Access Through Non-3GPP Access Networks

• US 20150341788A1
• Filed: 08/06/2015
• Published: 11/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Nslund, Mats, Arkko, Jari, Blom, Rolf, Lehtovirta, Vesa Petteri, Norrman, Karl, Rommer, Stefan, Sahlin, Bengt
• Granted Patent: US 9,949,118 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/30 Authentication, i.e. establishing the identity or authorisation of security principals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1433 Vulnerability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/162 at the data link layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/164 at the network layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• 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 72/53 based on regulatory allocation policies

Abstract

When setting up communication from a user equipment UE (1), such as for providing IP access for the UE in order to allow it to use some service, information or an indication of at least one network property relating to a first network, e.g. the current access network (3, 3′), is sent to the UE from a node (13) in a second network such as the home network (5) of the subscriber of the UE. The information or indication can be sent in a first stage of an authentication procedure being part of the setting up of a connection from the UE. In particular, the network property can indicate whether the access network (3, 3′) is trusted or not.

Claims

1. A method of establishing connectivity from a user equipment through an access network, comprising:

sending to the access network from the user equipment a request for a connectivity;

a node in the access network receiving the request and, in response thereto, initiating an authentication procedure for the user equipment, by sending a message to a node related to the user equipment, in particular an authentication server, the node related to the user equipment executing the authentication procedure; and

establishing the requested connectivity;

wherein one of the messages sent to the user equipment from the node related to the user equipment in the authentication procedure includes information of or indicates a special condition relating to at least one network property of the access network, and

wherein the user equipment, in establishing the requested connectivity, uses the received information or the indication of the special condition for selecting an appropriate or suitable way of establishing the requested connectivity through the access network.