Long term evolution (LTE) communications over trusted hardware

• US 9,578,556 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2015
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Paczkowski, Lyle Walter, Rajagopal, Arun, Marquardt, Ronald R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alia, Curtis A
• Application Number:
  US14/883,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20160234725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/00 Security arrangements; Authentication; Protecting privacy or anonymity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/71 Hardware identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0022 for transferring data sessions between adjacent core network technologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0038 of security context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication network transfers data communications for User Equipment (UE). An LTE gateway system exchanges hardware trust data with a server system to maintain hardware trust for the LTE gateway system. An LTE access node processes a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message that contains a trusted bearer requirement for the UE to generate an S1 Application Protocol (S1-AP) initial UE message that contains the trusted bearer requirement for the UE. An LTE management node processes the S1-AP initial UE message to generate a General Packet Radio Service Transfer Protocol (GTP) create session message that contains the trusted bearer requirement for the UE. The LTE gateway system exchanges user data for the UE between the LTE access node and a communication node responsive to the GTP create session message.

Claims

1. A method of operating a Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication network to transfer data communications for User Equipment (UE), the method comprising:

in a hardware-trusted Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW), exchanging hardware trust data with a trusted server system to maintain hardware trust for the hardware-trusted P-GW, wherein another P-GW does not maintain hardware trust with the trusted server system;

in a Mobility Management Entity (MME), processing a first S1-AP initial UE message that contains a UE Identifier (ID) and a trusted bearer requirement for the UE and responsively transferring the UE ID and the trusted bearer requirement to a Home Subscriber System (HSS);

in the HSS, processing the UE ID and the trusted bearer requirement to identify and transfer a hardware-trusted Access Point Name (APN) for the UE;

in the MME, processing the hardware-trusted APN for the UE to select the hardware-trusted P-GW for the UE and responsively generating and transferring a first General Packet Radio Service Transfer Protocol (GTP) create session message for the UE; and

in the hardware-trusted P-GW, exchanging first user data for the UE responsive to the GTP create session message.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

in the MME, processing a second S1-AP initial UE message that contains the UE ID but not the trusted bearer requirement and responsively transferring the UE ID without the trusted bearer requirement to the HSS;

in the HSS, processing the UE ID without the trusted bearer requirement to identify and transfer another APN for the UE;

in the MME, processing the other APN for the UE to select the other P-GW for the UE and responsively generating and transferring a second GTP create session message for the UE; and

in the other P-GW, exchanging second user data for the UE responsive to the second GTP create session message.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising, in an eNodeB, receiving and processing a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message that contains the UE ID and the trusted bearer requirement for the UE and responsively generating and transferring the first S1-AP initial UE message that contains a UE ID and the trusted bearer requirement for the UE.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, in an eNodeB, receiving and processing a Radio Resource Control (RRC) Establishment Cause that contains the trusted bearer requirement for the UE and responsively generating and transferring the first S1-AP initial UE message that contains the trusted bearer requirement for the UE.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein processing the first S1-AP initial UE message that contains the UE ID and the trusted bearer requirement for the UE comprises, in the MME, processing a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message from the UE that contains the UE ID and the trusted bearer requirement for the UE.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first GTP create session message comprises an S11 GTP create session message that contains the hardware-trusted APN for the UE.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein exchanging first user data for the UE responsive to the first GTP create session message comprises:

in a Serving Gateway (S-GW), processing the S11 GTP create session message to generate an S5 GTP create session message that contains the hardware-trusted APN for the UE; and

in the hardware-trusted P-GW, processing the S5 GTP create session message that contains the hardware-trusted APN for the UE.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein exchanging first user data for the UE responsive to the first GTP create session message comprises:

in the hardware trusted P-GW, transferring the UE ID and the trusted APN for the UE;

in a Policy Control and Rules Function (PCRF), processing the UE ID and the trusted APN to select and transfer a trusted Quality-of-Service Class Indicator (QCI) for a trusted bearer for the UE;

in the hardware trusted P-GW, exchanging the first user data for the UE over the trusted bearer using the trusted QCI.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

in an LTE access node, exchanging additional hardware trust data with the trusted server system to maintain remote hardware trust for a trusted hardware partition of the LTE access node;

in the LTE access node, exchanging the first user data through the trusted hardware partition of the LTE access node responsive to the trusted QCI.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

in the S-GW, exchanging additional hardware trust data with the trusted server system to maintain remote hardware trust for a trusted hardware partition of the S-GW;

in the S-GW, exchanging the first user data through the trusted hardware partition of the S-GW responsive to the trusted QCI.

11. A Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication network to transfer data communications for User Equipment (UE), the LTE communication network comprising:

a hardware-trusted Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW) configured to exchange hardware trust data with a trusted server system to maintain hardware trust for the hardware-trusted P-GW, wherein another P-GW does not maintain hardware trust with the trusted server system;

a Mobility Management Entity (MME) configured to process a first S1-AP initial UE message that contains a UE Identifier (ID) and a trusted bearer requirement for the UE and responsively transfer the UE ID and the trusted bearer requirement to a Home Subscriber System (HSS);

the HSS configured to process the UE ID and the trusted bearer requirement to identify and transfer a hardware-trusted Access Point Name (APN) for the UE;

the MME configured to process the hardware-trusted APN for the UE to select the hardware-trusted P-GW for the UE and responsively generate and transfer a first General Packet Radio Service Transfer Protocol (GTP) create session message for the UE; and

the hardware-trusted P-GW configured to exchange first user data for the UE responsive to the GTP create session message.

12. The LTE communication network of claim 11 further comprising:

the MME configured to process a second S1-AP initial UE message that contains the UE ID but not the trusted bearer requirement and responsively transfer the UE ID without the trusted bearer requirement to the HSS;

the HSS configured to process the UE ID without the trusted bearer requirement to identify and transfer another APN for the UE;

the MME configured to process the other APN for the UE to select the other P-GW for the UE and responsively generate and transfer a second GTP create session message for the UE; and

the other P-GW configured to exchange second user data for the UE responsive to the second GTP create session message.

13. The LTE communication network of claim 11 further comprising an eNodeB configured to receive and process a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message that contains the UE ID and the trusted bearer requirement for the UE to responsively generate and transfer the first S1-AP initial UE message that contains a UE ID and the trusted bearer requirement for the UE.

14. The LTE communication network of claim 11 further comprising an eNodeB configured to receive and process a Radio Resource Control (RRC) Establishment Cause that contains the trusted bearer requirement for the UE to responsively generate and transfer the first S1-AP initial UE message that contains the trusted bearer requirement for the UE.

15. The LTE communication network of claim 11 wherein the MME is configured to process a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) message from the UE that contains the UE ID and the trusted bearer requirement for the UE.

16. The LTE communication network of claim 11 wherein the first GTP create session message comprises an S11 GTP create session message that contains the hardware-trusted APN for the UE.

17. The LTE communication network of claim 16 comprising:

a Serving Gateway (S-GW) configured to process the S11 GTP create session message to generate an S5 GTP create session message that contains the hardware-trusted APN for the UE; and

the hardware-trusted P-GW is configured to process the S5 GTP create session message that contains the hardware-trusted APN for the UE.

18. The LTE communication network of claim 17 wherein:

the hardware trusted P-GW is configured to transfer the UE ID and the trusted APN for the UE; and

further comprising

a Policy Control and Rules Function (PCRF) configured to process the UE ID and the trusted APN to select and transfer a trusted Quality-of-Service Class Indicator (QCI) for a trusted bearer for the UE; and

wherein

the hardware trusted P-GW is configured to exchange the first user data for the UE over the trusted bearer using the trusted QCI.

19. The LTE communication network of claim 18 further comprising an LTE access node configured to exchange additional hardware trust data with the trusted server system to maintain remote hardware trust for a trusted hardware partition of the LTE access node and to exchange the first user data through the trusted hardware partition of the LTE access node responsive to the trusted QCI.

20. The LTE communication network of claim 19 wherein the S-GW is configured to exchange additional hardware trust data with the trusted server system to maintain remote hardware trust for a trusted hardware partition of the S-GW and to exchange the first user data through the trusted hardware partition of the S-GW responsive to the trusted QCI.