METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT OF A TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK AND THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK AND A CUSTOMER PREMISES EQUIPMENT

• US 20130235822A1
• Filed: 06/21/2011
• Published: 09/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deutsche Telekom AG
• Original Assignee: Deutsche Telekom AG
• Inventors: Scherer, Christoph, Ebling, Holger, Grund, Norbert, Prager, Benjamin, Martens, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 9,036,582 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2887 characterised by the offered subscriber services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/32 Specific management aspects for broadband networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/028 by filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A method for efficient connection between a telecommunications network and a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) via an access node includes: establishing a physical communication channel between the access node of the telecommunications network and the CPE; providing, by the telecommunications network, a public or private Internet Protocol address to the CPE for use by the CPE to communicate with an Internet Protocol Edge node of the telecommunications network; initially assigning, by the telecommunications network, a first functionality level to the public or private Internet Protocol address; and assigning, by the telecommunications network, a second functionality level to the public or private Internet Protocol address when the telecommunications network is able to federate the network access related identification information to a contract related identification information.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. :

A method for efficient connection between a telecommunications network and a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) via an access node, the method comprising the steps of;

establishing a physical communication channel between the access node of the telecommunications network and the CPE, the physical communication channel being assigned to a network access related identification information related to the access node;

providing, by the telecommunications network, a public or private Internet Protocol address to the CPE for use by the CPE to communicate with an Internet Protocol Edge node of the telecommunications network, the Internet Protocol address being associated with the network access related identification information and an Internet Protocol session or connection realizing a logical communication channel being initiated between the Internet Protocol Edge node of the telecommunications network and the CPE;

initially assigning, by the telecommunications network, a first functionality level to the public or private Internet Protocol address; and

assigning, by the telecommunications network, a second functionality level to the public or private Internet Protocol address when the telecommunications network is able to federate the network access related identification information to a contract related identification information;

wherein the logical communication channel is established by using at least one piece of authentication information, the at least one piece of authentication information being a trusted information existing within the telecommunications network.

17. :

The method according to claim 16, wherein the at least one piece of authentication information is independent from the CPE, and wherein the at least one piece of authentication information is related solely to either the access node or to other parts of the telecommunications network.

18. :

The method according to claim 16, wherein the network access related identification information is at least one of a port ID information or a line ID information, and wherein the contract related identification information corresponds to a user.

19. :

The method according to claim 16, wherein the telecommunications network comprises an Internet Protocol Edge node and a control function, wherein the contract related identification information, to enable the second functionality level, is sent to the control function after relating the network access related identification information to the contract related identification information.

20. :

The method according to claim 16, wherein the Internet Protocol Edge node controls the communication between the CPE and the Internet Protocol Edge Node via the access node of the telecommunications network according to the first or second functionality level, wherein the functionality level associated with the network access related identification information is changed based on information received from the control function.

21. :

The method according to claim 16, wherein the telecommunications network comprises an operation support system and a data check function, wherein the method further comprising performing a data integrity check, wherein performing the data integrity check comprising the following steps;

contacting, by the CPE, the data check function;

retrieving, by the data check function, from the CPE, at least one integrity check information out of the following;

the serial number of the CPE or of an associated device, or MAC (Medium Access Control) addresses of the CPE or of an associated device;

retrieving, by the data check function, from a control function, network access related identification information and network port identification information related to the Internet Protocol session or connection the CPE is connected to; and

transmitting the integrity check information to the operation support system.

22. :

The method according to claim 16, wherein the contract related identification information is a user related identification information.

23. :

The method according to claim 16, wherein the telecommunications network comprises an operation support system and a network identity provider;

wherein the establishment of the physical communication channel between the access node of the telecommunications network and the CPE, and the initial assignment of the first functionality level to the public or private Internet Protocol address, further comprises;

establishing a management communication channel between the access node and the operation support system;

transmitting to the operation support system the corresponding line ID, port ID, and maximum bandwidth physically possible at the corresponding network port;

determining, by the operation support system, the technical status and the logical status of the corresponding network port;

transmitting, to a network IDP (identity provider), the corresponding line ID, technical status and logical status, and the location information related to the physical communication channel; and

generating a network port entry at a control function and transmitting authorization information specifying the first functionality level for a public or private Internet Protocol address managed by the Internet Protocol Edge node and usable via the network port of the access node of the telecommunications network.

24. :

A method for efficient initialization of an access node in a telecommunications network, the telecommunications network comprising an operation support system and a network identity provider, the access node providing a plurality of network ports, the method comprising;

establishing a management communication channel between the access node and the operation support system; and

for at least a specific network port of the plurality of network ports of the access node, wherein the specific network port corresponds to a port ID;

transmitting to the operation support system the corresponding port ID and the maximum bandwidth physically possible at the corresponding specific network port;

determining by the operation support system the technical status and the logical status of the corresponding specific network port;

transmitting to the network IDP (identity provider) the technical status and logical status, and the location information related to a physical communication channel related to the corresponding specific network port.

25. :

The method according to claim 24, wherein during the step of transmitting to the network IDP the technical status and logical status, and the location information related to a physical communication channel related to the corresponding specific network port, the corresponding port ID is transmitted as line ID.

26. :

A telecommunications network, provided for efficient connection between the telecommunications network and a CPE via an access node, comprising;

a plurality of network nodes; and

a physical communication channel between the access node of the telecommunications network and the CPE, the physical communication link being associated to a network access related identification information related to the access node;

wherein the telecommunications network is configured to provide a public or private Internet Protocol address to the CPE for use by the CPE to communicate with an Internet Protocol Edge node, the Internet Protocol address being associated with the network access related identification information and an Internet Protocol session or connection realizing a logical communication channel being initiated between the Internet Protocol Edge node of the telecommunications network and the CPE;

wherein the telecommunications network is configured to initially assign a first functionality level to the public or private Internet Protocol address;

wherein the telecommunications network is configured to assign a second functionality level to the public or private Internet Protocol address when the telecommunications network is able to federate the network access related identification information to a contract related identification information; and

wherein the logical communication channel is established by using at least one piece of authentication information, the at least one piece of authentication information being a trusted information existing within the telecommunications network.

27. :

The telecommunications network according to claim 26, wherein the telecommunications network comprises a control function, and wherein the telecommunications network is configured such that contract related identification information to enable the second functionality level is sent to the control function after relating the network access related identification information to the contract related identification information.

28. :

A telecommunications network provided for efficient initialization of an access node in the telecommunications network, the telecommunications network comprising;

a plurality of network nodes;

an operation support system;

a network identity provider (IDP); and

the access node, configured to provide a plurality of network ports;

wherein the telecommunications network is configured to establish a management communication channel between the access node and the operation support system;

wherein for at least part of the network ports of the access node, the telecommunications network is configured to provide;

a transmission to the operation support system of the corresponding line ID, port ID, and maximum bandwidth physically possible at the corresponding network port;

a determination by the operation support system of the technical status and of the logical status of the corresponding network port;

a transmission to the network IDP of the technical status and logical status, and the location information related to the physical communication channel.

29. :

A customer premises equipment (CPE) to be used with a telecommunications network provided for efficient connection between the telecommunications network and the CPE via an access node, the CPE comprising;

an RFID (radio frequency identification) reader element configured to retrieve contract related identification information, wherein the contract related identification information is a user related identification information specifying a person.

30. :

A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for efficient connection between a telecommunications network and a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) via an access node, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by a processor, causing the following steps to be performed;

establishing a physical communication channel between the access node of the telecommunications network and the CPE, the physical communication channel being assigned to a network access related identification information related to the access node;

providing, by the telecommunications network, a public or private Internet Protocol address to the CPE for use by the CPE to communicate with an Internet Protocol Edge node of the telecommunications network, the Internet Protocol address being associated with the network access related identification information and an Internet Protocol session or connection realizing a logical communication channel being initiated between the Internet Protocol Edge node of the telecommunications network and the CPE;

initially assigning, by the telecommunications network, a first functionality level to the public or private Internet Protocol address; and

assigning, by the telecommunications network, a second functionality level to the public or private Internet Protocol address when the telecommunications network is able to federate the network access related identification information to a contract related identification information;

wherein the logical communication channel is established by using at least one piece of authentication information, the at least one piece of authentication information being a trusted information existing within the telecommunications network.