PCRF and PCF — Smart Policy Control for 4G and 5G
The PCRF (Policy and Charging Rules Function) is the central policy engine of any 4G mobile network. It ensures that each subscriber receives the right services, at the right quality level, and under the right business rules — in real time.
As defined by industry standards, the Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) acts as a central brain that dynamically enforces policy decisions across the network. The PCRF helps operators manage quality of service (QoS), charging, and service differentiation in an automated way. It can work standalone or be integrated with billing, rating, and subscriber management systems — becoming a powerful tool for building innovative, revenue-generating services.
In voice networks, the PCRF is especially critical. It enables bearer management for VoLTE/VoWiFi, emergency call prioritization, and bandwidth allocation. And as networks evolve, so must the policy function: that’s where the Policy Control Function (PCF) comes in, providing the same policy intelligence in 5G architectures — both Non-Standalone (NSA) and Standalone (SA).
At Summa Networks, our Policy Function suite includes three modular options:
- Voice PCRF: Lightweight policy control focused on VoLTE and VoWiFi, with seamless IMS integration
- Full Voice and Data PCRF: Comprehensive solution for enforcing data policies, quotas, and advanced use cases
- Combo PCF: Unified policy engine for 4G and 5G networks, supporting full interworking and future-ready control
Each option is cloud-native, standards-compliant, and designed to give operators full control over service quality and evolution.
Three modular options — choose what fits your network
Each option is cloud-native, standards-compliant, and designed to give operators full control over service quality and evolution.
Voice PCRF
Simplified policy control for VoLTE, VoWiFi and VoNR readiness
Dynamic bearer allocation, emergency call handling, and voice quality prioritization with minimal complexity.
Use cases
- VoLTE or VoWiFi in IMS environments
- Emergency call prioritization
- VoNR readiness for 5G migration
- Private or mission-critical networks
Benefits
- Low TCO and fast deployment
- Ideal for small and mid-size operators
- Simplifies regulatory compliance
Full Voice and Data PCRF
Full control of data traffic, user experience and monetization
Enforce usage policies, manage QoS, apply roaming and APN-based rules, and support custom plans through a flexible and powerful engine.
Use cases
- Tiered data plans and volume management
- Block/allow services per user or profile
- Family/shared plans with shared counters
- Prevent bill-shock with usage thresholds
Benefits
- Scales to millions of subscribers
- Enables personalized, revenue-generating plans
- VMs, containers, or bare metal deployment
Combo PCF
One policy engine for both 4G and 5G networks
Control policy consistently across NSA and SA 5G while maintaining 4G compatibility — static and dynamic rules, inter-RAT mobility, IMS integration.
Use cases
- Converged 4G/5G policy in one platform
- VoNR and VoLTE from the same system
- Seamless mobility across 4G ⇄ 5G
- Cloud-native greenfield 5G deployments
Benefits
- Lower operational complexity
- Faster migration to 5G SA
- Unified policy for voice and data
Among the benefits of choosing our PCRF
Product flexibility
Choose a PCRF flavour — from lightweight Voice-only to full Data Policy with Quota management, plus a 5G PCF add-on at your convenience.
Cloud-native architecture
Built cloud-native from scratch — deploy on any cloud, containers on bare metal with Kubernetes, VMs, or any hybrid model.
Always 3GPP-compliant
Always updated to the latest 3GPP specifications — access the most innovative features without waiting.
Comprehensive capabilities
A wide range of use cases with field-proven capabilities — QoS management, roaming, quota control and more.
Integration-ready
Natively integrated with Summa Networks SDM, and ready to connect with any 3GPP-compliant element via GUI and REST API.
Multi-tenancy
Tenant separation based on IMSI (MCC/MNC or MSIN ranges) or User-Profile flags — designed for MVNOs and multi-operator deployments.
Architecture and deployment
Summa Networks PCRF can be deployed on off-the-shelf hardware. A standard High Availability deployment uses 2 Front-end servers for Business Logic (including the GUI), plus 2 Back-end servers for the configuration database (MySQL) and the sessions database (Redis).
This architecture ensures resilience and scalability from day one — whether you’re deploying in a greenfield 5G environment, a hybrid cloud, or an existing on-premise infrastructure.
Ready to simplify your policy control?
Talk to our team and find the right PCRF/PCF option for your network — or download the full product brochure.
