Patent ID: 8850030
Filing Date: 2014-09-30
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method performed by an SLA portal in a communication network for establishing a Service Level Agreement (SLA) between a third-party content provider and a communication network operator for ensuring network resources needed for future delivery of a service or service type from the third-party content provider to end-users via the communication network, the method comprising: receiving an SLA request specifying the service or service type, from the third-party content provider, at the SLA portal; retrieving at least one viable predetermined SLA from an SLA database holding a plurality of predetermined SLAs usable to establish SLAs, the at least one viable predetermined SLA ensuring network resources for the future delivery of the service or service type; assigning a service identifier for identifying the service or service type specified in the SLA request; offering the at least one retrieved viable SLA to the third-party content provider; establishing a selected SLA upon receiving from the third-party content provider an indication as to which among the at least one offered viable SLA is selected by the third-party content provider; and providing the assigned service identifier to the third-party content provider, wherein the assigned service identifier is received from the third-party content provider for applying the established SLA each time the service or service type will be delivered via the communication network from the content provider to a requesting end-user.