Trusted signaling in long term evolution (LTE) 4G wireless communication

• US 9,161,227 B1
• Filed: 02/07/2013
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Bye, Stephen J., Paczkowski, Lyle W., Parsel, William M., Schlesener, Matthew C., Shipley, Trevor D.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHUONG, DAI
• Application Number:
  US13/762,319
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 455/428, 455/432.1, 455/433, 455/435.1, 455/436, 455/439, 455/442, 455/444, 370/328, 370/334
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/102 Route integrity, e.g. using trusted paths

Abstract

A system for providing a trusted bearer communication link in a long term evolution (LTE) wireless network. The system attaches a mobile communication device to the long term wireless network. An enhanced node B processes a trust zone request from the mobile communication device. The enhanced node B processes a trust zone service request from the mobile communication device. The enhanced node B interworks with a home subscription server (HSS) and a policy control rules function (PCRF) server to verity the mobile communication device has a right to execute the requested trusted network service. The system established a trusted bearer communication link between the mobile communication device and the long term evolution wireless network.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication enabled by hardware assisted trust, comprising:

receiving, by an enhanced node B, a trust zone set-up request from an electronic device attached to a long term evolution wireless network;

forwarding the trust zone set-up request from the enhanced node B to a home subscription server while executing in a trust zone of the enhanced node B, wherein the trust zone provides hardware assisted trust and comprises a secure partition within a subsystem of the enhanced node B, wherein, responsive to the set-up request, the trust zone of the enhanced node B disables execution of components within the subsystem that are outside of the secure partition and the trust zone denies components, that are outside of the trust zone, access to resources in the secure partition;

receiving, by an enhanced node B, a trust zone set-up confirmation from the home subscription server in response top the trust zone set-up request, and forwarding the trust zone set-up confirmation to the electronic device, wherein the receiving and forwarding of the trust zone setup-confirmation occur while executing in the trust zone of the enhanced node B;

receiving, by an enhanced node B, a trusted service request from the electronic device after receiving the trust zone setup-confirmation;

forwarding, by an enhanced node B, the trusted service request to a policy control rules function server while executing in the trust zone of the enhanced node B;

receiving, by an enhanced node B, a trusted service request authorization from the policy control rules function server, and forwarding the trusted service request authorization to the electronic device, while executing in the trust zone of the enhanced node B; and

providing a trusted bearer communication link to the electronic device via the enhanced node B in response to the trusted service request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the trust zone request authorization comprises a use parameter.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the use parameter defines a level of access to a trusted network application.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the use parameter defines a biometric signature.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the home subscription server confirms that the electronic device has rights to execute a trusted service request before generating the trust zone set-up confirmation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the trusted service request identifies a trusted service, and wherein the policy control rules function server confirms that a policy allows the electronic device to invoke the trusted service before generating the trusted service authorization.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the trusted service request authorization comprises path information for the trusted bearer communication link, wherein the path information is generated by the policy control rules function server.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a trusted service termination request by the enhanced node B from the mobile communication device while executing in the trust zone of the enhanced node B;

forwarding the trusted service termination request by the enhanced node B while executing in the trust zone of the enhanced node B to at least one of the mobility management entity, the home subscriber server, a packet gateway, and the policy control rules function server;

receiving a trusted service termination acknowledgment by the enhanced node B while executing in the trust zone of the enhanced node B; and

forwarding the trusted service termination acknowledgment by the enhanced node B while executing in the trust zone of the enhanced node B; and

taking down the trusted bearer communication link between the electronic device and the long term evolution wireless network via the enhanced node B.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the trusted bearer communication link provides a trusted network service.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the trusted network service comprises transmitting a medical report via the trusted bearer communication link.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the medical report comprises information from a biometric sensor.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving an untrusted service request by the enhanced node B from the electronic device; and

forwarding the untrusted service request by the enhanced node B to the mobility management entity.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the electronic device is one of a mobile phone, a personal data assistant, or a long term evolution wireless enabled computer.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the trusted bearer communication link promotes trusted network application execution.

15. A method of wireless communication enabled by hardware assisted trust, comprising:

attaching, via a first enhanced node B, a mobile communication device to a first long term evolution wireless network;

performing signaling on behalf of the mobile communication device to establish a trusted bearer communication link path between the mobile communication device and the first long term evolution wireless network via the first enhanced node B, wherein the first enhanced node B comprises a trust zone, wherein the trust zone provides hardware assisted trust;

establishing the trusted bearer communication path via the first enhanced node B, wherein the trusted bearer communication path comprises a plurality of network elements in signal communication with each other, wherein each network element along the trusted bearer communication path is associated with a corresponding trust zone, wherein, responsive to signaling, each corresponding trust zone along a respective trusted bearer communication path disables execution of at least some components that are outside of each corresponding trust zone, and denies components, that are outside of the trust zone, access to resources in a secure partition of each corresponding trust zone;

transmitting, via the first enhanced node B, a redirect request to a mobility management entity;

analyzing, by the mobility management entity, a second long term evolution wireless network to verify an ability to support a second trusted bearer communication path; and

performing signaling on behalf of the mobile communication device to establish the second trusted bearer communication link between the mobile communication device and the second long term evolution wireless network after analyzing the second long term evolution wireless network.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the mobile communication device is one of a mobile phone, a personal data assistant, or a long term evolution wireless enabled computer.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the redirect request is transmitted pursuant to the mobile communication device roaming from the first long term evolution wireless network to the second long term evolution wireless network.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first long term evolution wireless network is operated by a first wireless service provider and the second long term evolution wireless network is operated by a second wireless service provider.

19. The method of claim 15,

forwarding a trust zone request from a second enhanced node B to a home subscription server associated with the second long term evolution wireless network, wherein the second enhanced node B forwards the trust zone request while executing in a trust zone of the second enhanced node B, wherein the trust zone provides hardware assisted trust;

receiving a trust zone request acknowledgement by the second enhanced node B from the home subscription server while executing in the trust zone of the second enhanced node B.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising

forwarding the trust zone request acknowledgement by the second enhanced node B to the electronic device, wherein the second enhanced node B forwards the trust zone acknowledgement while executing in the trust zone of the second enhanced node B;

receiving a trusted service request by the second enhanced node B from the electronic device;

forwarding the trusted service request by the second enhanced node B to a policy control rules function server associated with the second long term evolution wireless network, wherein the second enhanced node B forwards the trusted service request while executing in the trust zone of the second enhanced node B;

receiving a trusted service request acknowledgement by the second enhanced node B from the policy control rules function server while executing in the trust zone of the second enhanced node B; and

forwarding, via the second enhanced node B, the trusted service request acknowledgement to the electronic device; and

providing a trusted bearer communication path via the second long term evolution wireless network.