Method and apparatus for intelligent data service link switching

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for intelligent data service link switching (SLS) between subscriber identity modules (SIMs). An example method that may be performed by a user equipment (UE) includes: communicating data via an active link, wherein the active link includes a first link of a first data subscriber identity module (SIM) of the UE; determining based on one or more parameters to switch the active link to a second link of a second data SIM of the UE; and switching the active link to the second link.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Application No. 16 / 922,843, filed on July 7, 2020, which claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Application No. 62 / 878,854, filed on July 26, 2019, both of which are assigned to the assignee of the present application and are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as if fully set forth below and for all applicable purposes.

[0003] background

[0004] Public domain

[0005] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to wireless communications, and more particularly, to techniques for intelligent (ie, based on data service parameters) data service link switching between subscriber identity modules (SIMs) of user equipment (UE).

[0006] Related technical description

[0007] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These wireless communication systems may employ multiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, etc.). Examples of such multiple-access systems include Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems, Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) systems, and Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) systems, to name just a few.

[0008] In some examples, a wireless multiple access communication system may include several base stations (BSs), each of which is capable of simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices (also referred to as user equipment (UE)). In an LTE or LTE-A network, a collection of one or more base stations may define an evolved Node B (eNB). In other examples (e.g., in next generation, new radio (NR), or 5G networks), a wireless multiple access communication system may include several distributed units (DUs) (e.g., edge units (EUs), edge nodes (ENs), etc.) in communication with several central units (CUs) (e.g., central nodes (CNs), access node controllers (ANCs), etc.).

[0009] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate at a city, country, region, and even global level. New radio (e.g., 5G NR) is an example of an emerging telecommunication standard. NR is an enhancement set of the LTE mobile standard promulgated by 3GPP. NR is designed to better support mobile broadband Internet access by improving spectrum efficiency, reducing costs, improving services, utilizing new spectrum, and better integrating with other open standards using OFDMA with cyclic prefix (CP) on downlink (DL) and uplink (UL). To this end, NR supports beamforming, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, and carrier aggregation.

[0010] However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to grow, there is a need for further improvements to NR and LTE technologies. Preferably, these improvements should be applicable to other multiple access technologies and the telecommunication standards that employ these technologies.

[0011] Overview

[0012] The systems, methods, and devices of the present disclosure each have several aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirable attributes. Without limiting the scope of the disclosure as expressed in the appended claims, some features will now be briefly discussed. After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading the section entitled "Detailed Description," it will be understood how the features of the present disclosure provide advantages including improved data communications between a UE with multiple subscriber identity modules (SIMs) and a base station in a wireless network.

[0013] Certain aspects provide a wireless communication method for execution by a user equipment (UE). The method generally includes: communicating data via an active link, wherein the active link includes a first link of a first data subscriber identity module (SIM) of the UE; determining to switch the active link to a second link of a second data SIM of the UE based on one or more parameters; and switching the active link to the second link.

[0014] Certain aspects provide an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus generally includes a processor configured to: communicate data via an active link, wherein the active link includes a first link of a first data subscriber identity module (SIM) of the apparatus; determine to switch the active link to a second link of a second data SIM of the apparatus based on one or more parameters; and switch the active link to the second link. The apparatus generally includes a memory coupled to the processor.

[0015] Certain aspects provide an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus generally includes: means for communicating data via an active link, wherein the active link includes a first link of a first data subscriber identity module (SIM) of the apparatus; means for determining to switch the active link to a second link of a second data SIM of the apparatus based on one or more parameters; and means for switching the active link to the second link.

[0016] Certain aspects provide a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium generally includes code stored thereon that, when executed by a processing system, causes the processing system to: communicate data via an active link, wherein the active link includes a first link of a first data subscriber identity module (SIM) of the processing system; determine to switch the active link to a second link of a second data SIM of the processing system based on one or more parameters; and switch the active link to the second link.

[0017] To achieve the foregoing and related ends, one or more aspects include features fully described below and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the accompanying drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of one or more aspects. However, these features are only indicative of several of the various ways in which the principles of the various aspects can be employed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] In order to understand in detail the manner in which the above-stated features of the present disclosure are used, a more particular description of the content briefly summarized above may be made with reference to various aspects, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be noted, however, that the accompanying drawings illustrate only certain typical aspects of the present disclosure and are not to be considered limiting of its scope, as the description may admit to other equally effective aspects.

[0020] Figure 1 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example telecommunications system in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example architecture of a distributed radio access network (RAN) in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 3 An exemplary subsystem architecture according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0023] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary measurement and decision subsystem according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 5 is a flow chart of an exemplary high-level handover decision algorithm in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 6is a flow diagram illustrating example operations for wireless communications by a UE in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 7 is an example call flow diagram illustrating communications between a UE, a first cell, and a second cell in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 8 Illustrated are communications devices that may include various components configured to perform operations for the techniques disclosed herein in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0028] To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in one aspect may be beneficially utilized in other aspects without specific recitation.

[0029] Detailed Description

[0030] Various aspects of the present disclosure provide apparatus, methods, processing systems, and computer-readable media for intelligent data service link switching (SLS) between subscriber identity modules (SIMs). According to previously known techniques, a user operating a UE with multiple subscriber identity modules (SIMs) (the SIMs may be embedded SIMs (e-SIMs or eSIMs)) can only manually designate one SIM for a default data service. If the UE moves to a location where the coverage of the network supporting the SIM (and the corresponding carrier) is poor or there is no service supporting the SIM, the user must manually switch the UE to start using another SIM (and the corresponding network) to continue using data services under the data plan of the other SIM. Manually switching the UE to start using another SIM results in service interruption and an undesirable user experience for the user. Likewise, because the user does not manually switch back to the first SIM when the user returns to the coverage of the network of the first SIM, the user's multi-SIM resources and data plan may not be fully utilized. According to various aspects of the present disclosure, the UE automatically determines to switch the active data link to a candidate link selected from candidate links of multiple SIMs of the UE based on the link quality of the active data link and the candidate link of the SIM and / or other criteria, and then switches the active data link according to the determination. Automatically switching the active data link can help ensure data service continuity, improved user experience, and also improve the utilization of user data plans.

[0031] The following description provides an example of intelligent data service link switching (SLS) between subscriber identity modules (SIMs) in a communication system, without limiting the scope, applicability or examples set forth in the claims. Changes may be made to the functions and arrangements of the elements discussed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Various examples may appropriately omit, replace, or add various procedures or components. For example, the described method may be performed in an order different from the order described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Moreover, the features described with reference to some examples may be combined in some other examples. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein may be used to implement a device or practice a method. In addition, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover such devices or methods practiced using other structures, functionalities, or structures and functionalities as supplements or additional to the various aspects of the present disclosure set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the present disclosure disclosed herein may be implemented by one or more elements of the claims. The wording "exemplary" is used herein to mean "used as an example, instance, or illustration". Any aspect described as "exemplary" herein is not necessarily to be interpreted as being superior to or superior to other aspects.

[0032] The techniques described herein may be used for various wireless communication technologies, such as 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA), Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA), and other networks. The terms "network" and "system" are often used interchangeably.

[0033] A CDMA network may implement radio technologies such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), cdma2000, etc. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants of CDMA. cdma2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95, and IS-856 standards. A TDMA network may implement radio technologies such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). An OFDMA network may implement radio technologies such as NR (e.g., 5G RA), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDMA, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). LTE and LTE-A are versions of UMTS that use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, and GSM are described in documents from an organization called the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). cdma2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2).

[0034] New Radio (NR) is an emerging wireless communication technology being developed in collaboration with the 5G Technical Forum (5GTF). NR access (e.g., 5G NR) can support a variety of wireless communication services, such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) targeting wide bandwidth (e.g., 80MHz or higher), millimeter wave (mmW) targeting high carrier frequency (e.g., 25GHz or higher), massive machine type communication MTC (mMTC) targeting non-backward compatible MTC technology, and / or mission critical services targeting ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC). These services may include latency and reliability requirements. These services may also have different transmission time intervals (TTIs) to meet corresponding quality of service (QoS) requirements. In addition, these services can coexist in the same subframe.

[0035] The techniques described herein may be used for the wireless networks and radio technologies mentioned above as well as other wireless networks and radio technologies. For clarity, although various aspects may be described herein using terms typically associated with 3G and / or 4G wireless technologies, various aspects of the present disclosure may be applied in communication systems based on other generations, such as 5G and later generations, including NR technologies.

[0036] Figure 1 An example wireless communication network 100 is illustrated in which aspects of the present disclosure may be performed. For example, the wireless communication network 100 may be a NR system (e.g., a 5G NR network).

[0037] like Figure 1 As illustrated in , the wireless communication network 100 may include several base stations (BSs) 110a-z (each also individually referred to herein as BS 110 or collectively referred to as BS 110) and other network entities. BS 110 may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area (sometimes referred to as a "cell"), which may be stationary or mobile depending on the location of mobile BS 110. In some examples, BS 110 may be interconnected to each other and / or to one or more other BSs or network nodes (not shown) in the wireless communication network 100 via various types of backhaul interfaces (e.g., direct physical connections, wireless connections, virtual networks, etc.) using any suitable transport network. Figure 1 In the example shown in , BSs 110a, 110b, and 110c may be macro BSs for macro cells 102a, 102b, and 102c, respectively. BS 110x may be a pico BS for a pico cell 102x. BSs 110y and 110z may be femto BSs for femto cells 102y and 102z, respectively. The BS may support one or more cells. BS 110 communicates with user equipment (UE) 120a-y (each also individually referred to herein as UE 120 or collectively referred to as UE 120) in the wireless communication network 100. UEs 120 (e.g., 120x, 120y, etc.) may be dispersed throughout the wireless communication network 100, and each UE 120 may be stationary or mobile.

[0038] According to certain aspects, UE 120 can be configured for intelligent data service link switching (SLS) between subscriber identity modules (SIMs). Figure 1 As shown, UE 120a includes an intelligent data service link switching (SLS) between respective subscriber identity modules (SIM) managers 122. According to aspects of the present disclosure, the SLS manager 122 may be configured to communicate data via an active link, wherein the active link includes a first link of a first data subscriber identity module (SIM) of the UE; determine based on one or more parameters to switch the active link to a second link of a second data SIM of the UE; and switch the active link to the second link.

[0039] The wireless communication network 100 may also include a relay station (e.g., relay station 110r) (also referred to as a relay, etc.), which receives transmissions of data and / or other information from an upstream station (e.g., BS 110a or UE 120r) and sends transmissions of data and / or other information to a downstream station (e.g., UE 120 or BS 110), or which relays transmissions between UEs 120 to facilitate communication between the devices.

[0040] A network controller 130 may couple to a set of BSs 110 and provide coordination and control for the BSs 110. The network controller 130 may communicate with the BSs 110 via a backhaul. The BSs 110 may also communicate with each other (eg, directly or indirectly) via a wireless or wired backhaul.

[0041] Figure 2 1 and 120a (eg, in the example embodiment of the present invention) that can be used to implement various aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 1 Example components of the wireless communication network 100).

[0042] At BS 110a, a transmit processor 220 may receive data from a data source 212 and control information from a controller / processor 240. The control information may be for a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), a physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH), a physical hybrid ARQ indicator channel (PHICH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a group common PDCCH (GC PDCCH), etc. The data may be for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), etc. The processor 220 may process (e.g., encode and symbol map) the data and the control information to obtain data symbols and control symbols, respectively. The transmit processor 220 may also generate reference symbols (such as for a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a cell-specific reference signal (CRS)). The transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, and / or reference symbols, where applicable, and may provide an output symbol stream to modulators (MODs) 232a-232t. Each modulator 232 may process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and up-convert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The downlink signals from modulators 232a-232t may be transmitted via antennas 234a-234t, respectively.

[0043] At UE 120a, antennas 252a-252r may receive downlink signals from BS 110 and may provide received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) 254a-254r in the transceiver, respectively. Each demodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) a respective received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 256 may obtain received symbols from all demodulators 254a-254r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols where applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE 120 to a data sink 260, and provide decoded control information to a controller / processor 280.

[0044] On the uplink, at the UE 120a, the transmit processor 264 may receive and process data from a data source 262 (e.g., for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)) and control information from the controller / processor 280 (e.g., for a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)). The transmit processor 264 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)). The symbols from the transmit processor 264 may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 266, if applicable, further processed by a demodulator 254a-254r in the transceiver (e.g., for SC-FDM, etc.), and transmitted to the base station 110. At the BS 110, the uplink signal from the UE 120 may be received by the antenna 234, processed by the modulator 232, detected by the MIMO detector 236, if applicable, and further processed by the receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information sent by the UE 120. Receive processor 238 may provide decoded data to data sink 239 and decoded control information to controller / processor 240 .

[0045] Controllers / processors 240 and 280 may direct the operation at BS 110 and UE 120, respectively. Controller / processor 240 and / or other processors and modules at BS 110 may perform or direct the execution of processes for the techniques described herein. Memories 242 and 282 may store data and program codes for BS 110 and UE 120, respectively. Scheduler 244 may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0046] The controller / processor 280 and / or other processors and modules at the UE 120a may perform or direct the execution of processes for the techniques described herein. Figure 2As shown in FIG. 1 , the controller / processor 280 of the UE 120a has an SLS manager 281, which can be configured according to various aspects described herein to: communicate data via an active link, wherein the active link includes a first link of a first data subscriber identity module (SIM) of the UE; determine to switch the active link to a second link of a second data SIM of the UE based on one or more parameters; and switch the active link to the second link. Although shown at the controller / processor, other components of the UE 120a and the BS 110a can also be used to perform the operations described herein.

[0047] According to previously known techniques, a user operating a UE with multiple Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs) (the SIM may be an embedded SIM (e-SIM or eSIM), specifically a Multi-SIM Multi-Standby (MSMS) UE) can only manually designate one SIM for a default data service. If the UE moves to a location where the coverage of a network supporting the SIM (and the corresponding carrier) is poor or there is no service supporting the SIM, the user must manually switch the UE to start using another SIM (and the corresponding network) to continue using the data service of the data plan under the other SIM. Manually switching the UE to start using another SIM results in service interruption and an undesirable user experience for the user. Likewise, the user's multiple SIMs and data plans may not be fully utilized, for example because the user did not manually switch back to the first SIM when the user returned to the coverage of the network of the first SIM.

[0048] Example Intelligent Data Service Link Switching Between Subscriber Identity Modules

[0049] According to various aspects of the present disclosure, the UE automatically determines to switch the active data link to a candidate link selected from candidate links of multiple SIMs of the UE based on the link quality of the active data link and the candidate link of the SIM and / or other criteria, and then switches the active data link according to the determination. Automatically switching the active data link can help ensure data service continuity, improved user experience, and also improve the utilization of user data plans.

[0050] In various aspects of the present disclosure, data services and their continuity are becoming increasingly important to users. In addition, due to competition between carriers, data plans are becoming less expensive and therefore it is expected that the value of the disclosed technology will increase.

[0051] According to aspects of the present disclosure, determining a SIM to switch an active link to may be scalable by combining artificial intelligence (AI) and / or context awareness of the UE.

[0052] In various aspects of the present disclosure, the UE may determine to automatically switch SIMs supporting various cellular technologies, including second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G or 4G LTE), fifth generation (5G, also known as New Radio (NR)), and even future sixth generation (6G) and higher technologies, and automatically switch active data links between these SIMs.

[0053] According to aspects of the present disclosure, the UE determines to automatically switch the active data link is independent of the cellular air interface technology of any SIM between which the UE may switch the active data link. Thus, the disclosed techniques may provide value to the user as long as there is diversity in coverage and / or quality of service and / or even data plan consumption status between carriers.

[0054] Figure 3 An exemplary subsystem architecture 300 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In the exemplary architecture, a user interface and input (UI / input) subsystem 305 provides parameters to a measurement and decision subsystem 310. Among the parameters provided are parameters that the UI / input subsystem can extract from the current system settings, such as which SIM is the default SIM for data services, how much data has been used this month in total and / or for that SIM, relevant data plan information for specific applications (e.g., data usage for some applications is free for certain types of SIM cards), peak and / or average data rate related information for each candidate link. Other provided parameters that can be selected by the user include which SIMs can use data services other than the default data service SIM, whether there is a preference for data services for one SIM, and a data packet quota for determining data services to be changed to another SIM.

[0055] Figure 44 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary measurement and decision subsystem 400 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The exemplary measurement and decision subsystem includes a measurement block 405, which includes an active link data service quality measurement portion 410, which measures the link quality of the active link and compares the active link quality with a threshold value, which is configured in a parameter table and is adjustable (e.g., in response to user input and / or network operator commands). The measurement of the active link quality can be based on a physical layer channel quality indicator (PHY-CQI) provided by the UE's modem or an application level CQI (APP-CQI) provided by the UE's processor. The measurement block also includes a candidate link quality measurement portion 415. Once the active link CQI determined by the active link data service quality measurement portion is lower than the threshold value (i.e., as described above), the candidate link quality measurement portion will be triggered to start measuring the candidate link. When the UE's modem listens and / or decodes the paging channel or physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of the SIM for the candidate link during the scheduled time slot period of the SIM, the candidate link quality measurement portion will estimate the CQI of each candidate link. Depending on how many SIM links are candidate links (i.e., as determined based on parameters provided by the UE's UI / input subsystem 430), the estimated CQIs of all candidate links will be collected for selection by the advanced handover decision algorithm block 420 which candidate link will be the target link, i.e., the target link to which the UE's data service is handed over. The measurement and decision subsystem also includes the previously mentioned advanced handover decision algorithm block, which decides which candidate link will be the target link by using an advanced handover decision algorithm (ASDA) based on the CQI of the active link and the estimated CQI of all candidate links, user preferences, data plans, and current usage of each SIM and / or link.

[0056] According to aspects of the present disclosure, classification of links (eg, determining whether an active link CQI is too low to maintain service), filtering, averaging, correction, and sliding window mechanisms may be used in ASDA to avoid ping-pong effects and other undesirable behaviors.

[0057] In various aspects of the present disclosure, when the ASDA has determined the target link to switch to (e.g., one of the candidate links), the action / switching subsystem 440 acts to switch the active link to the target SIM link, which is provided to the action / switching subsystem by the advanced switching decision algorithm block. The switching can be performed in any of the following ways: 1) emulating the user's action to change the default data service (DDS) to the target SIM using the same mechanism to create a data link and provide services on it, which may cause the data service to be interrupted for up to 1 second, depending on the UE's application buffer and whether the switching algorithm is aggressive; or 2) using the IP table mechanism to cause the data link to switch.

[0058] Figure 5 5 is a flow chart 500 of an exemplary high-level handover decision algorithm according to aspects of the present disclosure. Execution of the algorithm begins at 505. At 510, information about the number of candidate SIMs is obtained from the UI / input subsystem. At 515, it is determined whether there is at least one candidate SIM. If there is no candidate SIM, execution returns to the start. If there is at least one candidate SIM, the CQI of the active link is measured at 520. At 525, it is determined whether the CQI of the active link is less than a threshold. If the CQI of the active link is not less than the threshold, execution continues to measure the active link CQI at 520. If the CQI of the active link is less than the threshold, the CQI of the link of each of the candidate SIMs 1-N is measured or estimated as described above. The measured or estimated CQIs of the candidate links and the active links and the time when these measurements were made are provided to the active handover decision box 535, which can be executed in the action / handover subsystem 440, as described above with reference to FIG. Figure 4 As described.

[0059] According to aspects of the present disclosure, if the UE's active SIM is not the preferred SIM, or the data usage of the SIM's data plan is about to run out given the date of the current month, the UE (e.g., an advanced switching decision algorithm) may then set the threshold higher to ensure that the active link can be switched to the preferred SIM in a timely manner (e.g., before the data plan runs out).

[0060] In aspects of the present disclosure, an advanced switching decision algorithm may modify the threshold.

[0061] According to aspects of the present disclosure, an advanced handover decision algorithm may make handover decisions based on pure CQI and / or based on other parameters such as user preferences and data plan usage status.

[0062] Figure 6 6 is a flow diagram illustrating example operations 600 for wireless communication in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. Operations 600 may be performed, for example, by a UE (such as UE 120 in wireless communication network 100, for example). Operations 600 may be implemented as a processor (e.g., Figure 2 In addition, signal transmission and reception by the UE in operation 600 may be performed by one or more antennas (e.g., Figure 2 In some aspects, the transmission and / or reception of signals by the UE may be achieved by obtaining and / or outputting signals via a bus interface of one or more processors (eg, controller / processor 280).

[0063] At block 605, operations 600 may begin with the UE communicating data via an active link, wherein the active link comprises a first link of a first data subscriber identity module (SIM) of the UE. For example, UE 120a may communicate data to BS 110a via an active link, wherein the active link comprises a first link of a first data SIM of the UE.

[0064] At block 610, operations 600 continue with the UE determining to switch the active link to a second link of a second data SIM of the UE based on one or more parameters. Continuing with the above example, UE 120a may determine, via controller / processor 280, to switch the active link to a second link of a second data SIM of UE 120a. UE 120a may determine to switch the active link to a second link of a second data SIM of UE 120a based on one or more parameters, such as a measurement of the active link CQI (e.g., in Figure 5 520)) to determine whether to switch.

[0065] Operations 600 continue at block 615 where the UE switches the active link to the second link. Continuing with the above example, UE 120a may switch the active link to the second link.

[0066] According to aspects of the present disclosure, one or more parameters in box 610 may include at least one of the following: an indication that the first data SIM or the second data SIM is the default SIM for data services; data plan information for the application; peak data rate information about the first link or the second link; the amount of data used for the first data SIM or the second data SIM during the current month or the current billing cycle of the UE; and average data rate information about the first link or the second link. For example, the average data rate information may be an indication of the type of network coverage. Additionally, the average data rate information may be an indication of the selection between a network using a fourth generation (4G) radio access technology (RAT) or a cellular cell using a fifth generation (5G) RAT. In certain aspects, the selection between a cellular cell using a 4G RAT or a cellular cell using a 5G RAT may be based on the bandwidth of the application session. For example, if the application session has a relatively low bandwidth usage (e.g., short messaging), a cellular cell using a 4G RAT may be selected. Alternatively, if the application session has a relatively high bandwidth usage (e.g., video streaming), a cellular cell using a 5G RAT may be selected.

[0067] In aspects of the present disclosure, the one or more parameters in block 610 may include at least one of: an indication of which data SIM of at least one of the first data SIM or the second data SIM may use the data service; an indication of a user preference to use at least one of a first data service from the first data SIM or a second data service from the second data SIM; or an indication of at least one of a data packet quota for the first data SIM or a data packet for the second data SIM. In some cases, the indication of the user preference may include a location of the UE and / or an indication of a timestamp.

[0068] According to aspects of the present disclosure, determining to switch the active link as described in block 610 may include: measuring a first link quality of the active link; and determining that the first link quality is below a threshold, wherein determining to switch the active link is responsive to determining that the link quality is below the threshold.

[0069] In aspects of the present disclosure, the UE performing operation 600 may also determine the threshold based on at least one of a user input, a predefined value, or one or more parameters of block 610 .

[0070] According to aspects of the present disclosure, measuring the first link quality may include measuring physical layer channel quality information (PHY-CQI) of an active link.

[0071] In aspects of the present disclosure, measuring the first link quality may include measuring application level channel quality information (APP-CQI) of an active link.

[0072] According to aspects of the present disclosure, the UE performing operation 600 may further: determine a threshold based on an indication that the first SIM is not a preferred SIM.

[0073] In aspects of the present disclosure, the UE performing operation 600 may further determine the threshold based on an indication that the data plan of the first SIM is approaching a maximum amount of data transmitted during a current month or billing cycle of the UE.

[0074] According to various aspects of the present disclosure, determining to switch the active link as described in box 610 may include: measuring or estimating a second link quality of the second link; and determining that the second link is better than the first link based on the second link quality or based on a threshold determined by at least one of the one or more parameters of box 610, wherein determining to switch the active link is in response to determining that the second link is better than the first link.

[0075] Figure 7700 is an example call flow diagram illustrating communications between a UE 702, a second cell 704, and a first cell 706 according to certain aspects of the present disclosure. As described above, the UE may determine to switch from an active link to a second link based on one or more parameters. As illustrated, the UE 702 may establish a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the first cell 706 at 708. In certain aspects, the first cell 706 may be a 4G cell. At 710, the UE 702 may measure one or more parameters (e.g., one or more of the above parameters). For example, the one or more parameters may include at least one of: an indication that the first data SIM or the second data SIM is the default SIM for data services; data plan information for an application; peak data rate information about the first link or the second link; the amount of data used for the first data SIM or the second data SIM during the current month or current billing cycle of the UE; and average data rate information about the first link or the second link; or other parameters described herein.

[0076] At 712, UE 702 may determine to switch the active link. In other words, for example, UE 702 may determine that another link may be more suitable for the current application session and determine to switch to the other link. Optionally, if the link quality of the link to the first cell 706 is good enough (e.g., RSSI is above a threshold), UE 702 may send a disconnect request to the first cell 706 at 714 and receive a disconnect grant from the first cell 706 at 716. If the link quality of the link to the first cell 706 is not good enough (e.g., RSSI is below a threshold), the UE may not send a disconnect request at 714. At 718, UE 702 may send a connection request to the second cell 704. In some aspects, the second cell 704 may be a 5G cell. As shown, UE 702 may receive a connection grant from the second cell at 720, and UE 702 may be RRC connected to the second cell 704 at 722.

[0077] Although aspects of the present disclosure are described in an example where the second cell 704 is a 5G cell and the first cell 706 is a 4G cell, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In other aspects, the second cell 704 may use a RAT other than 5G, and the first cell 706 may use a RAT other than 4G.

[0078] Figure 8 The description may include a method configured to perform operations for the techniques disclosed herein (such as Figure 6800 includes a processing system 802 coupled to a transceiver 808. The transceiver 808 is configured to transmit and receive signals for the communication device 800 (such as various signals as described herein) via an antenna 810. The processing system 802 may be configured to perform processing functions for the communication device 800, including processing signals received and / or to be transmitted by the communication device 800.

[0079] The processing system 802 includes a processor 804 coupled to a computer readable medium / memory 812 via a bus 806. In some aspects, the computer readable medium / memory 812 is configured to store programs that, when executed by the processor 804, cause the processor 804 to execute Figure 6 812 or instructions (e.g., computer executable code) for performing the operations explained in or other operations for various techniques for SLS discussed herein. In some aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 812 stores code 814 for communicating data via an active link, wherein the active link includes a first link of a first data subscriber identity module (SIM) of a UE; code 816 for determining, based on one or more parameters, that the active link is to be switched to a second link of a second data SIM of the UE; and code 818 for switching the active link to the second link. In some aspects, the processor 804 has a circuit system configured to implement the code stored in the computer-readable medium / memory 812. The processor 804 includes a circuit system 820 for communicating data via an active link, wherein the active link includes a first link of a first data subscriber identity module (SIM) of a UE; a circuit system 824 for determining, based on one or more parameters, that the active link is to be switched to a second link of a second data SIM of the UE; and a circuit system 826 for switching the active link to the second link.

[0080] Each method disclosed herein includes one or more steps or actions for implementing the method. These method steps and / or actions can be interchangeable with each other without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or actions is specified, the order and / or use of specific steps and / or actions can be changed without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0081] As used herein, a phrase referring to "at least one of" a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc, as well as any combination with multiple identical elements (e.g., aa, aaa, aab, aac, abb, acc, bb, bbb, bbc, cc, and ccc, or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0082] As used herein, the term "determining" encompasses a wide variety of actions. For example, "determining" may include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, searching (e.g., searching in a table, a database, or another data structure), ascertaining, and the like. Also, "determining" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), and the like. Also, "determining" may include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and the like.

[0083] The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be easily understood by those skilled in the art, and the universal principles defined herein can be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the various aspects shown herein, but should be granted the full scope consistent with the language of the claims, wherein the singular reference to the element is not intended to mean "there is and only one" (unless specifically stated) but "one or more". Unless otherwise specifically stated, the term "some / some" refers to one or more. The elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure are all structural and functional equivalents currently or hereafter known to those of ordinary skill in the art and are expressly incorporated herein by reference, and are intended to be covered by the claims. In addition, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be donated to the public, regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recorded in the claims. Any element of the claim should not be interpreted under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112 (f), unless the element is explicitly stated using the phrase "device for..." or in the case of a method claim, the element is stated using the phrase "step for...".

[0084] The various operations of the methods described above may be performed by any suitable device capable of performing the corresponding functions. These devices may include various hardware and / or software components and / or modules, including but not limited to circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or processors. Generally, where there are operations illustrated in the accompanying drawings, these operations may have corresponding paired device-plus-function components with similar numbers.

[0085] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the present disclosure may be implemented or executed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device (PLD), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any commercially available processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0086] If implemented in hardware, an example hardware configuration may include a processing system in a wireless node. The processing system may be implemented using a bus architecture. Depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of the processing system, the bus may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges. The bus may link together various circuits including a processor, a machine-readable medium, and a bus interface. The bus interface may be used to connect a network adapter, etc., to the processing system via the bus. The network adapter may be used to implement the signal processing functions of the PHY layer. In the user terminal 120 (see Figure 1 ), a user interface (e.g., a keypad, display, mouse, joystick, etc.) may also be connected to the bus. The bus may also link various other circuits, such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, power management circuits, and the like, which are well known in the art and will not be described further. The processor may be implemented with one or more general and / or special purpose processors. Examples include microprocessors, microcontrollers, DSP processors, and other circuit systems capable of executing software. Those skilled in the art will recognize how to best implement the functionality described with respect to the processing system, depending on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0087] If implemented in software, each function may be stored on or transmitted by a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. Software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, data, or any combination thereof, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, which include any media that facilitate the transfer of computer programs from one place to another. The processor may be responsible for managing the bus and general processing, including executing software modules stored on a machine-readable storage medium. A computer-readable storage medium may be coupled to a processor so that the processor can read and write information from / to the storage medium. In an alternative, a storage medium may be integrated into a processor. As an example, a machine-readable medium may include a transmission line, a carrier modulated by data, and / or a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that is separated from a wireless node, all of which may be accessed by a processor through a bus interface. Alternatively or additionally, a machine-readable medium or any part thereof may be integrated into a processor, such as a cache and / or a general register file, which may be the case. As an example, examples of machine-readable storage media may include RAM (random access memory), flash memory, ROM (read only memory), PROM (programmable read only memory), EPROM (erasable programmable read only memory), EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read only memory), registers, magnetic disks, optical disks, hard drives, or any other suitable storage media, or any combination thereof. Machine-readable media may be implemented in a computer program product.

[0088] A software module may include a single instruction, or many instructions, and may be distributed over several different code segments, distributed between different programs, and distributed across multiple storage media. A computer-readable medium may include several software modules. These software modules include instructions that cause a processing system to perform various functions when executed by an apparatus such as a processor. These software modules may include a transmission module and a receiving module. Each software module may reside in a single storage device or may be distributed across multiple storage devices. As an example, when a triggering event occurs, a software module may be loaded into a RAM from a hard drive. During the execution of a software module, a processor may load some instructions into a cache to increase access speed. One or more cache lines may then be loaded into a general register file for execution by the processor. When describing the functionality of a software module as described below, it will be understood that such functionality is implemented by the processor when the processor executes instructions from the software module.

[0089] Likewise, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technology (such as infrared (IR), radio, and microwave), then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technology (such as infrared, radio, and microwave) is included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Disks, where disks often reproduce data magnetically, and discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Thus, in some aspects, computer-readable media may include non-transitory computer-readable media (e.g., tangible media). Additionally, for other aspects, computer-readable media may include transient computer-readable media (e.g., signals). Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0090] Thus, some aspects may include a computer program product for performing the operations presented herein. For example, such a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium having instructions stored (and / or encoded) thereon, which instructions can be executed by one or more processors to perform the operations described herein. For example, for performing the operations described herein and in Figure 6 Instructions for the operations explained in .

[0091] In addition, it should be appreciated that modules and / or other appropriate means for performing the methods and techniques described herein may be downloaded and / or otherwise obtained by a user terminal and / or base station where applicable. For example, such a device can be coupled to a server to facilitate the transfer of means for performing the methods described herein. Alternatively, the various methods described herein can be provided via a storage device (e.g., RAM, ROM, a physical storage medium such as a compact disc (CD) or a floppy disk, etc.) so that once the storage device is coupled to or provided to a user terminal and / or base station, the device can obtain the various methods. In addition, any other suitable technology suitable for providing the methods and techniques described herein to a device may be utilized.

[0092] It will be understood that the claims are not limited to the precise configuration and components illustrated above. Various changes, substitutions and variations may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the methods and apparatus described above without departing from the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: communicating data via an active link, wherein the active link comprises a first link of a first data subscriber identity module (SIM) of the UE; determining to switch the active link to a second link of a second data SIM of the UE based on one or more parameters; as well as Switching the active link to the second link, wherein determining to switch the active link comprises: measuring a first link quality of the active link; Determining whether the first link quality is lower than a threshold; measuring a link quality of each of at least one candidate link in response to determining that the first link quality is below the threshold; and One of the at least one candidate link is selected as the second link based at least in part on the measured link quality of each candidate link.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of: an indication that the first data SIM or the second data SIM is a default SIM for data services; Data plan information for the app; peak data rate information about the first link or the second link; the amount of data used for the first data SIM or the second data SIM during a current month or a current billing cycle of the UE; or Average data rate information about the first link or the second link.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the average data rate information includes an indication of a network coverage type.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the average data rate information comprises an indication of a selection between a network using a fourth generation (4G) radio access technology (RAT) or a network using a fifth generation (5G) RAT.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of: an indication of which data SIM of at least one of the first data SIM or the second data SIM is capable of using data services; an indication of a user preference to use at least one of a first data service from the first data SIM or a second data service from the second data SIM; or An indication of at least one of a data packet quota of the first data SIM or a data packet quota of the second data SIM.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the indication of the user preference comprises an indication of the UE location, an indication of a timestamp, or both.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The threshold is determined based on at least one of a user input, a predefined value, or the one or more parameters.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring the first link quality comprises measuring physical layer channel quality information (PHY-CQI) of the active link.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring the first link quality comprises measuring application level channel quality information (APP-CQI) of the active link.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The threshold is determined based on an indication that the first SIM is not a preferred SIM.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The threshold is determined based on an indication that the data plan of the first SIM is approaching a maximum amount of data transmitted during a current month or billing cycle of the UE.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters include an indication of quality of service (QoS) requirements.

13. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: A processor configured to: communicating data via an active link, wherein the active link comprises a first link of a first data subscriber identity module (SIM) of the UE; determining to switch the active link to a second link of a second data SIM of the UE based on one or more parameters; as well as Switching the active link to the second link; as well as A memory coupled to the processor, wherein the processor is further configured to determine to switch the active link by: measuring a first link quality of the active link; Determining whether the first link quality is lower than a threshold; measuring a link quality of each of at least one candidate link in response to determining that the first link quality is below the threshold; as well as One of the at least one candidate link is selected as the second link based at least in part on the measured link quality of each candidate link.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of: an indication that the first data SIM or the second data SIM is a default SIM for data services; Data plan information for the app; peak data rate information about the first link or the second link; the amount of data used for the first data SIM or the second data SIM during a current month or a current billing cycle of the UE; or Average data rate information about the first link or the second link.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the average data rate information includes an indication of a network coverage type.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the average data rate information comprises an indication of a selection between a network using a fourth generation (4G) radio access technology (RAT) or a network using a fifth generation (5G) RAT.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or more parameters include at least one of: an indication of which data SIM of at least one of the first data SIM or the second data SIM is capable of using data services; an indication of a user preference to use at least one of a first data service from the first data SIM or a second data service from the second data SIM; or An indication of at least one of a data packet quota of the first data SIM or a data packet quota of the second data SIM.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the indication of the user preference comprises an indication of the UE location, an indication of a timestamp, or both.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the threshold based on at least one of a user input, a predefined value, or the one or more parameters.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to measure the first link quality by measuring physical layer channel quality information (PHY-CQI) of the active link.

21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to measure the first link quality by measuring application level channel quality information (APP-CQI) of the active link.

22. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the threshold based on an indication that the first SIM is not a preferred SIM.

23. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the threshold based on an indication that a data plan of the first SIM is approaching a maximum amount of data transmitted during a current month or billing cycle of the UE.

24. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or more parameters include an indication of a quality of service (QoS) requirement.

25. A device for wireless communication, comprising: means for communicating data via an active link, wherein the active link comprises a first link of a first data subscriber identity module (SIM) of the device; means for determining, based on one or more parameters, to switch the active link to a second link of a second data SIM of the device; as well as A device for switching the active link to the second link, wherein the device for determining to switch the active link comprises: means for measuring a first link quality of said active link; means for determining whether the quality of the first link is below a threshold; means for measuring a link quality of each of at least one candidate link in response to determining that the first link quality is below the threshold; and means for selecting one of the at least one candidate link as the second link based at least in part on the measured link quality of each candidate link.

26. A computer readable medium having stored thereon code which, when executed by a processing system, causes the processing system to: communicating data via an active link, wherein the active link comprises a first link of a first data subscriber identity module (SIM) of the processing system; determining to switch the active link to a second link of a second data SIM of the processing system based on one or more parameters; as well as Switching the active link to the second link, wherein determining to switch the active link comprises: measuring a first link quality of the active link; Determining whether the first link quality is lower than a threshold; measuring a link quality of each of at least one candidate link in response to determining that the first link quality is below the threshold; and One of the at least one candidate link is selected as the second link based at least in part on the measured link quality of each candidate link.

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