AAA Server on Cloud Scale for all System Generations and Access Networks
The cloud-native Enea AAA Server delivers comprehensive access control — including Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) — for data networks and for devices or users accessing non-3GPP networks across 5G, 4G, 3G, and 2G technologies. Its support for a wide range of wired and wireless access services, combined with a rich set of capabilities, enables consolidation of access control and authorization functions across multiple networks and access methods.
Trusted by over 90 mobile network operators and communication service providers, it offers a flexible architecture featuring protocol adapters and a policy engine for custom logic. This makes it an excellent choice for replacing existing AAA solutions.
Learn more about key considerations when upgrading or replacing legacy systems, such as Cisco’s end-of-life CPAR.
Truly Cloud-Native
The Enea AAA Server is purpose-built for deployment as Container Network Functions (CNFs) or Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) in any public or private cloud environment. It offers significant advantages in operations, management, scalability, and high availability. Its architecture adheres to cloud-native principles, including separation of processing and state, microservices, and the use of software containers.
Easy to Use
With an intuitive built-in rules engine, operators can easily create customized rules using a low-code tool, often reducing development time by 40% to 60%. The rules engine facilitates interaction with request processing and communication with the AAA core through well-defined APIs, enabling rapid development and deployment of custom logic.
Proven Reliability
Incorporating features such as load balancing and geographical redundancy, the Enea AAA Server is engineered to meet the most demanding high-availability standards. It is capable of handling billions of devices and hundreds of thousands of transactions per second. Its reliability has been proven through deployment by over 90 operators worldwide.
Ideal for AAA Replacement
The Enea AAA Server is designed to support both standardized telecom applications—such as 3GPP AAA—and highly customized, bespoke use cases with non-standard integrations. This enables telecom operators to use a single platform to meet industry standards while implementing their unique business logic and operational strategies.
Recognizing the complexity and diversity of operator requirements, the Enea AAA Server separates the core mechanism (the underlying system behavior) from operator-specific policies. This separation provides a highly flexible solution that can adapt to various network demands without compromising efficiency or performance. This flexibility makes the Enea AAA Server an ideal upgrade from legacy AAA systems, providing a more robust and versatile platform for modern networks. A prime example is when one of our customers’ legacy AAA platforms was nearing end-of-life and required a seamless replacement—without disrupting existing integrations. Thanks to our flexible policy engine, we delivered a drop-in solution with 100% API compatibility. This included support for RADIUS, Oracle SQL integration, CSV data processing, and connectivity to HSS systems—ensuring a smooth transition with zero impact on operations.
More Than a Generic AAA
To further illustrate the flexibility of the Enea AAA Server, we explore several projects where we’ve successfully addressed real-world deployment challenges alongside our customers.
API Logic Mediation
In this scenario, the Enea AAA Server acts as an API mediator, applying custom logic to coordinate multiple system calls for a single inbound request, aggregating results and performing desired actions. The system adds caching to alleviate the load on external systems. Cus-tomers can define new API endpoints and flow logics.
APN Selection with Programmable Logic
RADIUS 3GPP Gi traffic is directed to the Enea AAA Server, which forwards RADIUS requests to a Home AAA based on specific match conditions such as RADIUS attributes and source IP. RADIUS accounting is simulta-neously sent to multiple servers asynchronously. Cus-tomers can write their own logic in Lua to determine the APN selection for clients. These rules cover hundreds of unique use cases managed by the customer. The system includes a built-in regression test to validate custom logic.
Small Cell
A lightweight system designed to authenticate VPN gate-ways using RADIUS, incorporating a username/password database. The system can allocate IP addresses upon gateway authentication, either dynamically or statical-ly. Credentials can be imported via CSV and managed through the Enea AAA Server GUI.
IoT Proxy System
This IoT Proxy AAA application handles RADIUS proxy op-erations with advanced features, including proxy matching and mapping to HAAA servers. It can generate events like Access-Denied and Accounting start/stop/update, supporting capabilities such as CDR and session history. Advanced AAA control includes various traffic distribution methods to HAAA destinations (defined as Node groups), external server status monitoring, with configurable thresholds for marking servers as down and determin-ing downtime duration. Hash distribution can be based on specified RADIUS attributes. Features include CoA (Change of Auhorization) and DM (Disconnect Message) proxying. It includes functionality to send a copy of RADIUS accounting messages to a separate server. SNMP counters are available for all RADIUS nodes, and policy counters for unmatched requests are also exposed via SNMP.
MAP/SIGTRAN API Frontend
This setup exposes a simplified REST API for advanced HLR interactions, showcasing the Enea AAA Server’s suitability not only for large-scale deployments but also for lightweight, targeted use cases—demonstrating the power of flexibility and simplicity in unison.
Enea AAA Server FAQ
The Enea AAA Server is used to provide Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) for data networks. It supports a range of technologies, including 5G, 4G, 3G, VoLTE, VoWiFi, and fixed networks, ensuring secure and efficient access control across various network infrastructures.
3GPP does not specify a 3GPP AAA for 5G standalone architectures. However, the Enea AAA Server supports 5G SA networks by acting as a DN-AAA (Data Network AAA), which allows telecom operators to implement new and innovative 5G-powered use cases, such as Private 5G and 5G slicing, enhancing service delivery and network performance.
Being cloud-native, the Enea AAA Server is designed for deployment in public or private cloud environments. It uses microservices architecture and software containers to ensure scalability, flexibility, and high availability, accommodating dynamic network demands.
Yes, the Enea AAA Server features a comprehensive Rules Engine that allows easy integration with network elements from other vendors. This facilitates seamless communication and logic deployment, making it suitable for various AAA replacement scenarios.
The server is built with reliability features, including load balancing and geographical redundancy. These features allow it to maintain high availability and handle a large volume of devices and transactions efficiently and consistently.
