System and method of quality of service enablement for over the top applications in a telecommunications system

• US 8,982,893 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2010
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Akhtar, Haseeb, Connor, Brenda Ann, Schneyer, Sean Kendall, Israel, Solomon, Barney, John Carey Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mesfin, Yemane
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chen, Peter
• Application Number:
  US12/782,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20110219431A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,763 Days
• Field of Search: 370/401, 709/206, 724/4
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/566 Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements

Abstract

A system, method, and node providing a predefined Quality of Service (QoS) level to an Over The Top (OTT) service provider in a telecommunications network. A User Equipment (UE) initiates an IP-based application session (e.g., Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) session) with the OTT service provider by sending an application-dependent message toward an OTT application server. The method begins with a proxy node in the telecommunications network intercepting the application-dependent message. The proxy node then modifies the application-dependent message by adding a subscriber identification to the header of the application-dependent message. The proxy node forwards the modified application-dependent message to the OTT application server. The OTT application server then sends a request having the subscriber identification to the telecommunications network with a QoS requirement for the HTTP session. Next, a network policy node determines an appropriate QoS level for the subscriber. A network gateway then enforces the determined QoS level for the HTTP session with the OTT service provider.

Claims

1. A method of providing a predefined Quality of Service (QoS) level to an Over The Top (OTT) service provider in a wireless telecommunications network in which a User Equipment (UE) initiates an Internet Protocol (IP)-based application session with the OTT service provider by sending an application-dependent message toward an OTT application server, the method comprising the steps of:

intercepting the application-dependent message by a proxy node in the wireless telecommunications network before the message traverses any firewall;

modifying the application-dependent message by the proxy node, wherein the proxy node adds to a header of the application-dependent message, a subscriber identification associated with the UE;

forwarding the modified application-dependent message from the proxy node to the OTT application server, wherein the OTT application server is completely oblivious to the modification of the header of the message;

in response to the modified application-dependent message, sending a request having the subscriber identification from the OTT application server over a communication path that excludes the UE to the telecommunications network with a QoS requirement selected by the OTT application server for the IP-based application session;

determining by a network policy node, an appropriate QoS level for the subscriber based on the subscriber identification and the QoS requirement sent by the OTT application server;

enforcing by a network gateway, the determined QoS level for the IP-based application session with the OTT service provider; and

accomplishing with the UE the IP-based application session with the appropriate QoS.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the proxy node is a Transparent Proxy.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of modifying the application-dependent message includes querying by the Transparent Proxy, an Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) server for a profile of the subscriber.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of sending the request includes sending a Web Services (WS)/RESTful/Application Programming Interface (API) request message having the subscriber identification.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

intercepting the WS/RESTful/API request by a Service Delivery Platform (SDP) within the telecommunications network; and

performing by the SDP, an application layer authentication with an Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) server.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the step of intercepting the WS/RESTful/API request includes:

translating the WS/RESTful/API request into a Policy Control message; and

sending the Policy Control message to the network policy node, wherein the network policy node implements a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF).

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the network gateway is a Packet Data Network Gateway (PDN GW) that enforces the determined QoS level.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the application-dependent message is a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) message.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the IP-based application session is a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) session.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein modifying the application-dependent message by the proxy node includes the proxy node adding capabilities of the UE to the header of the application-dependent message.

10. A system for providing Quality of Service (QoS) to an Over The Top (OTT) service provider in a wireless telecommunications network in which a User Equipment (UE) initiates an Internet Protocol (IP)-based application session with the OTT service provider by sending an application-dependent message toward an OTT application server, the system comprising:

an OTT application server for providing an OTT service by the OTT service provider in the wireless telecommunications network, the OTT application server having means for initiating an IP-based application session upon receipt of the application-dependent message;

a proxy function within the telecommunications network, the proxy function including;

a proxy node for intercepting the application-dependent message prior to receipt by the OTT application server before the message traverses any firewall;

the proxy node modifying the application-dependent message by adding to a header of the application-dependent message, a subscriber identification associated with the UE; and

the proxy node for forwarding the modified application-dependent message to the OTT application server, wherein the OTT application server is completely oblivious to the modification of the header of the message;

wherein the OTT application server sends a request having the subscriber identification over a communication path that excludes the UE to the telecommunications network with a QoS requirement selected by the OTT application server for the IP-based application session;

a network policy node for determining an appropriate QoS level for the IP-based application session based on the subscriber identification and the QoS requirement sent by the OTT application server;

a network gateway for enforcing the determined QoS level for the IP-based application session with the OTT service provider; and

the UE accomplishing the IP-based application session with the appropriate QoS.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the proxy function is a Transparent Proxy.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the Transparent Proxy includes a processor for querying an Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) server for a profile of the subscriber.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein the request having the subscriber identification is a Web Services (WS)/RESTful/Application Programming Interface (API) request.

14. The system according to claim 13, further comprising a Service Delivery Platform (SDP), the SDP including:

a port for intercepting the WS/RESTful/API request;

a processor for performing an application layer authentication with an Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) server;

the processor for translating the intercepted WS/RESTful/API request into a Policy Control message; and

the port for sending the Policy Control message to a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF).

15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the network gateway is a Packet Data Network Gateway (PDN GW) that enforces the determined QoS level.

16. The system according to claim 10 wherein the application-dependent message is a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) message.

17. The system according to claim 10 wherein the IP-based application session is a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) session.