Page 282 - 5G Basics - Core Network Aspects

1 Core network aspects

1 Scope
As smartphone devices have proliferated, the capability of these terminals has also improved far more than
before. Moreover, big data may improve the performance of huge-volume data collection and analysis on
access/network profiles. Since access discovery and selection require both terminal and network parts to be
involved, there are two distinct methods to exchange the details of access and user preferences.
The principle to estimate a solution has two aspects:
1) cost: Is it less expensive?
2) experience: Is it better?

As cost is a key attribute for users to choose access, network selection depends on information such as
location and subscriber policy, as well as price policy of the access. For example, when a person enters a
coffee shop, they may prefer free access. However, this kind of selection refers to user location where the
access is deployed separately; only users can acquire the complete access list dynamically. On the other hand,
access providers can set the price policy and confirm the authorization status of a subscribers' access to the
service.

The experience issue also needs to consider two parts:
1) personal requirements, such as high speeds for gaming or high bandwidth for video;
2) network status, such as whether there is congestion, or whether it requires complex authentication
methods like extensible authentication protocol – subscriber identity module (EAP-SIM).
Before starting the access selection process, there are some information asymmetries between a user and
an unknown network. Multiple accesses provide various choices for access selection. The intelligent solution
would meet several requirements, such as: less user intervention, less user training, less service interruption,
less access congestion and lower cost.

This Recommendation describes scenarios, requirements, unified registration solutions, and other aspects
such as security and pricing for intelligent access selection in multi-connection. See also [ITU- T.Y.2251].

2 References

The following ITU-T Recommendations and other references contain provisions which, through reference in
this text, constitute provisions of this Recommendation. At the time of publication, the editions indicated
were valid. All Recommendations and other references are subject to revision; users of this Recommendation
are therefore encouraged to investigate the possibility of applying the most recent edition of the
Recommendations and other references listed below. A list of the currently valid ITU-T Recommendations is
regularly published. The reference to a document within this Recommendation does not give it, as a stand-
alone document, the status of a Recommendation.
[ITU-T Y.2027] Recommendation ITU-T Y.2027 (2012), Functional architecture of multi-connection.
[ITU-T Y.2251] Recommendation ITU-T Y.2251 (2011), Multi-connection requirements.

3 Definitions

3.1 Terms defined elsewhere
This Recommendation uses the following terms defined elsewhere:
3.1.1 connection [b-ITU-T X.200]: A connection is an association established for the transfer of data
between two or more peer-(N)-entities. This association binds the peer-(N)-entities together with the (N-1)-
entities in the next lower layer.
3.1.2 mobility [b-ITU-T Q.1706]: The ability for the user or other mobile entities to communicate and
access services irrespective of changes of the location or technical environment.

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