Network Exposure Function (NEF)
NEF is a 3GPP standard node exposing network services to applications. With those services one can do various things with IoT devices, sensors, meters, smart vehicles, television sets, etc. For example:
- Get notified when a device wakes up.
- Get location of a device.
- Data communication without a resource hungry TCP/IP stack in IoT device (Non-IP Data Delivery, NIDD).
- Set service parameters for smart vehicles.
- Broadcast emergency notifications for smart vehicles.
- Reserve bandwidth for 4K television programmes.
- Pay the bandwidth costs of a specific app running on a device instead of the subscriber. There are tons of use cases, such as multi-media or gaming streaming, movement activated security camera feed for your AI processing service.
NEF can also expose telephony services. For example:
- Catch incoming calls and check calling number before letting the call through. Block nuisance calls.
- On incoming call blink a lamp or mute TV. Combining telephony API with a smart bulb API, or a TV / remote with an API.
- Create a fancy voice mail if called subscriber is busy or did not answer the call.
- Play announcement. Receive response as keypress.
- Send text message.