• 5G
• August 14, 2024

Unified Access Control (UAC): The Gatekeeper of 5G Networks

Understanding Unified Access Control (UAC)

Unified Access Control (UAC) is a fundamental component of 5G networks that governs access to network resources. It replaces the traditional access control mechanisms with a more granular and flexible approach, ensuring that only authorized users and devices can access specific network services and resources.

How UAC Works

UAC operates on two core concepts:

• Access Identities (AIs): These represent different types of users or devices with distinct access privileges. For instance, a regular user, an IoT device, or a public safety official would have unique AIs.
• Access Categories (ACs): These define the level of access granted to an AI for a particular resource or service. It’s like assigning different permission levels to different users.

The network assigns AIs to UEs during the registration process, and ACs determine the specific actions a UE can perform.

Benefits of UAC

• Enhanced Security: UAC provides a robust defense against unauthorized access, protecting sensitive data and preventing service disruptions.
• Optimized Resource Management: By allocating resources efficiently, UAC ensures optimal network performance and user experience.
• Flexibility and Adaptability: UAC can accommodate the diverse needs of various 5G services, from IoT to high-speed mobile broadband.
• Improved Public Safety: UAC prioritizes emergency services, ensuring they have uninterrupted access to critical network resources.

UAC and Network Slicing

Network slicing, another key feature of 5G, benefits significantly from UAC. By creating distinct AIs for different network slices, UAC ensures isolation, security, and tailored resource allocation. This enables the creation of specialized network environments for specific use cases.

Priority Indication Mechanisms

To differentiate traffic with varying priority levels, 5G introduces several establishment causes:

• mps-PriorityAccess: Indicating Multimedia Priority Service (MPS) traffic.
• mcs-PriorityAccess: Indicating Mission Critical Service (MCS) traffic.
• highPriorityAccess: A general indicator for high-priority traffic.
• emergency: Indicating emergency traffic, requiring the highest priority.

These establishment causes, included in the RRC Setup Request, provide early signals to the network for resource allocation and QoS provisioning.

UAC in Specific Industry Verticals

UAC finds applications across various industries:

• Healthcare: Ensuring patient data privacy, managing IoT devices, and prioritizing emergency services.
• Finance: Preventing fraud, securing mobile banking, and managing IoT devices in finance.
• Smart Cities: Prioritizing public safety, managing smart grid infrastructure, and securing autonomous vehicles.
• Manufacturing: Protecting industrial IoT devices, securing supply chain data, and enabling remote maintenance.
• Retail: Protecting customer data, managing inventory, and securing smart store devices.

UAC Validation Using UE Simulators

UE simulators are indispensable for validating UAC implementations. Simnovus UE simulator can be used to verify the following scenarios. 

• AI Allocation Verification: Simulating different UE profiles to verify correct AI assignments.
• Priority Indication Testing: Sending RRC Setup Requests with various establishment causes to assess network responses.
• QoS Measurement: Measuring QoS parameters to evaluate priority handling.
• Resource Allocation Analysis: Analyzing network resource allocation based on AIs and priorities.
• Handoff Testing: Verifying priority maintenance during handoffs.
• Congestion Testing: Evaluating priority handling under network stress.
• Emergency Call Simulation: Testing network response to emergency calls.

Conclusion

Unified Access Control is a critical component of 5G networks, ensuring security, efficiency, and flexibility. By understanding its intricacies and utilizing tools like UE simulators, network operators can effectively implement and manage UAC to deliver optimal network performance and meet the diverse needs of users and services.