What is pcrf

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What is the role of PCRF in telecom? What are the key features of PCRF? Give More Power to Your Customers. Boost CX with Policy 3.

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A Holistic Approach to Policy and Charging The modern network demands a holistic approach to the PCRF — one that integrates policy and charging systems to help unlock innovative new revenue streams. Case Studies. Amara Communications Co. ACS raced ahead of competitors to offer a sophisticated digital experience, including on-the-fly offers, targeted promotions, and personalized plans.

Therefore, Service Provider must have some statistics that determine how and under what conditions subscribers and applications use network resources for formulation of the policies. The Policy Server manages policy rules between applications and policy enforcement points like access devices. It can easily add and re-configure policies to dynamically manage and control Quality of Service QoS , charging, quota, optimization and admission control.

A wide variety of interfaces make it easy to integrate the PCRF with any type of mobile or fixed broadband network. Since operators will be migrating from 2G to 3G to 4G networks in years to come, existing networks must operate concurrently with newer networks.

As subscribers travel between mobile networks, and also the fixed network, operators must be able to maintain session visibility. As a result, policy solutions must be able to dynamically control sessions per subscriber.

PCRF can provide a network agnostic solution wire line and wireless and can also enable multi-dimensional approach which helps in creating a lucrative and innovative platform for operators. PCRF can also be integrated with different platforms like billing, rating, charging, and subscriber database or can also be deployed as a standalone entity. It is a component that operates at the network core and accesses subscriber databases and other specialized functions, such as a charging system, in a centralized manner.

The PCRF has an increased strategic significance and broader potential role, than traditional policy engines, due. The PCRF is the part of the network architecture that aggregates information to and from the network, operational support system and other sources such as portals in real time, supporting the creation of rules and then automatically making policy decisions for each subscriber active on the network.

Such a network might offer multiple services, quality of services QoS levels, and charging rules. PCRF plays a key role in VoLTE as a mediator of network resources for the IP Multimedia Systems network for establishing the calls and allocating the requested bandwidth to the call bearer with configured attributes.

This enables an operator to offer differentiated voice services to their user s by charging a premium. Operators also have an opportunity to use PCRF for prioritizing the calls to emergency numbers in the next-gen networks. Dedicated policy equipment standardized in 3GPP that enables the policy function for bandwidth and charging on multimedia networks. The PCRF interfaces with the main packet gateway and takes charging enforcement decisions on its behalf.

The centralized device can act as a policy decision point PDP for the wireless operator and gets as granular as individual subscribers. For example, service providers can use PCRF to charge subscribers based on their volume of usage of high-bandwidth applications, charge extra for QoS guarantees, limit app usage while a user is roaming, or lower the bandwidth of wireless subscribers using heavy-bandwidth apps during peak usage times.

These elements provide carriers with the ability to differentiate services while maximizing revenue. Every carrier service has unique bandwidth requirements. Policy control within the PCRF and PCEF ensures that appropriate amounts of bandwidth are dynamically allocated to each service in real time, thus making the most efficient use of network resources. Prior to launching a new service like VoLTE, carriers need to test and validate their policy rules within the PCRF and PCEF to ensure the services are delivered with integrity and to ensure that there is sufficient capacity to provide the requested services.

Charging rules are very similar and also must be validated. A service provider may implement a multitude of charging rules for each service; and these rules may differ based on a variety of conditions, for example: Customer Service Level Agreement, time of day, or network conditions. In many developed telecom markets, voice revenue has gained a peak and has declining trends.

Messaging is expected to increase globally significantly in coming years. Data access is still a growth engine for operators and is helping in compensating the decline in voice and messaging revenues. In major markets, data demand is doubling each year, but margin pressure is intense. At present, expenditure incurred in building network capacity to handle the increasing load is more than the revenue earned by data access.

In view of above, operators need to plan new revenue streams. For implementation of this operators need a PCRF type entity in their telecom network. Existing telecom networks are not built with the DNA Dynamic Network Administration to foster innovation and respond quickly to dynamic markets to meet the demands of the subscribers. To reinvent themselves, operators need to redesign their legacy infrastructure into a highly evolved, completely software-defined network SDN — the thinking network.

The thinking network is analogous to the human body. The memory is the subscriber database. The language is the Diameter protocol, the central nervous system is the new product category of Diameter Signaling Controller DSC , and the brain is policy.

An important component in LTE network is the policy and charging control PCC function that brings together and enhances capabilities from earlier 3GPP releases to deliver dynamic control of policy and charging on a per subscriber and per IP flow basis. It also provides improved support for roaming. Dynamic control over QoS and charging will help operators monetize their LTE investment by providing customers with a variety of QoS and charging options when choosing a service.

The PCRF interfaces with the main packet gateway and takes charging enforcement decisions. The centralized device can act as a policy decision point PDP for the wireless operator and goes down to the individual subscribers. Service providers can use PCRF to facilitate for charging of subscribers based on their volume of usage of high-bandwidth applications and charging based on QoS guarantees, limit app usage while a user is roaming, or lower the bandwidth of wireless subscribers using heavy-bandwidth apps during peak usage times.

PCRF Server is carrier grade platform used to implement the convergent policy management, real-time policy decision solutions across core network domain and content application domain for the network service providers.

The rules engine operates on triggers, processes conditions, and then performs appropriate action s based on the conditions. The rules engine can be invoked based on any interface trigger. Policies can be developed quickly using Policy Rules wizard. The SPR should be deployed in networks to store subscriber profile information and inter-session state information e. The SPR should be deployed in a variety of configurations according to the customer needs and requirements e.

It is used for provisioning service data flow based on charging rules. PCRF Server is very flexible and can be configured to support any specific AVPs in the network element and accommodate customer specific scenarios. This interface allows online credit control for service data flow based charging.

The SPR shall stop sending the updated subscription information when a cancellation notification request has been received from the PCRF.

It is based in LDAP. The events can be changes on the existing user data, addition of user data, and so on. When a policy changes for a user or user group in AAA, administrators can send the Radius CoA packets from the AAA server to reinitialize authentication and apply the new policy. It can be integrated with various platforms like billing, charging, rating, subscriber database and can also be deployed as a standalone entity.

It is a dedicated policy equipment standardized in 3GPP, which enables policy function for charging and bandwidth on the multimedia networks. Policy and Charging Rules Function PCRF has an increased strategic significance and wider potential role than conventional policy engines. The operators deploy PCRF as a policy solution that considers actual usage scenarios of the user and combine it with charging and billing system while providing differentiated policy control and tariff packages.

It implements flexible policy control for mobile, fixed-line, and IP multimedia subsystem IMS services. Being an important part of IMS architecture, PCRF integrates avalanche of information to and from various multimedia networks like portals, operational support system, and charge rules while automatically creating policy decisions for each active network subscriber.

It arrives pre-integrated in an IT server and works across wireless networks. Interfacing with the main packet gateway, PCRF takes charging enforcement decision on its behalf. The centralized device can serve as a Policy Decision Point PDP for the mobile operator and can get as granular as an individual subscriber.

It functions on triggers, processes conditions and then executes proper actions based on the conditions. The rules engine can be evoked based on any interface trigger. Policies can be developed rapidly using Policy Rules wizard. In order to store subscriber profile information and intersession state information e.

It should be implemented in a range of configurations according to the customer requirements. Service providers use PCRF for automatic creation of policy and charging rules for subscribers. It becomes an important element in SPIT where it interfaces with the main packet gateway and takes charging-related decisions.

For an example, using PCRF, service providers charge subscribers extra for quality guaranteed servicesor volume of usage of high-bandwidth applications during peak and off peak time sessions. With its multi-dimensional approach, PCRF is a software component and operates in real-time to take policy decision and charge rules in a network.

Its internal units work in load sharing mode which avoids single point failure and ensure reliable performance. The policy and charging solutions provided by PCRF enables service providers to efficiently manage their differentiated services and pricing models. With its flexible interface extension capability, it helps service providers launch a new service rapidly. PCRF provides a framework that can implement and control wide range of policies that address subscriber location, address usage, roaming status, rating, subscriber class, and access network type.

Being a single, consolidated database across multiple applications, pre-integrated platform gives a centralized view of the customer and the service. Thereby, PCRF provides unprecedented flexibility in rolling out and manage services at much faster pace.

PCRF enables service providers and operators with highest level of flexibility required to innovate in the era of next generation data services.