Service registration and discovery in a communications network

1. A method for service registration in a communications network, the method comprising:

receiving a service registration request, the request identifying a network function to provide a service, a type of the service, and data administered by the service provided by the network function; and

storing information in a repository, the information identifying the network function, the type of the service and the data administered by the service provided by the network function;

receiving a further service registration request, the further service registration request identifying a further network function to provide the service, the type of the service, and further data administered by the service provided by the further network function;

storing further information in a repository, the further information identifying the further network function, the type of the service and the further data administered by the service provided by the further network function; and

the data administered by the service provided by the network function and the further data administered by the service provided by the further network function comprise the same group of subscribers associated with at least one of the data, the same subset of data, category of data and range of data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of:

the information is stored in a Network Repository Function (NRF); and

the method is performed by a Network Repository Function (NRF).

3. The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising:

receiving a service discovery request, the service discovery request identifying the type of service; and

sending a service discovery response to a sender of the service discovery request, the service discovery response identifying at least one of the network function, the further network function and the service.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein at least one of the service discovery request and the service discovery response identifies the data.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the service discovery request identifies the data and the service discovery response excludes information identifying at least one network function that provides the service for different data.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network function is one of a Unified Data Repository (UDR), User Data Repository (UDR), Unified Data Management (UDM), Policy Control Function (PCF), UDSF (Unstructured Data Storage Function), PDFD-FE (Packet Data Filter Description-Front-End) and Network Exposure Function (NEF).

7. A method for service discovery in a communications network, the method comprising:

in response to a service discovery request to a service registration network function, the service discovery request identifying a type of service, receiving a service discovery response, the response identifying a service providing network function that provides the service and identifying data administered by the service provided by the service providing network function; and

the service discovery response identifies a further network function that provides the service and identifies further data administered by the service provided by the further network function, the data administered by the service provided by the service providing network function and the further data administered by the service provided by the further network function comprise the same group of subscribers associated with at least one of the data, the same subset of data, category of data and range of data.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the request identifies the data administered by the service provided by the service providing network function by identifying at least one of a subset of data, a category of data, a group of subscribers associated with the data, and a range of data administered by the service provided by the service providing network function.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the service providing network function is one of a Unified Data Repository (UDR), User Data Repository (UDR), Unified Data Management (UDM), Policy Control Function (PCF), UDSF (Unstructured Data Storage Function), PDFD-FE (Packet Data Filter Description-Front-End) and Network Exposure Function (NEF).

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the service registration network function comprises a Network Repository Function (NRF).

11. An apparatus for service registration in a communications network, the apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is configured to:

receive a service registration request, the request identifying a network function to provide a service, a type of the service, and data administered by the service provided by the network function;

store information in a repository, the information identifying the network function, the type of the service and the data administered by the service provided by the network function;

receive a further service registration request, the further service registration request identifying a further network function to provide the service, the type of the service, and further data administered by the service provided by the further network function;

store further information in a repository, the further information identifying the further network function, the type of the service and the further data administered by the service provided by the further network function; and

the data administered by the service provided by the network function and the further data administered by the service provided by the further network function comprise the same group of subscribers associated with at least one of the data, the same subset of data, category of data and range of data.

12. An apparatus for service discovery in a communications network, the apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor such that the apparatus is configured to:

receive, in response to a service discovery request to a service registration network function, the service discovery request identifying a type of service, a service discovery response, the response identifying a service providing network function that provides the service and identifying data administered by the service provided by the service providing network function; and

the service discovery response identifies a further network function that provides the service and identifies further data administered by the service provided by the further network function, the data administered by the service provided by the service providing network function and the further data administered by the service provided by the further network function comprise the same group of subscribers associated with at least one of the data, the same subset of data, category of data and range of data.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein at least one of:

the information is stored in a Network Repository Function (NRF); and

the method is performed by a Network Repository Function (NRF).

14. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the apparatus is further configured to:

receive a service discovery request, the service discovery request identifying the type of service; and

send a service discovery response to a sender of the service discovery request, the service discovery response identifying at least one of the network function, the further network function and the service.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein at least one of the service discovery request and the service discovery response identifies the data.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the service discovery request identifies the data and the service discovery response excludes information identifying at least one network function that provides the service for different data.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the network function is one of a Unified Data Repository (UDR), User Data Repository (UDR), Unified Data Management (UDM), Policy Control Function (PCF), UDSF (Unstructured Data Storage Function), PDFD-FE (Packet Data Filter Description-Front-End) and Network Exposure Function (NEF).

18. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the request identifies the data administered by the service provided by the service providing network function by identifying at least one of a subset of data, a category of data, a group of subscribers associated with the data, and a range of data administered by the service provided by the service providing network function.

19. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the service providing network function is one of a Unified Data Repository (UDR), User Data Repository (UDR), Unified Data Management (UDM), Policy Control Function (PCF), UDSF (Unstructured Data Storage Function), PDFD-FE (Packet Data Filter Description-Front-End) and Network Exposure Function (NEF).

20. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the service registration network function comprises a Network Repository Function (NRF).