NEF

Network Exposure Services & Use Cases

 1.Traffic Influence
Example use case for AF Influence on traffic routing

1. UE has a session anchored in a central UPF.

2. AF sends a request to SMF via (NEF/PCF) including:
- Traffic Descriptor
- App Location (DNAI-Data Network Access Identifier)
- N6 Routing Info (Between UPF and Internet)
3. SMF establishes local UP(User plane) and configure tunnels.
MEC 4. User plane is switched. Application traffic is broken out

• Traffic Influence is the ability of an Application Function to influence UPF (re)selection and traffic routing directly via the
Policy Control Function (PCF) or indirectly via the Network Exposure Function (NEF). Traffic Influence service facilitates the
deployment of UPF that provides the most optimum UP path between the UE and ‘critical’ applications deployed at the EDGE
of the network. (MEC)

• An AF may send requests to influence SMF routing decisions for traffic of PDU Session. The AF requests may influence UPF
(re)selection and allow routing user traffic to a local access to a Data Network. (identified by a DNAI)
 2.PFD (Packet Flow Description) Management
• PFD (Packet Flow Description) is a set of information enabling the detection of application traffic provided by a 3rd party service
provider. In simplest form, PFD consists of PFD id, 3-tuple including protocol, server side IP address and port number. (Also this can
be URL, Hostname, Domain name, etc.) So for example, An IoT platform handling certain corporate may need to add a new PFD
allowing sensors (traffic) to pass to a new Server. So PFD Installed might be <PFD-id>, <Server-ip-address>, <protocol>, and <port-
number>.

• In a nutshell, PFDF enables 3rd party AF to provision/modify/remove PFDs via the NEF into the MNO (Mobile Network Operator)
network. The PFDs are then provided to the SMF and UPFs for use in the actual traffic detection process. PFD management is thus a
mix of non-Session Management and Session Management related policy.

• PFDF is a function within NEF. It is a repository which

stores Packet Flow Descriptions (PFDs) that can be
managed, i.e. added, updated, or removed, by the AF (can
be 3rd party AS) via the NEF. PFDF allows the AF to
provision PFD(s) and may store and retrieve PFD(s) in the
UDR. The NEF further provisions PFD(s) to the SMF.

• The PFD Function in the NEF shall provide PFD(s) to the

SMF on the request of SMF (pull mode) or on the request
of PFD management from NEF (push mode).
 3.Event Exposure
• Event exposure is intended for monitoring of specific
events in 3GPP system and making such monitoring
events information reported via the NEF.

• It allows external applications to monitor some of the

network events associated with a specific mobile
device, for example if the device is reachable, what the
location is, and if it is roaming or not. The NEF
retrieves this information from the UDM and the AMF.
 4.ECR(Enhanced Coverage Restriction) Slide-1

What is EC? (Enhanced Coverage)

• Enhanced coverage is the result of the introduction of two new coverage-enhancement modes referred to as CE(Coverage
Enhancement) modes A and B. The enhanced coverage is expected to be needed by some MTC/IoT devices with challenging
coverage conditions, for example water/gas/electricity metering devices installed in basements, indoor sensors, sensors
shielded in moving vehicles) with support of both stationary devices and moving devices (speed up to 50kmh.)

• The coverage enhancement is mainly achieved through repetition techniques. In ordinary 4G/5G operations, each transmission
spans just 1 millisecond, but in the CE (Coverage Enhancement) modes each transmission can be repeated tens, hundreds or
even thousands of times to improve the chances of successful transmission. CE mode A is optimized for moderate coverage
enhancement, whereas CE mode B provides extremely deep coverage.
 4.ECR(Enhanced Coverage Restriction) Slide-2

• The usage of Enhanced Coverage may require use of extensive

resources (for example radio and signaling resources) from the
network. ECR feature enables the operator to prevent specific
subscribers from using Enhanced Coverage.

• The Enhanced Coverage Restricted parameter is introduced as part

of the subscription data in the UDM/HSS that specifies per PLMN
whether the enhanced coverage functionality is restricted or not
for the UE.

What is ECR? (Enhanced Coverage Restriction)

• The AF can use this API to check if Enhanced Coverage Restriction is enabled for a UE and to disable or enable this feature.

• The SCS/AS service provider and network operator may have an agreement whereby the service provider is charged extra
for coverage enhancements. The service provider can use this API to turn on the feature only for devices that need to be
reached immediately.
 5.BDT Negotiation (Background Data Transfer Negotiation)
• The main use cases of BDT are non-time crıtıcal push services initiated by AF’s such as firmware, software upgrades, music/video
transfers.

• In the below scenario, NEF/SCEF will receive an API request from 3rd party for data transfer to the UE including the transfer window and
the volume of data expected to transfer. NEF/SCEF will handshake with PCF/PCRF that will determine a transfer offer including one or more
recommended time windows for the AS data transfer together with a maximum aggregated bit rate for the set of UEs and a charging rate.
The traffic is essentially transferred in the background.

• Briefly, when the Enterprise has bulk data for IoT devices to transfer, NEF can offer specific time windows with different billing options to
the Enterprise with above mentioned mechanism.

Example scenario for Background Data Transfer Negotiation

 6.Parameter Provision
• Provisioning allows external applications to provision information such as expected UE Some examples of provisioned parameters
behavior and service specific parameters into the system that would apply to selected
devices.

• The parameters defined for external provisioning relates to expected device mobility
patterns. This can be used by the AMF to instruct the radio network how to tune
certain settings, including how to minimize state changes for the devices, to optimize
the overall network signaling capacity. The Enterprise can inform the Operator of
patterns of a UE, so the Operator can better tune the network. For example, particular
UEs might always be fixed instead of mobile.

• The AF can use this API to tell the 3GPP Network the maximum acceptable delay
between the UE’s reachability occasions and how long the UE needs to be available for
mobile terminated data after it becomes reachable. The network can use this
information to configure the UE’s DRX cycles, Power Saving Mode, and Tracking Area
Update timer. This API can also be used to tell the network how many downlink packets
the network should buffer for the UE when it is sleeping.
 7.NIDD(Non-IP Data Delivery) Slide-1
• What is NIDD?
 3GPP has embraced several LPWA (Low Power Wide Access) technologies, such as NB-IoT, CAT-M1, and so on, to address the requirements
of low power and long battery life. The power-hungry protocol for establishing IP data bearers has been replaced by extending the NAS
protocol to allow small amounts of data to be transferred over the control plane. The IP stack is not necessary, hence, this type of data
transfer is referred to as NIDD (Non-IP Data Delivery).

 Some IoT devices are characterized by the fact that they only send and receive small data packets. The data packets could be so small that,
when sent over an IP based protocol, the protocol overhead may far outweigh the actual data being exchanged. The NEF/SCEF exposes
APIs that allow the AF to exchange data with the UE via two different control plane based data delivery methods, SMS and NAS-based
Non-IP Data Delivery (NIDD).

 You can request the provisining of the non-ip apn on your sim card. This can be done 'over the air' and will not require any physical
interactions
 7.NIDD(Non-IP Data Delivery) Slide-2
 NIDD is a new technology that enables users to transmit data to IoT devices without allocating an IP address. By not using an Internet protocol in transmission, the
risk of being subjected to a malicious attack targeting an IoT device is low, making it possible to build a highly secure network.

 Through the elimination of the data such as header information additionally required in conventional data communications, the electric power needed for
communication is reduced and, in addition to extending battery life, a broader area can be covered.

 Furthermore, by enabling connection on a closed network with IoT platforms provided by service providers and with external application servers, it is possible to
build a highly secure network from end to end.

 Nnef_NIDDConfiguration service is used for configuring necessary information for data delivery via the NIDD API.

 Nnef_NIDD service is used for NEF anchored MO and MT unstructured data transport.
 8.Chargeable Party(Sponsored Data)
• This service is simply changing the chargeable party during the session or at the time of session set-up. For
example, AF may request to be the chargeable entity during the session via an API request which will be
conveyed to PCF.

• It is based on Sponsored Data concept. Sponsored Data is a service that enables companies to sponsor the
data usage for specific content on behalf eligible customers. With Sponsored Data, customers can browse,
stream and enjoy content from our data sponsors without impacting their monthly data plan allowance.

• A Chargeable Party API allows the AF to inform the network that it will start or stop sponsoring a given traffic
flow.

Example Flow - Set the chargeable party at AF session set-up

• This feature allows the Enterprise to change the billing party of a session.

• For example, consider a UE playing an online game and deciding to purchase a

subscription from the gaming Enterprise. The Enterprise can use an API to
change the billing of the online game session so that the UE is not billed for the
remainder of the gameplay
 9.Device/Application Triggering
 IoT devices target applications with battery lifetimes on the order of 5-10 years. Sleep modes will be utilized in order to achieve long battery lifetimes.
So they rarely need to receive data but periodically send a heartbeat message to a server to indicate that the device is active and able to receive data.

 Rather than send heartbeat messages to the server, the UE can listen on an SMS Port or Non-IP PDN Connection for a short trigger, or wake up message,
requesting that the UE application contact the server.

 Since SMS messages are stored in the network when the recipient UE is sleeping, SMS triggers are particularly useful for initiating contact with UEs that
sleep for long stretches of time. The trigger would include a small amount of information, e.g., the URL that the UE should use as a destination.

 Trigger delivery is a two-step process. First, SCEF/NEF replies to the delivery request as to whether the request has been accepted by the SCEF/NEF. Later,
the AS receives a delivery receipt, either via a notification from SCEF/NEF or by polling SCEF/NEF.
 10.AF session with required QoS
• This service allows the Enterprise to request a different QoS for a particular AF session. The AF can use the Session QoS API
to indicate the desired level of QoS (e.g., jitter, latency, and priority) for a given IP traffic flow.

• Setting required QoS for a specific AS (application Server) Session will enable 3rd part AS to send API to NEF/SCEF requesting
specific QoS for a certain session. NEF/SCEF will be able to transfer the request to PCRF/PCF.

Setting up an AF session with required QoS procedure Example of QoS Policy Creator
 11.MSISDN-less MO SMS
What is MSISDN-less MO SMS?
• In 3GPP Release-12/13, M2M (Machine to Machine) HLR has a feature “MSISDN-less subscription”. This feature makes it possible to define
MSISDN-less M2M subscriptions in R12/13 HLR, meaning that this type of subscription may not have a valid MSISDN assigned to it. This
feature may potentially reduce the pressure on MSISDN number series assigned to the PLMN operators and to some extent the risk of
running into shortage of MSISDN numbers during large scale deployment of M2M services. The MSISDN sent to the network for a MSISDN-
less M2M subscription is the Network Application specific dummy MSISDN stored in M2M profile.

• In 3GPP Release 14, 3GPP added the capability for devices to originate SMS messages without having an MSISDN. The call flow for these
messages from device goes through SCEF/NEF.

• MSISDN-less MO_SMS service is used by the SCEF/NEF to send the MSISDN-less MO SMS to the AF.

• In current deployments, SMS is used to trigger attached devices

but in the early releases before the introduction of the external
identifier concept, this required an MSISDN allocated to each MTC
(Machine Type Communication) subscription. As MSISDNs are
limited in some regions (e.g. in the US and China) solutions need
to be found that do not need a require MSISDN per MTC user.
 12.Analytics Information Exposure (Network Status Reporting API)
NWDAF
What is NWDAF? (Network Data Analytics Function
• The NWDAF is responsible for providing network analysis information upon request
from network functions. For example, a network function may request specific analysis
information on the load level of a particular network slice.

• Alternatively, the network function can use the subscribe service to ensure that it is
notified by the NWDAF if the load level of a network slice changes or reaches a specific
threshold. Analytics information are either statistical information of the past events, or
predictive information.

Analytics request by AFs via NEF

Analytics Information Exposure
• The AF may subscribe to NWDAF via NEF in order to learn the UE mobility analytics
and/or UE Communication analytics for a UE or group of UEs.

• Also an NF that needs to collect data from an AF may subscribe/unsubscribe to

notifications regarding data collected from an AF, either directly from the AF or via NEF.
The data collected from an AF is used as input for analytics by the NWDAF.

• After receiving the request for network status notification from the AF, the NEF retrieves
user data congestion analytics information from NWDAF.

• Based on the user data congestion analytics information the NEF receives from the
NWDAF, the NEF derives and reports the network status for the geographical area or for
the UE as Network Status Result (NSR) to the AF. When reporting to the AF, the NSR shall
not include any 3GPP location information.
 13. UCMF(RACS) Provisioning
Structure of UE radio capability ID
UE Radio Capability Info: Information sent by the NG-RAN node and stored
in the AMF. The AMF sends this information to the NG-RAN node within the UE
context during transition to CM-CONNECTED state.

UCMF: The UCMF (UE radio Capability Management Function) is used for
storage of dictionary entries corresponding to either PLMN-assigned or
Manufacturer-assigned UE Radio Capability IDs.

An AMF may subscribe with the UCMF to obtain from the UCMF new values of
UE Radio Capability ID that the UCMF assigns for the purpose of caching them
locally

UCMF Provisioning service:

• Provisioning of Manufacturer-assigned UE Radio Capability ID from the AF.
(either directly or via the NEF)

• Resolving UE Radio Capabilities ID into UE radio access capability.

• Storage of UE radio access capability in the UMCF and assignment of

PLMN-assigned UE Radio Capability ID.

• Subscription for UCMF dictionary updates.

• Notification of creation or deletion of UCMF dictionary entries.