FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
PROFILES AND ACCESS POINT NAMES
APPLICANT
380006, Gujarat, India; Nationality : India
The following specification particularly describes
the invention and the manner in which
it is to be performed

RESERVATION OF RIGHTS
[0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains
material, which is subject to intellectual property rights such as, but are not limited to, copyright, design, trademark, integrated circuit (IC) layout design, and/or trade dress protection, belonging to Jio Platforms Limited (JPL) or its affiliates (herein after referred as owner). The owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all rights whatsoever. All rights to such intellectual property are fully reserved by the owner.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to a field of telecommunication
networks and specifically to a system and a method for provisioning and management of subscriber profiles and access point names (APNs) in a telecommunication network.
BACKGROUND
[0003] The following description of related art is intended to provide
background information pertaining to the field of the disclosure. This section may include certain aspects of the art that may be related to various features of the present disclosure. However, it should be appreciated that this section be used only to enhance the understanding of the reader with respect to the present disclosure, and not as admissions of prior art.
[0004] In a communication network such as fifth generation (5G) or sixth
generation (6G) network, access point names (APNs) may determine a category or a type of a service that a network function (NF), such as a policy control function (PCF) may provide to a user. The NF may perform a validation of the APN in a session management (SM) policy. As a result, the APN may be mandatory in subscriber provisioning.

[0005] Conventionally, for different APNs, there may be a requirement for
provisioning a subscriber profile a plurality of times in a database, such as subscription profile repository (SPR). For example, if there are three data network names (DNNs), provisioned for data, internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS), and Wi-Fi, the subscriber profile may need to be saved thrice, for the DNNs, respectively, leading to increased processing and storage requirements.
[0006] Thus, there is a need of a system and method that reduces a number
of instances of provisioning the access point names for corresponding subscribers in the database.
OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE
[0007] An object of the present invention is to enable a Network Function
(NF) to provide different services to subscribers on business demand without changing subscriber profiles.
[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a subscriber profile
with different APNs combinations in SPR, and to configure different policies based on different subscriber profile parameters.
[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a system and a
method that stores unique subscriber profile in a database.
[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide an easy way to
maintain database (DB) backup and size after reducing subscriber profiles count.
[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a system and a
method that improves operation and reduces latency of network functions.
[0012] Another object of the present invention is to eliminate provisioning
of duplicate data for subscribers in a database and a local cache.

DEFINITION
[0013] As used in the present disclosure, the following terms are generally
intended to have the meaning as set forth below, except to the extent that the context in which they are used to indicate otherwise.
[0014] The term PCF as used herein, refers to a Policy Control Function that
is a functional element for policy control decision and flows-based charging control functionalities. The PCF provides functions such as, Policy rules for application and service data flow detection, gating, Quality of Service (QoS), and flow-based charging to Session Management Function (SMF).
[0015] The term SPR as used herein, refers to a Subscriber Profile
Repository (logical database) which contains subscriber related information related to policy and charging control. The SPR may be a subset of the HSS (Home Subscriber Server), providing information such as subscriber allowed services, permitted QoS and charging related information.
[0016] The term SUPI as used herein, refers to a Subscription Permanent
Identifier that is a unique identifier used to represent a subscriber’s permanent identity in a 5G network. It replaces the IMSI used in 4G networks and is designed to provide enhanced privacy and security features.
SUMMARY
[0017] In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention discloses a
system for provisioning and management of subscriber profiles and access point names (APNs). The system includes: a provisioning unit configured to provision the APNs and the subscriber profiles in a database. The APNs includes a list of primary APNs and associated dependent APNs. The system also includes a processing engine. The processing engine includes a policy control function (PCF) unit configured to: receive a request with one or more subscriber details from a provisioning gateway (GW). The one or more subscriber details is selected from a

list of Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI) and an APN to be used. The PCF unit is further configured to: determine if the received APN corresponds to one of, the dependent APN or the primary APN. The PCF unit is further configured to retrieve the primary APN corresponds to the dependent APN from the database if the received APN is the dependent APN. The PCF unit is further configured to fetch the subscriber profile associated with the retrieved primary APN from the database. The PCF unit is further configured to evaluate rules and policies based on the fetched subscriber profile.
[0018] In some embodiments, the provisioning unit is configured to
provision the APNs in the database using at least one of a command-line interface (CLI) or a graphical user interface (GUI) and provision the subscriber profiles in the database using the provisioning gateway (GW).
[0019] In some embodiments, the PCF unit is configured to validate the
fetched subscriber profile prior to evaluating the rules and policies.
[0020] In some embodiments, the PCF unit is configured to transmit a
response back to the provisioning gateway (GW). The response includes the evaluated rules and the policies for the dependent APN.
[0021] In some embodiments, the PCF unit is configured to interact with an
Online Charging System (OCS) for real-time charging and billing information.
[0022] In some embodiments, the PCF unit is configured to interact with a
Traffic Detection System (TDS) to receive traffic type information from the TDS.
[0023] In some embodiments, the subscriber profile associated with the
retrieved primary APN is fetched from the database based on the one or more subscriber details.

[0024] In another exemplary embodiment, the present invention discloses a
method for provisioning and management of subscriber profiles and access point names (APNs). The method includes steps of provisioning, by a provisioning unit, the APNs and the subscriber profiles in a database. The APNs includes a list of primary APNs and associated dependent APNs; receiving, by a PCF unit, a request with one or more subscriber details from a provisioning gateway (GW). The one or more subscriber details is selected from a list of Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI) and an APN to be used; determining, by the PCF unit, if the received APN corresponds to one of, the dependent APN or the primary APN; retrieving, by the PCF unit, the primary APN corresponds to the dependent APN from the database if the received APN is the dependent APN; fetching, by the PCF unit, the subscriber profile associated with the retrieved primary APN from the database; and evaluating, by the PCF unit, rules and policies based on the fetched subscriber profile.
[0025] In some embodiments, the method includes a step of provisioning
the APNs in the database using at least one of a command-line interface (CLI) or a graphical user interface (GUI) and provisioning the subscriber profiles in the database using the provisioning gateway (GW).
[0026] In some embodiments, the method includes a step of validating, by
the PCF unit, the subscriber profile prior to evaluating the rules and the policies.
[0027] In some embodiments, the method includes a step of transmitting,
by the PCF unit, a response to the provisioning gateway (GW). The response includes the evaluated rules and policies for the dependent APN.
[0028] In some embodiments, the method includes a step of enabling the
PCF unit to interact with an Online Charging System (OCS) for real-time charging and billing information.

[0029] In some embodiments, the method includes a step of enabling the
PCF unit to interact with a Traffic Detection System (TDS) to receive traffic type information from the TDS.
[0030] In some embodiments, the subscriber profile associated with the
retrieved primary APN is fetched from the database based on the one or more subscriber details.
[0031] In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention discloses a user
equipment communicatively coupled with a network. The coupling includes steps of. receiving, by the network, a connection request from the user equipment (UE); sending, by the network, an acknowledgment of the connection request to the user equipment (UE); and transmitting a plurality of signals in response to the connection request. The network is configured for performing a method for provisioning and management of subscriber profiles and access point names (APNs). The method includes steps of provisioning, by a provisioning unit, the APNs and the subscriber profiles in a database. The APNs includes a list of primary APNs and associated dependent APNs; receiving, by a PCF unit, a request with one or more subscriber details from a provisioning gateway (GW). The one or more subscriber details is selected from a list of Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI) and an APN to be used; determining, by the PCF unit, if the received APN corresponds to one of, the dependent APN or the primary APN; retrieving, by the PCF unit, the primary APN corresponds to the dependent APN from the database if the received APN is the dependent APN; fetching, by the PCF unit, the subscriber profile associated with the retrieved primary APN from the database; and evaluating, by the PCF unit, rules and policies based on the fetched subscriber profile.
[0032] In an exemplary embodiment, the present invention discloses a
computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one

or more processors to perform a method for provisioning and management of subscriber profiles and access point names (APNs). The method includes steps of provisioning, by a provisioning unit, the APNs and the subscriber profiles in a database. The APNs includes a list of primary APNs and associated dependent 5 APNs; receiving, by a PCF unit, a request with one or more subscriber details from a provisioning gateway (GW). The one or more subscriber details is selected from a list of Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI) and an APN to be used; determining, by the PCF unit, if the received APN corresponds to one of, the dependent APN or the primary APN; retrieving, by the PCF unit, the primary APN
10 corresponds to the dependent APN from the database if the received APN is the dependent APN; fetching, by the PCF unit, the subscriber profile associated with the retrieved primary APN from the database based on the one or more subscriber details; and evaluating, by the PCF unit, rules and policies based on the fetched subscriber profile associated with the dependent APN received in the request.
15
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0033] In the figures, similar components and/or features may have the
same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a second label that distinguishes
20 among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label.
[0034] The diagrams are for illustration only, which thus is not a limitation
25 of the present disclosure, and wherein:
[0035] FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary network architecture in which or
with which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;
30 [0036] FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a system for
provisioning and management of subscriber profiles and access point names (APNs), in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
8

[0037] FIG. 1C illustrates an exemplary block diagram representing
interaction between components of the system, in accordance with an embodiment
of the present disclosure;
5
[0038] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram depicting a process of
an APN provisioning, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0039] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram depicting a process of
10 a subscriber profile validation, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0040] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary computer system in which or with
which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented; and
15
[0041] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method for provisioning and
management of subscriber profiles and access point names (APNs), in accordance
with an embodiment of present disclosure.
20 LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
100 – Network architecture
102-1, 102-2…102-N – User Equipment
104-1, 104-2…104-N – Users
106 – System 25 108 – Network
110 – Provisioning Unit
112 – Memory
114 – Interfacing Unit
116 – Processing Engine 30 118 – Database/Subscriber Profile Repository
120 – PCF unit
122 – Provisioning Gateway (GW)
124 – APN Module
9

126 – Subscriber Module
128 – Rule Engine Module
130 – Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW)
132 – Online Charging System (OCS) 5 134 – Traffic Detection System (TDS)
200 – Process of APN provisioning
300 – Process of Subcriber Profile Validation
400 –Computer system
410 – External storage device 10 420 – Bus
430 – Main memory
440 – Read only memory
450 – Mass storage device
460 – Communication port(s) 15 470 – Processor
500 – Method
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0042] In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, various
20 specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Several features described hereafter can each be used independently of one another or with any combination of other features. An individual feature may not
25 address all of the problems discussed above or might address only some of the problems discussed above. Some of the problems discussed above might not be fully addressed by any of the features described herein.
[0043] The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only, and
30 is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure.
10

Rather, the ensuing description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing an exemplary embodiment. It should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope 5 of the disclosure as set forth.
[0044] Specific details are given in the following description to provide a
thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by one
of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these
10 specific details. For example, circuits, systems, networks, processes, and other
components may be shown as components in block diagram form in order not to
obscure the embodiments in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-known
circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques may be shown without
unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments.
15
[0045] Also, it is noted that individual embodiments may be described as a
process which is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a
structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the
operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in
20 parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A process is terminated when its operations are completed but could have additional steps not included in a figure. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination can correspond to a return of the function to the calling
25 function or the main function.
[0046] The word “exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” is used herein to
mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. In addition, any 30 aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to preclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques
11

known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “has,” “contains,” and other similar words are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive—in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as an open transition word—without precluding 5 any additional or other elements.
[0047] Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an
embodiment” or “an instance” or “one instance” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included
10 in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” or “in some embodiments” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more
15 embodiments.
[0048] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing
particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural
20 forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or
25 groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
[0049] Various embodiments of the present disclosure will be explained in
detail with reference to FIGs. 1 to 5.
30
[0050] FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary network architecture (100) in
which or with which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.
12

[0051] Referring to the FIG. 1A, the network architecture (100) may include
one or more computing devices or user equipment (102-1, 102-2…102-N) that may be associated with one or more users (104-1, 104-2…104-N) and a system (106) in 5 an environment. In an embodiment, the one or more user equipment (102-1, 102-2…102-N) may be communicated to the system (106) through a network (108). A person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the one or more user equipment (102-1, 102-2…102-N) may be individually referred to as the user equipment (102) and collectively referred to as the user equipment (102). A person
10 of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the terms “computing device(s)” and “user equipment” may be used interchangeably throughout the disclosure. Although three user equipment (102) are depicted in the FIG. 1A, however any number of the user equipment (102) may be included without departing from the scope of the ongoing description. Similarly. A person of ordinary skill in the art will understand
15 that the one or more users (104-1, 104-2…104-N) may be individually referred to as the user (104) and collectively referred to as the users (104).
[0052] In an embodiment, the user equipment (102) may include smart
devices operating in a smart environment, for example, an Internet of Things (IoT)
20 system. In such an embodiment, the user equipment (102) may include, but not limited to, smart phones, smart watches, smart sensors (e.g., mechanical, thermal, electrical, magnetic, etc.), networked appliances, networked peripheral devices, networked lighting system, communication devices, networked vehicle accessories, networked vehicular devices, smart accessories, tablets, smart television (TV),
25 computers, a smart security system, a smart home system, other devices for monitoring or interacting with or for the users (104) and/or entities, or any combination thereof. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the user equipment (102) may include, but not limited to, intelligent multi-sensing, network-connected devices, that can integrate seamlessly with each other and/or
30 with a central server or a cloud-computing system or any other device that is network-connected.
13

[0053] In an embodiment, the user equipment (102) may include, but not
limited to, a handheld wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a smart phone, a phablet device, and so on), a wearable computer device (e.g., a head-5 mounted display computer device, a head-mounted camera device, a wristwatch computer device, and so on), a Global Positioning System (GPS) device, a laptop, a tablet computer, or another type of portable computer, a media playing device, a portable gaming system, and/or any other type of computer device with wireless communication capabilities, and the like.
10
[0054] In an embodiment, the user equipment (102) may include, but is not
limited to, any electrical, electronic, electro-mechanical, or an equipment, or a combination of one or more of the above devices such as virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, a general-purpose computer, a desktop, a
15 personal digital assistant, a mainframe computer, or any other computing device. In another embodiment, the user equipment (102) may include one or more in-built or externally coupled accessories including, but not limited to, a visual aid device such as a camera, an audio aid, a microphone, a keyboard, and input devices for receiving input from the user (104) or the entity such as a touch pad, a touch enabled screen,
20 an electronic pen, and the like. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the user equipment (102) may not be restricted to the mentioned devices and various other devices may be used.
[0055] Referring to the FIG. 1A, the user equipment (102) may
25 communicate with the system (106), for example, the system (106) for provisioning and management of subscriber profiles and access point names (APNs), through the network (108). In an embodiment, the system (106) may provide a means to facilitate a Network Function (NF) to provide different services to subscribers without requirement for adding or modifying and storing the corresponding 30 different subscriber profiles. Further, the subscriber profile may be provisioned in a database (118) (as shown in FIG. 1B) with a combination of a primary APN and dependent APNs, and different policies may be configured based on different
14

subscriber profile parameters. As a result, there may not be a requirement to re-provision the subscriber profile multiple times.
[0056] In an embodiment, the system (106) provides a flexibility for
5 provisioning of the subscriber profiles by provisioning the associated primary APN
for a corresponding subscriber in the database (118). The other APNs may be
dependent on the primary APN. The NF may be configured to modify the dependent
APNs as per application requirements without affecting data on the primary APN
of the subscriber.
10
[0057] Further, the NF may store only the primary APNs in the database
(118). As a result, there may be a consistency in the stored APN associated with the
subscriber profile and any required changes may be made on the dependent APNs.
Thus, it may be easy to maintain a backup of the database (118), and a subscriber
15 count in the database (118) may also be reduced. Furthermore, the system (106)
may reduce a database (118) query, thus optimizes performance and latency. In an
embodiment, the system (106) may be explained in detail in conjunction with FIG.
1B.
20 [0058] In an embodiment, the network (108) may include at least one of a
5G network, 6G network, or the like. The network (108) may enable the user equipment (102) to communicate with other devices in the network architecture (100) and/or with the system (106). The network (108) may include a wireless card or some other transceiver connection to facilitate this communication. In another
25 embodiment, the network (108) may be implemented as, or include any of a variety
of different communication technologies such as a Wide Area Network (WAN), a
Local Area Network (LAN), a wireless network, a mobile network, a Virtual Private
Network (VPN), the Internet, a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), or
the like.
30
[0059] Although the FIG. 1A shows exemplary components of the network
architecture (100); however, in other embodiments, the network architecture (100)
15

may include fewer components, different components, differently arranged components, or additional functional components than depicted in the FIG. 1A. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components of the network architecture (100) may perform functions described as being performed by one or more other 5 components of the network architecture (100).
[0060] FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary block diagram of the system (106)
for provisioning and management of the subscriber profiles and the APNs, in
accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
10
[0061] In an embodiment, the system (106) may include a provisioning unit
(110), a memory (112), an interfacing unit (114), a processing engine (116) and the
database (118). In an embodiment, the processing engine (116) may include a PCF
unit (120). In an embodiment, the PCF unit (120) may be a Policy and charging
15 rules function (PCRF) unit. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that
the terms “PCF” and “PCRF” may be used interchangeably based on a type of a
network. In an exemplary embodiment, the PCF unit (120) may be used in 5G
network and the PCRF unit may be used in 4G networks.
20 [0062] In an embodiment, the provisioning unit (110) may be configured to
provision the APNs and the subscriber profiles in the database (118) using a provisioning gateway (GW) (122) (As shown in FIG. 1C). The APNs may be, but not limited to, the primary APNs and the associated dependent APNs. In an exemplary embodiment, the provisioning unit (110) may be configured to receive
25 a request to provision the APNs and the subscriber profiles using the provisioning GW (122). As used herein, the term “provisioning GW” (122) may be configured to manage delivery and activation of services in an environment with one or more operator networks and technologies. In some aspects, the provisioning GW (122) provides an end-to-end approach to manage services including, but not limited to,
30 resource allocation, integration with business support systems, operational support systems, real-time monitoring and reporting, support for multiple services, and so forth.
16

[0063] In an embodiment, the provisioning unit (110) may be configured to
enable the user (104) or a network administrator to create the primary APNs and the associated dependent APNs in the database (118) using one of, a command line 5 interface (CLI) or a Graphical User Interface (GUI). In an exemplary embodiment, the GUI or CLI may provide a user-friendly interface for the administrator to enter and manage the APN configurations and the provisioning GW (122) may handle a backend process for validating the requests.
10 [0064] In an exemplary scenario, when the user (104) provides data using
the CLI or GUI for provisioning the APNs, the provisioning GW (122) may be
configured to receive the data and processes the data to create the APN entries in
the database (118). The data may be associated with the APNs such as, but not
limited to, an APN name, an APN type, and so forth.
15
[0065] Further, in an embodiment, the provisioning unit (110) may be
configured to receive the request of provisioning the subscriber profiles from one
of, a provisioning tool such as, Network Management System (NMS). The
provisioning unit (110) may be configured to provision the subscriber profiles in
20 the database (118) using the provisioning GW (122). In an exemplary embodiment,
the provisioning GW (122) may validate the received request and creates the
subscriber profiles or updates existing subscriber profiles in the database (118).
[0066] The memory (112) may be configured to store computer-readable
25 instructions or routines in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium. In an aspect, the memory (112) may be configured to store program instructions that may be executed to perform tasks associated with the system (106). The memory (112) may include any non-transitory storage device including, for example, but not limited to, a volatile memory such as a Random-Access Memory (RAM), or a non-30 volatile memory such as an Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), a flash memory, and the like. Embodiments of the present invention are intended to
17

include or otherwise type of the memory (112) including known related art and/or later developed technologies.
[0067] In an embodiment, the interfacing unit (114) may comprise a variety
5 of interfaces, for example, interfaces for data input and output devices (I/O), storage devices, and the like. The interfacing unit (114) may facilitate communication through the system (106). The interfacing unit (114) may also provide a communication pathway for various other units/modules of the system (106).
10 [0068] In an embodiment, the database (118) may be a Subscriber Profile
Repository (SPR) that offers functionality to manage, capture, storage, and retrieval of the data. In an embodiment, the database (118) is configured for serving as a centralized repository for storing the APNs and the subscriber profiles. The database (118) may be configured to store a unique subscriber profile by associating
15 the corresponding primary and the dependent APNs in a single entry. The database (118) is designed to interact seamlessly with other components of the system (106), such as the PCF unit (120), to support a functionality of the system (106) effectively. The database (118) may store data that may be either stored or generated as a result of functionalities implemented by any of the components of
20 the processing engine (116). In an embodiment, the database (118) may be separate from the system (106).
[0069] The modules are controlled by the processing engine (116) which
execute the computer-readable instructions retrieved from the memory (112). The
25 processing engine (116) further interact with the interfacing unit (114) to facilitate a user interaction and to provide options for managing and configuring the system (106). The processing engine (116) may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that process data based
30 on operational instructions.
18

[0070] In an embodiment, the PCF unit (120) may be responsible for
controlling policies related to quality of service (QoS), access control, and network resource allocation in a telecommunication network. The PCF unit (120) may execute policy control, charging rules function, dynamic session and resource 5 control, and provides support for various other telecommunication services. In an embodiment, the PCF unit (120) is configured to receive a service request from the subscriber. Based on received service request, the PCF unit (120) is configured to retrieve the subscriber profile and APN information from the database (118). The PCF unit (120) is configured to evaluate relevant policies and enforces the policies 10 by communicating with the provisioning GW (122). The PCF unit (120) is explained in detail in conjunction with the FIG. 1C.
[0071] Although the FIG. 1B shows an exemplary block diagram of the
system (106); however, in other embodiments, the system (106) may include fewer 15 components, different components, differently arranged components, or additional functional components than depicted in the FIG. 1B. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components of the system (106) may perform functions described as being performed by one or more other components of the system (106).
20 [0072] FIG. 1C illustrates an exemplary block diagram representing
interaction between components of the system (106), in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0073] In an embodiment, the provisioning GW (122) may be configured to
25 receive an initial request with one or more subscriber details from the user equipment (102) (as shown in the FIG. 1A). In such embodiment, the user equipment (102) may be utilized by the user (104) (as shown in the FIG. 1A) to connect to the network (108) (as shown in the FIG. 1A) and access an APN service. The subscriber details may be, but not limited to, a Subscription Permanent 30 Identifier (SUPI) and the APN to be used. The provisioning GW (122) may be configured to transmit the received request to the PCF unit (120).
19

[0074] In an embodiment, the PCF unit (120) may be configured to receive
the request with the subscriber details from the provisioning GW (122). The PCF unit (120) may comprise an APN module (124), a subscriber module (126) and a rule engine module (128). In an embodiment, the APN module (124) may be 5 configured to determine if the received APN corresponds to one of, the dependent APN or the primary APN. In an embodiment, the APN module (124) may be configured to retrieve the primary APN corresponds to the dependent APN from the database (118) such as, the SPR if the received APN is the dependent APN. In another embodiment, the PCF unit (120) may be configured to enable the subscriber 10 module (126) to fetch the subscriber profile associated with the primary APN from the SPR if the received APN is the primary APN.
[0075] Further, in an embodiment, the subscriber module (126) may be
configured to fetch the subscriber profile associated with the retrieved primary APN
15 from the SPR based on the one or more subscriber details. The PCF unit (120) is configured to store the fetched subscriber profile in a local storage (not shown). Further, in an embodiment, the subscriber module (126) may be configured to validate the subscriber profile prior to evaluating the rules and the policies. In an embodiment, a process of validating the subscriber profile may be explained in
20 detail in conjunction with FIG. 3.
[0076] The rule engine module (128) may be configured to evaluate the
rules and the policies based on the subscriber profile. In an embodiment, the rules and the policies may be evaluated based on the subscriber profile associated with 25 the dependent APN received in the request. In another embodiment, the rules and the policies may be evaluated based on the subscriber profile associated with the primary APN received in the request.
[0077] In an embodiment, the rules and the policies may be, but not limited
30 to, Quality of Service (QoS), usage limits, charging rules, and so forth.
20

[0078] Further, in an embodiment, the PCF unit (120) may be configured to
transmit a response back to the provisioning GW (122). The response may include the evaluated rules and policies for the dependent APN. Based on the response, the provisioning GW (122) may allow the user (104) to access the requested APN 5 service.
[0079] In an embodiment, the system (106) may comprise a packet data
network gateway (PGW) (130) that may be configured to handle enforcement of the policies and QoS rules. The PCF unit (120) may be configured to interact with 10 the PGW (130) for managing network policies and enforcing the QoS rules. In an embodiment, the PCF unit (120) may define policy rules and parameters and the PGW (130) enforces theses rules at a packet level for ensuring that the subscribers receive an appropriate level of service.
15 [0080] In an embodiment, the PCF unit (120) may be configured to interact
with an Online Charging System (OCS) (132) for real-time charging and billing
information. Further, the PCF unit (120) may be configured to interact with a
Traffic Detection System (TDS) (134) to receive traffic type information from the
TDS (134).
20
[0081] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram depicting a process
(200) of an APN provisioning, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
25 [0082] The process (200) starts with a step (202) of receiving a new APN
provisioning request including a new APN.
[0083] Further, the process (200) includes a step (204) of determining
whether the received new APN is a dependent APN or not. The process (200) 30 executes a step (206), in case the new APN is the dependent APN. Otherwise, the process (200) executes a step (210).
21

[0084] The process (200) includes the step (206) of setting the new APN as
the dependent APN in a database (118) (as shown in the FIG. 1B).
[0085] Further, the process (200) includes a step (208) of fetching and
5 selecting a primary APN for the corresponding dependent APN from the database (118). Further, the provisioning GW (122) (as shown in the FIG. 1C) updates the database (118) with the new dependent APN, by linking the new dependent APN with the selected primary APN.
10 [0086] The process (200) includes the step (210) of setting the new APN as
the primary APN in the database (118).
[0087] The process (200) executes a step (212) of providing a confirmation
message indicating that the new APN has been provisioned successfully.
15
[0088] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram depicting a process
(300) of a subscriber profile validation, in accordance with an embodiment of the
present disclosure.
20 [0089] The process (300) starts with a step (302) of receiving a validation
request for a subscriber profile. In response to the validation request, the process (300) follows a step (304) of determining if an APN associated with the subscriber profile is one of a primary APN or a dependent APN.
25 [0090] If the APN associated with the subscriber profile is the dependent
APN, the process (300) performs a step (306) of fetching and selecting the primary APN associated with the dependent APN.
[0091] If the APN associated with the subscriber profile is the primary APN,
30 the process (300) performs a step (308) of using the primary APN for retrieving the subscriber profile from a database (118) (as shown in the FIG. 1B). Further, the process (300) performs a step (310) of verifying if the subscriber profile is complete and accurate. If the subscriber profile is sound, then the process (300) performs a
22

step (312) of marking the subscriber profile as verified subscriber profile. Otherwise, the process (300) implements a step (314) of marking the subscriber profile as an invalid subscriber request.
5 [0092] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary computer system (400) in which or
with which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown in the FIG. 4, the computer system (400) may include an external storage device (410), a bus (420), a main memory (430), a read only memory (440), a mass storage device (450), a communication port (460), and a processor (470). A person skilled 10 in the art will appreciate that the computer system (400) may include more than one processor (470) and the communication ports (460). The processor (470) may include various modules associated with embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0093] In an embodiment, the external storage device (410) may be any
15 device that is commonly known in the art such as, but not limited to, a memory card, a memory stick, a solid-state drive, a hard disk drive (HDD), and so forth.
[0094] In an embodiment, the bus (420) may be communicatively coupled
with the processor(s) (470) with the other memory, storage, and communication
20 blocks. The bus (420) may be, e.g., a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)/PCI
Extended (PCI-X) bus, a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), a Universal
Serial Bus (USB) or the like, for connecting expansion cards, drives and other
subsystems as well as other buses, such a front side bus (FSB), which connects the
processor (470) to the computer system (400).
25
[0095] In an embodiment, the main memory (430) may be a Random Access
Memory (RAM), or any other dynamic storage device commonly known in the art.
The Read-only memory (440) may be any static storage device(s) e.g., but not
limited to, a Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM) chips for storing static
30 information e.g., start-up or Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) instructions for the
processor (470).
23

[0096] In an embodiment, the mass storage device (450) may be any current
or future mass storage solution, which may be used to store information and/or instructions. Exemplary mass storage solutions include, but are not limited to, a Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment (PATA) or a Serial Advanced 5 Technology Attachment (SATA) hard disk drives or solid-state drives (internal or external, e.g., having Universal Serial Bus (USB) and/or Firewire interfaces), one or more optical discs, Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) storage, e.g., an array of disks (e.g., SATA arrays).
10 [0097] Further, the communication port (460) may be any of an RS-232 port
for use with a modem-based dialup connection, a 10/100 Ethernet port, a Gigabit or 10 Gigabit port using copper or fiber, a serial port, a parallel port, or other existing or future ports. The communication port (460) may be chosen depending on the network (108), such a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network
15 (WAN), or any network to which the computer system (400) connects.
[0098] Optionally, operator and administrative interfaces, e.g., a display, a
keyboard, a joystick, and a cursor control device, may also be coupled to the bus (420) to support a direct operator interaction with the computer system (400). Other
20 operator and administrative interfaces may be provided through network connections connected through the communication port (460). Components described above are meant only to exemplify various possibilities. In no way should the aforementioned exemplary computer system (400) limit the scope of the present disclosure.
25
[0099] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method (500) for provisioning and
management of subscriber profiles and access point names (APNs), in accordance with an embodiment of present disclosure.
30 [00100] Step (502) includes a step of provisioning the APNs and the
subscriber profiles in a database (118). The APNs includes a list of primary APNs and associated dependent APNs.
24

[00101] Step (504) includes a step of receiving, by a PCF unit (120), a request
with one or more subscriber details from a provisioning gateway (GW) (122). The subscriber details are selected from a list of Subscription Permanent Identifier 5 (SUPI) and an APN to be used.
[00102] Step (506) includes a step of determining, by the PCF unit (120), if
the received APN corresponds to one of, the dependent APN or the primary APN.
10 [00103] Step (508) includes a step of retrieving, by the PCF unit (120), the
primary APN corresponds to the dependent APN from the database (118) if the received APN is the dependent APN.
[00104] Step (510) includes a step of fetching, by the PCF unit (120), the
15 subscriber profile associated with the retrieved primary APN from the database (118).
[00105] Step (512) includes a step of evaluating, by the PCF unit (120), rules
and policies based on the fetched subscriber profile. In an embodiment, the rules 20 and the policies may be evaluated based on the subscriber profile that may be associated with the dependent APN received in the request. In another embodiment, the rules and the policies may be evaluated based on the subscriber profile that may be associated with the primary APN received in the request.
25 [00106] In an embodiment, the method (500) includes a step of provisioning
the APNs in the database (118) using at least one of a command-line interface (CLI) or a graphical user interface (GUI) and provisioning the subscriber profiles in the database (118) using the provisioning gateway (GW) (122).
30 [00107] In some embodiments, the method (500) includes a step of
validating, by the PCF unit (120), the subscriber profile prior to evaluating the rules and the policies.
25

[00108] In some embodiments, the method (500) includes a step of
transmitting, by the PCF unit (120), a response to the provisioning GW (122). The response includes the evaluated rules and policies for the dependent APN.
5 [00109] In some embodiments, the method (500) includes a step of enabling
the PCF unit (120) to interact with an Online Charging System (OCS) (132) for real-time charging and billing information.
[00110] In some embodiments, the method (500) includes a step of enabling
10 the PCF unit (120) to interact with a Traffic Detection System (TDS) (134) to receive traffic type information from the TDS (134).
[00111] In some embodiments, the subscriber profile associated with the
retrieved primary APN is fetched from the database (118) based on the one or more 15 subscriber details.
[00112] In an embodiment, the present disclosure discloses a user equipment
(UE) communicatively coupled with a network. The coupling including a step of
receiving, by the network, a connection request from the user equipment (UE). The
20 coupling including a step of sending, by the network, an acknowledgment of the
connection request to the UE. The coupling including a step of transmitting a
plurality of signals in response to the connection request. The network is configured
for implementing the method for provisioning and management of subscriber
profiles and access point names (APNs).
25
[00113] The present disclosure provides technical advancements related to
the field of telecommunications network management, specifically addressing the
limitations of existing solutions in provisioning and managing subscriber profiles
and Access Point Names (APNs). This advancement allows the provisioning of a
30 primary APN with dependent APNs, eliminating a need for redundant subscriber
profiles. The disclosed invention enhances flexibility by enabling dynamic updates
of dependent APNs without altering primary subscriber data, improves data
consistency by storing unique subscriber profiles, optimizes memory utilization by
26

reducing duplicate data, and decreases latency by minimizing database queries. These improvements result in more efficient database management, quicker service responses, and seamless service delivery, offering significant performance enhancements and potential cost reductions in network operations.
[00114] While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the present
disclosure, other and further embodiments of the present disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is determined by the claims that follow. The present disclosure is not limited to the described embodiments, versions or examples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the present disclosure when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.
[00115] While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the preferred
embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be implemented merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.
ADVANTAGES OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE
[00116] The present disclosure enables a Network Function (NF) to provide
different services to subscribers on business demand without changing subscriber
profiles.
[00117] The present invention provides a system and a method for storing a
primary APN in a database and creating dependent APNs for different profiles of a same subscriber.

[00118] The present invention provides a subscriber profile with different
APNs combinations in SPR, and to configure different policies based on different subscriber profile parameters.
[00119] The present invention provides a system and a method that stores
unique subscriber profile in a database.
[00120] The present invention provides a system and a method that improves
operation and reduces latency of network functions.
[00121] The present invention provides an easy way to maintain database
(DB) backup and size after reducing subscriber profiles count.
[00122] The present invention eliminates provisioning of duplicate data for
subscribers in a database and a local cache.
[00123] The present invention improvises 5G and 6G network capabilities.

We Claim:
1. A system (106) for provisioning and management of subscriber profiles and
access point names (APNs), wherein the system (106) comprising:
a provisioning unit (110) configured to provision the APNs and the subscriber profiles in a database (118), wherein the APNs comprises a list of primary APNs and associated dependent APNs; a processing engine (116) comprises:
a policy control function (PCF) unit (120) configured to: receive a request with one or more subscriber details from a provisioning gateway (GW) (122), wherein the one or more subscriber details is selected from a list of Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI) and an APN to be used;
determine if the received APN corresponds to one of the dependent APN or the primary APN;
retrieve the primary APN corresponds to the dependent APN from the database (118) if the received APN is the dependent APN; fetch the subscriber profile associated with the retrieved primary APN from the database (118); and
evaluate rules and policies based on the fetched subscriber profile.
2. The system (106) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the provisioning unit (110) is configured to provision the APNs in the database (118) using at least one of a command-line interface (CLI) or a graphical user interface (GUI) and provision the subscriber profiles in the database (118) using the provisioning gateway (GW) (122).
3. The system (106) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the PCF unit (120) is configured to validate the subscriber profile prior to evaluating the rules and the policies.

4. The system (106) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the PCF unit (120) is configured to transmit a response back to the provisioning GW (122), wherein the response comprises the evaluated rules and policies for the dependent APN.
5. The system (106) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the PCF unit (120) is configured to interact with an Online Charging System (OCS) (132) for real¬time charging and billing information.
6. The system (106) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the PCF unit (120) is configured to interact with a Traffic Detection System (TDS) (134) to receive traffic type information from the TDS (134).
7. The system (106) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subscriber profile associated with the retrieved primary APN is fetched from the database (118) based on the one or more subscriber details.
8. A method (500) for provisioning and management of subscriber profiles and access point names (APNs), wherein the method (500) comprising steps of:
provisioning, by a provisioning unit (110), the APNs and the subscriber profiles in a database (118), wherein the APNs comprises a list of primary APNs and associated dependent APNs;
receiving, by a PCF unit (120), a request with one or more subscriber details from a provisioning gateway (GW) (122), wherein the one or more subscriber details is selected from a list of Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI) and an APN to be used;
determining, by the PCF unit (120), if the received APN corresponds to one of, the dependent APN or the primary APN;
retrieving, by the PCF unit (120), the primary APN corresponds to the dependent APN from the database (118) if the received APN is the dependent APN;

fetching, by the PCF unit (120), subscriber profile associated with the retrieved primary APN from the database (118); and
evaluating, by the PCF unit (120), rules and policies based on the fetched subscriber profile.
9. The method (500) as claimed in claim 8, comprising a step of provisioning the APNs in the database (118) using at least one of a command-line interface (CLI) or a graphical user interface (GUI) and provisioning the subscriber profiles in the database (118) using the provisioning gateway (GW) (122).
10. The method (500) as claimed in claim 8, comprising a step of validating, by the PCF unit (120), the subscriber profile prior to evaluating the rules and the policies.
11. The method (500) as claimed in claim 8, comprising a step of transmitting, by the PCF unit (120), a response to the provisioning GW (122), wherein the response comprises the evaluated rules and policies for the dependent APN.
12. The method (500) as claimed in claim 8, comprising a step of enabling the PCF unit (120) to interact with an Online Charging System (OCS) (132) for real¬time charging and billing information.
13. The method (500) as claimed in claim 8, comprising a step of enabling the PCF unit (120) to interact with a Traffic Detection System (TDS) (134) to receive traffic type information from the TDS (134).
14. The method (500) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the subscriber profile associated with the retrieved primary APN is fetched from the database (118) based on the one or more subscriber details.
15. A user equipment (UE) (102) communicatively coupled with a network (108), the coupling comprises steps of:

receiving, by the network (108), a connection request from the user equipment (UE) (102);
sending, by the network (108), an acknowledgment of the connection request to the user equipment (UE) (102); and
transmitting a plurality of signals in response to the connection request, wherein the network (108) is configured for performing a method (500) for provisioning and management of subscriber profiles and access point names (APNs) as claimed in claim 10.