Dynamic provision of application related sponsored data connectivity

Abstract

A Policy Enforcement Function such as PCEF or TDF is configured to receive from a Policy Controller such as PCRF, over an interface such as Gx or Sd interface, a command related to a User Equipment UE, the command referring to a Sponsoring Context Identifier, Sponsoring Context ID, the Sponsoring Context ID serving as an identifier of a Sponsoring Context to be applied to application-related data traffic to be sponsored for the UE, the Sponsoring Context providing a list of data flows to be sponsored.

1 .- 22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . A policy enforcement function apparatus, comprising:
 at least one processor; and   at least one memory including computer program code;   the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the policy enforcement function apparatus at least to fetch, from a content server, a list of sponsored data flows defined by a third party service provider using a pointer to said list.   
     
     
         24 . The policy enforcement function apparatus according to  claim 23 , wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the policy enforcement function apparatus at least to:
 fetch said list by sending to said content server a HyperText Transfer Protocol, HTTP, request on a HTTP Uniform Resource Locator, URL, pointing to said list.   
     
     
         25 . The policy enforcement function apparatus according to  claim 23 , wherein a caching time in said policy enforcement function apparatus controls how long said list is valid. 
     
     
         26 . The policy enforcement function apparatus according to  claim 23 , wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the policy enforcement function apparatus at least to:
 apply a policy rule to the sponsored data flows defined in said list.   
     
     
         27 . The policy enforcement function apparatus, wherein the policy rule is a Policy and Charging Control, PCC, rule or Application Detection and Control, ADC, rule. 
     
     
         28 . A method comprising:
 fetching, from a content server, a list of sponsored data flows defined by a third party service provider using a pointer to said list.   
     
     
         29 . The method according to  claim 28 , wherein the fetching fetches said list by sending to said content server a HyperText Transfer Protocol, HTTP, request on a HTTP Uniform Resource Locator, URL, pointing to said list. 
     
     
         30 . The method according to  claim 28 , wherein a caching time in a policy enforcement function apparatus controls how long said list is valid. 
     
     
         31 . The method according to  claim 28 , further comprising:
 a policy rule to the sponsored data flows defined in said list.   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the policy rule is a Policy and Charging Control, PCC, rule or Application Detection and Control, ADC, rule.