TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS

• US 20090067628A1
• Filed: 04/26/2006
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Original Assignee: Vodafone Group PLC
• Inventors: Fox, David, Pudney, Christopher, Howard, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,213,903 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/247
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/061 applying further key derivation, e.g. deriving traffic keys from a pair-wise master key cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords H04L9/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/065 for group communications cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management involving conference or group key H04L9/0833
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/041 Key generation or derivation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0431 Key distribution or pre-distribution; Key agreement
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/16 Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

Various advantageous arrangements for use with the proposed SAE/LTE or 4G mobile telecommunications system are disclosed. An arrangement for allowing a mobile terminal/UE (1) to transmit data packets to duplicate access points (5) is disclosed. An IP combiner (20) receives the duplicate data packets from the respective access points (5), together with quality indicators, and determines which data packet should be passed onwardly to the network. An arrangement is also disclosed which allows a particular MME (7) (corresponding to the 3G SGSN) to be selected for a particular access point (5). A particular MME may be selected depending on various criteria, such as to distribute the load evenly between the MMEs (7) of the network or to take a particular MME (7) out of service temporarily in a managed manner. Further, an arrangement is disclosed which enables the more rapid establishment of the user plane bearer between the mobile terminal/UE (1) and the network. In the arrangement the control plane is subsequently established through the already established user plane. This may reduce the start-up delay significantly. Additionally, various security features are disclosed. For example, an access point (5) is disclosed which has incorporated therein or associated therewith a smart card (15A), which is analogous to a SIM or USIM used with a 2G, 2.5G or 3G network. This allows the access point (5) to be authenticated with a security store (30) of the network in a similar manner to which a SIM or USIM of a mobile terminal/UE is authenticated with the network in a 2G, 2.5G or 3G mobile telecommunications network. A split ciphering architecture is also discussed where three separate cipher links are provided: a ciphered Non-Access Stratum control plane, a ciphered Access Stratum control plane and a ciphered user plane.

Claims

1. A mobile telecommunications network comprising:

a plurality of access points;

a plurality of network gateway devices;

a network core;

a plurality of telecommunications devices registered with the network and that are configured to communicate within the network core via the access points and the network gateway devices; and

wherein the network is operable to establish a user plane connection between one of the telecommunications devices and one of the network gateways, and is operable to subsequently establish a control plane connection.

2. The network of claim 1, wherein the said telecommunications device is provided with a token, for being passed to one of said access points, said token indicating to the network that the telecommunications device has permission to send a quantity of data to the network gateway.

3. The network of claim 2, wherein said token is indicative of the identity of the device, to be used to establish the user plane connection.

4. The network of claim 2, wherein said token is indicative of the network gateway device, to be used to establish the user plane connection.

5. The network of claim 2, wherein said token is indicative of the authority of the device to establish the user plane connection.

6. The network of claim 2, wherein the token includes data relating to the signalling path from the device towards the network core.

7. The network of claim 2, wherein the token includes encoding/encryption data.

8. The network of claim 2, wherein said quantity of data comprises an uplink data packet.

9. A mobile telecommunications network comprising:

a radio access network comprising a plurality of access points, a plurality of network gateway devices, and a network core;

a plurality of mobile telecommunications devices that are registered with the network and communicate with the network core wirelessly via the radio access network and via one of said network gateway devices; and

means for selecting one of said network gateway devices, wherein the selected network gateway device can route a communication received from a mobile telecommunication device by an associated access point to the network core.

10. The network of claim 9, wherein said selecting means selects one of said plurality of network gateway devices in dependence upon predetermined criteria.

11. The network of claim 9, wherein the telecommunications device provides its associated access point with information to allow the network to select intelligently the most appropriate network gateway device.

12. The network of claim 11, wherein said associated access point provides the selecting means with said information in order to allow said selecting means to select one of said plurality of network gateway devices for routing said communication.

13. The network of claim 9, wherein the selecting means provides the mobile telecommunications device with the network address of the selected one of the plurality of network gateway devices.

14. The network of claim 9, wherein the selecting means selects one of said plurality of network gateway devices in order to provide low latency of control signalling and/or user plane signalling.

15. The network of claims 9, wherein the selecting means selects one of said plurality of network gateway devices to control the distribution of mobile telecommunications devices between respective network gateway devices.

16. A telecommunications network comprising:

a plurality of access points;

a plurality of network gateway devices;

a network core;

a plurality of telecommunications devices that are registered with the network and communicate with the network core via respective access points and via one of said network gateway devices;

wherein the network is arranged to allow data packets from a telecommunications device to be received by a plurality of access points; and

combining means for receiving data packets from each of the plurality of access points and for selecting a data packet and providing the selected data packet to a network gateway for onward transmission to the network core.

17. The network of claim 16, wherein said access points configure the data packets received from the telecommunications devices to include data indicative of the quality with which the data packet was received, and wherein the combining means is operable to make said selection at least partly on the basis of this quality indication in the data packet.

18. The network of claim 16, wherein respective ones of said access points utilise a different radio access technology to receive data packets from the telecommunications devices.

19. A telecommunications network comprising:

a plurality of access points;

a plurality of network gateway devices;

a network core;

a plurality of telecommunications devices that are registered with the network and communicate with the network core via the access points and via the network gateway devices; and

authentication means, associated with at least one of said access points, for authenticating that access point with the network core.

20. The network of claim 19, wherein the authentication performed by the authentication means with the network core comprises a challenge and response authentication procedure.

21. (canceled)

22. A telecommunications network comprising:

a plurality of access points;

a network core;

a plurality of telecommunications devices that are registered with the network and communicate with the network core via the access points;

means for providing an authentication procedure between one of the devices and the network core by generating a master cipher key that is used to derive cryptographically separate keys for a plurality of ciphered links between the device and the network core.

23. The network of claim 22, in which the authentication procedure comprises a challenge and response authentication procedure.

24. The network of claim 22, wherein the authentication procedure (15A) is equivalent to or corresponds to a subscriber identity module—

SIM or USIM—

procedure of the type used with 2G, 2.5G or 3G mobile telecommunications networks.

25. The network of claim 22, wherein the master cipher key derives the cryptographically separate keys such that a key used to protect one of said ciphered links does not reveal any information about the keys used to protect other ones of the ciphered links.

26. The network of claim 22, wherein integrity keys are generated or derived alongside the cipher keys.