Patent ID: 8768295

Claim:
A method performed by a policy and charging rules node (PCRN) for handling an incoming request message, the method comprising: receiving, at the PCRN, a request message from an Evolved Packet Core node; determining that the request message includes a request for a modification to an IP-CAN session; and in response to determining that the request message includes a request for a modification to the IP-CAN session: determining a current bearer control mode for the IP-CAN session by evaluating at least one rule, wherein the at least one rule comprises: a criteria section for determining whether the at least one rule is applicable based on data carried by the request message, and a result section for indicating a bearer control mode to be used as the current bearer control mode when the rule is applicable, determining a previous bearer control mode for the IP-CAN session, comparing the current bearer control mode to the previous bearer control mode, and when the current bearer control mode is different from the previous bearer control mode, modifying the IP-CAN session according to the current bearer control mode.