US-20260129511-A1 - SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONGESTION AWARE POLICY ENFORCEMENT

Abstract

A method includes detecting a communication session in a wireless network and obtaining at least one resource utilization metric associated with the communication session. The method further includes determining, based on the at least one resource utilization metric, that network resources associated with the communication session are underutilized, and relaxing a performance-limiting policy associated with the communication session based on determining that the network resources are underutilized. The method may further include detecting a triggering condition associated with the communication session and initiating an inspection of data associated with the communication session in response to detecting the triggering condition. The method may also include detecting an anomalous condition based on the inspection and generating an alert based on detecting the anomalous condition.

Inventors

• Lap TSE
• David Taft
• Helen Osias Eglip
• Samirkumar Patel

Assignees

• VERIZON PATENT AND LICENSING INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20251218

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A method comprising: detecting, by one or more devices, a communication session in a wireless network; obtaining, by the one or more devices, at least one resource utilization metric associated with the communication session; determining, by the one or more devices, based on the at least one resource utilization metric, that network resources associated with the communication session are underutilized; and relaxing, by the one or more devices, a performance-limiting policy associated with the communication session, based on determining that the network resources are underutilized.
2. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication session comprises a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session.
3. 3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one resource utilization metric is associated with at least one of: a base station serving the communication session; or a network function in a core network associated with the communication session.
4. 4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one resource utilization metric includes at least one of: a resource block utilization rate; a processor load; a memory utilization rate; or a buffer load.
5. 5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the performance-limiting policy comprises at least one of: a maximum throughput policy; a latency policy; or a jitter policy.
6. 6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication session is associated with a network slice, and wherein the performance-limiting policy is associated with the network slice.
7. 7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: continuing to monitor the at least one resource utilization metric; determining that the network resources are no longer underutilized based on the continued monitoring; and ceasing to relax the performance-limiting policy in response to determining that the network resources are no longer underutilized.
8. 8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: detecting a triggering condition associated with the communication session; and initiating an inspection of data associated with the communication session in response to detecting the triggering condition.
9. 9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein detecting the triggering condition comprises at least one of: detecting that a duration of the communication session has exceeded a duration threshold; detecting that an amount of data associated with the communication session has exceeded a data threshold; or detecting an unrecognized network identifier.
10. 10 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising: analyzing results of the inspection; and ceasing to relax the performance-limiting policy based on the analyzing.
11. 11 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising: detecting an anomalous condition based on the inspection; and generating an alert based on detecting the anomalous condition.
12. 12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein detecting the anomalous condition comprises at least one of: detecting malware; detecting unauthorized file sharing; or detecting a data poisoning attack.
13. 13 . One or more devices comprising: one or more processors configured to: detect a communication session in a wireless network; obtain at least one resource utilization metric associated with the communication session; determine, based on the at least one resource utilization metric, that network resources associated with the communication session are underutilized; and relax a performance-limiting policy associated with the communication session, based on determining that the network resources are underutilized.
14. 14 . The one or more devices of claim 13 , wherein the at least one resource utilization metric is associated with at least one of: a base station serving the communication session; or a network function in a core network associated with the communication session.
15. 15 . The one or more devices of claim 13 , wherein the performance-limiting policy comprises at least one of: a maximum throughput policy; a latency policy; or a jitter policy.
16. 16 . The one or more devices of claim 13 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: continue to monitor the at least one resource utilization metric; determine that the network resources are no longer underutilized based on the continued monitoring; and cease to relax the performance-limiting policy in response to determining that the network resources are no longer underutilized.
17. 17 . The one or more devices of claim 13 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: detect a triggering condition associated with the communication session; and initiate an inspection of data associated with the communication session in response to detecting the triggering condition.
18. 18 . The one or more devices of claim 17 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: detect an anomalous condition based on the inspection; and generate an alert based on detecting the anomalous condition.
19. 19 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: detect a communication session in a wireless network; obtain at least one resource utilization metric associated with the communication session; determine, based on the at least one resource utilization metric, that network resources associated with the communication session are underutilized; and relax a performance-limiting policy associated with the communication session, based on determining that the network resources are underutilized.
20. 20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to: detect a triggering condition associated with the communication session; initiate an inspection of data associated with the communication session in response to detecting the triggering condition; detect an anomalous condition based on the inspection; and generate an alert based on detecting the anomalous condition.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority from and is a continuation of U.S. Application No. 18/737197, titled SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONGESTION AWARE POLICY ENFORCEMENT, filed June 7, 2024, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND INFORMATION To satisfy the needs and demands of users of mobile communication devices, providers of wireless communication services continue to improve and expand available services as well as networks used to deliver such services. One aspect of such improvements includes enabling mobile communication devices to access and use various services via the provider’s communication network during different conditions. Managing a wireless communication service over time during different conditions may pose various difficulties. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates an environment according to an implementation described herein; FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary components of a Fifth Generation (5G) core network according to an implementation described herein; FIG. 3 illustrates exemplary components of a device that may be included in an environment according to an implementation described herein; FIG. 4 illustrates exemplary components of a Congestion and Service Level Aware Function (CSLAF) device according to an implementation described herein; FIG. 5 illustrates exemplary components of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions database (DB) according to an implementation described herein; FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of a process for congestion and service level aware management of PDU sessions according to an implementation described herein; FIG. 7 illustrates a first exemplary signal flow diagram according to an implementation described herein; and FIG. 8 illustrates a second exemplary signal flow diagram according to an implementation described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings identify the same or similar elements. Providers of wireless communication services operate radio access networks (RANs) that include base stations. The base stations enable wireless communication devices (e.g., smart phones, etc.), referred to as user equipment (UE) devices (also herein referred to as UEs), to connect to networks and obtain services via the provider’s core network, such as a Fifth Generation (5G) core network, a Fourth Generation (4G) core network, and/or other next generation networks as defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). 5G coverage may be provided using 5G base stations, referred to as gNodeBs, implementing the 5G New Radio (NR) air interface. In order to establish a communication session, a UE device may establish a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session in the core network via the RAN. The UE device may then establish one or more data flows in the PDU session. Each data flow may be associated with a Quality of Service (QoS) and/or other types of service requirements. An important feature of next generation cellular wireless networks, such as, for example, a 5G network, used to meet requirements for different types of communication services, is network slicing. Network slicing is a form of virtual network architecture that enables multiple logical networks to be implemented on top of a common shared physical infrastructure using software defined networking (SDN) and/or network function virtualization (NFV). Each logical network, referred to as a “network slice,” may encompass an end-to-end virtual network with dedicated storage and/or computation resources. Each network slice may be configured to implement a different set of requirements and/or priorities and/or may be associated with a particular QoS class, a type of service, security requirements, and/or a particular enterprise customer associated with a set of UE devices. For example, a 5G network may include an enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) network slice for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone calls and/or data sessions for accessing Internet websites, a massive Internet of Things (IoT) network slice for IoT communication, an Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) network slice for mission critical low latency communication, a low latency real-time gaming network slice for online video games, etc. Each type of wireless communication service may be associated with a different set of requirements and/or different policies. A network slice may be associated with a policy that limits a performance parameter, such as throughput, latency, jitter, and/or another type of performance parameter. For example, a low latency real-time gaming network slice may be associated with a maximum throughput policy, such as an Aggregate Maximum Bit Rate (AMBR). A maximum throughput policy may be applied to a network slice to, for example, limit potential abuse of network resources by users that violate service