Ouroboros Telecom
4G / LTE

Your subscribers' devices decide on their own whether to use LTE or Wi-Fi — and they often decide badly. The ANDSF tells them which network to use, where, when, and for which traffic.

AMTP · ANDSF
FunctionsANDSF and BSF, co-located
InterfacesS14 · Ub · SWx
ProtocolsHTTPS, OMA-DM, Diameter, SMS push
Device securityKeys derived from the USIM (GBA)
ProvisioningShared with the Ouroboros HSS and PCRF
DeploymentVMware, KVM, Docker
99.999%
availability
BSF
built in, no Zh interface needed
5
policy objects: ISMP, ISRP, ANDI, WLANSP, IARP
Minutes
policy changes over the air
00The problem

Operators deploy Wi-Fi hotspots to offload data from LTE and to improve indoor coverage for VoWiFi. But a handset left to itself picks networks on signal strength alone. It sticks to a congested cell when a hotspot is next door, or jumps onto a weak public Wi-Fi in the middle of a call.

Steering devices requires policies pushed to the device, and those policies must be delivered securely. Most solutions mean another subscriber database to provision, and passwords or certificates to manage on millions of devices.

01How it works

ANDSFcore
DeviceS14 policies, Ub bootstrapping
HSSSWx authentication vectors
Wi-Fi / LTEsteered access
SMSCover-the-air push
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Access policies pushed to the device

The Access Network Discovery and Selection Function tells mobile devices which access network to use, when, and for which traffic: LTE, operator Wi-Fi hotspots, or direct Internet offload. Policies are delivered to the device over S14 and updated over the air. They can be defined per cell, per area, per time of day, and for roaming: video goes to Wi-Fi in a stadium during matches while voice stays on LTE, or roaming subscribers prefer partner hotspots.

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Security from the USIM

The Ouroboros ANDSF integrates a Bootstrapping Server Function (BSF): the device and the ANDSF share a key derived from the USIM (GBA), with no password or certificate on the device. The authentication vectors are generated by the HSS over SWx, so subscriber secrets never leave the HSS, and the co-located BSF keeps key retrieval fast and simple to operate.

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One subscriber database

Subscriber and identity data are shared with the Ouroboros HSS and PCRF. There is one point of provisioning and one database to access. Over-the-air updates are pushed to devices by SMS, so a policy change reaches the field in minutes.

Reference architecture
Radial architecture diagram of the Ouroboros ANDSF with its co-located BSF. Devices bootstrap over Ub and receive their access policies over S14; the AKA vectors come from the HSS over SWx; policy updates are pushed over the air through the SMSC; provisioning is shared over SQL with the HSS and PCRF; in 5G SA the PCF delivers the route selection policies.

ANDSF · BSF — access steering policies for LTE and Wi-Fi

02Use cases

Dense-area offload, VoWiFi, roaming, time and area steering, IoT — one steering policy.

01

Wi-Fi offload in dense areas

Stadiums, stations, and city centres saturate LTE cells. The ANDSF steers best-effort traffic to operator hotspots and protects LTE capacity for subscribers who need it.

02

VoWiFi and indoor coverage

Subscribers at home or in the office are steered to the right Wi-Fi network for VoWiFi, with the operator choosing which hotspots are trusted.

03

Roaming policies

Roaming subscribers receive dedicated rules: partner hotspots preferred, data offloaded where it costs less.

04

Time-based and area-based steering

Policies change by time of day and by location, following the real traffic pattern of the network.

05

IoT devices

Connected devices receive their access rules over the air, without manual configuration on site.

Legos

We've selected Ouroboros because it was the best company capable of fulfilling our need for a scalable and virtualised full MVNO platform. Moreover, the Ouroboros team is pragmatic, flexible and responsive.

Pascal Prot

CEO-CTO · Legos

03Specifications

Functions
ANDSF and BSF, co-located in one node
Interfaces
S14 (device), Ub (device - BSF), SWx (HSS)
Protocols
HTTPS, OMA-DM, Diameter, SMS push
Device security
GBA: keys derived from the USIM, AKA vectors from the HSS over SWx (no Zh), S14 secured by TLS with GBA pre-shared keys; no password or certificate on the device
Policies
Complete ANDSF MO — inter-system mobility (ISMP), routing (ISRP), discovery (ANDI), Wi-Fi selection (WLANSP), inter-APN routing (IARP)
Policy criteria
Cell, area, time of day, roaming
Policy updates
Over the air, OMA-DM push over SMS
Provisioning
Open SQL API, shared with Ouroboros HSS and PCRF, for CRM and OSS integration
Monitoring
SNMP alarms and counters
5G SA
Route selection policies delivered by the Ouroboros PCF through the AMF
IP support
IPv4, IPv6
Virtualisation
VMware, KVM, Docker
Redundancy
Geographic and local; 2N recommended
Standards
3GPP compliant (non-3GPP access, GBA)
Availability
99.999%
Business model
OPEX rental · CAPEX licence
04Inside the platform

01

ANDSF and BSF in one node

The bootstrapping function is co-located with the ANDSF. No separate GBA infrastructure to deploy, and fast key retrieval for every device.

02

Zero-touch device security

Keys are derived from the USIM, with authentication vectors generated by the HSS. Nothing to install or manage on devices, and subscriber secrets never leave the HSS.

03

Complete policy set

Inter-system mobility, routing, discovery, and Wi-Fi selection policies are supported. The operator controls access choice for every type of traffic, not only for the whole device.

04

Context-aware rules

Policies depend on the cell, the area, the time of day, and roaming. Steering follows the real load of the network.

05

Over-the-air updates

Policy changes are pushed to devices by SMS. A new rule is live in the field in minutes.

06

Shared subscriber data

SQL provisioning is shared with the Ouroboros HSS and PCRF. No new subscriber database, and an open API for CRM and OSS integration.

07

5G SA ready

In 5G SA, route selection policies are delivered by the Ouroboros PCF through the AMF, while the ANDSF keeps serving 4G devices. Access steering continues through the migration to 5G.

08

IPv4, IPv6 and dual-stack

Every interface runs over IPv4, IPv6 or both. The element fits an IPv6 core or a mixed network without a separate configuration.

05Why Ouroboros

Wi-Fi offload only pays off when devices actually use the right network. The Ouroboros ANDSF brings the policies, the security, and the subscriber data together: the BSF is built in, keys come from the USIM, and the subscriber records are the ones the HSS and PCRF already use. There is no new database and nothing to configure by hand on devices.

It runs on the AMTP platform, in production since 2004, with geographic and local redundancy, on COTS servers or virtualised infrastructure.

OPEX rental is available.

Ouroboros Telecom

Tell us about your hotspot footprint, your LTE hot spots, and your VoWiFi plans. We'll propose the steering policies and an ANDSF deployment to match, on OPEX or CAPEX.