ETSI TS 129 154 V15.3.0 (2019-10)

Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); LTE; Service capability exposure functionality over Nt reference point (3GPP TS 29.154 version 15.3.0 Release 15)

RTS/TSGC-0329154vf30

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 09-Oct-2019
• Technical Committee: 3GPP CT 3 - Interworking with external networks (formely CN3)
• Current Stage: 12 - Completion
• Completion Date: 10-Oct-2019

Standards Content (Sample)

ETSI TS 129 154 V15.3.0 (2019-10)






TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS);
LTE;
Service capability exposure functionality over Nt reference
point
(3GPP TS 29.154 version 15.3.0 Release 15)

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3GPP TS 29.154 version 15.3.0 Release 15 1 ETSI TS 129 154 V15.3.0 (2019-10)



Reference
RTS/TSGC-0329154vf30
Keywords
LTE,UMTS
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3GPP TS 29.154 version 15.3.0 Release 15 2 ETSI TS 129 154 V15.3.0 (2019-10)
Intellectual Property Rights
Essential patents
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pertaining to these essential IPRs, if any, is publicly available for ETSI members and non-members, and can be found
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Legal Notice
This Technical Specification (TS) has been produced by ETSI 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).
The present document may refer to technical specifications or reports using their 3GPP identities. These shall be
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Modal verbs terminology
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"must" and "must not" are NOT allowed in ETSI deliverables except when used in direct citation.
ETSI

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3GPP TS 29.154 version 15.3.0 Release 15 3 ETSI TS 129 154 V15.3.0 (2019-10)
Contents
Intellectual Property Rights . 2
Legal Notice . 2
Modal verbs terminology . 2
Foreword . 5
1 Scope . 6
2 References . 6
3 Definitions and abbreviations . 7
3.1 Definitions . 7
3.2 Abbreviations . 7
4 Nt application . 7
4.1 Overview . 7
4.2 Nt Reference Model . 8
4.3 Functional ele me nts . 8
4.3.1 PCRF . 8
4.3.2 SCEF . 8
4.4 Procedures over the Nt reference point . 8
4.4.1 Negotiation for future background data transfer . 8
4.5 PCRF selection . 9
5 Nt protocol . 9
5.1 Protocol support . 9
5.2 Initialization, maintenance and termination of connection and session. 9
5.3 Nt specific AVPs . 10
5.3.1 General . 10
5.3.2 Network-Area-Info-List AVP . 10
5.3.3 Reference-Id AVP. 10
5.3.4 Transfer-Request-Type AVP . 10
5.3.5 Time-Window AVP . 11
5.3.6 Transfer-End-Time AVP . 11
5.3.7 Transfer-Start-Time AVP . 11
5.3.8 Transfer-Policy AVP . 11
5.3.9 Transfer-Policy-Id AVP . 11
5.3.10 Number-Of-UEs AVP. 11
5.4 Nt re-used AVPs . 11
5.4.1 General . 11
5.4.2 Use of the Supported-Features AVP for the Nt application . 12
5.5 Nt specific Experimental-Result-Code AVP values . 13
5.5.1 General . 13
5.5.2 Success . 13
5.5.3 Permanent Failures . 13
5.5.4 Transient Failures . 13
5.6 Nt messages . 13
5.6.1 Command-Code Values . 13
5.6.2 Background-Data-Transfer-Request (BTR) command . 14
5.6.3 Background-Data-Transfer-Answer (BTA) command . 14
Annex A (normative): Nta application . 15
A.1 Overview . 15
A.2 Reference Model . 15
A.3 Functional elements . 15
A.3.1 PCRF . 15
A.3.2 SCEF . 16
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3GPP TS 29.154 version 15.3.0 Release 15 4 ETSI TS 129 154 V15.3.0 (2019-10)
A.4 Procedures over the Nta application . 16
A.4.1 Event Monitoring Configuration . 16
A.4.2 Event Monitoring Reporting. 16
A.5 PCRF selection . 17
A.6 Nta protocol . 17
A.6.1 Protocol support . 17
A.6.2 Initialization, maintenance and termination of connection and session. 17
A.6.3 Nta specific AVPs . 17
A.6.3.1 General . 17
A.6.3.2 Access-Network-Reports AVP . 18
A.6.3.3 Event-Configuration . 18
A.6.3.4 Event-Configuration-State AVP . 18
A.6.3.5 Event-Configuration-Status AVP . 18
A.6.3.6 Event-Reporting-Results AVP . 19
A.6.3.7 Event-Reports AVP . 19
A.6.3.8 Extended-SCEF-Reference-ID . 19
A.6.4 Nta re-used AVPs . 19
A.6.4.1 General . 19
A.6.4.2 Use of the Supported-Features AVP for the Nt application . 21
A.6.5 Nta specific Experimental-Result-Code AVP values . 21
A.6.6 Nta messages . 21
A.6.6.1 Command-Code Values . 21
A.6.6.2 Event-Configuration-Request (ECR) command . 22
A.6.6.3 Event-Configuration-Answer (ECA) command . 22
A.6.6.4 Event-Reporting-Request (ERR) command . 22
A.6.6.5 Event-Reporting-Answer (ERA) command . 23
Annex B (informative): Change history . 24
History . 25

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3GPP TS 29.154 version 15.3.0 Release 15 5 ETSI TS 129 154 V15.3.0 (2019-10)
Foreword
This Technical Specification has been produced by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).
The contents of the present document are subject to continuing work within the TSG and may change following formal
TSG approval. Should the TSG modify the contents of the present document, it will be re-released by the TSG with an
identifying change of release date and an increase in version number as follows:
Version x.y.z
where:
x the first digit:
1 presented to TSG for information;
2 presented to TSG for approval;
3 or greater indicates TSG approved document under change control.
Y the second digit is incremented for all changes of substance, i.e. technical enhancements, corrections,
updates, etc.
z the third digit is incremented when editorial only changes have been incorporated in the document.
ETSI

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3GPP TS 29.154 version 15.3.0 Release 15 6 ETSI TS 129 154 V15.3.0 (2019-10)
1 Scope
This document defines the protocol for Nt reference point. The Nt reference point includes Nt application and Nta
application.
The functional requirements and the stage 2 specifications of the Nt application are contained in 3GPP TS 23.203 [2].
The Nt application of Nt reference point lies between Service Capability Exposure Function (SCEF) and Policy and
Charging Rules Function (PCRF), it supports the negotiation of background data transfer policy and is documented in
the main body of this document.
The functional requirements and the stage 2 specifications of the Nta application are contained in subclause 5.6.4.1a of
3GPP TS 23.682 [x5]. The Nta application of Nt reference point lies between SCEF and PCRF, it supports the event
monitoring configuration for a group of UEs and the corresponding event reporting. The Nta application is documented
in Annex A.
NOTE: Nta is a stage 3 name of Diameter Application due to extensibility rule mentioned in
IETF RFC 6733 [15].
2 References
The following documents contain provisions which, through reference in this text, constitute provisions of the present
document.
- References are either specific (identified by date of publication, edition number, version number, etc.) or
non-specific.
- For a specific reference, subsequent revisions do not apply.
- For a non-specific reference, the latest version applies. In the case of a reference to a 3GPP document (including
a GSM document), a non-specific reference implicitly refers to the latest version of that document in the same
Release as the present document.
[1] 3GPP TR 21.905: "Vocabulary for 3GPP Specifications".
[2] 3GPP TS 23.203: "Policy and charging control architecture".
[3] IETF RFC 3588: "Diameter Base Protocol".
[4] IETF RFC 4006: "Diameter Credit Control Application".
[5] 3GPP TS 29.214: "Policy and Charging Control over Rx reference point".
[6] 3GPP TS 29.274: "3GPP Evolved Packet System. Evolved GPRS Tunnelling Protocol for EPS
(GTPv2)".
[7] IETF RFC 5719: "Updated IANA Considerations for Diameter Command Code Allocations ".
[8] IETF RFC 2234: "Augmented BNF for syntax specifications ".
[9] 3GPP TS 29.213: "Policy and charging control signalling flows and Quality of Service (QoS)
parameter mapping".
[10] IETF RFC 7683: "Diameter Overload Indication Conveyance".
[11] 3GPP TS 29.229: "Cx and Dx interfaces based on Diameter protocol; Protocol details".
[12] IETF RFC 7944: "Diameter Routing Message Priority".
[13] 3GPP TS 29.215: "Policy and Charging Control (PCC) over S9 reference point; Stage 3".
[14] IETF RFC 8583: "Diameter Load Information Conveyance".
[15] IETF RFC 6733: "Diameter Base Protocol".
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3GPP TS 29.154 version 15.3.0 Release 15 7 ETSI TS 129 154 V15.3.0 (2019-10)
[16] 3GPP TS 29.329: "Sh Interface based on the Diameter protocol".
[17] 3GPP TS 29.336: "Home Subscriber Server (HSS) diameter interfaces for interworking with
packet data networks and applications".
[18] 3GPP TS 29.061: "Interworking between the Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) supporting
packet based services and Packet Data Networks (PDN)".
[19] 3GPP TS 29.212: "Policy and Charging Control (PCC); Reference points".
[20] 3GPP TS 23.682: "Architecture enhancements to facilitate communications with packet data
networks and applications".
3 Definitions and abbreviations
3.1 Definitions
For the purposes of the present document, the terms and definitions given in 3GPP TR 21.905 [1] and the following
apply. A term defined in the present document takes precedence over the definition of the same term, if any, in
3GPP TR 21.905 [1].

3.2 Abbreviations
For the purposes of the present document, the abbreviations given in TR 21.905 [1] and the following apply. An
abbreviation defined in the present document takes precedence over the definition of the same abbreviation, if any, in
3GPP TR 21.905 [1].
ASP Application Service Provider
BBERF Bearer Binding and Event Reporting Function
BTA Background Data Transfer Answer
BTR Background Data Transfer Request
ECA Event Configuration Answer
ECR Event Configuration Request
ERA Event Reporting Answer
ERR Event Reporting Request
DRA Diameter Routing Agent
DRMP Diameter Routing Message Priority
PCEF Policy and Charging Enforcement Function
PCRF Policy and Charging Rules Function
SCEF Service Capability Exposure Function
SPR Subscription Profile Repository
4 Nt application
4.1 Overview
The Nt application of Nt reference point is located between the PCRF and the SCEF. It is used for reporting the transfer
policies from the PCRF to the SCEF.
The stage 2 requirements for Nt application are defined in TS 23.203 [2].
Refer to Annex G of 3GPP TS 29.213 [9] for Diameter overload control procedures for the Nt application.
Refer to Annex J of 3GPP TS 29.213 [9] for Diameter message priority mechanism procedures for the Nt application.
Refer to Annex K of 3GPP TS 29.213 [9] for Diameter load control procedures for the Nt application.
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3GPP TS 29.154 version 15.3.0 Release 15 8 ETSI TS 129 154 V15.3.0 (2019-10)
4.2 Nt Reference Model
The Nt application of Nt reference point resides between the SCEF and PCRF. The relationship between the two
functional entities is depicted in figure 4.2-1. The overall PCC architecture is depicted in subclause 3a of
3GPP TS 29.213 [9].
Nt application
SCEF
PCRF

Figure 4.2-1: Reference model for Nt application of Nt interface
NOTE: For roaming case, the SCEF is always in the H-PLMN and always contact the H-PCRF.
4.3 Functional elements
4.3.1 PCRF
The PCRF is a functional element that encompasses policy control decision and flow based charging control
functionalities.
The PCRF uses the information received from SCEF and other available information to determine one or more transfer
policies for background data to the application service provider. The PCRF provides the selected transfer policies with a
reference ID to the SPR for storage.
4.3.2 SCEF
The SCEF is a functional element which provides a means to securely expose the services and capabilities provided by
3GPP network interfaces.
The SCEF is triggered by an SCS/AS which requests for the negotiation with the PCRF for providing necessary policy
to transfer background data.
4.4 Procedures over the Nt reference point
4.4.1 Negotiation for future background data transfer
Based on the SCS/AS request, the SCEF shall send the Background-Data-Transfer-Request (BTR) command to the
PCRF including the Transfer-Request-Type AVP with the value TRANSFER_POLICY_REQUEST(0), it shall also
include the ASP identifier within the Application-Service-Provider-Identity AVP, volume of data per UE within the
CC-Output-Octets AVP for downlink volume and/or the CC-Input-Octets AVP for uplink volume, or the CC-Total-
Octets AVP for total volume regardless direction, expected number of UEs within the Number-Of-UEs AVP and
desired time window within the Time-Window AVP.
The Time-Window AVP shall include desired start time within the Transfer-Start-Time AVP and desired end time
within the Transfer-End-Time AVP.
The SCEF may also provide network area information within Network-Area-Info-List AVP.
Once the PCRF receives the BTR command, the PCRF shall retrieve all existing transfer policies stored for any ASP
from the SPR.
When all existing transfer policies are retrieved, the PCRF shall determine one or more transfer policies based on the
information received from the SCEF and other available information (e.g. network policy, congestion level (if
available), load status estimation for the required time window and network area, existing transfer policies) and respond
with a Background-Data-Transfer-Answer (BTA) command including the possible transfer policies within Transfer-
Policy AVP (s) and a reference ID within Reference-Id AVP.
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3GPP TS 29.154 version 15.3.0 Release 15 9 ETSI TS 129 154 V15.3.0 (2019-10)
The Transfer-Policy AVP(s) shall include the Transfer-Policy-Id AVP, the Time-Window AVP, the Rating-Group
AVP, and may also include an Max-Requested-Bandwidth-DL AVP and/or an Max-Requested-Bandwidth-UL AVP.
If more than one transfer policies are included in the BTA command, the PCRF shall also include the PCRF Id within
the PCRF-Address AVP in the BTA command.
NOTE 1: If only one Transfer-Policy AVP is included in the BTA command, the PCRF sends a request to the SPR
to store the reference ID together with the transfer policy and corresponding network area information(if
available).
If there is more than one Transfer-Policy AVP included in the BTA command, the PCRF waits for the
transfer policy selected by the SCS/AS before communicating with the SPR.
If there is more than one transfer policy provided from the PCRF to the SCEF in the BTA command, when the SCEF
receives the selected transfer policy from the SCS/AS, the SCEF shall send Background-Data-Transfer-Request (BTR)
command to the PCRF including the Transfer-Request-Type AVP set to the value
TRANSFER_POLICY_NOTIFICATION (1). The SCEF shall also include the reference ID in the Reference-Id AVP,
the identity of the selected transfer policy within the Transfer-Policy-Id AVP and the destination PCRF Id within the
Destination-Host AVP.
NOTE 2: When receiving the BTA command from the PCRF, if there is only one transfer policy included, the
SCEF forwards the transfer policy to SCS/AS.
If there is more than the one transfer policy included, the SCEF forwards these transfer policies to the
SCS/AS and waits for the answer including the identity of the transfer policy selected by the SCS/AS.
The PCRF shall acknowledge the BTR command by sending Background-Data-Transfer-Answer (BTA) command.
NOTE 3: The PCRF sends a request to the SPR to store the reference ID together with the transfer policy and
corresponding network area information (if available).
4.5 PCRF selection
The SCEF or DRA (if deployed) may select a PCRF in the HPLMN based on operator policy (e.g. pre-configured
PCRF identities or routing strategy, etc).
5 Nt protocol
5.1 Protocol support
The Diameter Base Protocol as specified in IETF RFC 6733 [15] shall apply except as modified by the defined support
of the methods and the defined support of the commands and AVPs, result and error codes as specified in this
specification. Unless otherwise specified, the procedures specified in IETF RFC 6733 [15] (including error handling
and unrecognised information handling) shall be used unmodified.
The Nt application is defined as vendor specific Diameter application, where the vendor is 3GPP and the Application-
ID for the Nt application in the present release is 16777348. The vendor identifier assigned by IANA to 3GPP
(http://www.iana.org/assignments/enterprise-numbers) is 10415.
With regard to the Diameter protocol defined for the Nt application, the PCRF acts as a Diameter server, in the sense
that it is the network element that handles background data transfer request. The SCEF acts as the Diameter client, in
the sense that it is the network element requesting background data transfer.
5.2 Initialization, maintenance
...