Policy and Charging Control (PCC) Architecture in a 5G Network

PCC Architecture in a 5G Network

Policy and Charging Control (PCC) enforces dynamic policy control based on various factors such as UE type, Subscription type, Network congestion, Service requirements, etc.

It enables various charging mechanisms like Usage-based charging, Slice-based charging, Rule-based charging, etc.

Through PCC architecture, Service Providers define the management and monetization of network resources as it ensures fair resource utilization, efficient service delivery, and flexible charging models.

In one of my previous articles, you have gone through the Policy and Charging Control in a 5G Network in a detailed manner. This article is an extension of the mentioned article wherein we discuss the PCC Architecture for a 5G Network.

In a 4G Network, a 3GPP PCC architecture comprises different Network/Application elements or nodes, such as CTF (or PCEF), CDF, OCS, CGF, AS, SPR, and BD. Please share your comments if you want me to cover about their functionalities in a separate article.

Policy and Charging Architecture functionalities can be shown as below:-

fig. Policy and Charging Architecture - At a Glance (Click to enlarge)

PCC architecture defines the policy rules based on the Subscription & Services offered, activates them on the Network, Monitors the Service usage for any threshold breach, enforces the defined policy rules, and handles AAA & Credit control.

PCC Architecture for a 5G Network is shown below: -

fig. PCC Architecture in a 5G Network (Click to enlarge)

Please refer to the previous article to learn in detail about the interworking of different Network nodes and how they are working in tandem to implement the PCC functionalities.

To learn more about CCS (Convergent Charging), you can refer to the article - Convergent Charging in a 5G Network

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Glossary

3GPP: 3rd Generation Partnership Project
BD: Billing Domain
UE: User Equipment
SPR: Subscriber Profile Repository
CDF: Charging Data Function
CGF: Charging Gateway Function
NEF: Network Exposure Function
PCF: Policy Control Function
CCS: Converged Charging System
AF: Application Function
UDR: Unified Data Repository
CHF: CHarging Function
OCF: Online Charging Function
AS: Application Server
NWDAF: Network Data Analytics Function
PCRF: Policy & Charging Rules Function
BSS: Business Support System
OSS: Operations Support System
PCEF: Policy Control Enforcement Function
ABMF: Account Balance Management Function
RF: Rating Function
AAA: Authentication, Authorization & Accounting Server

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