US 12,316,687 B2
Nodes and methods for handling provision of an IMS service in a communications network
Mats Stille, Bromma (SE); Mattias Dahlqvist, Stockholm (SE); Timo Forsman, Sollentuna (SE); and Charles Hegarty, Stockholm (SE)
Assigned to TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL), Stockholm (SE)
Appl. No. 17/797,243
Filed by Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ), Stockholm (SE)
PCT Filed Feb. 4, 2020, PCT No. PCT/SE2020/050102
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 3, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/158149, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 12, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0046490 A1, Feb. 16, 2023
Int. Cl. H04L 65/1069 (2022.01); H04L 65/1016 (2022.01); H04L 65/1046 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 65/1069 (2013.01) [H04L 65/1016 (2013.01); H04L 65/1046 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method performed by a first node operating in a communications network for handling provision of an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) service in the communications network, wherein the communications network comprises a first slice handling a first IMS service, and a second slice handling a second IMS service, the method comprising:
obtaining, from a second node operating in the communications network at least one of:
a) a first indication of a first routing service instance for a third node comprised in the first slice, the third node handling the first IMS service, and
b) a second indication of a second routing service instance for a fourth node comprised in the second slice, the fourth node handling the second IMS service, and
routing a request, received from a fifth node operating in another communications network, to one of the third node and the fourth node, wherein one of:
i) with the proviso that the received request is for the first IMS service, the routing is based on the obtained first indication, and
ii) with the proviso that the received request is for the second IMS service, the routing is based on the obtained second indication
wherein the first node manages an Interconnection Border Control Function (IBCF), the second node manages a Network Repository Function (NRF), the third node is a first terminating Interrogating-Call Session Control Function (I-CSCF), and the fourth node is a second terminating I-CSCF.