Turning now to FIG. 6B, further details of the core network 308 are described. In an embodiment, the core network 308 is a 5G core network. 5G core network technology is based on a service based architecture paradigm. Rather than constructing the 5G core network as a series of special purpose communication nodes (e.g., an HSS node, a MME node, etc.) running on dedicated server computers, the 5G core network is provided as a set of services or network functions. These services or network functions can be executed on virtual servers in a cloud computing environment which supports dynamic scaling and avoidance of long-term capital expenditures (fees for use may substitute for capital expenditures). These network functions can include, for example, a user plane function (UPF) 329, an authentication server function (AUSF) 325, an access and mobility management function (AMF) 326, a session management function (SMF) 327, a network exposure function (NEF) 320, a network repository function (NRF) 321, a policy control function (PCF) 322, a unified data management (UDM) 323, a network slice selection function (NSSF) 324, and other network functions. The network functions may be referred to as virtual network functions (VNFs) in some contexts.
