JP2014110493A - Network selection system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve network control according to a request of a content provider.SOLUTION: The present invention has a policy server and a user terminal. The policy server has: a static policy information DB which holds static policy information that a carrier has set beforehand; a dynamic policy information DB which holds dynamic policy information; and policy control means which controls static policy information and dynamic policy information and transmits the static policy information to the user terminal. The user terminal has: static policy information storage means which holds the static policy information that is acquired from the policy server; user setting information storage means which stores user setting information including priority in line selection that the user has set; line selection means which selects a line from available lines on the basis of a static policy of the static policy information storage means and the user setting information; and communication control means which switches a line to the one that is selected by the line selection means.

Description

  The present invention relates to a network selection system and method, and more particularly to a network selection system and method for realizing new policy control in an FMC network.

  By setting the current SSID (Service Set Identifier) and password in advance and turning on / off Wi-Fi (Registered Trademark) radio waves, automatically when Wi-Fi (Registered Trademark) radio waves are received, There is an application for switching a network to Wi-Fi (registered trademark) (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1). Since this technology only performs network switching control within the pre-registered setting range, for example, it switches to Wi-Fi (registered trademark) with poor communication quality, and the quality deteriorates compared to the line before switching Problems may occur. Also, there are services that can only be used by 3G / LTE (Long Term Evolution), such as services provided by carriers. From the above, instead of simply switching the line when receiving Wi-Fi (registered trademark), more advanced network selection using policy information etc. between 3G / LTE and Wi-Fi (registered trademark) is required It is thought that.

  As a conventional technique for seamlessly switching lines using policy information, there is ANDSF (Access Network Discovery and Selection Function) studied by 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 2). This operates as a Client-Server type with a user terminal (UE) as a client. By acquiring UE location information (connected base station, SSID, etc.) and controlling it according to policy information preset on the server side, Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and WiMAX (World Wide Interoperability for Microwave Access ) ・ You can select the best network from 3G and connect it. However, this technology can only be controlled by policies tied to the location of the terminal, and these policies reflect only the desires of the carrier. For this reason, client-type connection control based on a user cannot be performed, and control based on a third party such as a content provider cannot be performed. Furthermore, for example, when performing content-specific control for services such as YouTube (registered trademark) where content is increasing day by day, it is difficult to realize in a form that holds policy information in advance such as ANDSF. .

"docomo Wi-Fi Easy Connection App" http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/service/data/docomo_wifi/easy_connect/ "Architecture enhancements for non-3GPP access," 3GPP TS 23.402, http://www.3gpp.org/ftp/Specs/html-info/23402.htm

  Currently, there is no policy control technology capable of seamless line selection from the standpoint of a user, a network operator (carrier), and a content operator. Therefore, for example, it reflects the policy of content providers that VoD (Video on Demand) providers want to provide high-quality video and want to send only over LTE or fixed line (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)). Line selection is not possible. In addition, it is considered difficult to perform control for each content in a form in which information is previously stored in a server like ANDSF.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and transmits content by converting to an optimal video quality for each line, or transmits only content published in a certain period using a high-quality line. It is an object of the present invention to provide a network selection system and method that enables network control according to the demands of content providers.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention (Claim 1) is a network selection system for selecting a line used by a user terminal based on policy information,
User terminal, policy server, content provider device, network status monitoring device,
The policy server
A static policy information database that holds static policy information set in advance by the carrier;
A dynamic policy information database that holds dynamic policy information received from any one of the Internet service provider, the network state monitoring device, the user terminal, and the content provider device;
Policy control means for controlling the static policy information and the dynamic policy information, and for transmitting the static policy information to the user terminal based on a request of the user terminal;
Have
The user terminal is
Communication means for communicating with the policy server;
Communication monitoring means for monitoring communication of other applications;
Static policy information storage means for holding the static policy information acquired from the policy server;
User setting information storage means for storing user setting information including the priority of line selection set by the user;
Line selection means for selecting a line from among the available lines based on the static policy in the static policy information storage means and the user setting information;
Communication control means for switching to the line selected by the line selection means.

The present invention (Claim 2) provides the policy control means,
When there is no request from the user terminal, a means for transmitting the static policy acquired from the device on the network to the user terminal is included.

Further, the present invention (Claim 3) provides the line selection means of the user terminal,
Means for selecting a line that can be used in order from the higher-order line in the first priority list generated based on the static policy in the static policy information storage means and the line list that can be used by the user terminal;

In the present invention (Claim 4), in the line selection means,
Means for selecting an available line in order from an upper line in the second priority list based on the dynamic policy received from the policy server;

Further, the present invention (Claim 5) provides the line selection means,
Means for selecting a line based on the first priority list, the second priority list, and user setting information in the user setting information storage means;

The present invention (Claim 6) provides the policy control means of the policy server,
Upon receiving a dynamic policy registration request received from the content provider device, means for registering the dynamic policy in the dynamic policy information database;
Means for generating a line priority list based on the dynamic policy information in the dynamic policy information database and the static policy information in the static policy information database and transmitting the line priority list to the user terminal;

The present invention (Claim 7) provides the policy control means of the policy server,
Obtaining a switchable line list from the user terminal, inquiring the network status to the network status monitoring device, and registering the obtained network status information in the dynamic policy information database;
Means for updating a priority list of the line based on the network status information of the dynamic policy information database.

  As described above, since the present invention realizes network control for seamless line selection based on policy information, from the standpoint of each of the three parties of users, carriers, and content providers that could not be realized by conventional policy control. Seamless line selection can be performed, and as an example, network control reflecting the demands of content providers and seamless line selection for each content can be performed.

It is an example of the network structure in one embodiment of this invention. It is a structure of the user terminal in one embodiment of this invention. It is a structure of the policy server in one embodiment of this invention. It is an example of a user's line contract information table in an embodiment of the present invention. It is an example of the user information table in one embodiment of this invention. It is an example of the user attribute table in one embodiment of this invention. It is an example of the network information table in one embodiment of this invention. It is an example of the communication speed table in one embodiment of this invention. It is an example of the charge table in one embodiment of this invention. It is an example of the priority network table of the carrier definition in one embodiment of this invention. It is an example of the list | wrist of the service which was not able to be used with the specific network in one embodiment of this invention. It is an example of the network detail table in one embodiment of this invention. It is an example of the recommended line list for every service in one embodiment of this invention. It is an example of the line selection operation | movement by a static policy using only the line information in one embodiment of this invention. It is an example of the line selection operation | movement by the static policy in the service classification in one embodiment of this invention. It is an example of the line | wire operation | movement by the dynamic policy in the content unit in one embodiment of this invention. It is an example of the line selection operation | movement which considered the state of the core network in one embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, an outline of the present invention will be described.

  The present invention realizes network control for seamless line selection based on policy information. The policy information is composed of dynamic policy information that can be added as appropriate for each content and access, in addition to the static policy information preset by the carrier. These policy information can be added or used by the content provider, carrier, and user, but from the viewpoint of security, for example, when the carrier information is used by the user, it is converted into a priority list in the policy server, It is provided to the user in a form where the original position is unknown. According to the present invention, a network according to the demand of a content provider, such as converting content to an optimal video quality for each line and transmitting content or transmitting only content published in a certain period using a high-quality line. Control can be realized.

  FIG. 1 shows an example of a network configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The user terminal 1 has a communication function with the policy server 2, a line selection function based on information from the policy server 2, a function for monitoring communication of other applications, etc. However, it can be implemented in various forms such as OS and hardware).

  The policy server 2 is connected to a content provider 3, a network state monitoring device (monitoring the state of a core network such as a fixed network and a mobile network) 4, and a user terminal 1. In FIG. 1, the mobile network 5 and the fixed network 6 are carrier networks, but may be either a case where an ISP (Internet Services Provider) is included or a case where the ISP is not included. In FIG. 1, the policy server 2 is described as existing in a place independent of the Internet 7, ISP, core network, etc., but in reality, on the Internet, on the ISP, mobile / fixed network It may exist anywhere such as the core network. Further, the number of access networks (WiMAX, 3G / LTE, public Wi-Fi (registered trademark)) is not necessarily three as shown in the figure, and the number of connection source core networks may not be three.

  FIG. 2 shows a configuration of a user terminal in an embodiment of the present invention.

  The user terminal 1 performs line switching based on information in the static policy information DB 11 that holds static policy information sent from the policy server 2, the user setting information DB 12 that holds information set by the user, and these databases 11 and 12. A line selection unit 13 that performs determination and the like, and a priority list storage unit 17 that stores a priority list generated by the user terminal 1 or a priority list acquired from the policy server 2 are provided. In addition, a communication monitoring unit 15 that monitors a packet transmitted from an application of another service using the tap 14 is provided, and the communication is controlled in cooperation with the line selection function unit 13. These functions can be implemented in various forms such as an application, an OS, and hardware.

  FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the policy server in one embodiment of the present invention.

  It is sent to the policy server 2 from the static policy information storage unit 20 for holding static policy information preset by the carrier, the content provider device 3, the ISP, the network state monitoring device 4, and the user terminal 1. There is a dynamic policy information storage unit 30 having a policy information DB 27 for each content that holds dynamic policy information. Also, a policy decision algorithm that prioritizes lines from two types of policies, static and dynamic, and lists them in order from the top (hereinafter, this process is referred to as “creating a priority list”). There is a policy control unit 28 having As an example of the static policy stored in the static policy information storage unit 20, in addition to the user's line contract information table 21, the network information table 22, the carrier-defined network and the priority table 23, it is used only in a specific network. There are information such as a list 24 of services that cannot be performed (for example, carrier service) and a recommended line list (Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or LTE for streaming) 25 for each service that can be arbitrarily set by the carrier, operator, or user. Further, as an example of the dynamic policy information stored in the dynamic policy information storage unit 30, policy information for each content (in the example described later, as a specific example of this content, the moving image A has a communication speed of 10 Mbps or more. In the case of VPN (Virtual Private Network), any information can be moved, such as setting a policy for QoS (Quality of Service). Can be retained as a static policy. In FIG. 3, the signal flow when the content provider wants to perform dynamic policy control for the user is shown. However, the policy is applied to all patterns from the user to the content provider and from the content provider to the content provider. Applicable.

  Next, the configuration of each table held by the policy server 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 4 is an example of a user's line contract information table.

  The user's line contract information table 21 corresponds to user information that uniquely identifies a user, user attributes that represent attributes such as the user's age, carrier information that the user wants to use preferentially, and contract lines that indicate the user's contract line It holds the relationship.

  The user information is configured by the user information table 211 in FIG. 5 and holds, for example, part or all of information such as a user name, a telephone number, and a SIM (Subscriber Identity) serial number. Further, the user attributes are configured by the user attribute table 212 of FIG. 6, and a part or all of information such as age and sex is held.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of the network information table 213. The network information table 213 includes network names that are list information of networks linked to carriers such as UQ WiMAX (registered trademark), au Wi-Fi SPOT (registered trademark), Xi (registered trademark), and communication speed of each network. Information on fees, mobility, etc. is retained. Further, each item such as the communication speed and the charge is held by being divided into more detailed items like the communication speed table 214 in FIG. 8 and the charge table 215 in FIG. In FIG. 7, when the user has contracted with a plurality of carriers at the same time, the carrier registered in the carrier information that the user wants to use preferentially in FIG. 4 is prioritized.

  FIG. 10 shows the configuration of the carrier definition priority network table 23. The carrier-defined priority network table 23 holds carrier names and networks that the carrier wants to use preferentially from the first place to an arbitrary order. These priorities can be changed by the carrier in view of the network usage status (although it does not change as often as the dynamic policy, it is not completely fixed).

  FIG. 11 shows the structure of a list 24 of services that cannot be used in a specific network. The service name and the network name that the service can use are held. A table that holds detailed information of each network is the network detail table 241 in FIG. The network details table 241 includes information for authenticating and identifying the network of FIG. 11 such as SSID, password, and network ID.

  FIG. 13 shows the configuration of the recommended line list 25 for each service set by the carrier. In the recommended line list 25 for each service, service names and networks recommended for use of the service are held from the first rank to an arbitrary rank.

  An example of policy control in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 14, FIG. 15, FIG. 16, and FIG.

Case 0 <Line selection operation based on static policy using only line information>
In the policy server 2, some information is held in advance as a static policy.

  The communication control unit 10 included in the user terminal 1 communicates with the policy server 2, periodically downloads a static policy, and holds it in the static policy information DB 11 through the line selection function unit 13. Thereafter, the line selection function unit 13 selects a line based on the static policy information and the user setting information in the user setting information DB 12.

  FIG. 14 shows an example of control when a user who has the terminal 1 having each function shown in FIG. 2 and is communicating using a 3G line moves to a contracted Wi-Fi (registered trademark) spot. It explains using. Here, it is assumed that there are two user contract lines, Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and 3G.

  Step 1) The line selection function unit 13 in the user terminal 1 periodically sends a request for static policy information to the policy server 2.

  Step 2) The policy server 2 receives the request from the user terminal 1 by the communication control unit 29, and acquires the static policy information from the static policy information storage unit 20 through the policy control function unit 28. Thereafter, the policy control function unit 28 transmits the static policy information from the communication control unit 29 to the user terminal 1.

  Step 3) The user terminal 3 receives the static policy information and stores it in the static policy information DB 11.

  Note that the above steps 1 to 3 can be omitted by transmitting a static policy to the user terminal 1 in advance.

  Step 4) When the communication control unit 15 of the user terminal 1 detects a plurality of radio waves, the available line is examined by line contract information or access point search.

  Step 5) The line selection function unit 13 of the user terminal 1 selects a line from the available lines based on the static policy information downloaded to the static policy DB 11. At this time, which information such as communication speed, line charge, mobility, etc. is used to set the priority for the line (whether to create a priority list) can be set according to the user's preference. For example, setting within the options of the dedicated application and holding the information in the user setting information DB 12 enables line selection by combining the user setting information and the static policy information. The created priority list is stored in the priority list storage unit 17.

  Step 6) The line selection function unit 13 switches to the selected line through the communication control unit 10.

Case 1 <Line selection operation by static policy for each service type>
FIG. 15 shows an example of the operation when an appropriate line is selected according to the service type of the content when a request is received from the user. Here, an example of control when a user who has the user terminal 1 having each function shown in FIG. 2 and is using a 3G service (communicating via a 3G line) sees a new video will be described. Here, it is assumed that the user's contracted line exists in two Wi-Fi (registered trademark) spots, Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and LTE / 3G.

  An example of the operation is shown below.

  Step 10) The line selection function unit 13 in the user terminal 1 periodically sends a request to the policy server 2 to download the static policy information from the policy server 2.

  Step 11) The user sends a request for video A.

  Step 12) The communication monitoring unit 15 in the user terminal 1 detects a video request and notifies the line selection function unit 13 of the request. At this time, the service type such as a moving image is determined by referring to information such as a request destination URL or a transmission source application, for example. Further, the line control function unit 13 buffers the request packet before it is transmitted outside the user terminal 1.

  Step 13) The line selection function unit 13 creates a priority list for line selection based on the static policy information downloaded to the static policy information DB 11. In this case, using the information of the recommended line list 25 for each service shown in FIG. 13 stored in the static policy information DB 11, if the service is a video, Wi-Fi (registered trademark) is the best recommendation. , LTE is recommended second, and WiMAX (registered trademark) is recommended third. From this, a priority list of first rank Wi-Fi (registered trademark), second rank LTE, and third rank WiMAX (registered trademark) is created and stored in the priority list storage unit 17.

  Step 14) Based on line contract information, access point search, etc., the user terminal 1 uses a list of lines that can be used by the user terminal 1 (contract line, switchable line, communication speed / wave strength of the switching destination line, used terminal, Position information) is acquired, it is checked whether it can be used in order from the higher-order line in the priority list of the priority list storage unit 17, and a switching process is performed by the line selection function unit 13. In this case, it tries to switch to Wi-Fi (registered trademark), and if it fails, it continues to LTE of the second place.

  Step 15) After the switching process, the line selection function unit 13 sends out a packet of the request for video A that was buffered.

  Step 16) The transmission of the video A from the content provider device 3 is started.

  Here, when it is not possible to change to the line of the priority list due to a problem of radio field strength, the policy server 2 transmits the request to the video A as it is with the original 3G line, and communicates with the 3G line. To the content provider device 3 via the policy server 2 so as to send a video with a reduced image quality for 3G. In step 12, the priority list is created using the recommended line list for each service (FIG. 13). However, for example, from the information such as the communication speed, line price, and mobility shown in FIG. After comparing the lines and creating a plurality of priority lists, it is possible to select which priority list is used according to the user's preference. For example, if the line selection function unit 13 is an application format, the user can specify in the option.

Case 2 <Line selection operation based on dynamic policy for each content>
When performing policy control reflecting a request from a content provider, the content provider device 3 requests policy control to be applied to the policy server 2, and the policy server 2 stores static information stored in the static policy information storage unit 20. And a policy acquired from the content provider device 3 are associated with each other to create a priority list that satisfies the request of the content provider and transmit it to the user terminal 1. The line selection function unit 13 in the user terminal 1 stores the priority list acquired from the policy server 2 in the priority list storage unit 17, determines the line selection using the priority list, and selects an appropriate line. Is completed, the content provider device 3 starts transmitting content. Here, the policy used by the content provider device 3 can be used by the content provider device 3 specifying the policy in addition to static policy information registered in advance. For example, it is possible to specify that only specific content is to be sent over a line of 10 Mbps or higher. The above shows the case where the policy control reflecting the request of the content provider is performed, but the policy control reflecting the request of the user and the carrier as dynamic policy information is also possible.

  As an example, an example of an operation when a content provider wants a specific moving image A to be viewed with high quality and the user wants to provide the user only with a network having a communication speed of 10 Mbps or higher will be described with reference to FIG.

  As in the case 1 described above, the user has the user terminal 1 having each function shown in FIG. 2 and is using the 3G service (communication via the 3G line), and is about to start watching a new video. It is assumed that the user's contracted line is Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and LTE / 3G, and is located in the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) spot.

  Step 21) The user makes a viewing request for the video A provided by the content provider.

  Step 22) The content provider device 3 requests the policy server 2 for static policy information.

  Step 23) The policy server 2 provides the static policy information to the content provider device 3 as a response to the request.

  Here, step 22 and step 23 can be omitted by sending a static policy to the content provider apparatus 3 in advance.

  Step 24) The content provider device 3 refers to the provided static policy information, and if there is a policy to be applied, performs policy control using the static policy information. Here, the control is related to a specific video A, and the policy for each content is not included in the static policy information, so the content provider device 3 uses the dynamic policy information about the video A (video A is 10 Mbps). (Provided above) is temporarily registered in the policy server 2.

  Step 25) When the policy server 2 receives new dynamic policy information from the content provider device 3 by the communication control unit 29, the policy server 2 registers it in the policy information DB 27 of the content of the dynamic policy information. The policy control function unit 28 calculates a line priority list based on the dynamic policy and static policy information held in advance. Here, for example, from the information in FIG. 7, there are three lines that are likely to be output at 10 Mbps or higher, such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark), LTE, and WiMAX (registered trademark). From the information, the user's contracted line includes Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and LTE. In addition, from the carrier definition in the carrier definition priority network table 23 of FIG. 10, from the information that Wi-Fi has priority over LTE, a list of 1st Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and 10 Mbps or higher, 2nd LTE and 10 Mbps or higher. become. If the user is unable to use LTE, the list is only No. 1 Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and 10 Mbps.

  Step 26) The priority list created together with the policy control request is transmitted from the policy server 2 to the line selection function unit 13 of the user terminal 1.

  Step 27) The line selection function unit 13 in the user terminal 1 stores the priority list in the priority list storage unit 17, and through a search for an access point or the like, a line list (contract line, switching) available to the user terminal 1 Acquire available communication line, communication speed / radio field strength, terminal used, and location information).

  Step 28) Next, the line selection function unit 13 of the user terminal 1 responds to the request from the content provider based on the information such as the switchable line and the priority list stored in the priority list storage unit 17. Determine if it is possible. In this case, the user can respond to the request of the content provider as follows.

  a) Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or LTE available to users exists and can communicate at 10Mbps or higher. When the user can use either network, 3G is switched to Wi-Fi (registered trademark) based on the priority list received from the policy server 2. At this time, if the communication speed of Wi-Fi (registered trademark) acquired by the user terminal 1 is less than 10 Mbps and LTE is 10 Mbps or more, Wi-Fi (registered trademark) is higher in the priority list, but LTE is Selected as a switching destination.

  In addition, there are the following two cases where the user cannot respond to the request of the content provider.

  b) When neither Wi-Fi (registered trademark) nor LTE is available.

  c) When both or one of the networks is available but cannot communicate at 10Mbps or higher.

  Step 29) The user terminal 1 notifies the policy server 2 of the result of line selection.

  Step 30) The policy server 2 notifies the content provider device 3 of the response result from the user terminal 1.

  Step 31) If the notified information is as requested, the content provider device 3 starts transmitting content to the user.

  Here, in step 26, whether or not the user terminal 1 is actually connected to an available network is checked to see if it exceeds 10 Mbps (that is, the communication speed in the wireless section is checked). It is also possible to select a line from the state. An example of the operation at this time will be described with reference to FIG. Here, it is described as a continuation from step 28 in FIG.

  Step 49) The switchable line list is notified from the user terminal 1 to the policy server 2.

  Step 50) The policy server 2 requests the network state information of the switchable line from the network state monitoring device 4.

  Step 51) The network state monitoring device 4 acquires the congestion status etc. for the requested line. Here, it is assumed that the line notified from the user terminal 1 is Wi-Fi (registered trademark), LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi (registered trademark) is 5 Mbps, LTE is 10 Mbps, and 3G is 1 Mbps. As a method for acquiring the congestion status, for example, since the carrier usually monitors the traffic volume, the information can be obtained by referring to the information of the carrier database or by inquiring PCRF, RACS, etc. It is conceivable to acquire it.

  Step 52) The network state monitoring device 4 notifies the policy server 2 of the requested network state information as a dynamic policy.

  Step 53) The policy server 2 registers the network state information in the database (policy information DB 27 for each content) of the dynamic policy information storage unit 30, and this information and the priority list (first place) created in Step 25 of FIG. The priority list is updated from Wi-Fi (registered trademark) and 10 Mbps or higher, second-ranked LTE and 10 Mbps or higher to the first-ranked LTE and the second-ranked Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

  Step 54) The policy server 2 transmits the updated priority list to the user terminal 1.

  Step 55) The user terminal 1 selects a line based on the updated priority list in the priority list storage unit 17.

  Step 56) The user terminal 1 notifies the policy server 2 of the line selection result.

  Thereafter, the operation is the same as in step 30 of FIG.

  As an example of the usage scenes of FIGS. 16 and 17, when the performance of the user terminal 1 is low and it is difficult to process all of the user terminal 1, the line selection control is performed by the policy server 2 using the procedure of FIG. 17. If the processing load is large and it is not desirable that the policy server 2 performs all of the processing, it is possible to properly use the user terminal 1 to make a line selection decision.

  16 and 17, when the policy request desired by the content provider cannot be satisfied, it is possible to ask the content provider whether or not transmission may be performed with the image quality deteriorated on the network. is there. Further, as in case 1, in step 25 of FIG. 16, a plurality of priority lists for lines are calculated from information such as communication speed, line price, mobility, etc., and the priority list to be used is selected according to user preference. can do.

  As described above, the present invention meets the request by matching the dynamic control request from each device of the user, the carrier company, and the content company with the static policy information of the policy server. Create a line priority list. A combination of this priority list and the line list that can be used by the user terminal 1 acquired by the user terminal 1 is used to determine line selection, thereby realizing seamless line selection reflecting the above three policies. .

  The operation of each component of the user terminal shown in FIG. 2 and the policy server shown in FIG. 3 is constructed as a program, and installed and executed on the user terminal, the terminal used as the policy server, or the computer, or It is possible to distribute through a network.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications are possible within the scope of the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 User terminal 2 Policy server 3 Content provider apparatus 4 Network state monitoring apparatus 5 Mobile network 6 Fixed network 7 Internet 10 Communication control part 11 Static policy information DB
12 User setting information DB
13 Line Selection Function Unit 14 Tap 15 Communication Monitoring Unit 16 Other Service Application 17 Priority List Storage Unit 20 Static Policy Storage Unit 21 User Line Contract Information Table 22 Network Information Table 23 Carrier-defined Priority Network Table 24 Specific Network List of services that can only be used in the service 25 Recommended line list of services 27 Policy information DB for each content
28 Policy control function unit 29 Communication control unit 30 Dynamic policy information storage unit

Claims (14)

A network selection system for selecting a line used by a user terminal based on policy information,
User terminal, policy server, content provider device, network status monitoring device,
The policy server
A static policy information database that holds static policy information set in advance by the carrier;
A dynamic policy information database that holds dynamic policy information received from any one of the Internet service provider, the network state monitoring device, the user terminal, and the content provider device;
Policy control means for controlling the static policy information and the dynamic policy information, and for transmitting the static policy information to the user terminal based on a request of the user terminal;
Have
The user terminal is
Communication means for communicating with the policy server;
Communication monitoring means for monitoring communication of other applications;
Static policy information storage means for holding the static policy information acquired from the policy server;
User setting information storage means for storing user setting information including the priority of line selection set by the user;
Line selection means for selecting a line from among the available lines based on the static policy in the static policy information storage means and the user setting information;
Communication control means for switching to the line selected by the line selection means;
A network selection system comprising: The policy control means includes
The network selection system according to claim 1, further comprising means for transmitting, to the user terminal, a static policy acquired from a device on the network when there is no request from the user terminal. The line selection means of the user terminal is
And a means for selecting a line that can be used in order from a higher-order line in the first priority list generated based on the static policy in the static policy information storage means and a line list that can be used by the user terminal. Item 4. The network selection system according to Item 1. The line selection means includes
2. The network selection system according to claim 1, further comprising means for selecting an available line in order from an upper line in the second priority list based on the dynamic policy received from the policy server. The line selection means includes
5. The network selection system according to claim 3, further comprising means for selecting a line based on the first priority list, the second priority list, and user setting information in the user setting information storage means. The policy control means of the policy server is:
Upon receiving a dynamic policy registration request received from the content provider device, means for registering the dynamic policy in the dynamic policy information database;
And a means for generating a line priority list based on the dynamic policy information in the dynamic policy information database and the static policy information in the static policy information database and transmitting the line priority list to the user terminal. The network selection system according to 1. The policy control means of the policy server is:
Obtaining a switchable line list from the user terminal, inquiring the network status to the network status monitoring device, and registering the obtained network status information in the dynamic policy information database;
Means for updating a priority list of the line based on the network state information of the dynamic policy information database;
The network selection system according to claim 6 comprising: A network selection method for selecting a line used by a user terminal based on policy information,
In a system having a user terminal, a policy server, a content provider device, and a network state monitoring device,
The policy server is
A static policy information database that holds static policy information set in advance by the carrier, and dynamic policy information received from any of the Internet connection provider, the network state monitoring device, the user terminal, and the content provider device A dynamic policy information database and policy control means,
The policy control means controls the static policy information and the dynamic policy information, and performs a policy control step of transmitting the static policy information to the user terminal based on a request from the user terminal.
The user terminal is
A communication means for communicating with the policy server; a communication monitoring means for monitoring communication of other applications; a static policy information storage means for holding the static policy information acquired from the policy server; and a user User setting information storage means for storing user setting information including the priority of line selection set by the line, a line selection means, and a communication control means,
A line selection step in which the line selection means performs line selection from among available lines based on the static policy in the static policy information storage means and the user setting information;
A communication control step in which the communication control means switches to the line selected in the line selection step;
The network selection method characterized by performing. In the policy control step,
The network selection method according to claim 8, wherein when there is no request from the user terminal, a static policy acquired from a device on the network is transmitted to the user terminal. In the line selection step,
The user terminal selects lines that can be used in order from the upper line of the first priority list generated based on the static policy in the static policy information storage unit and the line list that can be used by the user terminal. The network selection method according to claim 8. In the line selection step,
9. The network selection method according to claim 8, wherein usable lines are selected in order from the upper line in the second priority list based on the dynamic policy received from the policy server. In the line selection step,
The network selection method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein a line is selected based on the first priority list, the second priority list, and user setting information in the user setting information storage means. In the policy control step,
When the policy server receives a dynamic policy registration request received from the content provider device, the dynamic server registers the dynamic policy in the dynamic policy information database;
And generating a line priority list based on the dynamic policy information in the dynamic policy information database and the static policy information in the static policy information database, and transmitting the list to the user terminal. 9. The network selection method according to 8. In the policy control step,
When acquiring a switchable line list from the user terminal, inquires about the network status to the network status monitoring device, registers the obtained network status information in the dynamic policy information database,
Updating the priority list of the line based on the network state information of the dynamic policy information database;
The network selection method according to claim 13.

Images