Without policy enforcement, every subscriber on the network gets the same bearer treatment. You cannot honour tiered data plans, protect emergency traffic, or enforce parental controls. The PCRF is where those decisions are made, at the packet level, in real time.
An LTE network without policy enforcement treats all data traffic identically. Video streaming, emergency services calls, messaging, and background app updates compete for the same bearer resources. Congestion hits indiscriminately. Premium subscribers experience the same degradation as basic-tier users.
Operators in this position cannot monetise higher-tier plans with confidence, cannot protect emergency traffic during peak load, and cannot comply with content filtering regulations at the session level. Every data plan commitment made commercially becomes difficult to honour technically.
Every session needs a decision
Every data session on an LTE network needs a decision: which bearer class does this subscriber get, how much bandwidth, what happens if the network is congested? In a network without a PCRF, those decisions are static — configured once per APN, applied uniformly. In a network with a PCRF, those decisions are dynamic, per-subscriber, and per-session.
Profile, session, network state
The Ouroboros PCRF sits at the intersection of the subscriber profile, the active session, and the current network state. It coordinates QoS between the Evolved Packet Core and external data networks, determining in real time how each packet flow is accounted, shaped, and prioritised.
Bearers managed per session
Bearer resources are managed per session. When a subscriber starts a video stream, the PCRF applies the correct QoS class for that subscriber's data plan — guaranteed bitrate for premium tiers, best-effort for basic. Emergency services traffic receives absolute priority regardless of congestion state. Parental control policies enforce at the session level, not at the network edge.
VAS and 5G SA included
The integrated Application Server extends PCRF logic to value-added services: zero-rating for specific content, social network subscriptions, and TV-on-mobile packages — all managed through the same policy engine. The same platform acts as PCF for 5G Standalone, covering operators who are building toward 5G SA without replacing the PCRF at each generation boundary.
Tiered plans, emergency priority, parental controls, zero-rating, congestion — one policy engine.
Tiered data plan enforcement
Operators offering basic, standard, and premium data plans enforce per-subscriber QoS at the bearer level. Plan changes take effect at next session creation without network downtime or manual intervention.
Emergency services prioritisation
Regulatory requirements in many markets mandate absolute priority for emergency bearers during congestion. The PCRF allocates dedicated bearer resources immediately on emergency session request, preempting lower-priority traffic if necessary.
Parental controls and content filtering
Operators with regulatory or commercial content obligations enforce category filters at the session level. Filtering policy triggers on subscriber attach based on age verification status held in the subscriber profile.
Zero-rating and commercial data offers
Zero-rated data for specific apps or social networks is configured as policy rules, not per-packet manual configuration. The PCRF identifies traffic by application and applies the rule without touching PDN-GW configuration.
Congestion management
During peak load, fair-use throttling applies to high-volume sessions automatically. Background traffic is deprioritised. Real-time services maintain their QoS class. The network absorbs predictable daily congestion patterns without additional capacity investment.
Ouroboros is more agile and flexible than bigger ones. Its prices are competitive. The genuine expertise of the team enables a true dialogue with our partners.
Frédéric Maro
VP Network & Advanced Projects · Sierra Wireless
Per-subscriber QoS enforcement
Bearer class, guaranteed bitrate, and throttling rules apply at the individual subscriber session level. Tiered data plan commitments are met technically, not just commercially.
Integrated Application Server
Value-added service logic runs within the PCRF. No separate AS deployment required. Zero-rating, content subscriptions, and parental control deploy as policy rules, not network re-architecture.
Emergency bearer prioritisation
Emergency sessions receive absolute priority and dedicated bearer allocation immediately. Regulatory obligations for emergency service quality are met automatically during peak congestion.
5G SA PCF function included
The same platform acts as PCF in 5G Standalone core deployments using the N7 interface. Operators moving to 5G SA extend the PCRF rather than replace it.
Real-time congestion response
Congestion-triggered policies apply to active sessions within the current bearer lifetime. Network quality is protected during peak load without manual intervention.
Third-party OCS integration
Online Charging System interactions via the Sy interface allow external charging systems to influence policy decisions in real time. Operators running third-party OCS platforms keep their charging stack and gain Ouroboros policy control.
Policy and bearer management are not optional in an LTE network that sells tiered plans. The Ouroboros PCRF delivers that capability per-subscriber, per-session, and in real time, with a PCF function for 5G SA included at no additional tier.
The integrated Application Server removes a standalone deployment for zero-rating and content services. Operators deploying commercial data offers configure them as policy rules, not separate systems. The platform has been in production since 2004, on networks including Sierra Wireless, STC, and Etisalat.
OPEX rental is available. For operators who cannot justify PCRF capital expenditure before subscriber-funded data revenue is established, cost scales with the network.
Walk us through your data plan structure, subscriber count, and 5G timeline. We'll map the PCRF deployment to your network and confirm what the 5G SA PCF extension covers.