications network and/or in part on the business support system entity or functionality or the legitimation gateway especially of the central office point of delivery, causes the computer and/or the network node of the telecommunications network and/or the business support system entity or functionality or the legitimation gateway, especially of the central office point of delivery, to perform the method according to claim 1 .

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS This application is a U.S. National Phase application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/EP 2024/054092, filed on Feb. 18, 2024, and claims benefit to European Patent Application No. EP 23157577.0, filed on Feb. 20, 2023. The International Application was published in English on Aug. 29, 2024 as WO 2024/175513 A1 under PCT Article 21(2). FIELD The present invention relates a method for operating a customer premises equipment with a broadband access network of a telecommunications network, wherein the broadband access network comprises at least one access node, wherein a specific access node of the broadband access network is enabled to operatively connect the customer premises equipment to the telecommunications network in view of providing communication services and/or communication access services to a user related or connected to the customer premises equipment, wherein the broadband access network comprises a service edge entity or functionality and a policy controller entity or functionality as well as a business support system entity or functionality. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a system or broadband access network, or telecommunications network comprising a broadband access network for operating a customer premises equipment with the broadband access network, wherein the broadband access network comprises at least one access node, wherein a specific access node of the broadband access network is enabled to operatively connect the customer premises equipment to the telecommunications network in view of providing communication services and/or communication access services to a user related or connected to the customer premises equipment, wherein the broadband access network comprises a service edge entity or functionality and a policy controller entity or functionality as well as a business support system entity or functionality. Additionally, the present invention relates to a business support system entity or functionality or to a legitimation gateway or central office point of delivery comprising a business support system entity or functionality or a legitimation gateway, provided to be used as part of a system, a broadband access network, or a telecommunications network in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a program and to a computer-readable medium for operating a customer premises equipment with a broadband access network of a telecommunications network. BACKGROUND The demand for packetized information exchange in broadband communication systems or telecommunications networks, both in fixed-line as in wireless communication systems (or fixed-line communication networks and mobile communication networks) has already grown dramatically and probably will also grow in the future due to the rapid spread of different data services in such communication networks. In conventionally known telecommunications networks, providing a customer or subscriber with operational communication services typically requires a contractual relationship between such customer or subscriber and a network operator or service provider, i.e. especially being provided with fixed line connectivity implies such a contractual relationship to be established first and before the customer receives such connectivity. Typically in conventionally known telecommunications networks, the customer receives a username and password or is provided with a line ID information (especially in case a broadband network gateway platform, BNG platform, is used) assigned to the connection. Such pieces of information are then transmitted to the broadband network gateway or other controlling instance (e.g. PFS), especially via PADI (IA) or DHCP discovery in TLV2. Customers can therefore only begin to be provided with communication services, or put their connection into operation, after conclusion of the contract and reception of the network key from the network operator or service provider for identification. This assignment of the network key and the connection to the customer is also called federation. Typically regarding conventionally known telecommunications networks, such conclusion of a contract and reception of pieces of information in order to identify the user or customer or in order to be able to actually put a specific subscription into operation requires an in person contact or operation, e.g. at a point of sale, or presupposes an existing contractual relationship between the same customer or user and the respective network operator or service provider, e.g. relating to a contract relating to the provision of mobile communication services. Such a requirement of an in person visit, e.g. to a point of sale or other authorized instance, or the requirement of another, already existing contractual relationship with a considered customer, either unnecessarily delays to actually put a specific co