Patent ID: 8606893

Claim:
A control server enabled to act as a Policy and Charging Rules Function for guaranteeing into a bearer layer those service requirements negotiated for a service through a signalling layer, the bearer layer being a media transport layer capable of bearing a number of service-related IP flows, the signalling layer being used for negotiating how media transported through the bearer layer should be treated, the control server comprising: a first receiver enabled to interface with an entity in the bearer layer, and arranged for receiving information about establishment of an initial bearer for bearing the service-related IP flows for a given user, and a second receiver enabled to interface with an entity in the signalling layer, and arranged for receiving service information about the media including those service requirements negotiated for the service; a capabilities handler arranged for obtaining user equipment “UE’ capabilities of a user equipment currently used by the given user; a processor arranged for determining control rules to apply for guaranteeing the service requirements into the bearer layer, the control rules based on the service information received from the entity in the signalling layer, including the negotiated service requirements, and based on the UE capabilities of the user equipment; and an installer arranged for submitting the control rules to be installed towards an entity enabled to act as a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function in the bearer layer, wherein the control rules apply for the initial bearer, when the UE capabilities of the UE do not support establishment of a subsequent bearer, and wherein the control rules apply for the subsequent bearer, once established, when the UE capabilities of the UE do support establishment of the subsequent bearer.