UE location determination and country verification for 5G satellite access

Abstract

A serving satellite Node B (gNB) supports satellite access to a PLMN with a fifth-generation (5G) core network (5GCN). The gNB determines or verifies the country in which a user equipment (UE) is located to ensure that the UE is located in the same country as the PLMN. The gNB can determine the UE's country based on UE measurements from broadcast satellite signals and a positioning ID (PID) broadcast for each radio cell. The PID changes frequently to prevent spoofing. The gNB can use multiple UE measurements from mobile radio cells over time to generate a more accurate position for the UE. The gNB can indicate to the 5GCN whether the UE's country has been verified. If the gNB indicates that the country is not fully verified, the 5GCN will determine the UE's location and country.

Description

[0001] Priority claim

[0002] This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 060,992, filed on August 4, 2020, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FORSUPPORTING LOCATION AND COUNTRY DETERMINATION FOR 5G SATELLITE ACCESS,” and U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 17 / 387,899, filed on July 28, 2021, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FORSUPPORTING LOCATION AND COUNTRY DETERMINATION FOR 5G SATELLITE ACCESS,” both of which are assigned to the assignee of this agreement and are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] Various aspects described herein relate generally to wireless communication systems and, more particularly, to wireless networks utilizing communication satellites. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, etc. These systems can support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems, such as long term evolution (LTE) systems, advanced LTE (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems, which may be referred to as new radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ techniques such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple access communication system may include multiple base stations or network access nodes, each of which simultaneously supports communication with multiple communication devices, which may also be referred to as user equipment (UE).

[0005] Standardization is underway to combine satellite-based communication systems with terrestrial wireless communication systems, such as 5G New Radio (NR) networks. In such a system, user equipment (UE) will access a satellite (also known as a space vehicle (SV)) (rather than a base station), connect to a ground station (also known as a ground station or non-terrestrial (NTN) gateway), and then connect to the 5G network (e.g., directly or through a base station). 5G networks can treat satellite systems as another type of radio access technology (RAT) that is different from, but similar to, terrestrial 5G NR.

[0006] Since satellites typically differ from terrestrial base stations in terms of the size of their coverage area, mobility of their coverage area, longer propagation delays, and different carrier frequencies, 5G satellite RATs may require different implementation and support than 5G terrestrial RATs to provide public services to end users. Therefore, it is best to optimize this different implementation and support while minimizing its impact.

[0007] An example of a common service involves support for regulatory requirements such as emergency (EM) calls, lawful interception (LI), and wireless emergency alerts (WEA). Using satellite RATs to support these public services should preferably have minimal new impact on the terrestrial 5G core network (5GCN) while still providing the same or better service levels as terrestrial 5G RATs.

[0008] Another common service involves the continuity of a UE's radio access to the 5GCN and external entities accessed through the 5GCN. Because satellites in low and medium Earth orbits have mobile coverage areas, the UE's radio access may be interrupted. Therefore, methods to mitigate or avoid such interruptions in an efficient manner may be useful.

[0009] Another category of services involves supporting the ability of a UE to access a 5GCN in the same country as the UE - for example, where the satellite coverage area crosses an international border. Means to enable same-country 5GCN access may then be required. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The serving satellite Node B (gNB) supports satellite access to public land mobile networks (PLMNs) using the fifth generation (5G) core network (5GCN). The gNB determines or verifies the country of a user equipment (UE) to ensure that the UE is located in the same country as the PLMN. The gNB can determine the UE's country based on UE measurements from broadcast satellite signals and a positioning ID (PID) broadcast for each radio cell. The PID changes frequently to prevent UE spoofing. The gNB can also use multiple UE measurements from mobile radio cells over time to generate a more accurate position for the UE. The gNB can indicate to the 5GCN whether the UE's country has been verified. The 5GCN determines the UE's location and country only if the gNB indicates that the country is not fully verified.

[0011] In one implementation, a method performed by a satellite Node B (gNB) for supporting satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to a serving public land mobile network (PLMN), the method comprising: receiving a registration request from the UE to the serving PLMN via a communication satellite belonging to a plurality of communication satellites; performing verification whether the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN based on information provided by at least one of the UE, the communication satellite, or the gNB; providing a registration request to a first entity in a core network of the serving PLMN when the verification determines that the UE is or may be in the country associated with the serving PLMN; and providing, together with the registration request, an indication of whether the gNB has verified that the UE is in the country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0012] In one implementation, a satellite node B (gNB) configured to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to a serving public land mobile network (PLMN) includes: an external interface configured to communicate with a network entity; at least one memory; at least one processor coupled to the external interface and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive a registration request from the UE to the serving PLMN via a communication satellite belonging to a plurality of communication satellites; perform verification of whether the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN based on information provided by at least one of the UE, the communication satellite, or the gNB; provide a registration request to a first entity in a core network of the serving PLMN when the verification determines that the UE is or may be in the country associated with the serving PLMN; and provide, together with the registration request, an indication of whether the gNB has verified that the UE is in the country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0013] In one implementation, a satellite Node B (gNB) configured to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to a serving public land mobile network (PLMN) includes: means for receiving a registration request from the UE to the serving PLMN via a communication satellite belonging to a plurality of communication satellites; means for performing verification whether the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN based on information provided by at least one of the UE, the communication satellite, or the gNB; means for providing the registration request to a first entity in a core network of the serving PLMN when the verification determines that the UE is or may be in the country associated with the serving PLMN; and means for providing, along with the registration request, an indication of whether the gNB has verified that the UE is in the country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0014] In one implementation, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a satellite Node B (gNB) for supporting satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to a serving public land mobile network (PLMN), the program code including instructions to: receive a registration request from the UE to the serving PLMN via a communication satellite belonging to a plurality of communication satellites; perform verification, based on information provided by at least one of the UE, the communication satellite, or the gNB, of whether the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN; provide a registration request to a first entity in a core network of the serving PLMN when the verification determines that the UE is or may be in the country associated with the serving PLMN; and provide, along with the registration request, an indication of whether the gNB has verified that the UE is in the country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0015] In one implementation, a method performed by a first entity in a core network of a serving public land mobile network (PLMN) for supporting satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to the serving PLMN, the method comprising: receiving a message from a satellite Node B (gNB), the message including a registration request from the UE and a first indication of whether the UE's country is verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN; accepting the registration request if the first indication is that the UE's country is verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN; and causing a location of the UE to verify that the UE is located in a country associated with the serving PLMN if the first indication is that the UE's country is not verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0016] In one implementation, a first entity in a core network of a serving public land mobile network (PLMN) is configured to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to the serving PLMN, comprising: an external interface configured to communicate with a network entity; at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the external interface and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive a message from a satellite Node B (gNB), the message including a registration request from the UE and a first indication of whether the UE's country is verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN; accept the registration request if the first indication is that the UE's country is verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN; and cause a location of the UE to verify that the UE is located in a country associated with the serving PLMN if the first indication is that the UE's country is not verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0017] In one implementation, a first entity in a core network of a serving public land mobile network (PLMN) configured to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to the serving PLMN includes: means for receiving a message from a satellite Node B (gNB), the message including a registration request from the UE and a first indication of whether the UE's country is verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN; means for accepting the registration request if the first indication is that the UE's country is verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN; and means for causing a location of the UE to verify that the UE is located in a country associated with the serving PLMN if the first indication is that the UE's country is not verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0018] In one implementation, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a first entity in a core network of a serving public land mobile network (PLMN) to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to the PLMN, the program code including instructions to: receive a message from a satellite Node B (gNB), the message including a registration request from the UE and a first indication of whether the UE's country is verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN; accept the registration request if the first indication is that the UE's country is verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN; and cause a location of the UE to verify that the UE is located in a country associated with the serving PLMN if the first indication is that the UE's country is not verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0019] In one implementation, a method performed by a first entity in a core network serving a public land mobile network (PLMN) for supporting satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to the PLMN includes: receiving a location request from a second entity in the core network, wherein the location request indicates that the UE has communication satellite access; determining a location of the UE using at least one of a UE-assisted positioning method and a network-based positioning method; and providing a location response to the second entity, the location response including the location.

[0020] In one implementation, a first entity in a core network of a serving public land mobile network (PLMN) is configured to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to the serving PLMN, comprising: an external interface configured to communicate with a network entity; at least one memory; at least one processor coupled to the external interface and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive a location request from a second entity in the core network, wherein the location request indicates that the UE has communication satellite access; determine a location of the UE using at least one of a UE-assisted positioning method and a network-based positioning method; and provide a location response to the second entity, the location response including the location.

[0021] In one implementation, a first entity in a core network of a serving public land mobile network (PLMN) is configured to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to the serving PLMN, including: means for receiving a location request from a second entity in the core network, wherein the location request indicates that the UE has communication satellite access; means for determining a location of the UE using at least one of a UE-assisted positioning method and a network-based positioning method; and means for providing a location response to the second entity, the location response including the location.

[0022] In one implementation, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a first entity in a core network serving a public land mobile network (PLMN) to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to the PLMN, the program code including instructions to: receive a location request from a second entity in the core network, wherein the location request indicates that the UE has communication satellite access; determine a location of the UE using at least one of a UE-assisted positioning method and a network-based positioning method; and provide a location response to the second entity, the location response including the location. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 A diagram illustrating a communication system having a network architecture with a transparent space vehicle (SV) capable of supporting a satellite access wireless network is shown.

[0024] Figure 2 A diagram illustrating a communication system having a network architecture with regenerative SVs capable of supporting satellite access to a wireless network is shown.

[0025] Figure 3 A diagram of a communication system is shown having a network architecture with regenerated SVs and a separate satellite Node B (gNB) architecture capable of supporting satellite access to a wireless network.

[0026] Figure 4 An SV generating multiple beams over an area including multiple countries is shown.

[0027] Figure 5 The radio cells generated by the SV are shown over an area including a plurality of fixed cells.

[0028] Figure 6 The allocation of radio cells to a fixed tracking area (TA) generated by the SV is shown.

[0029] Figure 7A and Figure 7B The use of differential angle of arrival to determine the position of a user equipment (UE) is shown.

[0030] Figure 8 Determining the location of a UE using the coverage area of ​​a radio cell resulting from a SV moving over time is shown.

[0031] Figure 9 A signaling flow illustrating various messages sent between components of a communication system is shown to determine whether a UE is located in a country associated with a serving Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN).

[0032] Figure 10 The diagram illustrates a signaling flow of various messages sent between components of a communication system to determine the location of a UE based on measurements or communications over a period of time.

[0033] Figure 11 A signaling flow illustrating the various messages sent between components of the communication system during a UE's location session is shown.

[0034] Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of hardware implementation of a UE configured to access a serving PLMN through an SV.

[0035] Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a satellite Node B (gNB) configured to support UE access to a serving PLMN via an SV.

[0036] Figure 14is a diagram illustrating an example of hardware implementation of an application management function (AMF) configured to support UE access to a serving PLMN through an SV.

[0037] Figure 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of hardware implementation of a Location Management Function (LMF) configured to support UE accessing a serving PLMN through an SV.

[0038] Figure 16 is a flow chart of an example procedure performed by a UE for accessing a serving PLMN through a SV.

[0039] Figure 17 is a flow chart of example processing performed by a satellite Node B (gNB) for a UE to access a serving PLMN via an SV.

[0040] Figure 18 is a flow chart of an example process performed by a UE for accessing a serving PLMN through a SV.

[0041] Figure 19 is a flow chart of example processing performed by a satellite Node B (gNB) for a UE to access a serving PLMN via an SV.

[0042] Figure 20 is a flow chart of example processing performed by a satellite Node B (gNB) for a UE to access a serving PLMN via an SV.

[0043] Figure 21 Flowchart of an example process performed by the AMF for a UE to access a serving PLMN via an SV.

[0044] Figure 22 is a flow chart of example processing performed by the LMF for a UE to access a serving PLMN via an SV.

[0045] According to certain example implementations, similar reference numerals in the various figures indicate similar elements. In addition, multiple instances of an element can be indicated by following the first digit of the element with a letter or hyphen and a second digit. For example, multiple instances of element 102 can be indicated as 102-1, 102-2, 102-3, and so on. When only the first digit is used to refer to such an element, it should be understood that any instance of the element (e.g., element 102 in the previous example will refer to elements 102-1, 102-2, 102-3) is included. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Satellites, also known as space vehicles (SVs) or communication satellites, can be used in communication systems, for example, using a gateway and one or more satellites to relay communication signals between the gateway and one or more UEs. For example, a UE can access a satellite (instead of a ground base station), which can connect to a ground station (ES), which is also called a ground station or non-terrestrial network (NTN) gateway. The ground station will then connect to elements in the 5G network, such as a modified base station (without a ground antenna) or a network node in the 5G core network (5GCN). This element will then provide access to other elements in the 5G network and ultimately provide access to entities outside the 5G network, such as Internet web servers and other user devices.

[0047] The principles of 5G (or other cellular network) satellite access for UEs can include ubiquitous outdoor coverage for users and mobile network operators (MNOs). For example, unavailable or poor cellular coverage is a common problem in many countries, including the United States. Furthermore, even when good cellular coverage is generally available, cellular access is not always possible. For example, cellular access may be hampered by congestion, physical barriers, local cellular outages caused by weather (e.g., hurricanes or tornadoes), or local power outages. Satellite access to cellular networks could provide a new type of independent access that could be available outdoors. Current satellite phones for low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite-based satellites can be similar in size to cellular smartphones, so mobile NR with satellite phone support would not require a significant increase in phone size. Furthermore, satellite smartphones could help drive handset sales and potentially increase revenue for operators. For example, potential users could include anyone with limited or no cellular access, anyone desiring a backup for inadequate cellular access, and anyone involved in public safety or requiring (almost) 100% reliable mobile communications. Furthermore, some users may desire improved or more reliable E911 service, for example, for medical emergencies or vehicle breakdowns in remote areas.

[0048] The use of 5G satellite access can provide other benefits. For example, 5G satellite access can reduce mobile network operator (MNO) infrastructure costs. For example, MNOs can use satellite access to reduce ground base stations, such as NR NodeB (also known as gNB), and backhaul deployment in sparsely populated areas. In addition, 5G satellite access can be used to overcome internet congestion, such as in certain countries. In addition, 5G satellite access may provide diversification for space vehicle operators (SVOs). For example, 5G NR satellite access can provide another source of revenue for SVOs that would otherwise provide fixed internet access.

[0049] To enable 5G satellite access for a UE to a public land mobile network (PLMN), it may be necessary (e.g., due to national regulatory requirements) for the PLMN to determine or verify the country in which the UE is located during 5G satellite access to ensure that the UE is located in the same country as the PLMN. However, it may be desirable for the network, rather than the UE, to perform this determination or verification, as the UE may not be trusted to perform a reliable determination. For example, a user subject to regulatory services—such as being the target of Lawful Interception (LI)—may use 5G satellite access to gain access to a PLMN in another country where Lawful Interception is not permitted. A UE may access a PLMN in another country because the radio beam coverage of a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) or Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite can reach or exceed 1000 km, providing access to more than one country. Consequently, for regulatory services such as LI, as well as emergency calls and wireless emergency alerts, it may be desirable or required for the UE to always access a PLMN in the same country as the UE, provided that the network, rather than the UE, verifies this condition. Furthermore, due to signaling and overhead considerations, a Next Generation (NG) Radio Access Network (RAN) (NG-RAN), rather than the 5GCN, may be preferred to perform the UE's location and country determination. Therefore, an efficient and reliable method is desired to support network, especially NG-RAN, verification of UE state.

[0050] Figure 1 A diagram of a communication system 100 is shown that is capable of supporting satellite access using 5G New Radio (NR) or some other wireless access type such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) in accordance with an embodiment.

[0051] Figure 1 A network architecture with a transparent space vehicle (SV) is shown. A transparent SV can implement frequency conversion and radio frequency (RF) amplifiers in both the uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) directions and can correspond to an analog RF repeater. For example, a transparent SV can receive uplink (UL) signals from all served UEs and can redirect the combined signal DL to a ground station without demodulating or decoding the signals. Similarly, a transparent SV can receive UL signals from a ground station and redirect the signal DL to a served UE without demodulating or decoding the signals. However, the SV can frequency convert the received signal and can amplify and / or filter the received signal before transmitting the signal.

[0052] The communication system 100 includes multiple UEs 105, multiple SVs 102-1 to 102-4 (collectively referred to as SVs 102 herein), multiple non-terrestrial network (NTN) gateways 104-1 to 104-4 (collectively referred to as NTN gateways 104 herein) (sometimes simply referred to as gateways 104, ground stations 104 or ground stations 104 herein), and multiple satellite node Bs (gNBs) 106-1 to 106-3 (collectively referred to as gNBs 106 herein), which are capable of communicating with the UEs through the SVs 102 and are part of a next generation (NG) radio access network (RAN) (NG-RAN) 112.

[0053] Note that the term “gNB” traditionally refers to an NRNodeB base station used for terrestrial access with a New Radio (NR) radio interface. The same term (gNB) can also be used to refer to a base station that supports satellite access with an NR radio interface. The two variants of gNB (satellite and terrestrial) can support many of the same functions, protocols, and interfaces, but differ in other aspects. To distinguish between gNBs supporting terrestrial access and gNBs supporting satellite access, different labels are used in this document. A gNB can also support both terrestrial and satellite NR access, but for simplicity, this is not discussed further in this document.

[0054] The communication system 100 is shown as further including components of multiple fifth generation (5G) networks, including 5G core networks (5GCNs) 110-1 through 110-3 (collectively referred to herein as 5GCNs 110). 5GCNs 110 may be public land mobile networks (PLMNs) located in the same or different countries. Figure 1 Various components within 5GCN1 110-1 that may operate with NG-RAN 112 are shown. It should be understood that 5GCN2 110-2 and 5GCN3 110-3 may include the same, similar, or different components and associated NG RANs, and to avoid unnecessary confusion, Figure 1These components and the associated NG RAN are not shown in FIG. 5G networks may also be referred to as New Radio (NR) networks; NG-RAN 112 may be referred to as 5G RAN or NR RAN; and 5GCN 110 may be referred to as an NG Core Network (NGC). Communication system 100 may further utilize information from space vehicles (SVs) 190 for a satellite positioning system (SPS) including a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), the Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Galileo, or BeiDou, or some other local or regional SPS, such as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), or the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), all of which are sometimes referred to herein as GNSS. It should be noted that SV 190 acts as a navigation SV and is separate and distinct from SV 102, which acts as a communication SV. However, it is not excluded that some SVs 190 may also act as some SVs 102 and / or that some SVs 102 may also act as some SVs 190. In some implementations, for example, SV 102 may be used for both communication and positioning.Additional components of communication system 100 are described below. Communication system 100 may include additional or alternative components.

[0055] have Figure 1 The allowed connections in the illustrated communication system 100 with a transparent SV network architecture allow a gNB 106 to access multiple ground stations 104 and / or multiple SVs 102. A gNB 106 (e.g., illustrated by gNB 106-2) may also be shared by multiple PLMNs (5GCN 110), which may all be in the same country or possibly in different countries, and a ground station 104 (e.g., illustrated by ground station 104-1) may be shared by more than one gNB 106.

[0056] It should be noted that Figure 1Only a general illustration of the various components is provided, any or all of which may be used as appropriate, and each of which may be duplicated or omitted as needed. Specifically, although only three UEs 105 are shown, it should be understood that many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may utilize the communication system 100. Similarly, the communication system 100 may include a greater (or fewer) number of SVs 190, SVs 102, ground stations 104, gNBs 106, NG-RAN 112, gNBs 114, 5GCNs 110, external clients 140, and / or other components. The connections shown connecting the various components in the communication system 100 include data and signaling connections, which may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. Furthermore, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, replaced, and / or omitted, depending on the desired functionality.

[0057] Although Figure 1 A 5G-based network is shown, but similar network implementations and configurations may be used for other communication technologies, such as 3G, 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE), etc.

[0058] UE 105 may include and / or be referred to as a device, a mobile device, a wireless device, a mobile terminal, a terminal, a mobile station (MS), a terminal supporting secure user plane location (SUPL) (SET), or by some other name. In addition, UE 105 may correspond to a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop, a tablet, a PDA, a tracking device, a navigation device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, or some other portable or portable device. Typically, although not necessarily, UE 105 may support wireless communications using one or more radio access technologies (RATs), such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), LTE, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11 WiFi (also known as Wi-Fi), (BT), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), 5G New Radio (NR) (e.g., using NG-RAN 112 and 5GCN 140), etc. The UE 105 may also support wireless communications using a wireless local area network (WLAN), which may be connected to other networks (e.g., the Internet) using, for example, a digital subscriber line (DSL) or packet cable. The UE 105 also supports wireless communications using space vehicles (such as SV 102). The use of one or more of these RATs may allow the UE 105 to communicate with external clients 140 (via Figure 1 Elements of the 5GCN 110 not shown, or possibly via a Gateway Mobile Location Centre (GMLC) 126).

[0059] The UE 105 may comprise a single entity or may comprise multiple entities, such as in a personal area network where a user may use audio, video and / or data I / O devices and / or body sensors and a separate wired or wireless modem.

[0060] UE 105 can support position determination, for example, using signals and information from a spacecraft 190 in an SPS (e.g., GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, or BeiDou) or some other local or regional SPS (such as IRNSS, EGNOS, or WAAS), all of which may be collectively referred to herein as GNSS. Position measurement using SPS is based on measurement of the propagation delay time of SPS signals broadcast from multiple orbiting satellites to an SPS receiver in UE 105. Once the SPS receiver has measured the signal propagation delay of each satellite, the distance to each satellite can be determined, and the measured distance and the known position of the satellite can then be used to determine precise navigation information including the three-dimensional position, velocity, and time of the SPS receiver. Positioning methods that can be supported using SV 190 may include Assisted GNSS (A-GNSS), Real-Time Kinematic (RTK), Precise Point Positioning (PPP), and Differential GNSS (DGNSS). Information and signals from SV 102 may also be used to support positioning. The UE 105 may further support positioning using terrestrial positioning methods, such as downlink (DL) time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA), enhanced cell ID (ECID), round trip signal propagation time (RTT), multi-cell RTT, angle of arrival (AOA), angle of departure (AOD), time of arrival (TOA), receive-transmit time difference (RxTx), and / or other positioning methods. It should be noted that the terms "position method" and "positioning method" may be synonymous and used interchangeably.

[0061] The estimate of the location of the UE 105 may be referred to as a geodetic location, location, location estimate, location fix, position fix, position estimate, or location fix, thereby providing location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) of the UE 105, which may or may not include an altitude component (e.g., height above sea level, height above ground level, or depth below ground level, floor level, or basement level). Alternatively, the location of the UE 105 may be expressed as an urban location (e.g., as a postal address or designation of a certain point or small area in a building, such as a specific room or floor). The location of the UE 105 may also be expressed as an area or volume (defined geographically or in urban terms) in which the UE 105 is expected to be located with a certain probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.). The location of the UE 105 may also be a relative location, including, for example, a distance and direction or relative X, Y (and Z) coordinates defined relative to a certain origin at a known location, which may be defined geographically, in urban terms, or by reference to a point, area, or volume indicated on a map, floor plan, or building plan. In the description contained herein, unless otherwise indicated, the use of the term location may include any of these variations. When calculating the position of a UE, local x, y, and possibly z coordinates are typically solved for and then converted to absolute coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and altitude above or below mean sea level) if necessary.

[0062] UE 105 is configured to communicate with 5GCN 110 via SV 102, ground station 104, and gNB 106. The NG-RAN associated with 5GCN 110 may include one or more gNBs 106, as shown by NG-RAN 112. NG-RAN 112 may also include multiple terrestrial gNBs, as shown by gNB 114, which are not capable of communicating with UEs via SV 102. Pairs of terrestrial and / or satellite base stations, such as gNB 114 and gNB 106-1 in NG-RAN 112, may be connected to each other using terrestrial links, for example, directly or indirectly through other gNBs 114 or gNB 106, and communicate using an Xn interface. Access to the 5G network is provided to UEs 105 via wireless communications between each UE 105 and the serving gNB 106, through SV 102 and ground station 104. The gNB 106 may use 5G NR to provide wireless communication access to the 5GCN 110 on behalf of each UE 105. 5G NR radio access may also be referred to as NR radio access or 5G radio access and may be defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0063] Figure 1The base stations (BSs) in the NG-RAN 112 shown in FIG may also or instead include next-generation evolved Node Bs, also referred to as ng-eNBs. The ng-eNBs may be connected to one or more gNBs 106 and / or gNBs 114 in the NG-RAN 112—for example, directly, indirectly through other gNBs 106, gNBs 114, and / or other ng-eNBs. The ng-eNBs may provide LTE radio access and / or evolved LTE (eLTE) radio access to the UE 105.

[0064] Satellite NodeB (gNB 106) may be referred to by other names or terms, such as sNB, "satellite node," or "satellite access node." gNB 106 is distinct from terrestrial gNB 114, but may be based on a terrestrial gNB and have additional capabilities. For example, gNB 106 may terminate the radio interface and associated radio interface protocol to UE 105, and may transmit downlink signals to and receive uplink signals from UE 105 via SV 102 and ground station 104. gNB 106 may also support signaling connections and voice and data bearers to UE 105, and may support handover of UE 105 between different radio cells of the same SV 102, between different SVs 102, and / or between different gNBs 106. In some systems, gNB 106 may be referred to as a gNB or enhanced gNB. gNB 106 may be configured to manage mobile radio beams (for LEO SVs) and the associated mobility of UE 105. gNB 106 can facilitate handover (or transfer) of SV 102 between different ground stations 104, different gNBs 106, and between different countries. gNB 106 can, for example, hide or mask certain aspects of the connected SV 102 from 5GCN 110 by interfacing with 5GCN 110 in the same or similar manner as gNB 114, and can avoid 5GCN 110 having to maintain configuration information for SV 102 or perform mobility management related to SV 102. gNB 106 can further facilitate sharing of SV 102 across multiple countries. gNB 106 can communicate with one or more ground stations 104, as shown, for example, by gNB 106-2 communicating with ground stations 104-2 and 104-1. gNB 106 can be separate from ground stations 104, as shown, for example, by gNBs 106-1 and 106-2 and ground stations 104-1 and 104-2. The gNB 106 may include one or more ground stations 104, or may be combined with one or more ground stations, e.g., using a split architecture. For example, gNB 106-3 is shown as having a split architecture, with a gNB central unit (gNB-CU) 107 and ground stations 104-3 and 104-4 acting as distributed units (DUs) (sometimes referred to as gNB-DU 104-3 and gNB-DU 104-4). The gNB 106 may typically be fixed to the ground via transparent SV operation. In one implementation, one gNB 106 may be physically combined or physically connected to one ground station 104 to reduce complexity and cost.

[0065] Ground station 104 can be shared by more than one gNB 106 and can communicate with UE 105 via SV 102. Ground station 104 can be dedicated to only one SVO and one associated constellation of SV 102, and thus can be owned and managed by the SVO. Although ground station 104 can be included within gNB 106, for example, as a gNB-DU within gNB 106-3, this is only possible when both gNB 106 and the included ground station 104 are owned by the same SVO or the same MNO. Ground station 104 can communicate with SV 102 using SVO-specific control and user plane protocols. The control and user plane protocols between the ground station 104 and the SV 102 can: (i) establish and release the ground station 104 to SV 102 communication link, including authentication and encryption; (ii) update SV software and firmware; (iii) perform SV operations and maintenance (O&M); (iv) control radio beams (e.g., direction, power, on / off status) and the mapping between radio beams and ground station uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) payloads; and (v) assist in the handover of an SV 102 or radio cell to another ground station 104.

[0066] As mentioned above, although Figure 1 Nodes configured to communicate according to the 5G NR and LTE communication protocols of the NG-RAN 112 are depicted, but nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols may be used, such as the LTE protocol for the Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) or the IEEE 802.11x protocol for WLAN. For example, in a 4G Evolved Packet System (EPS) that provides LTE radio access to the UE 105, the RAN may include the E-UTRAN, which may include base stations including evolved Node Bs (eNBs) that support LTE radio access. The core network of the EPS may include an Evolved Packet Core (EPC). The EPS may then include the E-UTRAN plus the EPC, where Figure 1 In the present invention, E-UTRAN corresponds to NG-RAN 112 and EPC corresponds to 5GCN 110. The methods and techniques described herein for supporting RAN location server functionality may be applicable to such other networks.

[0067] gNB 106 and gNB 114 may communicate with an access and mobility management function (AMF) 122 in 5GCN 110, which may communicate with a location management function (LMF) 124 for positioning functions. For example, gNB 106 may provide an N2 interface to AMF 122. The N2 interface between gNB 106 and 5GCN 110 may be the same as the N2 interface supported between gNB 114 and 5GCN 110 for terrestrial NR access for UE 105, and may utilize the Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.413 between gNB 106 and AMF 122. AMF 122 may support mobility of UE 105, including radio cell changes and handovers, and may participate in supporting signaling connections to UE 105 and possibly data and voice bearers for UE 105. The LMF 124 may support positioning of the UE 105 when the UE accesses the NG-RAN 112, and may support positioning procedures / methods such as A-GNSS, DL-TDOA, RTK, PPP, DGNSS, ECID, AOA, AOD, multi-cell RTT, and / or other positioning procedures including positioning procedures based on communication signals from one or more SVs 102. The LMF 124 may also process positioning service requests for the UE 105 received, for example, from the AMF 122 or from the Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 126. The LMF 124 may be connected to the AMF 122 and / or the GMLC 126. In some embodiments, a node / system implementing the LMF 124 may additionally or alternatively implement other types of location support modules, such as an Enhanced Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC). Note that in some embodiments, at least a portion of the positioning functionality (including the derivation of the position of UE 105) may be performed at UE 105 (e.g., using signal measurements obtained by UE 105 for signals transmitted by SV 102, SV 190, gNB 114 and assistance data provided to UE 105, for example, by LMF 124).

[0068] The GMLC 126 may support location requests for the UE 105 received from the external client 140 and may forward such location requests to the AMF 122 for forwarding by the AMF 122 to the LMF 124, or may forward the location requests directly to the LMF 124. A location response (e.g., containing a location estimate for the UE 105) from the LMF 124 may similarly be returned to the GMLC 126 directly or through the AMF 122, and the GMLC 126 may then return the location response (e.g., containing a location estimate) to the external client 140. Figure 1, the GMLC 126 is shown as connected to both the AMF 122 and the LMF 124, although in some implementations the 5GCN 110 may only support one of these connections.

[0069] A network exposure function (NEF) 128 may be included in the 5GCN 110, for example, connected to the GMLC 126 and the AMF 122. In some implementations, the NEF 128 may be connected to communicate directly with the external client 140. The NEF 128 may support securely exposing capabilities and events related to the 5GCN 110 and the UE 105 to the external client 140, and may enable secure provision of information from the external client 140 to the 5GCN 110.

[0070] User Plane Function (UPF) 130 can support voice and data bearer support for UE 105 and enable voice and data access for UE 105 to other networks, such as the Internet 175. UPF 130 can connect to gNB 106 and gNB 114. UPF 130 functionality may include: interconnecting external protocol data unit (PDU) session points to data networks, packet (e.g., Internet Protocol (IP)) routing and forwarding, the user plane portion of packet inspection and policy rule enforcement, user plane Quality of Service (QoS) processing, downlink packet buffering, and downlink data notification triggering. UPF 130 can connect to Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP) 132 to enable support for locating UE 105 using SUPL. SLP 132 can further connect to or be accessible from external client 140.

[0071] As shown, a session management function (SMF) 134 is connected to the AMF 122 and the UPF 130. The SMF 134 may have the ability to control local and central UPFs within a PDU session. The SMF 134 may manage the establishment, modification, and release of PDU sessions for the UE 105, perform IP address allocation and management for the UE 105, act as a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server for the UE 105, and select and control the UPF 130 on behalf of the UE 105.

[0072] The external client 140 may connect to the core network 110 via the GMLC 126 and / or the SLP 132 and / or the NEF 128. The external client 140 may optionally connect to the core network 110 via the Internet 175 and / or to a positioning server, which may be, for example, an SLP located outside the 5GCN 110. The external client 140 may connect directly (at Figure 11) or connected to the UPF 130 via the Internet 175. The external client 140 may be a server, a web server, or a user device such as a personal computer, a UE, or the like.

[0073] As described above, although the communication system 100 is described with respect to 5G technology, the communication system 100 may be implemented to support other communication technologies, such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, etc., which are used to support and interact with mobile devices such as UE 105 (e.g., to implement voice, data, positioning, and other functions). In some such embodiments, the 5GCN 110 may be configured to control different air interfaces. For example, in some embodiments, the 5GCN 110 may control the non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF, Figure 1 110) is connected to a WLAN. For example, the WLAN may support IEEE 802.11 WiFi access for the UE 105 and may include one or more WiFi APs. Here, the N3IWF may be connected to the WLAN and other elements in the 5GCN 110, such as the AMF 122.

[0074] have Figure 1 The support of transparent SV in the illustrated network architecture can impact the communication system as follows. 5GCN 110 can treat satellite RATs as a new type of terrestrial RAT with longer latency, reduced bandwidth, and higher error rates. Therefore, while there may be some impact on protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment and mobility management (MM) and connection management (CM) procedures, the impact on the AMF 122 (or LMF 124) may be minimal—for example, providing pre-configured data of fixed tracking areas (TAs) and cells to the UE 105 during registration. There may be no impact on the SV 102. The SV 102 can be shared with other services (e.g., satellite TV, fixed internet access), with 5G NR mobile access added for the UE in a transparent manner. This can enable the use of legacy SVs 102 and avoid the need to deploy a new type of SV 102. Furthermore, the gNB 106 can be fixed and can be configured to support a country and one or more PLMNs within that country. The gNB 106 may need to assist in allocating and transferring SVs 102 and radio cells between the gNB 106 and the ground stations 104, and support handover of the UE 105 between radio cells, SVs 102, and other gNBs 106. Therefore, the gNB 106 may be different from the terrestrial gNB 114. Furthermore, the coverage area of ​​the gNB 106 may be much larger than the coverage area of ​​the gNB 114.

[0075] In some implementations, the radio beam coverage of SV 102 can be large, e.g., up to or greater than 1000 km, and can provide access to more than one country. Ground station 104 can be shared by multiple gNBs (e.g., ground station 104-1 can be shared by gNBs 106-1 and 106-2), and gNB 106 can be shared by multiple core networks in separate PLMNs located in the same country or different countries (e.g., gNB 106-2 can be shared by 5GCN1 110-1 and 5GCN2 110-1 in different PLMNs located in the same country or different countries).

[0076] Figure 2 A diagram of a communication system 200 is shown that is capable of supporting satellite access using 5G New Radio (NR) or some other wireless access type such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) in accordance with an embodiment.

[0077] Figure 2 The network architecture shown is similar to Figure 1 The architecture shown is similar or identical to the components specified. However, Figure 2 Shown with Figure 1 Transparent SV 102 is shown as opposed to a network architecture having regenerated SVs 202-1, 202-2, 202-3, and 202-4 (collectively, SVs 202). Unlike transparent SV 102, regenerated SVs 202 include an onboard satellite NodeB, referred to as gNB 202, which may include the functional capabilities of gNB 106 and is sometimes referred to herein as SV / gNB 202. NG-RAN 112 is shown as including SV / gNB 202. Reference is made herein to gNB 202 when referring to SV / gNB 202 functionality related to communications with UE 105 and 5GCN 110, while reference is made to SV 202 when referring to SV / gNB 202 functionality associated with communications with ground station 104 and UE 105 at the physical radio frequency level. However, there may not be a precise demarcation between SVs 202 and gNBs 202.

[0078] The onboard gNB 202 may perform some or all of the same functions as the gNB 106 described above. For example, the gNB 202 may terminate the radio interface and associated radio interface protocols to the UE 105 and may transmit downlink signals to the UE 105 and receive uplink signals from the UE 105, which may include encoding and modulation of transmitted signals and demodulation and decoding of received signals. The gNB 202 may also support signaling connections and voice and data bearers to the UE 105 and may support handover of the UE 105 between different radio cells of the same gNB 202 and between different gNBs 202. The gNB 202 may facilitate handover (or transfer) of the SV 202 between different ground stations 104, different 5GCNs 110, and between different countries. The gNB 202 may hide or obscure certain aspects of the SV 202 from the 5GCN 110, for example, by interfacing with the 5GCN 110 in the same or similar manner as the gNB 114. The gNB 202 may further facilitate sharing of SVs 202 across multiple countries. The gNB 202 may communicate with one or more ground stations 104 and, through the ground stations 104, with one or more 5GCNs 110. In some implementations, the gNB 202 may utilize an inter-satellite link (ISL) ( Figure 2 (not shown) communicates directly with other gNBs 202, which can support the Xn interface between any pair of gNBs 202.

[0079] For LEO SVs, SV / gNB 202 needs to manage mobile radio cells covering different countries at different times. As shown, ground stations 104 can be directly connected to 5GCN 110. For example, as shown, ground station 104-1 can be connected to AMF 122 and UPF 130 of 5GCN1 110-1, while ground station 104-2 can similarly be connected to 5GCN2 110-2, and ground stations 104-3 and 104-4 can be connected to 5GCN3 110-3. For example, if ground station 104 is restricted, it can be shared by multiple 5GCNs 110. For example, in some implementations (shown with dashed lines), ground station 104-2 can be connected to both 5GCN1 110-1 and 5GCN2 110-2, and ground station 104-3 can be connected to both 5GCN2 110-1 and 5GCN3 110-3. 5GCN 110 may need to know the SV 202 coverage area in order to page UE 105 and manage handover. Figure 1 Compared to the network architecture with transparent SV 102 shown, the network architecture with regenerated SV may have greater impact and complexity for both gNB 202 and 5GCN 110.

[0080] use Figure 2 The network architecture shown supporting regenerated SVs may impact the communication system 200 as follows. If fixed TAs and cells are not supported, the 5GCN 110 may be impacted because core components of mobility management and regulatory services—typically based on fixed cells and fixed TAs for terrestrial PLMNs—may have to be replaced with a new system (e.g., based on the location of the UE 105). If fixed TAs and fixed cells are supported, the 5GCN 110 (e.g., AMF 122) may need to map any fixed TA to one or more SVs 202 with the current radio coverage of the TA when performing paging of a UE 105 located in that TA. This may require configuring the 5GCN 110 with long-term orbit data for the SVs 202 (e.g., obtained from the SVO of the SVs 202) and may introduce significant new impacts to the 5GCN 110.

[0081] Legacy SVs will require extensive software (SW) updates to support gNB 202 functionality, which may not be feasible. SV 202 will also need to fully support all UEs 105 accessing the SV 202, which may pose a problem for legacy SVs due to limited processing and storage capabilities. Therefore, the SV 202 may need to include new hardware (HW) and software rather than a software upgrade based on the existing SV. The new SV / gNB 202 may need to support regulatory and other requirements of multiple countries. A GEO SV 202 coverage area typically includes several or more countries, while a LEO or medium earth orbit (MEO) SV 202 typically operates over multiple countries. Then, support of fixed TA and fixed cells may require the SV / gNB 202 to be configured with fixed TA and fixed cells for the entire global coverage area. Optionally, the AMF 122 (or LMF 124) in a single 5GCN 110 can support fixed TA and fixed cells for the associated PLMN to reduce the complexity of the SV / gNB 202 at the expense of more complexity in the 5GCN 110. In addition, the SV / gNB 202 to SV / gNB 202 ISL typically changes dynamically as the relative SV / gNB 202 location changes, which makes the Xn correlation process more complicated.

[0082] Figure 3 A diagram of a communication system 300 is shown that is capable of supporting satellite access using 5G New Radio (NR) or some other wireless access type such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) in accordance with an embodiment.

[0083] Figure 3 The network architecture shown is similar to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , similar or identical to the components shown in FIG. Figure 3A network architecture with regenerated SVs 302-1, 302-2, 302-3, and 302-4 (collectively referred to as SVs 302) is shown. Figure 1 The transparent SV 102 shown is in contrast and has a split architecture for the satellite NodeB. The satellite NodeB (referred to as gNB 307) includes a central unit and may sometimes be referred to as a gNB-CU 307, while the regenerative SV 302 (unlike the transparent SV 102) includes an onboard gNB distributed unit (gNB-DU) 302 and is sometimes referred to herein as an SV / gNBDU 302. When referring to the SV / gNB 302 functionality related to communication with the UE 105 and the gNB-CU 307, reference is made herein to the gNB-DU 302, while when referring to the SV / gNB-DU 302 functionality related to communication with the ground station 104 and with the UE 105 at the physical radio frequency level, reference is made to the SV 302. However, there may not be a precise demarcation between the SV 302 and the gNB-DU 302.

[0084] Each gNB-DU 302 communicates with a ground-based gNB-CU 307 via one or more ground stations 104. A gNB-CU 307 and one or more gNB-DUs 302 communicating with a gNB-CU 308 together perform functions and may use internal communication protocols similar to or the same as those of a gNB with a split architecture as described in 3GPP TS 38.401. Here, the gNB-DU 302 corresponds to and performs functions similar to or the same as a gNB distributed unit (gNB-DU) as defined in TS 38.401, while the gNB-CU 307 corresponds to and performs functions similar to or the same as a gNB central unit (gNB-CU) as defined in TS 38.101. For example, the gNB-DU 302 and gNB-CU 307 may communicate with each other using the F1 Application Protocol (F1AP) as defined in 3GPP TS 38.473 and may together perform some or all of the same functions as the gNB 106 or gNB 202 described above. To simplify references to different types of gNBs, in the following description, the gNB-DU 302 may sometimes be referred to as gNB 302 (without the "DU" label), and the gNB-CU 307 may sometimes be referred to as gNB 307 (without the "CU" label).

[0085] The gNB-DU 302 can terminate the radio interface and associated lower-level radio interface protocols to the UE 105 and can transmit downlink signals to the UE 105 and receive uplink signals from the UE 105, which can include encoding and modulation of transmitted signals and demodulation and decoding of received signals. The gNB-DU 302 can support and terminate the radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) protocol layers of the NR radio frequency (RF) interface to the UE 105, as defined in 3GPP TS 38.201, 38.202, 38.211, 38.212, 38.213, 38.214, 38.215, 38.321, and 38.322. The operation of the gNB-DU 302 is controlled in part by the associated gNB-CU 307. One gNB-DU 307 can support one or more NR radio cells for the UE 105. The gNB-CU 307 may support and terminate the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and Service Data Protocol (SDAP) for the NR RF interface to the UE 105, as defined in 3GPP TS 38.331, 38.323, and 37.324, respectively. The gNB-CU 307 may also be split into separate control plane (gNB-CU-CP) and user plane (gNB-CU-UP) portions, wherein the gNB-CU CP communicates with one or more AMFs 122 in one or more 5GCNs 110 using the NGAP protocol, and wherein the gNB-CU-UP communicates with one or more UPFs 130 within one or more 5GCNs 110 using the General Packet Radio System (GPRS) Tunneling Protocol (GTP) User Plane Protocol (GTP-U) defined in 3GPP TS 29.281. The gNB-DU 302 and the gNB-CU 307 may communicate over the F1 interface to (a) support control plane signaling for the UE 105 using Internet Protocol (IP), Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP), and F1 Application Protocol (F1AP) protocols, and (b) support user plane data transmission for the UE using IP, User Datagram Protocol (UDP), PDCP, SDAP, GTP-U, and NR User Plane Protocol (NRUPP) protocols.

[0086] The gNB-CU 307 may communicate with one or more other gNB-CUs 307 and / or with one or more other gNBs 114 using terrestrial links to support an Xn interface between any pair of gNB-CUs 302 and / or between any gNB-CU 307 and any gNB 114.

[0087] The gNB-DU 302, together with the gNB-CU 307, can: (i) support signaling connectivity and voice and data bearers to the UE 105; (ii) support handover of the UE 105 between different radio cells of the same gNB-DU 302 and between different gNB-DUs 302; and (iii) assist in the handover (or transfer) of the SV 302 between different ground stations 104, different 5GCNs 110, and between different countries. The gNB-CU 307 can hide or mask certain aspects of the SV 302 from the 5GCN 110, for example, by interfacing with the 5GCN 110 in the same or similar manner as the gNB 114. The gNB-CU 307 can further facilitate sharing of the SV 302 across multiple countries.

[0088] In the communication system 300, the gNB-DU 302 that communicates with and is accessible from any gNB-CU 307 will change over time along with the LEO SV 302. Utilizing a split gNB architecture, the 5GCN 110 can connect to a fixed gNB-CU 307, which does not change over time and can reduce the paging difficulty for the UE 105. For example, the 5GCN 110 may not need to know which SV / gNB-DU 302 is needed to page the UE 105. A network architecture with regenerative SVs 302 with a split gNB architecture can thus reduce the impact on the 5GCN 119 at the expense of additional impact on the gNB-CU 307.

[0089] With Figure 3 The support of the regenerative SV 302 for the split gNB architecture shown may affect the communication system 300 as follows. The impact on the 5GCN 110 may be limited as discussed above for the transparent SV 102. For example, the 5GCN 110 may treat the satellite RAT in the communication system 300 as a new type of terrestrial RAT with longer latency, lower bandwidth, and higher error rates. The impact on the SV / gNB-DU 302 may be less than the impact on the SV / gNB 202 (with a non-split architecture), as discussed above with reference to FIG. Figure 2 As discussed above, the SV / gNB-DU 302 may need to manage changing associations with different (fixed) gNB-CUs 307. Furthermore, the SV / gNB-DU 302 may need to manage radio beams and radio cells. The impact of the gNB-CU 307 can be similar to that of the gNB 106 with a transparent SV 102 network architecture, as described above, except that the impact of supporting radio cells and radio beams may be that of the gNB-DU 302.

[0090] There are currently several SVOs in operation, and several others are being prepared to begin operation, that may be capable of supporting satellite access using 5G NR or some other radio access type (such as CDMA). The various SVOs may use different numbers of LEO SVs and ground gateways, and may use different technologies. For example, SVOs currently in operation include those using transparent ("bent-pipe") LEO SVs with CDMA, and regenerative LEO SVs capable of ISL. New SVOs and plans for large LEO SV constellations have recently been announced to support fixed internet access. These different SVOs are well known in the industry.

[0091] While supporting satellite access to wireless networks, SV 102 / 202 / 302 can transmit radio beams (also referred to as "beams") across multiple countries. For example, beams transmitted by SV 102 / 202 / 302 can overlap in two or more countries. However, sharing beams across two or more countries can increase complexity. For example, if a beam is shared by two or more countries, ground stations 104 and gNBs 106 / 202 / 302 / 307 in one country may need to support access from UEs 105 in other countries. Sharing beams across multiple countries can raise privacy and security concerns, especially for both data and voice. Furthermore, sharing SV beams across multiple countries can lead to regulatory conflicts. For example, regulated services including WEA, LI, and EM calls in a first country may require support from gNBs 106 / 202 / 307 and ground stations 104 in a second country that share the same SV beam.

[0092] One solution to address the complexity of beam sharing across multiple countries is to assign one beam to each country. A possible exception to assigning a beam to a country might be for small, nearby countries. Assigning a beam to a single country also means assigning each radio cell to a single country.

[0093] Figure 4 As an example, SVs 102, 202, and 302 generate a plurality of beams, identified as beams B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, and B6, over an area 400 that includes portions of a plurality of countries, for example, Country A, Country B, and Country C. By assigning each beam to only one country, beams B1, B3, and B5 are assigned to Country A, beams B4 and B6 are assigned to Country B, and beam B2 is assigned to Country C.

[0094] In one implementation, a single beam can be assigned to a single country by controlling or steering the beam. While non-geostationary Earth orbit (NGEO) SVs have mobile coverage areas, the relative beam directions can be moved by steerable antenna arrays to maintain, or mostly stay within, a single country, which is sometimes referred to as a "steerable beam." For example, beam coverage can slowly move within a country and then jump to a new country, for example, after the SV 102, 202, 302 has been transferred to a new ground station 104 or a new gNB 106 or 307.

[0095] In another implementation, radio cells and radio beams may be allowed to support access from different UEs 105 in two or more countries simultaneously. For example, beam B1 may support access from UE 105 in countries A and C, and beams B4 and B5 may support access from UE 105 in countries A and B. In this case, it may be important to support regulatory services if the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 and / or AMF 122 can determine the country in which the UE 105 is located.

[0096] Figure 5 The radio cells generated by SVs 102, 202, and 302 are shown over an area 500 including multiple terrestrial fixed cells 502. A radio cell can include a single beam or multiple beams. For example, all beams in a radio cell can use the same frequency, or a radio cell can include one beam for each frequency in a different frequency set. For example, beams B1, B2, and B3 can support three separate radio cells (one beam for each radio cell), or can collectively support a single radio cell (e.g., radio cell 504 shown in dashed lines). Preferably, the radio cells cover a contiguous area.

[0097] The radio beams and radio cells generated by SVs 102, 202, 302 may not align with cells used by terrestrial wireless networks (e.g., 5GCN 110 terrestrial cells or LTE terrestrial cells). For example, in urban areas, the radio beams or radio cells generated by SVs 102, 202, 302 may overlap with many 5GCN fixed terrestrial cells. When supporting satellite access to wireless networks, the radio beams and radio cells generated by SVs 102, 202, 302 may be hidden from 5GCN 110.

[0098] like Figure 5As shown, area 500 may include multiple terrestrial fixed cells 502 and fixed tracking areas (TAs) such as TA 506. Fixed cells are not "real cells" and, for example, are used for terrestrial NR and LTE access and may be referred to as "virtual cells" or "geographic cells." Fixed cells, such as fixed cell 502, have fixed geographic coverage areas that may be defined by the PLMN operator. For example, the coverage area of ​​a fixed cell or fixed TA may include the interior of a circle, ellipse, or polygon. The coverage area is fixed relative to the Earth's surface and does not change over time, unlike the coverage area of ​​radio cells of LEO or MEO SVs, which typically change over time. 5GCN 110 may treat fixed cells 502 as real cells supporting terrestrial NR access. A group of fixed cells 502 may define a fixed TA 506, which may be treated by 5GCN as the same as a TA defined for terrestrial NR access. Fixed cells and fixed TAs used for 5G satellite radio access may be used by 5GCN 110 to support mobility management and regulatory services for UE 105 with minimal new impact.

[0099] In the case of a regenerating SV 202 with a non-split architecture as in the communication system 200, each radio cell may maintain the same SV 202 and may have mobile coverage areas supporting different 5GCNs 110 at different times.

[0100] For a split architecture such as transparent SV 102 and regenerative SV 302 in communication system 300, each radio cell can be assigned to a gNB 106 or 307 and controlled by a gNB 106 or 307 on behalf of one or more PLMNs in a country. For GEO SVs 102 / 302, assignments to gNBs 106 / 307 can be permanent or temporary. For example, assignments can change daily to allow for peak traffic at different times in different parts of the SV 102 / 302 radio footprint and / or can change over longer periods to accommodate changing regional traffic demands. For non-geostationary (NGEO) SVs 102 / 302, assignments may last for a very short time, e.g., only 5-15 minutes. The non-permanent radio cell can then be transferred to a new gNB 106 / 307 as needed (e.g., when access to the NGEO SV 102 / 302 is transferred to the new gNB 106 / 307). For example, each gNB 106 / 307 may have a fixed geographic coverage area, e.g., including multiple fixed cells 502 and a fixed TA. Upon (or after) moving into the fixed coverage area of ​​a second gNB 106 / 307, the radio cell of a first NGEO SV 102 / 302 may be transferred from the first gNB 106 / 307 to the second gNB 106 / 307. Prior to the transfer, a UE 105 accessing a connected radio cell may be moved to a new radio cell of the first gNB 106 / 307 or may be handed over to the second gNB 106 / 307 as part of the transferred radio cell. An SV 102 / 302 may be accessible from only one gNB 106 / 307 or from multiple gNBs 106 / 307 (possibly in different countries). In one implementation, an SV 102 / 302 can be assigned to multiple gNBs 106 / 337 by dividing the radio cells generated by the SV 102 / 30 between different gNBs 106 / 307. As the SV 102 / 302 moves or traffic needs change, the radio cells can then be transferred to a new gNB 106 / 307 (and a new country). This implementation would be a form of soft handover, where the transfer of an SV 102 / 302 from one gNB 106 / 307 to another occurs in increments of radio cells, rather than all at once.

[0101] Figure 6An example of an allocation of radio cells (e.g., cell 1 and cell 2) generated by one or more SVs 102, 202, and 302 over an area 600 is shown. As shown, area 600 includes multiple fixed TAs, e.g., TA1-TA15, of which TA4, TA5, TA8, and TA9 are allocated to gNB1 (which can be gNB 106, gNB 202, or gNB 307), and TA12, TA13, TA14, and TA15 are allocated to gNB2 (which can be another gNB 106, 202, or 307). In one implementation, a radio cell may be considered to support fixed TAs if the radio cell is completely within a TA (e.g., cell 2 within TA12); if the TA is completely within the radio cell (e.g., cell 1 within TA4); or if the overlapping area of ​​the radio cell and the TA exceeds a predetermined threshold fraction of the total area of ​​the radio cell or the total area of ​​the TA (e.g., cell 1 overlaps with TA1, TA3, TA5, TA8, or TA9). SVs 102, 202, 302 may broadcast, for example, in a system information block type 1 (SIB1) or SIB type 2 (SIB2), the identities (IDs) of supported PLMNs (e.g., where the PLMN ID includes a mobile country code (MCC) and a mobile network code (MNC)) and, for each supported MN, the IDs of supported TAs (e.g., where the TA ID includes a tracking area code (TAC)). For NGEO SVs, the supported PLMNs and TAs may change as the radio cell coverage area changes. The gNB 106 / 202 / 307 may determine the PLMN and TA support (and therefore the PLMN IDs and TACs broadcast in the SIBs for each radio cell) based on the known ephemeris data for each SV 102 / 202 / 302 and the known directivity and angular range of the component radio beams for each radio cell (e.g., cell 1 and cell 2). The gNB 106 / 202 / 307 may then update the SIB broadcasts.

[0102] Therefore, if Figure 6 As shown, SV 102 / 202 / 302 can broadcast an SIB for cell 1 that includes TACs for TA4 and possibly TA1, TA3, TA5, TA8, and / or TA9. Similarly, SV 102 / 202 / 302 or another SV 102 / 202 / 302 can broadcast an SIB for cell 2 that includes only TACs for TA12. Cell 1 can be assigned to gNB1 (whose coverage areas are TA4, TA5, TA8, and TA9), and cell 2 can be assigned to gNB2 (whose coverage areas are TA12, TA13, TA14, and TA15). If the cell coverage area moves from one gNB area to another, cell 1 and cell 2 can be transferred from gNB1 to gNB2 or from gNB2 to gNB1.

[0103] The coverage area of ​​a fixed TA can be defined in a simple, precise, and flexible manner, requiring minimal signaling to communicate to UEs 105, gNBs 106 / 202 / 307, or entities within 5GCN 110. A fixed TA area can be small enough to allow efficient paging by encompassing an area supported by only a few radio cells (e.g., fewer than 20), or large enough to avoid excessive UE registrations (e.g., extending for at least several kilometers in any direction). The shape of a fixed TA area can be arbitrary, e.g., defined by a PLMN operator, or can have one or more restrictions. For example, one restriction on the shape of a fixed TA area can be that a fixed TA along a country's border is precisely aligned with the border to avoid serving UEs 105 in another country. Furthermore, a fixed TA can be restricted to align with an area of ​​interest, e.g., a PSAP service area, the area of ​​a large campus, etc. Furthermore, a fixed TA can be restricted so that portions of the fixed TA align with physical obstacles, such as a riverbank or lake.

[0104] The coverage area of ​​a fixed cell can also be defined in a simple, precise, and flexible manner, and requires minimal signaling to convey to the UE 105 or gNB 106 / 202 / 307. The fixed cell coverage area can allow for simple and precise association with a fixed TA, e.g., a fixed cell can unambiguously belong to one TA.

[0105] Fixed cells may be used by a radio core network, such as 5GCN 110, to support regulated services, such as emergency (EM) call routing based on the current fixed serving cell of the UE 105, using fixed cells to approximate the location of the UE 105, directing wireless emergency alert (WEA) alerts to recipient UEs 105 over a small defined area using fixed cellular association, or using fixed cells as an approximate location or triggering event for Lawful Interception (LI) of the UE 105. This use of fixed cells means that fixed cells should be able to be defined to have a size and shape similar to cells defined and used for terrestrial wireless access, including allowing for very small (e.g., pico) cells and large (e.g., rural) cells.

[0106] Figure 4-Figure 61 shows how a radio cell can have a coverage area that spans two or more countries. In this case, a gNB 106, gNB 202, or gNB-CU 307 controlling a radio cell, for example, can provide a UE 105 with access to one or more PLMNs (e.g., with 5GCN 110) in only one country, or access to PLMNs in two or more countries (e.g., with 5GCN 110). In either case, a particularly critical issue may be enabling the PLMN to determine or verify the country in which the UE 105 is located during 5G satellite access to ensure that the UE 105 is located in the same country as the PLMN that the UE 105 is accessing. For example, for regulatory services such as Lawful Interception (LI), as well as emergency considerations such as emergency calls and Wireless Emergency Alerts, the UE 105 may need to always access a PLMN (e.g., gNB 106, gNB 202, gNB-CU 307, and / or 5GCN 110) in the same country as the UE 105. Allowing the UE 105 to determine or verify the country in which the UE 105 is located may be inappropriate because the user may manipulate this information in the UE 105 to avoid regulatory services, such as LI, and non-malicious errors may hinder emergency services. Therefore, it is desirable for the network (e.g., gNB 106, gNB 202, gNB-CU 307, and / or 5GCN 110), rather than the UE 105, to determine or verify the country in which the UE 105 is located. Furthermore, due to signaling and processing overhead, it may also be preferable for the NG-RAN (e.g., gNB 106, gNB 202, or gNB-CU 307), rather than the 5GCN 110, to perform location and country determination / verification.

[0107] One solution for determining or verifying the country in which a UE 105 is located utilizes enhanced cell ID positioning (ECI) with enhanced reliability from a serving satellite NodeB (gNB 106 / 202 / 307). Using this solution, a UE 105 can measure one or more characteristics of signals broadcast from multiple SVs 102, 202, or 302. The characteristics can include reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), receive time-transmit time difference (RxTx), angle of arrival (AOA), or a combination thereof. The UE 105 can provide the serving gNB 106, 202, or 307 with the measured characteristics of signals from, for example, the serving radio cell and / or neighboring radio cells, along with the time of each measurement (e.g., a global time such as UTC or local transmission time, as indicated by the serving cell of the serving gNB 102 / 202 / 307). The serving gNB 106, 202, or 307 uses the measurements and the measurement time to locate the UE using the enhanced cell ID (ECID) of the satellite radio cell. For conventional ECIDs, the UE 105 uses the physical cell ID (PCI) and / or cell global identifier (CGI) to identify the terrestrial cell being measured. However, for satellite radio cells accessed by the UE, the PCI and CGI can be static (for GEO satellites) or have a lifetime of 5-15 minutes or longer for LEO or MEO satellites. Therefore, if the PCI or CGI is obtained by the UE 105 some time in advance, and if the UE 105 can predict cell coverage movement, identifying satellite radio cells using the PCI or GCI of the ECID can allow the UE 105 to spoof measurements. For example, the UE 105 can provide spoofed measurements of satellite radio cells as seen at a different (spoofed) location than the UE 105's true location by including spoofed measurements along with the known (static or semi-static) PCI or CGI of these radio cells. For example, a UE located near the southern border of the United States with Mexico or near the northern border of the United States with Canada can spoof a location in Mexico or Canada, respectively, to avoid regulatory services within the United States.

[0108] To achieve higher reliability for the enhanced cell ID (ECID) positioning method, spoofing of radio cell measurements can be partially prevented by assigning a random or pseudo-random identifier, referred to herein as a positioning ID (PID), to each radio cell. This identifier is broadcast in the radio cell along with the radio cell's PCI and CGI. The UE 105 may then be required to use the PID rather than the PCI or CGI to identify the radio cell for which the measurement is being provided. The PID may change frequently (e.g., at intervals of 15-30 seconds). Consequently, the UE 105 (or an entity acting on behalf of the UE 105) must observe the radio cell in near real time in order to send measurements with the correct PID for positioning determination. While using a frequently changing PID may not prevent spoofing in the case where the UE 105 has another UE provide measurements to the UE 105 in real time from a spoofed location, it can prevent spoofing based on predicted measurements from previous observations of the radio cell. In one variant, the PCI of a radio cell can be changed frequently and randomly, thereby acting as a PID, although this can be problematic because the PCI has many other uses for identifying normally operating cells, which may be compromised.

[0109] In one implementation, the characteristics of the signals broadcast from multiple SVs 102, 202, or 302 that can be measured by the UE 105 and reported to the serving gNB 106, 202, or 307 for position determination can be measurements of differential AOA (DAOA) for different pairs of satellites. This makes it possible to achieve accurate 3D positioning because, unlike DAOA with respect to pairs of terrestrial base stations, which only enables 2D positioning, the satellites will have different both azimuth and elevation angles.

[0110] Figure 7A shows how to use DAOA to locate UE 105. Figure 7A In the example, it is assumed that UE 105 is already in Figure 7A A DAOA equal to δ is measured between a pair of SVs 102, 202, or 302, labeled A and B. This is sufficient to horizontally position the UE 105 at a point P on the arc C above (or below) the chord AB, where the angle APB is equal to δ. (Note that in Figure 7A and subsequent figures, labels including a "P" indicate a virtual or physical geographic location.) This stems from the constancy of the angle inscribed by a chord of a circle at any location on the circle. Figure 7AThe following illustrates how the arc of circle C can be determined using a perpendicular to line AB passing through the midpoint M of line AB. Point O on the perpendicular, whose angle AOM is δ, will be the center of the arc corresponding to circle C. Since central angle AOB will be 2δ, the inscribed angle APB will be δ, according to well-known geometric theorems relating central angles to inscribed angles. UE 105 will then be located on the arc of circle C above chord AB or on arc C*, the mirror image of C, below chord AB. (For example, in more detail, to obtain C and C*, the network (such as gNB 106, 307) or an entity in 5GCN 110 (such as LMF 124) can obtain distance OM, which is equal to the known distance AM divided by (tan δ), and can then locate point O from which the arc of circle C can be defined from radii OA and OB.)

[0111] If the UE 105 also determines the DAOA for another pair of SVs 102 / 202 / 302, the position of the UE 105 in two dimensions can be obtained from the intersection of the arcs C and C* obtained for the first pair of SVs and another pair of similar arcs obtained for the second pair of SVs. In some cases, when there are two or more intersections, the third pair of SVs may require DAOA to resolve ambiguity.

[0112] When the SV moves in three dimensions, i.e., the satellite has different azimuth and elevation angles, it can be moved around Figure 7A AB axis rotation Figure 7A The 360-degree arc C determines the position of UE 105 in three dimensions, creating a two-dimensional surface. Line AB will then subtend the same angle δ at any point on the surface, meaning that UE 105 can be located anywhere on the surface. The DAOA obtained for two or three additional pairs of SVs can then be used to locate UE 105 on other similar surfaces, the common intersection of these surfaces providing the position of UE 105 in three dimensions.

[0113] Figure 7B Shows how to determine when DAOAδ is greater than 90 degrees Figure 7A , or an arc of circle C shown in (e.g., an entity in gNB 106, 202, or 307 or 5GCN 110, such as LMF 124). Figure 7B Points A, B, M, O, and P in correspond to and have the same Figure 7A Points A, B, M and O have the same meaning as P. For clarity, Figure 7B Not shown with Figure 7A The arc C* corresponding to C* in , but if it exists, will be the mirror image of arc C with respect to line AB.

[0114] Figure 7A and Figure 7BThe positions of SVs A and B in the UE 105 can be determined based on the measurement time of the DAOAδ reported by the UE 105 and the known orbit (ephemeris) data of SVs A and B (e.g., by the gNB 106 / 202 / 307). The propagation delay from each SV A and B to the UE 105 can be ignored, in which case the positions of SVs A and B may have a small error (e.g., approximately 50 meters for LEO SVs) due to the assumption of the position of each SV A and B at the time of measurement at the UE 105. Alternatively, the propagation delay from each SV A and B to the UE 105 can be used to determine the position of each SV A and B at a previous time, at which the signal measured by the UE 105 was transmitted from each SV A and B. For example, the position of the UE 105 can be first obtained by ignoring the propagation delay, which may introduce some small error (e.g., approximately 50 meters) to the position obtained for the UE 105. This position can then be used to determine the propagation delay from each SV A and B to the position, which in turn can be used to correct the positions of SVs A and B to correspond to the positions of SVs A and B when the signal measured by UE 105 was transmitted. The corrected positions of SVs A and B can then be used to retrieve the (more correct) position of UE 105. Note that although UE 105 may intentionally spoof the measurement time of the reported DAOA, entities in gNB 106, 202, or 307 or 5GCN 110 (such as LMF 124) can at least approximately verify the measurement time based on its reception time, as the reception time should exceed the measurement time by only a small fraction (e.g., 1-5 seconds).

[0115] In some scenarios, UE 105 may provide one or more DAOA measurements and one or more other types of measurements, such as RSRP, RSRQ, RxTx, RSTD, and a radio cell identifier, e.g., PID. In this case, a network entity (such as gNB 106, 202, or 307) or an entity in 5GCN 110 (such as LMF 124) may use Figure 7A and Figure 7B The DAOA measurements described and other measurements are used to determine the location of the UE 105 using combined or "hybrid" positioning.

[0116] To report AOA and DAOA measurements to, for example, gNB 106, 202, 307 or an entity within 5GCN 110 (such as LMF 124), UE 105 can employ one of several techniques. In the first technique, if UE 105 is able to determine its absolute orientation, UE 105 can report each AOA relative to a fixed reference frame, which can be local to UE 105 (e.g., aligned with an antenna or antenna connector within UE 105) or a global frame. In this technique, UE 105 can report angles using either azimuth and elevation or polar angles. In the case of a local reference frame within UE 105, a specific plane can be chosen to represent the horizontal plane to achieve the definition of "azimuth" and "elevation," even though this plane may not be aligned with the true horizontal plane. In the second technique, UE 105 can report DAOA between pairs of SVs 102, 202, or 302. For example, one SV (or one cell) may be used as a reference SV (or reference cell), and the UE 105 reports a DAOA between the reference SV (or reference cell) and each of one or more neighbor SVs (or neighbor cells). For example, each DAOA may correspond to Figure 7A and Figure 7B The angle δ in .

[0117] Another solution for determining or verifying the country in which UE 105 is located utilizes measurements of a serving radio cell acquired by UE 105 over a period of time, where the coverage area of ​​the serving radio cell may be moving (e.g., due to the use of a fixed directional antenna at SV 102 / 202 / 302). For example, as described above, UE 105 may not always be able to simultaneously observe and report measurements of multiple radio cells from different satellites. Instead, UE 105 may report characteristics (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, RxTx, or AoA measurements) of signals broadcast for the same serving radio cell over a period of, for example, 5-15 minutes, which is the typical maximum duration that any one radio cell of a LEO satellite may provide radio coverage to the same location. If the radio cell is moving, gNB 106, 202, 307 may approximately locate UE 105 within the radio cell coverage area for time series T1, T2, T3, etc. based on the measurement characteristics (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, RxTx, AoA, and / or other measurements) provided by UE 105 at each of these times. In a simple variant, the gNB 106, 202, 307 may simply record that the UE 105 transmits UL signaling and / or receives DL signaling using the serving radio cell at each of a plurality of times, and at each of these times estimates that the UE's location is somewhere within the coverage area of ​​the radio cell. Thus, the gNB 106, 202, 307 obtains a sequence of location areas L1, L2, L3, etc., of the UE corresponding to the coverage area of ​​the radio cell at each respective time T1, T2, T3, etc., where each location area represents a possible location of the UE at a particular time (e.g., a location point and an uncertainty area). As an example, L3 would indicate the location area of ​​the UE at time T3.

[0118] After obtaining the appropriate number of location areas, the gNB 106, 202, 307 can determine the location of the UE 105 as the intersection of the individual location areas. If the radio cell is moving, the location areas will typically be different. The intersection of multiple location areas will be a smaller area than each of the original location areas. Mathematically, the location L of the UE 105 can be written as L = L1 ∩ L2 ∩ L3 ∩ ... ∩ Ln, where n is the total number of location areas Li (for i between 1 and n). The intersection of all location areas Li can be a much smaller area than each individual location area Li and is therefore more accurate.

[0119] For example, Figure 8An example of SV coverage 800 is shown, in which SV 802 (e.g., corresponding to SV 102, 202, or 302) generates a radio beam to create a serving radio cell for UE 105, which moves over area 804 over a period of time. Area 804 includes portions of multiple countries, such as portions of Country A and Country B. Subscripts T1, T2, and T3 are used to identify the location of SV 802 at each time T1, T2, and T3, resulting in a serving radio cell with location areas L1, L2, and L3. As shown, UE 105 is located in the location area of ​​the serving radio cell at each time T1, T2, and T3, but due to the size of the location areas, it may not be clear which country UE 105 is located in. However, the intersection of the location areas reduces the possible location areas for UE 105 and can therefore be used to verify which country the UE is located in. For example, the intersection of location areas L1 and L2 is significantly smaller than either location area L1 or L2 alone, but does not clearly identify the country in which UE 105 is located. The intersection of L1 , L2 and L3 (or equivalently L1 and L3 ) further reduces the possible locations of UE 105 and clearly indicates that UE 105 is located in country B.

[0120] Thus, in one implementation, the gNB 106, 202, 307 may use signaling between the UE 105 and the SV 802 of the serving radio cell at each of the plurality of times T1, T2, and T3, e.g., UL signaling from the UE 105 and / or DL ​​signaling to the UE 105, to determine or verify the country in which the UE 105 is located. Furthermore, measurement characteristics provided by the UE 105 at each of these times T1, T2, and T3, e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, RxTx, AoA, and / or other measurements, may be used to further reduce the possible location areas of the UE 105 within the location areas L1, L2, and L3 of the serving radio cell. The intersection of these reduced possible location areas may similarly be used to determine or verify the country in which the UE 105 is located.

[0121] Determining or verifying the location or country of a UE 105 using measurements of a serving radio cell acquired over a period of time may require the UE 105 to be quite stable and connected for a period of time, such as several minutes. However, this solution offers the potential for more accurate location determination over a short period of time than other techniques. This solution also has the advantage that spoofing is impossible because the gNB 106, 202, 307 knows that the UE 105 is accessing a serving radio cell due to the DL signaling transmitted to and from the UE 105.

[0122] Another solution for determining or verifying the country in which the UE 105 is located assumes that location determination of the UE 105, supported by the NG-RAN 112 (e.g., gNB 106 or gNB-CU 307) or gNB 202, is not completely reliable and may not always be able to determine the country in which the UE 105 is located. For example, if the UE 105 is near an international border, the NG-RAN 112 or gNB 202 may have difficulty reliably determining the country in which the UE 105 is located. When the NG-RAN 112 cannot reliably verify the UE's country, a more accurate location determination of the UE 105 performed by the 5GCN 110, e.g., using the LMF 124, may be performed. However, because 5GCN positioning may have substantial latency (e.g., up to 30 seconds) and consume more UE 105 and network processing and signaling resources, the frequency of using 5GCN positioning determination may need to be minimized.

[0123] To minimize the frequency of 5GCN positioning, the gNB 106, 202, 307 may provide an indication to the 5GCN 110 (e.g., for initial UE access to the PLMN) indicating whether the gNB 106, 202, 307 has verified (or, optionally, has not yet verified) the location and country of the UE 105. For example, the indication may have two values: A) location and country fully verified, B) location and country not fully verified.

[0124] For case A, when the location and country of the UE 105 are fully verified by the gNB 106, 202, 307, the 5GCN 110 does not need to locate the UE 105. For case B, where the location and country of the UE 105 cannot be fully verified, the PLMN can use the 5GCN 110 verification of the location and country. For example, case B can also be optional, where the gNB 106, 202, 307 denies initial UE 105 access when the location and country of the UE 105 cannot be fully verified by the gNB 106, 202, 307 (e.g., this may occur in a radio cell near or across a country border).

[0125] In one implementation, when positioning using 5GCN 110, for example, when the location and country of UE 105 cannot be fully verified by gNB 106, 202, 307, 5GCN 110 can ensure that the positioning of UE 105 is fully reliable and does not allow UE 105 to spoof. In this implementation, the serving AMF 122 can provide an indication of the 5G satellite access of UE 105 to LMF 124 in the initial position request message sent by AMF 122 to LMF 124 to initiate positioning of UE 105. LMF 124 can use this indication to select a more reliable and / or more suitable satellite positioning method (e.g., UE-assisted rather than UE-based methods, which will be more difficult to be spoofed by UE 105).

[0126] Figure 9 A signaling flow 900 is shown illustrating various messages sent between components of a communication system during an initial PLMN access process for a UE 105, wherein a gNB (e.g., gNB 106, 202, or 307) determines or verifies that the UE 105 is in a country associated with a serving PLMN. Figure 9 105. It is to be understood that the network entity may use any one or any combination of techniques to determine or verify the country in which the UE 105 is located. The communication network may be Figure 1 、 Figure 2 or Figure 3 102, 202, or 302 and is shown as including a UE 105, an SV 102 / 202 / 302, a second SV 902 which may be another SV 102 / 202 / 202, a gNB 106 / 202 / 307, an AMF 122, and a LMF 124. It should be understood that the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 or elements of the gNB 106 / 102 / 307 may be included within the SV 102 / 202 / 302. For example, with respect to the SV 202, the gNB 202 would be completely included within the SV 202, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 Optionally, for SV 302, gNB 307 (also called gNB-CU) will be terrestrial and physically separated from SV 302, but SV 302 will include Figure 3 The gNB-DU 302.

[0127] exist Figure 9 In stage 1, UE 105 is in 5G Mobility Management (5GMM) DEREGISTERED state and RRC IDLE state.

[0128] In Phase 2, the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 or the gNB-CU (via SV 102 / 202 / 302) broadcasts an indication of the supported PLMNs (e.g., the MCC-MNC for each PLMN) in each radio cell. The UE 105 may detect radio cells from one or more radio beams transmitted by one or more SVs, including SV 102 / 202 / 302. The gNB 106 / 202 / 307 may control the SV 102 / 202 / 302 to broadcast a System Information Block (SIB) in one or more radio cells of the gNB 106 / 202 / 207. The SIB may indicate to the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 one or more PLMNs (referred to as supported PLMNs) supported by the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 in each radio cell. Each PLMN can be identified in the SIB by a Mobile Country Code (MCC) and a Mobile Network Code (MNC), where the MCC indicates the country of each identified PLMN (i.e., the country to which each identified MN belongs). The gNB can optionally assign a numerical value to each radio cell called a Positioning ID (PID), which can be used to identify the radio cell and broadcasted, for example, from the SV 102 / 202 / 302 in the SIB in each radio cell. For example, the PID can be a random or pseudo-random number that is frequently changed, for example, at intervals of 15-60 seconds or other intervals, by the gNB 106, 202, 307. The SIB can include security information described below for stage 8, such as an indication of a public key(s) and an encryption algorithm(s).

[0129] In phase 3, UE 105 may receive DL signals (e.g., DL positioning reference signals (PRS)) from SV 102 / 202 / 302, SV 902, and possibly from other SVs such as other SVs 102 / 202 / 202 and / or SV 190. The signals from SV 102 / 202 / 302 and SV 902 may be encoded based on the PIDs of SV 102 / 202 / 202 and SV 904.

[0130] In optional stage 4, the UE 105 may receive location-related information for supported PLMNs broadcast in one or more radio cells (e.g., in one or more SIBs) from the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 via the SV 102 / 202 / 302. For example, the location-related information for the supported PLMNs may include a geographical definition of a fixed cell for each supported PLMN, a geographical definition of a fixed tracking area for each supported PLMN, or both.

[0131] In phase 5, the UE 105 may measure characteristics of the DL signal, such as RSRP, RSRQ, RxTx, AoA. The UE 105 may further measure DAOA and / or reference signal time difference (RSTD) of the DL signals received from one or more pairs of SVs 102 / 202 / 302 and / or 902.

[0132] In Phase 6, the UE 105 selects a radio cell. In one implementation, the UE 105 may first select a PLMN (referred to as a selected PLMN), where the selected PLMN is a preferred PLMN among the supported PLMNs indicated in Phase 2 in one or more radio cells of the gNB 106 / 202 / 307. The UE 105 may then select a radio cell in Phase 6 based on the radio cell indicating support for the preferred PLMN.

[0133] In phase 7, the UE 105 may use the selected radio cell (e.g., after having performed a random access procedure to obtain initial access to the selected radio cell from the gNB 106 / 202 / 307) to send an RRC setup request message to the gNB 106 / 102 / 207 supporting the selected radio cell via the SV 102 / 202 / 302 to establish an RRC signaling connection to the gNB 106 / 02 / 207.

[0134] In Phase 8, the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 may return an RRC Setup message to the UE 105. The gNB 106 / 202 / 307 may include security information in the RRC Setup message (e.g., if not provided in Phase 2), including an indication of the public encryption key and the encryption algorithm. After Phase 8, the RRC signaling connection between the UE 105 and the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 may be established, and the UE 105 may be in an RRC Connected state.

[0135] In stage 9, the UE 105 may select a supported PLMN (hereinafter referred to as the selected PLMN) if not previously selected in stage 6. The selected PLMN may be one of the supported PLMNs indicated in stage 2 for the radio cell selected in stage 6. The selected PLMN (as selected in stage 6 or stage 9) is also referred to as the serving PLMN hereinafter because the selected PLMN serves as the serving PLMN for the UE 105 after stage 19.

[0136] In Phase 10, UE 105 sends an RRC Setup Complete message to gNB 106 / 202 / 307, including an indication of the selected PLMN (e.g., MCC and MNC) and a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) Registration Request message. Phase 10 may be performed by UE 105 to complete the establishment of an RRC signaling connection to gNB 106 / 202 / 307, establish a Connection Management (CM) connection to the selected PLMN, and register with it. UE 105 may also include in the RRC Setup Complete message the DL location measurement obtained in Phase 5, optionally including the time(s) at which the DL location measurement was obtained, and optionally including the PID received in Phases 2 and 3 to identify the radio cell from which the DL location measurement was obtained. The location measurement and PID (if sent) may be included in a confidential (or hidden) form by encrypting them using the public encryption key and encryption algorithm indicated in Phases 2 or 8. The determination and encoding of confidential location measurements and PIDs may reuse some of the functionality used to support Subscription Concealment Identifier (SUCI) as described in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 23.003.

[0137] In Phase 11, the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 or an embedded or attached location management component (LMC) may determine the location and country of the UE 105 (where the country of the UE 105 corresponds to the country in which the UE 105 is located). For example, the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 (or LMC) may decrypt the DL measurements and PIDs sent in Phase 10 based on the encryption key and encryption algorithm indicated in Phase 2 or Phase 8. For example, the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 (or LMC) may use a private encryption key corresponding to the public encryption key sent in Phase 2 or Phase 8 to decrypt the encrypted DL measurements and PIDs based on the public-private key encryption algorithm (e.g., RCA algorithm) indicated in Phase 2 and Phase 8.

[0138] The gNB 106 / 202 / 307 may use the PID sent by the UE 105 in stage 10 to identify the measured radio cell, and the characteristics of the received signal measured by the UE 105 in step 5, such as RSRP, RSRQ, RxTx, AoA, RSTD, or DAOA, to determine the location of the UE 105, for example, using ECID with enhanced reliability. The country in which the UE 105 is located may then be determined based on the determined location of the UE 105. The gNB 106 / 202 / 307 (or LMC) may use other techniques to determine the location and country of the UE 105. For example, in one implementation, the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 (or LMC) may determine the location of the UE 105 based on measurements of signaling between the UE 105 and the serving SV 102 / 202 / 302 acquired over a period of time. For example, the beam coverage area of ​​the selected radio cell may be used as an approximate location of the UE 105. For example, the beam coverage area can be inferred from the known location of the serving SV 102 / 202 / 302 and the beam direction and angular range. If the beam coverage area is completely and unambiguously within a single country, the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 can determine the UE 105 country based on the beam coverage area at a single instance, for example. However, in some implementations, where the beam coverage area of ​​the serving SV 102 / 202 / 302 may include multiple countries, the intersection of the beam coverage areas at multiple instances over a period of time can be used to produce a more accurate location of the UE 105 (e.g., as Figure 8 as described), from which the country of the UE 105 can be determined.

[0139] In some implementations, measured characteristics of the serving radio cell measured by the UE 105 in Phase 5, such as RSRP, RSRQ, RxTx, AoA, or some combination thereof, may be used to refine the location of the UE 105. In another implementation, measurements of UL signaling from the UE 105 may be obtained by the serving SV 102 / 202 / 302 and / or by the gNB 106 / 202 / 307, such as measurements of RSRP, RSRQ, RxTx, and / or AoA, and may be used by the gNB 102 / 202 / 307 (or LMC) to help determine the location and country of the UE 105.

[0140] Figure 8As previously described, the process of determining the location and country of a UE 105 based on the coverage area of ​​a serving radio cell over a period of time is shown. In some implementations, the location determination and location-to-country mapping may be performed by a Location Management Component (LMC), which may be part of, attached to, or reachable from the gNB 106 / 202 / 307. The gNB 106 / 202 / 307 may map the location to a country and verify that the country is supported by the gNB 106 / 102 / 307 and matches the country of the selected PLMN indicated in stage 10. In some implementations, the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 may further determine a fixed serving cell and / or fixed serving tracking area (TA) for the UE 105, for example, by mapping the UE 105 location to the cell ID and / or TA code (TAC) of the selected PLMN indicated in stage 9.

[0141] In Stage 12, if the UE country determined in step 11 is not supported by the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 or does not match the country of the selected PLMN, the gNB 106 / 202 / 207 may return an RRC REJECT or RRC RELEASE message to the UE 105. The RRC REJECT or RRC RELEASE message may indicate the country in which the UE 105 is located (e.g., using MCC) as determined in Stage 11. If the RRC REJECT or RRC RELEASE message is received, the UE 105 may restart the process of Stage 6 using the provided country.

[0142] In stage 13, if the UE 105 is located in the correct country or is likely to be located in the correct country, the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 forwards the NAS Registration Request to the AMF 122 in the selected PLMN in an NG Application Protocol (NGAP) message (e.g., an NGAP Initial UE message) and may include an indication of whether the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 has fully verified the location and / or country of the UE 105. For example, the indication may indicate whether the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 has verified that the UE is in the country associated with the selected PLMN, which may correspond to the serving PLMN after stage 19. If determined in stage 11, the NGAP message may further include an identification of the fixed serving cell and / or fixed serving TA (e.g., cell ID and TAC). In some implementations, the AMF 122 or LMF 124 may perform fixed cell and / or fixed TA (cell ID and / or TAC) determination (and possibly the location of the UE 105), in which case the NGAP message may include the UE location or UE location information instead of the cell ID and TAC at stage 13. If the NGAP message indicates that the UE 105 location and country have been fully verified by the gNB 106 / 202 / 307, the AMF 122 may accept the registration request without additional verification of the UE 105 location and country, and the processing may jump to stage 19.

[0143] In stage 14, if the NGAP message in stage 13 indicates that the UE location and / or country is not fully verified by the gNB 106 / 202 / 307, the AMF 122 may send a location request to the LMF 124. The AMF 122 may provide an indication in the location request that the UE 105 has 5G satellite access.

[0144] In stage 15, LMF 124 may perform a UE-assisted positioning method with UE 105 (e.g., using the Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP)), and / or may perform a network-based positioning method with gNB 106 / 202 / 307 (e.g., using the NR Positioning Protocol a (NRPPa)). LMF 124 may, for example, select a satellite-based positioning method, such as a UE-assisted method or a network-based method that is difficult for UE 105 to spoof. For example, the UE-assisted positioning method may be based on the transmission of measurements of at least one of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal (e.g., from SV 190), a communication satellite signal, or a combination thereof from UE 105 to LMF 124. For example, Figure 11The process of determining the location of UE 105 in an LPP location session between LMF 124 and UE 105 (described later) is shown. In some implementations, LMF 124 can determine the country in which UE 105 is located and can determine whether the UE's country is verified as the country associated with the serving PLMN. In some implementations, LMF 124 determines the fixed cell and / or fixed TA (cell ID and / or TAC) of the selected PLMN.

[0145] At stage 16, LMF 124 provides a location response to AMF 122 including the location of UE 105. The location response may additionally or alternatively include an indication of the country (if determined) of UE 105 (i.e., the country in which UE 105 is located), and optionally an indication of whether the UE's country is verified to be the country associated with the serving PLMN. If determined by LMF 124, the location response may further include an indication of a fixed cell and / or fixed TA (cell ID and / or TAC).

[0146] In stage 17, if the country of UE 105 (i.e., the country in which UE 105 is located) is not provided in the location response in stage 16 (e.g., AMF 122 may map the location of UE 105 provided in stage 16 to a country), then AMF 122 may determine the country of UE 105 (i.e., the country in which UE 105 is located) and may determine whether the UE's country is verified to be the country associated with the serving PLMN. Assuming that the country of UE 105 is the same as the country of the selected PLMN, AMF 122 may further map the location of UE 105 to an identity of a fixed serving cell and / or an identity of a fixed TA, if not performed by LMF 124 in stage 15 or by gNB 106 / 202 / 307 in stage 11. In stage 17, AMF 122 may also determine the allowed TAs (TACs) for UE 105 in the selected PLMN, where UE 105 is allowed to access the selected PLN in each of the allowed TAs without performing another registration with the selected PLMN. The AMF 122 may perform other actions associated with the registration of the UE 105 in stage 17, such as authenticating the UE 105 and registering the UE 105 in a home unified data management (UDM) (not shown), and the UE 105 and the AMF 122 may perform additional actions associated with the initial registration after stage 19, which are not shown here.

[0147] In stage 18, if the country of UE 105 indicated by LMF 124 in stage 16 or determined by AMF 122 in stage 17 is not the same as the country of the selected PLMN, AMF 122 may return a NAS Registration Reject message to UE 105 via gNB 106 / 202 / 307. The NAS Registration Reject message may indicate the country in which UE 105 is located (e.g., using an MCC). If a NAS Registration Reject message is received, UE 105 may restart in stage 6 using the provided country.

[0148] In stage 19, if the NGAP message of stage 13 indicates that the UE location and / or country are fully verified by the gNB 106 / 202 / 307, or if the country of the UE 105 is the same as the country of the selected PLMN, as indicated by the LMF 124 in stage 16 or determined by the AMF 122 in stage 17, the AMF 122 returns a NAS Registration Accept message to the UE 105 via the gNB 106 / 102 / 207. The NAS Registration Accept message to the UE 105 may include the Allowed TAs (TACs) and, optionally, location information, such as the geographical definition of the Allowed TAs and the constituent fixed cells of the Allowed TAs. A Registration Flag may also be included in the NAS Registration Accept message to indicate whether the UE 105 needs to or does not need to perform a TA change registration with the serving PLMN after detecting that the UE 105 is no longer in any Allowed TA.

[0149] In phase 20, the UE 105 stores the allowed TACs, their geographical definitions and constituent fixed cells, and registration flags (if included) to allow for later determination of the current TA and cell. As part of phase 20, the UE 105 may access a serving PLMN to obtain or enable various services.

[0150] Figure 10 A signaling flow 1000 is shown, which illustrates various messages sent between components of the communication system in the process of the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 determining the location of the UE 105 based on measurements or communications between the UE 105 and the serving SV 102 / 202 / 302 acquired over a period of time (e.g., also as described in accordance with Figure 8 The communication networks can be Figure 1 、 21 or 3, and is shown as including a UE 105, a SV 102 / 202 / 302, a gNB 106 / 202 / 307, an AMF 122, and a LMF 124. It should be understood that the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 or elements of the gNB 106 / 102 / 307 may be included within the SV 102 / 202 / 302. For example, with respect to the SV 202, the gNB 202 would be completely included within the SV 202, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 Optionally, for SV 302, gNB 307 (also called gNB-CU) will be terrestrial and physically separated from SV 302, but SV 302 will include Figure 3 The gNB-DU 302.

[0151] exist Figure 10 In phase 1, the initial registration of UE 105 with the serving PLMN is performed, e.g. Figure 9 It should be understood that the initial registration with the serving PLMN is not limited to Figure 9 The implementation shown may perform other processing to obtain initial registration with the serving PLN.

[0152] In Phase 2, UE 105 is in RRC connected state with the serving PLMN, where access stratum (AS) encryption between UE 105 and gNB 102 / 202 / 307 is active.

[0153] In phase 3, gNB 106 / 202 / 307 may send an RRC or LPP location request message to UE 105.

[0154] In phase 4, the UE 105 may optionally receive a DL signal (e.g., a DL PRS signal) from the serving SV 102 / 202 / 302 as part of the serving radio cell. If the serving radio cell includes a PID, the DL signal may be encoded according to the PID of the serving radio cell. In some implementations, the UE 105 may receive DL signals from additional SVs 102 / 202 / 302 ( Figure 10 The serving radio cell (not shown) receives DL signals (eg DL PRS signals) as part of other radio cells. The coverage area of ​​the serving radio cell and the coverage areas of the other radio cells may be moving.

[0155] In stage 5, the UE 105 may measure characteristics of the DL signal from the serving SV 102 / 202 / 302, such as RSRP, RSRQ, RxTx, AoA. If the UE 105 receives DL signals from multiple SVs 102 / 202 / 302, the UE 105 may further measure DAOA and / or RSTD of one or more pairs of SVs 102 / 202 / 302.

[0156] In Phase 6, UE 105 sends an RRC or LPP Location Response message to gNB 106 / 202 / 307 via SV 102 / 202 / 302. The Location Response message includes the DL measurements performed in Phase 5, optionally the time of each DL measurement, and the identity (e.g., PID) of each measured radio cell. The DL measurements, the time of the DL measurements (if included), and the PID (if included) may be encrypted by UE 105 based on AS encryption.

[0157] In optional stage 7, UL and DL signaling between the UE 105 and the serving 5GCN 110 (e.g., AMF 122) may be sent through the serving SV 102 / 202 / 302 and the gNB 106 / 202 / 307. For example, the UL and DL signaling may be used to (i) transmit data and / or voice, and / or (ii) establish or release a call and / or session between the UE 105 and a server or other user (e.g., another UE) through the 5GCN 110. Additionally or alternatively in phase 7, UL and DL signaling may be exchanged between the UE 105 and the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 via the serving SV 102 / 202 / 302, e.g., to provide handover-related measurements from the UE 105 to the gNB 106 / 02 / 207, or to enable the gNB 106 / 102 / 207 to update transmission characteristics in the UE 105, such as timing advance, Doppler shift, or transmission power level.

[0158] In Phase 8, the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 may determine the location of the UE 105 based on the current coverage area of ​​the UE 105's serving radio cell and any DL measurements of the serving radio cell provided in Phase 6. The serving radio cell of the UE 105 may be determined based on, for example, UL and DL signaling between the UE 105 and the SV 102 / 202 / 302 (e.g., from Phase 7) and / or DL ​​position measurements provided in Phase 6. The coverage area of ​​the serving radio cell may be inferred by the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 based on the known location of the serving SV 102 / 202 / 302 and the radio beam direction and angular range for that direction, and / or may be pre-configured in the gNB 106 / 202 / 207 by Operations and Maintenance (O&M). In one implementation, the UE 105 location may be determined as the coverage area(s) of the serving radio cell(s) of the SV 102 / 202 / 302 when receiving the DL or UL signal at the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 at stage 7. The approximate area of ​​the UE 105 location may be refined using the DL location measurements provided at stage 6.

[0159] In stage 9, Figure 10 Stages 3-8 of can be repeated over time, for example, within 5-15 minutes. For example, in some implementations, it is possible to perform Figure 10 Stages 3-8 are repeated three times to generate three estimates of the UE 105 position at different times based on the current coverage area of ​​the serving radio cell, such as Figure 8 For example, Figure 8 As discussed, the coverage area of ​​the serving radio cell may be moving, which may produce different estimates of the location of the UE 105 at different times. As part of Phase 9, the UE 105 may measure characteristics of the DL signal from the serving SV 102 / 202 / 302 at each different time (as in Phase 5) and may provide the DL measurements to the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 (as in Phase 6).

[0160] In stage 10, multiple locations of UE 105 from different times are combined, e.g. Figure 8As shown, the combined location may be used to narrow down the possible location area of ​​UE 105. The country of UE 105 may be verified using the combined location. For example, gNB 106 / 202 / 307 may map the area of ​​the combined location to a country and verify that the country matches the country of the serving PLMN. If it is determined that UE 105 is located in the correct country, i.e., the country matches the country of the serving PLMN, no further action is required, although the serving gNB 106 / 202 / 307 may continue to monitor the location and country of UE 105 by continuing to perform stages 3-10. If the country of UE 105 is determined not to match the country of the serving PLMN, the serving gNB 106 / 202 / 307 may handover UE 105 to a different PLMN in the country determined for UE 105 ( Figure 10 ), or, as shown in stages 11-16 and described below, the registration with the serving PLN may be released and the signaling connection with UE 105 may be further released.

[0161] In Phase 11, if the UE location is in the wrong country for the serving PLMN, the gNB 106 / 202 / 307 sends a Next Generation Application Protocol (NGAP) UE Context Release Request message indicating the UE country to the 5GCN (e.g., AMF 122). The Context Release Request message may indicate the UE country (e.g., using the MCC).

[0162] In stage 12, the AMF 122 sends a NAS Deregistration Request message to the UE 105. The Deregistration Request message may indicate the UE country (e.g., using the MCC).

[0163] In stage 13, UE 105 sends a NAS Deregistration Accept message to AMF 122.

[0164] In phase 14, the AMF 122 sends an NGAP UE Context Release Command message to the gNB 106 / 202 / 307.

[0165] In stage 15, gNB 106 / 202 / 307 sends an RRC release message to UE 105 via SV 102 / 202 / 302. The UE may then attempt to access a PLMN in the UE's country (e.g., as shown in stage 12)—for example, by initiating Figure 9 in the process.

[0166] In phase 16, AMF 122 sends an NGAP UE Context Release Complete message to AMF 122.

[0167] Figure 11 A signaling flow 1100 is shown, which shows the signaling flow during a positioning session between UE 105 and LMF 124. Figure 1-Figure 3 Various messages sent between components of the communication system 100, 200, or 300 shown in FIG. 1 are used to determine the location of the UE 105 based on UE-assisted positioning methods using measurements or communications between the UE 105 and the serving SV 102 / 202 / 302, such as using the Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP). For example, the positioning process relies on satellite access by the UE 105 to ensure that the positioning is completely reliable and may not allow UE spoofing. For example, the LMF 124 may initiate a positioning process that includes a positioning method suitable for satellites (e.g., a UE-assisted rather than a UE-based method to make spoofing more difficult). For example, the process may be performed at Figure 9 Phase 15 is executed in whole or in part. For completeness, Figure 9 Some of the messages in Figure 11 100. Furthermore, additional or fewer messages may be included in signaling flow 1100. In signaling flow 1100, it is assumed that UE 105 and LMF 124 communicate using the aforementioned LPP positioning protocol, although other protocols are possible, such as the LPP Extension Protocol (LPPe) defined by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA). AMF 122 and LMF 124 may also belong to the serving and / or selected PLMN of UE 105.

[0168] exist Figure 11 In phase 1 of the UE 105, the AMF 122 of the UE 105 invokes the Nlmf_Location_DermineLocation service operation request to the LMF 124 to request the current location of the UE 105. For example, phase 1 can be the same as Figure 9 The AMF 122 may include in the service operation an indication that the UE 105 has 5G satellite access. The indication may be implicit or explicit. For example, in the case of an implicit indication, the AMF 122 may include in the service operation request an identification of the fixed serving cell (e.g., Figure 9 13 as described in Phase 13 of the present invention and received by AMF 122 from gNB 106 / 202 / 307). For example, if information about a fixed cell for 5G satellite access is configured in LMF 124, the fixed serving cell may be associated with 5G satellite access by LMF 124. Alternatively, if the service operation request received in Phase 1 requires LMF 124 to determine the country of UE 105, LMF 124 may assume 5G satellite access (implicitly). AMF 122 may also provide an indication of the required quality of service (QoS) in the service operation in Phase 1.

[0169] In phase 2, LMF 124 sends an LPP request capability message to UE 105 through serving SV 102 / 202 / 302 to request the positioning capability of UE 105.

[0170] In phase 3, the UE 105 returns an LPP Provide Capability message to the LMF 124 through the serving SV 102 / 202 / 302 to provide the positioning capability of the UE 105.

[0171] In Phase 4, LMF 124 may send an LPP Provide Assistance Data message to UE 105. For example, LMF 124 may provide A-GNSS assistance data and / or Communication SV assistance data.

[0172] In phase 5, the LMF 124 sends an LPP request location information message to the UE 105 to request the UE 105 to provide location measurements. For example, the LMF 124 may request location measurements from the GNSS SV 190 for A-GNSS positioning. In some implementations, the LMF 124 may also include information from the serving SV 102 / 202 / 302 and other communicating SVs 102 / 202 / 202 ( Figure 11 The LMF 124 may request measurements of other positioning methods (not shown) such as RSRP, RSRQ, RxTx, AoA, RSTD, or DAOA. In some implementations, the LMF 124 may request measurements of other positioning methods that do not use communication SV signals (e.g., WiFi positioning). For example, the positioning method selected by the LMF 124 may be a satellite-friendly method that is difficult for the UE 105 to spoof, such as a UE-assisted positioning method. The LMF 124 may also request the UE 105 to send uplink (UL) signals to be measured by the serving SV 102 / 202 / 302 or gNB 106 / 202 / 307.

[0173] In stage 6 , the UE 105 receives DL signals (eg, DL PRS signals) from the serving SV 102 / 202 / 302 and other SVs 102 / 202 / 202 and / or DL ​​signals from the GNSS SV 190 .

[0174] In Phase 7, UE 105 acquires and measures the DL signals transmitted by SV 102 / 202 / 302 and / or GNSS SV 190 in Phase 6. For example, UE 105 may measure GNSS signals from GNSS SV 190 for A-GNSS positioning. UE 105 may additionally or alternatively measure RSRP, RSRQ, RxTx, AoA, RSTD, DAOA, or other measurements of DL signals from SV 102 / 202 / 302. UE 105 may also obtain other non-SV signal measurements if requested in Phase 5.

[0175] In stage 8, UE 105 sends an LPP Provide Location Information message to LMF 124 and includes the positioning measurements obtained in stage 7. The LPP Provide Location Information message may be forwarded to LMF 124 by serving SV 102 / 202 / 302 and serving gNB 106 / 202 / 307.

[0176] In stage 9, the LMF 124 determines the location of the UE 105, and optionally the country, based on the positioning measurements received from the UE 105 in stage 8. In some implementations, the LMF 124 may also determine the location of the UE 105 using location measurements obtained by one or more SVs 102 / 202 / 302 and / or one or more gNBs 106 / 202 / 307, which are measured from the UE 105 UL signals and requested by the LMF 124 and subsequently sent to the LMF 124 using NRPPa messages by the serving gNB 106 / 202 / 307 and / or other gNBs 106 / 202 / 307 ( Figure 11 (not shown). If the LMF 124 determines the country in stage 9, the LMF 124 may also verify whether the country is associated with the PLMN of the LMF 124 and the AMF 122 (e.g., it may also be the serving PLMN of the UE 105).

[0177] In phase 10, the LMF 124 returns an Nlmf_Location_DermineLocation response to the AMF 122 to return at least one of the determined location, the country (if determined in phase 9), and an indication of whether the LMF 124 verifies that the country (if determined) is associated with the PLMN of the LMF 124 and the AMF 122.

[0178] Figure 12 is to show that Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3 FIG1 is a diagram of an example of a hardware implementation of a UE 1200 of the UE 105 shown in FIG1. ​​The UE 1200 may perform Figure 9 、 Figure 10 and Figure 11 The signal flows 900, 1000 and 1100 and Figure 16 and Figure 18 The processing flows 1600 and 1800 and the algorithms disclosed herein. The UE 1200 may include, for example, hardware components such as a satellite transceiver 1203 to wirelessly communicate with the SV 102 / 202 / 302, for example, as Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3UE 1200 may also include a wireless transceiver 1202 for wireless communication with a ground base station in NG-RAN 112 (e.g., a base station such as gNB 114 or ng-eNB). UE 1200 may also include additional transceivers, such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver 1206, and a transceiver for receiving and measuring signals from SPS SV 190 (e.g., a base station such as gNB 114 or ng-eNB). Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3 1200). In some implementations, the UE 1200 may receive data from a satellite, for example, via a satellite transceiver 1203, and may respond to a ground base station, for example, via a wireless transceiver 1202 or via a WLAN transceiver 1206. Thus, the UE 1200 may include one or more transmitters, one or more receivers, or both, and these may be integrated, discrete, or a combination of both. The UE 1200 may further include one or more sensors 1210, such as a camera, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, an electronic compass, a magnetometer, a barometer, and the like. The UE 1200 may also include a user interface 1212, which may include, for example, a display, a keyboard, or other input device, such as a virtual keyboard on a display, through which a user may interact with the UE 1200. The UE 1200 also includes one or more processors 1204, a memory 1216, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium 1218 that may be coupled to the bus 1214. The one or more processors 1204 and other components of the UE 1200 may be similarly coupled to a bus 1214 (a separate bus), or may be directly connected together or coupled together using a combination of the foregoing.

[0179] The one or more processors 1204 may be implemented using a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. For example, the one or more processors 1204 may be configured to perform the functions discussed herein by implementing one or more instructions or program codes 1220 on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., the medium 1218 and / or the memory 1216). In some embodiments, the one or more processors 1204 may represent one or more circuits that may be configured to perform at least a portion of a data signal computing procedure or processing associated with the operation of the UE 1200.

[0180] The medium 1218 and / or memory 1216 may store instructions or program code 1220 comprising executable code or software instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors 1204, cause the one or more processors 1204 to function as processors programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein (such as Figure 16 and Figure 181600 and 1800). As shown in UE 1200, the medium 1218 and / or memory 1216 may include one or more components or modules that can be implemented by one or more processors 1204 to perform the methods described herein. Although the components or modules are shown as software in the medium 1218 that can be executed by one or more processors 1204, it should be understood that the components or modules can be stored in the memory 1216 or can be dedicated hardware in or outside of the one or more processors 1206.

[0181] A number of software modules and data structures may reside in the media 1218 and / or memory 1216 and be used by the one or more processors 1204 to manage communications and functions described herein. It should be understood that the organization of the contents of the media 1218 and / or memory 1216 as shown in the UE 1200 is merely exemplary, and thus the functionality of the modules and / or data structures may be combined, separated, and / or structured in various ways depending on the implementation of the UE 1200. Although a component or module is shown as software in the media 1218 and / or memory 1216, executable by the one or more processors 1204, it should be understood that the component or module may be firmware or dedicated hardware within or external to the one or more processors 1206.

[0182] As shown, program code 1220 stored on media 1218 and / or memory 1216 may include a satellite data module 1222 that, when implemented by one or more processors 1204, configures the one or more processors 1204 to receive downlink signals and transmit uplink signals to one or more communication satellites via satellite transceiver 1203. The one or more processors 1204 may be configured, for example, to receive broadcast signaling for supported radio cells from one or more communication satellites. The one or more processors 1204 may be configured, for example, to receive downlink signals for a serving radio cell from a communication satellite, where the serving radio cell has a mobile coverage area.

[0183] Program code 1220 stored on media 1218 and / or memory 1216 may include a PID module 1224 that, when implemented by one or more processors 1204, configures the one or more processors 1204 to obtain a location identifier (PID) from broadcast signaling received from one or more SVs via satellite transceiver 1203. The broadcast signaling for each radio cell may include a PID that may change periodically according to a sequence of periodic intervals that occur over the lifetime of the radio cell.

[0184] Program code 1220 stored on media 1218 and / or memory 1216 may include a measurement module 1226 that, when implemented by one or more processors 1204, configures the one or more processors 1204 to obtain measurements of broadcast signaling from one or more SVs via satellite transceiver 1203. By way of example, the measurements may include RSRP, RSRQ, RxTx, AoA from one or more SVs, and RSTD or DAOA from one or more pairs of SVs. Measurement module 1226 may further configure the one or more processors 1204 to perform GNSS measurements via SPS receiver 1208 for A-GNSS positioning. Measurement module 1226 may configure the one or more processors 1204 to obtain measurements at each of a plurality of times.

[0185] Program code 1220 stored on medium 1218 and / or memory 1216 may include a registration module 1228 that, when implemented by one or more processors 1204, configures one or more processors 1204 to register and deregister with a serving PLMN via satellite transceiver 1203. For example, one or more processors 1204 may be configured to send, via satellite transceiver 1203, one or more PIDs and measurements of one or more radio cells to enable the gNB to determine the location and country of the UE as part of the registration process. One or more processors 1204 may be configured to send, via satellite transceiver 1203, measurements over a period of time to enable the gNB to determine the location and country of the UE as part of the registration process. One or more processors 1204 may be configured to send, via satellite transceiver 1203, the one or more PIDs and measurements to the gNB in ​​an RRC message to complete establishment of an RRC signaling connection between the UE and the gNB. One or more processors 1204 may further be configured to send, via satellite transceiver 1203, a request to register with the core network of the serving PLMN, for example, in an RRC message.

[0186] Program code 1220 stored on medium 1218 and / or memory 1216 may include a security module 1230 that, when implemented by one or more processors 1204, configures one or more processors 1204 to receive security information, e.g., in an RRC message, from a gNB via satellite transceiver 1203. The one or more processors 1204 may be configured to encrypt measurements sent to the gNB, e.g., in an RRC message, based on the security information.

[0187] The program code 1220 stored on the medium 1218 and / or memory 1216 may include a reporting module 1232 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 1204, configures the one or more processors 1204 to send, via the satellite transceiver 1203, measurements of DL signals from a communication satellite to the gNB at each of a plurality of times, e.g., based on a mobile coverage area of ​​a serving radio cell, to enable a more accurate and more reliable position of the UE to be determined by the gNB after all of the plurality of times.

[0188] The methods described herein may be implemented in various ways depending on the application. For example, the methods may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. For hardware implementation, the one or more processors 1204 may be implemented within one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital data processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof.

[0189] For implementations of the UE 1200 involving firmware and / or software, the methods may be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the individual functions described herein. Any machine-readable medium that tangibly embodies instructions may be used to implement the methods described herein. For example, software code may be stored in the medium 1218 or memory 1216 and executed by one or more processors 1204, causing the one or more processors 1206 to operate as a special-purpose computer programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein. The memory may be implemented within the one or more processors 1204 or external to the one or more processors 1204. As used herein, the term "memory" refers to any type of long-term, short-term, volatile, non-volatile, or other memory, and is not limited to any particular type of memory or amount of memory, or type of medium on which the memory is stored.

[0190] If implemented in firmware and / or software, the functions performed by UE 1200 may be stored as one or more instructions or code on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium such as medium 1218 or memory 1216. Examples of storage media include computer-readable media encoded with a data structure and computer-readable media encoded with a computer program. Computer-readable media include physical computer storage media. Storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, semiconductor storage or other storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer; as used herein, magnetic disks and optical disks include compact disks (CDs), laser disks, optical disks, digital versatile disks (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray disks, where magnetic disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while optical disks reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0191] In addition to storage on a computer-readable storage medium, instructions and / or data for UE 1200 may be provided as signals on a transmission medium included in the communication device. For example, a communication device including part or all of UE 1200 may include a transceiver with signals indicating instructions and data. The instructions and data are stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium 1218 or memory 1216 and are configured to cause one or more processors 1204 to operate as a special-purpose computer programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein. That is, the communication device includes a transmission medium with signals indicating information for performing the disclosed functions. At a first time, the transmission medium included in the communication device may include a first portion of information to perform the disclosed functions, and at a second time, the transmission medium included in the communication device may include a second portion of information to perform the disclosed functions.

[0192] Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of hardware implementation of a satellite Node B (gNB) 1300. The gNB 1300 may correspond to (i) Figure 1 gNB 106, gNB-DU 104-3 or 104-4, or gNB-CU 107 shown in FIG; (ii) Figure 2 gNB 202 in SV 202 as shown; or (iii) Figure 3 Any of the SV 302 or gNB-DU 302 in gNB-CU 307 shown. The gNB 1300 may perform Figure 9 、 Figure 10 and Figure 11 The signal flows 900, 1000 and 1100 and Figure 17 、 Figure 19 or Figure 20 The processing flow 1700, 1900, or 2000 and the algorithms disclosed herein. The gNB 1300 may include, for example, hardware components such as an external interface 1306, which may include one or more entities (such as Figure 2 One or more wired and / or wireless interfaces to communicate with and connect to the AMF 122 or UPF 130 in the 5GCN 110 shown), other gNBs, UE 105 (e.g., when the gNB 1300 is part of the SV 202 or SV 302), and other elements in the wireless network, such as directly or through one or more intermediate networks and / or one or more network entities. Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown. External interface 1306 may include one or more antennas to support wireless interface and / or wireless backhaul to elements in the wireless network. gNB 1300 also includes one or more processors 1304, memory 1316, and non-transitory computer-readable media 1318, which may be coupled to bus 1307. gNB 1300 is shown as including gNB-DU 1312 and / or gNB-CU 1314 (e.g., in the case of gNB 1300 corresponding to Figure 1 gNB 106-3 in or corresponding to Figure 2 In the case of gNB 202 in FIG, gNB 202 includes a gNB-CU and one or more gNB-DUs, which may be hardware components or implemented by specifically configured one or more processors 1304. When gNB 1300 itself corresponds to a gNB-DU (e.g., gNB-DU 302) or a gNB-CU (e.g., gNB-CU 307), gNB-DU 1312 and gNB-CU 1314 may not be present.

[0193] The one or more processors 1304 may be implemented using a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. For example, the one or more processors 1304 may be configured to perform the functions discussed herein by implementing one or more instructions or program code 1320 on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., the medium 1318 and / or the memory 1316). In some embodiments, the one or more processors 1304 may represent one or more circuits configured to perform at least a portion of a data signal computation procedure or processing associated with the operation of the gNB 1300.

[0194] The medium 1318 and / or memory 1316 may store instructions or program code 1320 comprising executable code or software instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors 1304, cause the one or more processors 1306 to function as processors programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein, such as Figure 17 、 Figure 19 or Figure 20 1700, 1900, or 2000). As shown in gNB 1300, media 1318 and / or memory 1316 may include one or more components or modules that may be implemented by one or more processors 1304 to perform the methods described herein. While the components or modules are illustrated as software in media 1318 that may be executed by one or more processors 1304, it should be understood that the components or modules may be stored in memory 1316 or may be dedicated hardware within or external to one or more processors 1306.

[0195] A number of software modules and data structures may reside in the media 1318 and / or memory 1316 and be used by the one or more processors 1304 to manage communications and functions described herein. It should be understood that the organization of the contents of the media 1318 and / or memory 1316 as shown in the gNB 1300 is merely exemplary, and thus the functionality of the modules and / or data structures may be combined, separated, and / or structured in various ways depending on the implementation of the gNB 1300. While components or modules are illustrated as software in the media 1318 and / or memory 1316, executable by the one or more processors 1304, it should be understood that the components or modules may be firmware or dedicated hardware within or external to the one or more processors 1306.

[0196] As shown, program code 1320 stored on medium 1318 and / or memory 1316 may include a measurement module 1322 that, when implemented by one or more processors 1304, configures one or more processors 1302 to receive measurements generated by the UE in the DL or broadcast signaling from one or more radio cells, including measurements from a serving radio cell and other radio cells and / or measurements generated by SVs in UL signals sent from the UE via external interface 1306. For example, the measurements may include RSRP, RSRQ, RxTx, AoA of one or more SVs, or RSTD or DAOA of one or more pairs of SVs. For example, the measurements may also include measurements of GNSS signals. The measurements may also include one or more PIDs obtained by the UE from broadcast SV signals. For example, the measurements may be sent in RRC, such as by the UE to complete the establishment of an RRC signaling connection between the UE and a gNB.

[0197] As shown, program code 1320 stored on medium 1318 and / or memory 1316 may include a location determination module 1324 that, when implemented by one or more processors 1304, configures the one or more processors 1304 to determine the location and country of the UE based on the received measurements. For example, the one or more processors 1304 may be configured to determine the location of the UE using enhanced E-CID processing using the PID and UE measurements. The one or more processors 1304 may additionally or alternatively be configured to determine a more accurate or more reliable country after receiving multiple measurements over time, for example, based on the coverage area of ​​one or more mobile radio cells (e.g., based on the measurements and the mobile coverage area of ​​the UE's serving radio cell). The one or more processors 1304 may be configured to determine the country of the UE by mapping the determined location to a country.

[0198] As shown, program code 1320 stored on medium 1318 and / or memory 1316 may include a country verification module 1326 that, when implemented by one or more processors 1304, configures one or more processors 1304 to verify whether the UE is in a country associated with the UE's serving PLMN.

[0199] As shown, the program code 1320 stored on the medium 1318 and / or memory 1316 may include a registration module 1328, which, when implemented by the one or more processors 1304, configures the one or more processors 1308 to register and deregister the UE with the serving PLMN via the external interface 1306. For example, the one or more processors 1304 may be configured to send and receive registration and deregistration requests to the AMF in the serving PLMN via the external interface 1306. The one or more processors 1304 may be configured to receive a request from the UE via a communication satellite for registration of the UE with the core network of the serving PLMN. The one or more processors 1304 may be configured to indicate whether the country of the UE has been verified to be the same as the country associated with the PLMN. For example, the one or more processors 1304 may be configured to provide the request to register the UE with the core network to an entity in the core network, and may include an indication of whether the country of the UE has been verified to be the same as the country associated with the PLMN.

[0200] As shown, program code 1320 stored on medium 1318 and / or memory 1316 may include a PID module 1330 that, when implemented by one or more processors 1304, configures the one or more processors 1304 to assign a numerical value to a PID of at least one radio cell controlled by the gNB and broadcast the PID in the at least one radio cell via external interface 1306. For example, the numerical value assigned to the PID may be a pseudo-random value and may change periodically, e.g., at least every 60 seconds.

[0201] As shown, program code 1320 stored on medium 1318 and / or memory 1316 may include a security module 1332 that, when implemented by one or more processors 1304, configures the one or more processors 1302 to send security information to the UE via external interface 1306, e.g., in an RRC message, to enable encryption of measurements to be sent by the UE and decryption of measurements received from the UE based on the security information.

[0202] The methods described herein may be implemented in various ways depending on the application. For example, the methods may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. For hardware implementation, the one or more processors 1304 may be implemented within one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital data processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof.

[0203] For implementations of the gNB 1300 involving firmware and / or software, the methods may be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the individual functions described herein. Any machine-readable medium tangibly embodying instructions may be used to implement the methods described herein. For example, software code may be stored in the medium 1318 or memory 1316 and executed by one or more processors 1304, causing the one or more processors 1306 to operate as a special-purpose computer programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein. Memory may be implemented within the one or more processors 1304 or external to one or more processors 1304. As used herein, the term "memory" refers to any type of long-term, short-term, volatile, non-volatile, or other memory, and is not limited to any particular type of memory or amount of memory, or type of media on which the memory is stored.

[0204] If implemented in firmware and / or software, the functions performed by gNB 1300 may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as media 1318 or memory 1316. Examples of storage media include computer-readable media encoded with data structures and computer-readable media encoded with computer programs. Computer-readable media include physical computer storage media. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, semiconductor storage or other storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. As used herein, magnetic disk and optical disk include compact disk (CD), laser disk, optical disk, digital versatile disk (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disk. Magnetic disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while optical disks reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also intended to be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0205] In addition to storage on computer-readable storage media, instructions and / or data for gNB 1300 can be provided as signals on a transmission medium included in the communication device. For example, the communication device, including part or all of gNB 1300, may include a transceiver with signals indicating instructions and data. The instructions and data are stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., medium 1318 or memory 1316) and are configured to cause one or more processors 1304 to operate as a special-purpose computer programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein. That is, the communication device includes a transmission medium with signals indicating information for performing the disclosed functions. At a first time, the transmission medium included in the communication device may include a first portion of information for performing the disclosed functions, while at a second time, the transmission medium included in the communication device may include a second portion of information for performing the disclosed functions.

[0206] Figure 14 It shows the AMF 1400 (e.g. Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3 FIG. 14 is a diagram of an example of a hardware implementation of an AMF 122 shown in FIG. The AMF 1400 may perform Figure 9 、 Figure 10 and Figure 11 The signal flows 900, 1000 and 1100 and Figure 21The AMF 1400 includes, for example, hardware components such as an external interface 1402 configured to communicate with the gNB 106 or ground station 104. The AMF 1400 includes one or more processors 1404, a memory 1416, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium 4118 that can be coupled to a bus 1407.

[0207] The one or more processors 1404 may be implemented using a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. For example, the one or more processors 1404 may be configured to perform the functions discussed herein by implementing one or more instructions or program codes 1420 on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., the medium 1418 and / or the memory 1416). In some embodiments, the one or more processors 1404 may represent one or more circuits that may be configured to execute at least a portion of a data signal computation procedure or processing associated with the operation of the AMF 1400.

[0208] The medium 1418 and / or memory 1416 may store instructions or program code 1420 comprising executable code or software instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors 1404, cause the one or more processors 1404 to function as processors programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein, such as Figure 21 As shown in AMF 1400, medium 1418 and / or memory 1416 may include one or more components or modules that may be implemented by one or more processors 1404 to perform the methods described herein. Although the components or modules are shown as software in medium 1418 that is executable by one or more processors 1404, it should be understood that the components or modules may be stored in memory 1416 or may be dedicated hardware within or external to one or more processors 1406.

[0209] A number of software modules and data tables may reside in the media 1418 and / or memory 1416 and be used by the one or more processors 1404 to manage the communications and functionality described herein. It should be understood that the organization of the contents of the media 1418 and / or memory 1416 as shown in the AMF 1400 is merely exemplary, and thus the functionality of the modules and / or data structures may be combined, separated, and / or structured in different ways depending on the implementation of the AMF 1400. Although components or modules are shown as software in the media 1418 and / or memory 1416, executable by the one or more processors 1404, it should be understood that the components or modules may be firmware or dedicated hardware within or external to the one or more processors 1406.

[0210] As shown, program code 1420 stored on medium 1418 and / or memory 1416 may include a registration module 1422 that, when implemented by one or more processors 1404, configures one or more processors 1402 to register and deregister a UE with a serving PLMN via external interface 1402. For example, one or more processors 1404 may be configured to receive a registration request for a UE from a gNB via external interface 1402, including an indication of whether the UE's country is verified by the gNB as being associated with the serving PLMN. One or more processors 1404 may be configured to accept the registration if the UE's country is verified as being in the country associated with the serving PLMN. One or more processors 1404 may be configured to send and receive, for example, a registration accept message, a registration reject message, a release request message, a deregistration request message, a deregistration accept message, a context release command message, and a context release complete message via external interface 1402.

[0211] As shown, program code 1420 stored on medium 1418 and / or memory 1416 may include a location session module 1424. When implemented by one or more processors 1404, location session module 1424 configures one or more processors 1404 to initiate and participate in a positioning session between a UE and a LMF via external interface 1402 if the gNB has not verified that the UE's country is within a country associated with a serving PLMN. For example, one or more processors 1404 may be configured to send a location request to the LMF via external interface 1402 if the gNB has not verified that the UE's country is within a country associated with a serving PLMN. The location request may include an indication that the UE has satellite access. One or more processors 1404 may be configured to receive a location response from the LMF via external interface 1402, where the response from the LMF may include the UE's location or an indication of whether the UE's country is verified as being within a country associated with a serving PLMN. If not provided by the LMF, one or more processors 1404 may determine the UE's country based on the location. One or more processors 1404 may be configured to determine whether the UE's country is within a country associated with a serving PLMN.

[0212] The methods described herein may be implemented in various ways depending on the application. For example, the methods may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. For hardware implementation, the one or more processors 1404 may be implemented within one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital data processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof.

[0213] For implementations of the AMF 1400 involving firmware and / or software, the methods may be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the individual functions described herein. Any machine-readable medium tangibly embodying instructions may be used to implement the methods described herein. For example, software code may be stored in the medium 1418 or memory 1416 and executed by one or more processors 1404, causing the one or more processors 1404 to operate as a special-purpose computer programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein. The memory may be implemented within the one or more processors 1404 or external to the one or more processors 1404. As used herein, the term "memory" refers to any type of long-term, short-term, volatile, non-volatile, or other memory, and is not limited to any particular type of memory or amount of memory, or type of medium on which the memory is stored.

[0214] If implemented in firmware and / or software, the functions performed by AMF 1400 may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as medium 1418 or memory 1416. Examples of storage media include computer-readable media encoded with data structures and computer-readable media encoded with computer programs. Computer-readable media include physical computer storage media. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, semiconductor storage or other storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the required program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer; as used herein, magnetic disks and optical disks include compact disks (CDs), laser disks, optical disks, digital versatile disks (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray disks, where magnetic disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while optical disks reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also intended to be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0215] In addition to storage on computer-readable storage media, instructions and / or data for AMF 1400 can be provided as signals on a transmission medium included in the communication device. For example, a communication device including part or all of AMF 1400 may include a transceiver with signals indicating instructions and data. The instructions and data are stored on non-transitory computer-readable media (e.g., medium 1418 or memory 1416) and are configured to cause one or more processors 1404 to operate as a special-purpose computer programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein. In other words, the communication device includes a transmission medium with signals indicating information for performing a disclosed function. At a first time, the transmission medium included in the communication device may include a first portion of information for performing a disclosed function, while at a second time, the transmission medium included in the communication device may include a second portion of information for performing the disclosed function.

[0216] Figure 15 FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the LMF 1500 in the serving PLMN (e.g. Figure 1 、 Figure 2 and Figure 3 FIG15 is a diagram of an example of a hardware implementation of the LMF 124 shown in FIG15. The LMF 1500 may perform Figure 9 、 Figure 10 and Figure 11 The signal flows 900, 1000 and 1100 and Figure 22 The processing flow 2200 and algorithms disclosed herein are shown. The LMF 1500 includes, for example, hardware components such as an external interface 1502 configured to communicate with the AMF 122. The LMF 1500 includes one or more processors 1504, a memory 1516, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium 4118 that can be coupled to a bus 1507.

[0217] The one or more processors 1504 may be implemented using a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. For example, the one or more processors 1504 may be configured to perform the functions discussed herein by implementing one or more instructions or program code 1520 on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., the medium 1518 and / or the memory 1516). In some embodiments, the one or more processors 1504 may represent one or more circuits that may be configured to execute at least a portion of a data signal computation procedure or processing associated with the operation of the LMF 1500.

[0218] The medium 1518 and / or memory 1516 may store instructions or program code 1520 comprising executable code or software instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors 1504, cause the one or more processors 1504 to function as processors programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein (such as Figure 20As shown in LMF 1500, media 1518 and / or memory 1516 may include one or more components or modules that may be implemented by one or more processors 1504 to perform the methods described herein. Although the components or modules are shown as software in media 1518 that is executable by one or more processors 1504, it should be understood that the components or modules may be stored in memory 1516 or may be dedicated hardware within or external to one or more processors 1506.

[0219] A number of software modules and data tables may reside in the media 1518 and / or memory 1516 and be used by the one or more processors 1504 to manage communications and functionality as described herein. It should be understood that the organization of the contents of the media 1518 and / or memory 1516 as shown in the LMF 1500 is merely exemplary, and thus the functionality of the modules and / or data structures may be combined, separated, and / or structured in various ways depending on the implementation of the LMF 1500. While components or modules are illustrated as software in the media 1518 and / or memory 1516, executable by the one or more processors 1504, it should be understood that the components or modules may be firmware or dedicated hardware within or external to the one or more processors 1506.

[0220] As shown, the program code 1520 stored on the medium 1518 and / or memory 1516 may include a location request module 1522, which, when implemented by the one or more processors 1504, configures the one or more processors 1502 to receive a location request for the UE from the AMF via the external interface 1502, which may include an indication that the UE has access to a communication satellite.

[0221] As shown, program code 1520 stored on medium 1518 and / or memory 1516 may include a positioning session module 1524. When implemented by one or more processors 1504, positioning session module 1524 configures one or more processors 1502 to engage in a positioning session with a UE via external interface 1502 to determine the UE's location, for example, using at least one of a UE-assisted positioning method and a network-based positioning method. One or more processors 1504 may verify that the UE is located in a country associated with a serving PLMN. For example, one or more processors 1504 may be configured to use GNSS signals, communication satellite signals, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more processors 1504 may be configured to send a location response to an AMF via external interface 1502. For example, one or more processors 1504 may be configured to determine the UE's location and, in some implementations, may be configured to determine the UE's country based on the location or verify that the UE is in a country associated with a serving PLMN, and provide an indication of whether the UE is in a country associated with a serving PLMN in a location response to the AMF.

[0222] The methods described herein may be implemented in various ways depending on the application. For example, the methods may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. For hardware implementation, the one or more processors 1504 may be implemented within one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital data processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof.

[0223] For implementations of the LMF 1500 involving firmware and / or software, the methods may be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the individual functions described herein. Any machine-readable medium tangibly embodying instructions may be used to implement the methods described herein. For example, software code may be stored in the medium 1518 or memory 1516 and executed by one or more processors 1504, causing the one or more processors 1504 to operate as a special-purpose computer programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein. The memory may be implemented within the one or more processors 1504 or external to the one or more processors 1504. As used herein, the term "memory" refers to any type of long-term, short-term, volatile, non-volatile, or other memory, and is not limited to any particular type of memory or amount of memory, or type of medium on which the memory is stored.

[0224] If implemented in firmware and / or software, the functions performed by LMF 1500 may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium such as medium 1518 or memory 1516. Examples of storage media include computer-readable media encoded with data structures and computer-readable media encoded with computer programs. Computer-readable media include physical computer storage media. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, semiconductor storage or other storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer; as used herein, disk and optical disk include compact disk (CD), laser disk, optical disk, digital versatile disk (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disk, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while optical disks reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0225] In addition to storage on a computer-readable storage medium, instructions and / or data for LMF 1500 may be provided as signals on a transmission medium included in the communication device. For example, a communication device including part or all of LMF 1500 may include a transceiver with signals indicating instructions and data. The instructions and data are stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., medium 1518 or memory 1516) and are configured to cause one or more processors 1504 to operate as a special-purpose computer programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein. That is, the communication device includes a transmission medium with signals indicating information for performing a disclosed function. At a first time, the transmission medium included in the communication device may include a first portion of information to perform the disclosed function, and at a second time, the transmission medium included in the communication device may include a second portion of information to perform the disclosed function.

[0226] Figure 16 Shown by UE (eg Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 3 Flow diagram of an example process flow 1600 performed by a UE 105 in FIG. 1 for supporting satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to a serving public land mobile network (PLMN).

[0227] As shown, at block 1602, a UE receives broadcast signaling from a plurality of communication satellites (e.g., SVs 102, 202, or 302) regarding a plurality of radio cells supported by the plurality of communication satellites, the broadcast signaling for each of the plurality of radio cells including a positioning identifier (PID), wherein the PID periodically changes according to a periodic interval sequence, wherein the periodic interval sequence occurs within the lifetime of each radio cell, e.g., Figure 9 In one implementation, the PID may change at least every 60 seconds. The PID may be a physical cell ID. The means for receiving broadcast signaling from a plurality of communication satellites regarding a plurality of radio cells supported by the plurality of communication satellites may be, for example, a satellite transceiver 1203 and one or more processors 1204, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 12 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1216 and / or media 1218 in the UE 1200, such as the satellite data module 1222.

[0228] At block 1604, the UE obtains measurements of broadcast signaling of at least one radio cell of the plurality of radio cells, e.g., Figure 9 In one implementation, the measurement of the at least one radio cell may be at least one of a reference signal received power (RSRP), a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), a reception time and a transmission time (RxTx), an angle of arrival (AOA), or some combination of these. The means for obtaining the measurement of the broadcast signaling of at least one radio cell of the plurality of radio cells may be, for example, a satellite transceiver 1203 and one or more processors 1204, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 12 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1216 and / or media 1218 in the UE 1200, such as the measurement module 1226.

[0229] At block 1606, the UE sends measurements and a PID of at least one radio cell to a satellite Node B (gNB), e.g., gNB 106, 202, or 307, wherein the measurements and the ID enable the gNB to determine the location and country of the UE, e.g., Figure 9 In one implementation, measurements of the broadcast signaling are obtained for the at least one radio cell and a second radio cell of the plurality of radio cells, and the UE may further send the measurements, the PID of the at least one radio cell, and the PID of the second radio cell to the gNB, wherein the measurements, the PID of the at least one radio cell, and the PID of the second radio cell enable the gNB to determine the location and country of the UE, e.g., Figure 9In one implementation, the measurements may include reference signal time difference (RSTD), differential angle of arrival (DAOA), or both. The means for sending the measurements and PID of at least one radio cell to the satellite Node B (gNB) may be, for example, a satellite transceiver 1203 and one or more processors 1204, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 12 1200 in the UE 1200, wherein the measurements and the PID enable the location and country of the UE to be determined by the gNB. The means for sending the measurements, the PID of at least one radio cell and the ID of the second radio cell to the gNB may be, for example, a satellite transceiver 1203 and one or more processors 1204, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 12 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1216 and / or medium 1218 in the UE 1200, such as the registration module 1228, wherein the measurements, the PID of the at least one radio cell and the PID of the second radio cell enable the location and country of the UE to be determined by the gNB.

[0230] In one implementation, the measurements and the PID of the at least one radio cell may be sent to the gNB in ​​a first radio resource control (RRC) message, wherein the first RRC message is sent to complete establishment of an RRC signaling connection between the UE and the gNB, e.g., Figure 9 The UE may also receive security information from the gNB in ​​a second RRC message, e.g., as in Figure 9 The UE may cipher the measurements in the first RRC message based on the security information, for example, as in Figure 9 The means for receiving security information from the gNB in ​​the second RRC message and encrypting the measurement of the first RRC message based on the security information may be, for example, a satellite transceiver 1203 and one or more processors 1204, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 12 1216 and / or executable code or software instructions in the memory 1216 and / or media 1218 in the UE 1200, such as the security module 1230. For example, the first RRC message may be an RRC setup complete message, and the second RRC message may be an RRC setup message, for example, as respectively described in Figure 9 The UE may also include in the first RRC message a request to register with the core network of the serving PLMN, wherein the gNB's determination of the UE's location and country enables the gNB to verify that the UE is located in the country associated with the serving PLMN, e.g. Figure 9The means for including in the first RRC message a request to register with the core network of the serving PLMN may be, for example, a satellite transceiver 1203 and one or more processors 1204, either with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 12 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1216 and / or media 1218 in the UE 1200, such as the registration module 1228.

[0231] Figure 17 Shown by such as Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 3 Flowchart of an example processing flow 1700 performed by a satellite Node B (gNB) of gNB 106 / 202 / 307 in FIG. 1 to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (e.g., UE 105) to a serving public land mobile network (PLMN).

[0232] As shown, at block 1702, the gNB may receive, from a UE, measurements of broadcast signaling of a plurality of radio cells and a positioning identifier (PID) of each of the plurality of radio cells, the broadcast signaling being received by the UE from a plurality of communication satellites (e.g., SVs 102, 202, or 302), wherein the PID of each radio cell periodically changes according to a periodic interval sequence, wherein the periodic interval sequence occurs within a lifetime of each radio cell, e.g., as Figure 9 In one implementation, the measurements may include at least one of reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), receive time-transmit time difference (RxTx), angle of arrival (AOA), reference signal time difference (RSTD), differential angle of arrival (DAOA), or some combination of these. In one implementation, the PID of each radio cell may be a physical cell ID. The means for receiving measurements of broadcast signaling of multiple radio cells from the UE and a positioning identifier (PID) of each radio cell of the multiple radio cells may be, for example, an external interface 1306 and one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1316 and / or medium 1318 in the gNB 1300, such as the measurement module 1322.

[0233] At block 1704, the gNB may determine the location and country of the UE based on the measurements and the PID of each radio cell, e.g., Figure 9 The means for determining the location and country of the UE based on the measurements and the PID of each radio cell may be, for example, one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1316 and / or medium 1318 in the gNB 1300, such as the location determination module 1324.

[0234] In one implementation, the plurality of radio cells may include at least one radio cell controlled by a gNB, and the gNB may assign a value to the PID of the at least one radio cell, e.g. Figure 9 The gNB may broadcast the PID in at least one radio cell, e.g. Figure 9 In one implementation, the PID value may be a pseudo-random value. In one implementation, the PID value may change at least once every 60 seconds. The means for assigning a value to the PID of at least one radio cell may be, for example, one or more processors 1304, having dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1316 and / or media 1318 in the gNB 1300, such as the PID module 1330. The means for broadcasting the PID in at least one radio cell may be, for example, the external interface 1306 and one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 Executable code or software instructions, such as PID module 1330, in memory 1316 and / or medium 1318 in gNB 1300 and in SV 102 / 202 / 302.

[0235] In one implementation, the broadcast signaled measurements and the PID of each radio cell may be received from the UE in a first radio resource control (RRC) message, wherein the first RRC message is sent by the UE to complete establishment of an RRC signaling connection between the UE and the gNB, e.g., Figure 9 In one implementation, the gNB may also send security information to the UE in the second RRC message, wherein the security information enables the UE to encrypt the measurement in the first RRC message, for example, Figure 9 The gNB may decrypt the measurements received in the first RRC message based on the security information, e.g. Figure 9 For example, the first RRC message may be an RRC setup complete message, and the second RRC message may be an RRC setup message, such as Figure 9 The means for sending the security information to the UE in the second RRC message may be, for example, an external interface 1306 and one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 131300 in the gNB 1300, wherein the security information enables the UE to encrypt the measurement in the first RRC message. The means for decrypting the measurement received in the first RRC message based on the security information can be, for example, one or more processors 1304, having dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 Executable code or software instructions in memory 1316 and / or media 1318 in gNB 1300, such as security module 1332.

[0236] In one implementation, the gNB may receive a request from the UE in a first RRC message for UE registration with the core network of the serving PLMN, e.g., as in Figure 9 The gNB may verify that the UE is located in the country associated with the serving PLMN based on the location and country determined for the UE, e.g., as in Figure 9 The means for receiving in the first RRC message a request for UE registration with the core network of the serving PLMN may be, for example, an external interface 1306 and one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 1300 in the gNB 1300, such as the registration module 1328. The means for verifying that the UE is located in the country associated with the serving PLMN based on the location and country determined for the UE may be, for example, one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1316 and / or media 1318 in the gNB 1300, such as the country verification module 1326. The gNB may also provide (e.g., may send) to an entity in the core network a request for the UE to register with the core network, with an indication of whether the gNB has verified that the UE is located in the country associated with the serving PLMN, e.g., Figure 9 The means for providing a request to an entity in the core network for UE registration with the core network - with an indication of whether the gNB has verified that the UE is located in a country associated with the serving PLMN - can be, for example, an external interface 1306 and one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1316 and / or medium 1318 in the gNB 1300, such as the registration module 1328.

[0237] Figure 18 The diagram shows a user equipment (UE) (eg Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 3Flow diagram of an example process flow 1800 performed by a UE 105 in FIG. 1 for supporting satellite wireless access of a UE to a serving public land mobile network (PLMN).

[0238] As shown, at block 1802, a UE receives a downlink (DL) signal of a serving radio cell from a communication satellite (e.g., SV 102, 202, or 302), the serving radio cell having a mobile coverage area, e.g., as combined with Figure 8 and Figure 10 The means for receiving the downlink (DL) signal of the serving radio cell having the mobile coverage area from the communication satellite may be, for example, a satellite transceiver 1203 and one or more processors 1204, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 12 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1216 and / or media 1218 in the UE 1200, such as the satellite data module 1222.

[0239] At block 1804, the UE obtains a first measurement of a DL signal at each of a plurality of times, e.g., as in Figure 10 In one implementation, the first measurement includes at least one of reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), receive time-transmit time difference (RxTx), angle of arrival (AoA), or some combination thereof. The means for obtaining the first measurement of the DL signal at each of the plurality of times may be, for example, a satellite transceiver 1203 and one or more processors 1204, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 12 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1216 and / or media 1218 in the UE 1200, such as the measurement module 1226.

[0240] At block 1806, the UE sends a first measurement of a DL signal obtained at each of the plurality of times to a satellite Node B (gNB) (e.g., gNB 106, 202, or 307) following each of the plurality of times, wherein the first measurement enables the gNB to determine a location and a country of the UE following each of the plurality of times, wherein the first measurement enables the gNB to determine a more accurate location and a more reliable country of the UE after all of the plurality of times based on the mobile coverage area of ​​the serving radio cell, e.g., as Figure 10The gNB may control a serving radio cell, wherein the gNB is a serving gNB of the UE. The means for sending a first measurement of a DL signal obtained at each of the plurality of times to a satellite Node B (gNB) following each of the plurality of times may be, for example, a satellite transceiver 1203 and one or more processors 1204, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 12 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1216 and / or media 1218 in the UE 1200, such as the reporting module 1232.

[0241] In one implementation, the UE may further send a request to the gNB to register with the core network of the serving PLMN, wherein the gNB forwards the registration request to the core network, e.g., Figure 9 For example, the gNB's determination of a more accurate location and a more reliable country for the UE may enable the gNB to verify that the UE is located in the country associated with the serving PLMN. The means for sending a request to the gNB to register with the core network of the serving PLMN may be, for example, a satellite transceiver 1203 and one or more processors 1204, either with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 12 Executable code or software instructions in memory 1216 and / or medium 1218 in UE 1200, such as registration module 1228, wherein the gNB forwards the registration request to the core network.

[0242] In one implementation, the UE may further receive DL signals of other radio cells from other communication satellites (eg, SV 102, 202, or 302), the other radio cells having mobile coverage areas, such as Figure 10 The means for receiving DL signals of other radio cells having mobile coverage areas from other communication satellites may be, for example, a satellite transceiver 1203 and one or more processors 1204, either with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 12 Executable code or software instructions in memory 1216 and / or media 1218 in UE 1200, such as satellite data module 1222. The UE may obtain second measurements of DL signals of the serving radio cell and the other radio cells at each of a plurality of times, e.g., Figure 10In one implementation, the second measurement may be at least one of reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), receive time-transmit time difference (RxTx), angle of arrival (AOA), reference signal time difference (RSTD), differential angle of arrival (DAOA), or some combination thereof. The means for obtaining the second measurement of the DL signal of the serving radio cell and the other radio cell at each of the plurality of times may be, for example, a satellite transceiver 1203 and one or more processors 1204, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 12 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1216 and / or the medium 1218 in the UE 1200, such as the measurement module 1226. The UE may send a second measurement to the gNB along with the first measurement following each of the plurality of times, wherein the first measurement and the second measurement enable the gNB to determine a more accurate and more reliable location of the UE after all of the plurality of times based on the mobile coverage areas of the serving radio cell and other radio cells, e.g., Figure 10 The means for sending the second measurement to the gNB along with the first measurement following each of the plurality of times may be, for example, a satellite transceiver 1203 and one or more processors 1204, either with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 12 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1216 and / or media 1218 in the UE 1200, such as the reporting module 1232.

[0243] Figure 19 Shown by such as Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 3 Flowchart of an example processing flow 1900 performed by a satellite Node B (gNB) of gNB 106 / 202 / 307 in FIG. 1 to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (e.g., UE 105) to a serving public land mobile network (PLMN).

[0244] As shown, at block 1902, the gNB receives a first measurement of a downlink (DL) signal from a UE at each of a plurality of times, the UE receiving a DL signal of a serving radio cell from a communication satellite (e.g., SV 102, 202, or 302), the serving radio cell having a mobile coverage area, e.g., Figure 10The gNB may control a serving radio cell and the gNB may be a serving gNB for the UE. In one implementation, the first measurement includes at least one of a reference signal received power (RSRP), a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), a receive time-transmit time difference (RxTx), an angle of arrival (AoA), or some combination thereof. The means for receiving the first measurement of a downlink (DL) signal from the UE following each of the plurality of times may be, for example, an external interface 1306 and one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 The executable code or software instructions in the memory 1316 and / or the medium 1318 in the gNB 1300, such as the measurement module 1322, the UE receives a DL signal of a serving radio cell from a communication satellite, the serving radio cell having a mobile coverage area.

[0245] At block 1904, the gNB determines the location and country of the UE based on the first measurement following each of the plurality of times, e.g., Figure 10 The means for determining the location and country of the UE based on the first measurement following each of the plurality of times may be, for example, one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1316 and / or medium 1318 in the gNB 1300, such as the location determination module 1324.

[0246] At block 1906, the gNB determines a more accurate location and a more reliable location of the UE based on the first measurement and the mobile coverage area of ​​the serving radio cell after all times over the plurality of times, e.g., as in Figure 10 The means for determining a more accurate position and a more reliable state of the UE based on the first measurement and the mobile coverage area of ​​the serving radio cell at all times during the plurality of times may be, for example, one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1316 and / or medium 1318 in the gNB 1300, such as the location determination module 1324.

[0247] In one implementation, the gNB may receive a request from the UE to register with the core network of the serving PLMN, e.g., as in Figure 9 The means for receiving a request from the UE to register with the core network of the serving PLMN may be, for example, an external interface 1306 and one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1316 and / or media 1318 in the gNB 1300, such as the registration module 1328. The gNB may further forward the registration request to the core network, e.g., as in Figure 9 The means for forwarding the registration request to the core network may be, for example, an external interface 1306 and one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 1316 and / or the executable code or software instructions in the memory 1316 and / or the media 1318 in the gNB 1300, such as the registration module 1328. In one implementation, the gNB determines a more accurate location and a more reliable country of the UE for the registration request, and may verify whether the UE is located in the country associated with the serving PLMN based on the more reliable country, for example, as in Figure 10 The means for verifying whether the UE is located in the country associated with the serving PLMN based on the more reliable country may be, for example, one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1316 and / or media 1318 in the gNB 1300, such as the verification module 1326 of the country. In one implementation, the gNB may verify that the UE is not located in the country associated with the serving PLMN based on the more reliable country, and may send a message to the core network indicating that the UE is not in the country associated with the serving PLMN, wherein the message enables the serving PLMN to deregister the UE, for example, as Figure 10 The means for verifying that the UE is not located in the country associated with the serving PLMN based on the more reliable country may be, for example, one or more processors 1304, having dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1316 and / or media 1318 in the gNB 1300, such as the country verification module 1326. The means for sending messages to the core network can be, for example, the external interface 1306 and one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 executable code or software instructions in memory 1316 and / or medium 1318 in the gNB 1300, such as registration module 1328, indicating that the UE is not located in a country associated with the serving PLMN, wherein the message enables the serving PLMN to deregister the UE.

[0248] In one implementation, the gNB may further receive, from the UE at each of a plurality of times, a second measurement of DL signals received by the UE from the serving radio cell and other radio cells, the DL signals of the other radio cells being received by the UE from other communication satellites (e.g., SV 102, 202, or 302), the other radio cells having mobile coverage areas, such as Figure 10 In one implementation, the second measurement may include at least one of reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), receive time-transmit time difference (RxTx), angle of arrival (AOA), reference signal time difference (RSTD), differential angle of arrival (DAOA), or some combination thereof. The means for receiving, from the UE, a second measurement of DL signals received by the UE from the serving radio cell and the other radio cells following each of the plurality of times may be, for example, an external interface 1306 and one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 The executable code or software instructions in the memory 1316 and / or the medium 1318 in the gNB 1300, such as the measurement module 1322, of the serving radio cell and the other radio cell DL signals received by the UE from other communication satellites, the other radio cells having mobile coverage areas. The gNB may determine a more accurate location and a more reliable state of the UE after all of the plurality of times based on the first measurement, the second measurement, and the mobile coverage areas of the serving radio cell and the other radio cells, for example, as in Figure 10 The means for determining a more accurate position and a more reliable state of the UE after all times based on the first measurement of the serving radio cell and the other radio cells, the second measurement and the mobile coverage area at multiple times may be, for example, one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1316 and / or medium 1318 in the gNB 1300, such as the location determination module 1324.

[0249] Figure 20 Shown by such as Figure 1 、 2 Flowchart of an example processing flow 2000 performed by a satellite Node B (gNB) of gNB 106 / 202 / 307 in , 3 to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (e.g., UE 105) to a serving public land mobile network (PLMN).

[0250] As shown, at block 2002, the gNB may receive a registration request with a serving PLMN from a UE via a communication satellite (e.g., SV 102, 102, or 302) belonging to a plurality of communication satellites (e.g., SV 102, 202, or 302), e.g., Figure 9 The means for receiving a registration request with a serving PLMN from a UE via a communication satellite belonging to a plurality of communication satellites may be, for example, an external interface 1306 and one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1316 and / or medium 1318 in the gNB 1300, such as the measurement module 1322.

[0251] At block 2004, the gNB may perform verification of whether the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN based on information provided by at least one of the UE, the communication satellite, or the gNB, e.g., Figure 9 as discussed in Stage 11.

[0252] For example, to verify the country, the gNB can obtain the UE's location based on the information and map the location to the country, e.g., as in Figure 9 The means for obtaining the location of the UE based on the information and the means for mapping the location to a country may be, for example, one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1316 and / or media 1318 in the gNB 1300 in the embodiment of the present invention, such as the location determination module 1324, may be provided. The information provided by the UE may include at least one of a first measurement of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal received by the UE (e.g., from the SV 190), a second measurement of a downlink (DL) signal received from a plurality of communication satellites, or a combination thereof. In one implementation, the second measurement includes at least one of reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), receive time-transmit time difference (RxTx), angle of arrival (AOA), reference signal time difference (RSTD), differential angle of arrival (DAOA), or some combination thereof.

[0253] The means for performing verification whether the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN based on information provided by at least one of the UE, the communication satellite, or the gNB may be, for example, one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1316 and / or medium 1318 in the gNB 1300, such as the country verification module 1326.

[0254] At block 2006, when the verification determines that the UE is or may be located in a country associated with the serving PLMN, the gNB provides a registration request to a first entity (e.g., AMF 122) in the core network of the serving PLMN, e.g., as Figure 9The means for providing a registration request to a first entity in the core network of the serving PLMN when the verification determines that the UE is located or may be located in a country associated with the serving PLMN may be, for example, an external interface 1306 and one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1316 and / or medium 1318 in the gNB 1300, such as the registration module 1328.

[0255] At block 2008, the gNB provides (to the first entity) with the registration request an indication of whether the gNB has verified that the UE is in the country associated with the serving PLMN, e.g. Figure 9 The means for providing, together with the registration request, an indication of whether the gNB has verified that the UE is in the country associated with the serving PLMN may be, for example, an external interface 1306 and one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1316 and / or medium 1318 in the gNB 1300, such as the registration module 1328.

[0256] In one implementation, the indication is that the country is verified by the gNB as being associated with the serving PLMN, wherein the indication enables the first entity to accept the registration request without determining the location of the UE, e.g. Figure 9 In one implementation, the indication is that the country is not verified by the gNB as being the country associated with the serving PLMN, wherein the core network obtains the location of the UE to verify that the UE is located within the country associated with the serving PLN, e.g. Figure 9 The means for providing the registration request to the first entity in the core network of the serving PLMN may be, for example, an external interface 1306 and one or more processors 1304, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 13 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1316 and / or medium 1318 in the gNB 1300, such as the registration module 1328, instruct the gNB to verify that the country is the country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0257] Figure 21 The first entity in the core network of the serving PLMN (such as Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 3 Flowchart of an example processing flow 2100 performed by the AMF 122 in the UE for supporting satellite wireless access of a user equipment (e.g., UE 105) to a serving public land mobile network (PLMN).

[0258] As shown, at block 2102, a first entity may receive a message from a satellite Node B (gNB), such as gNB 106, 202, or 307, that includes a registration request from a UE and a first indication of whether the UE's country is verified by the gNB as a country associated with a serving PLMN, e.g., Figure 9 The means for receiving messages from the satellite Node B (gNB) may be, for example, an external interface 1402 and one or more processors 1404, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 14 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1416 and / or medium 1418 in the AMF 1400, such as the registration module 1422, wherein the message includes a registration request from the UE and a first indication of whether the UE's country is verified by the gNB as the country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0259] At block 2104, if the first indication is that the UE's country is verified by the gNB as being the country associated with the serving PLMN, the first entity may accept the registration request, e.g., Figure 9 The means for the first entity to accept the registration request when the first indication is that the country of the UE is verified by the gNB as the country associated with the serving PLMN can be an external interface 1402 and one or more processors 1404, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 14 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1416 and / or media 1418 in the AMF 1400, such as the registration module 1422.

[0260] At block 2106, if the first indication is that the UE's country is not verified by the gNB as the country associated with the serving PLMN, the first entity may cause the UE's location to be verified to be within the country associated with the serving PLMN, e.g., Figure 9 The means for causing the first entity to cause the UE's location to be verified to be within the country associated with the serving PLMN if the first indication is that the UE's country is not verified by the gNB as the country associated with the serving PLMN may be, for example, an external interface 1402 and one or more processors 1404 having dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 14 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1416 and / or media 1418 in the AMF 1400, such as the location session module 1424.

[0261] In one implementation, the first indication may be that the UE's country is verified to be the country associated with the serving PLMN, and the first entity may further send a registration accept message to the UE, e.g. Figure 9The means for sending the registration acceptance message to the UE may be, for example, an external interface 1402 and one or more processors 1404, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 14 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1416 and / or media 1418 in the AMF 1400, such as the registration module 1422.

[0262] In one implementation, the first indication is that the UE's country is not verified as a country associated with the serving PLMN, and the first entity may further send a location request to a second entity in the core network (e.g., LMF 124) to determine the UE's location, e.g., as Figure 9 The first entity may also receive a response from the second entity, the response including at least one of the location of the UE, an indication of the country of the UE (which corresponds to the country in which the UE is located), or whether the country of the UE is verified by the second entity as the country associated with the serving PLMN, such as Figure 9 The means for sending a location request to a second entity in the core network to determine the location of the UE and the means for receiving a response from the second entity may be, for example, an external interface 1402 and one or more processors 1404, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 14 1400 in the AMF 1400, such as the location session module 1424. The means for receiving the response from the second entity may be, for example, the external interface 1402 and one or more processors 1404, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 14 The executable code or software instructions in the memory 1416 and / or the medium 1418 in the AMF 1400 in the first embodiment, such as the location session module 1424, the response includes at least one of the location of the UE, an indication of the country in which the UE is located, or whether the country of the UE is verified by the second entity to be a country associated with the serving PLMN. In one implementation, the response may include the location of the UE, and the first entity may further verify whether the location of the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN, for example, as Figure 9 In one implementation, the first entity may further include in the location request an indication that the UE has access to a communication satellite, wherein the indication enables the second entity to obtain the location of the UE using a UE-assisted positioning method, a network-based positioning method, or both, for example, as Figure 9 The means for including in the positioning request an indication that the UE has access to a communication satellite may be, for example, an external interface 1402 and one or more processors 1404, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 141416 and / or the executable code or software instructions in the memory 1416 and / or the medium 1418 in the AMF 1400 in the UE, such as the positioning session module 1424. For example, the UE-assisted positioning method can be based on measuring at least one of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal (e.g., a signal for SV 190), a communication satellite signal (e.g., a signal for SV 102, 202, and / or 302), or a combination thereof, transmitted from the UE to the second entity. As an example, the first entity can be an access and mobility management function (e.g., AMF 122), and the second entity can be a location management function (e.g., LMF 124).

[0263] Figure 22 The first entity (eg Figure 1 、 Figure 2 、 Figure 3 Flow diagram of an example processing flow 2200 performed by the LMF 124 in FIG. 1 for supporting satellite wireless access of a user equipment (e.g., UE 105) to a serving public land mobile network (PLMN).

[0264] As shown, at block 2202, a first entity receives a location request from a second entity in a core network, wherein the location request indicates that the UE has communication satellite access (e.g., to SV 102, 202, or 302), e.g., Figure 9 The location request may be sent by the second entity to the first entity based on the second entity receiving a message from a serving satellite Node B (gNB) (such as gNB 106, 202 or 307), the message including the registration request for the UE and an indication that the country of the UE (i.e., the country in which the UE is located) has not been verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN. The first entity may be a location management function (e.g., LMF 124), and the second entity may be an access and mobility management function (e.g., AMF 122). The means for receiving a location request from a second entity in the core network - wherein the location request indicates that the UE has communication satellite access - may be, for example, an external interface 1502 and one or more processors 1504, having dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 15 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1416 and / or media 1418 in the LMF 1500, such as the location request module 1522.

[0265] At block 2204, the first entity determines the location of the UE using at least one of a UE-assisted positioning method and / or a network-based positioning method, e.g., as in Figure 9 Stage 15 and Figure 11The UE-assisted positioning method may be based on a measurement of at least one of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal (e.g., from SV 190), a communication satellite signal (e.g., from SV 102, 202, or 302), or a combination thereof, transmitted from the UE to the first entity. The means for determining the position of the UE using at least one of the UE-assisted positioning method and the network-based positioning method may be, for example, an external interface 1502 and one or more processors 1504, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 15 Executable code or software instructions in memory 1516 and / or media 1518 in the LMF 1500, such as location session module 1524.

[0266] At block 2206, the first entity provides a location response to the second entity, the location response including the location, e.g., as in Figure 9 Stage 16 and Figure 11 In one implementation, the location response enables the second entity to verify whether the UE is located in a country associated with the serving PLMN. In one implementation, the first entity may perform verification that the UE is located in a country associated with the serving PLMN based on location and include in the location response an indication of whether the UE is located in a country associated with the serving PLMN, e.g. Figure 9 In one implementation, the first entity may determine the country in which the UE is located based on the location and may include an indication of the country in the location response, for example, as described in Figure 9 The means for providing a location response to the second entity (the location response including the location) may be, for example, an external interface 1502 and one or more processors 1504, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 15 Executable code or software instructions in the memory 1516 and / or media 1518 in the LMF 1500 in the embodiment of the present invention, such as the location session module 1524. The means for performing verification that the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN based on the location and the means for including an indication in the location response indicating whether the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN can be, for example, the external interface 1502 and the one or more processors 1504, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 15 1516 and / or executable code or software instructions in the memory 1516 and / or media 1518 in the LMF 1500 in the embodiment of the present invention, such as the location session module 1524. The means for determining the country of the UE based on the location can be, for example, one or more processors 1504, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 151500 in the LMF 1500, such as the location session module 1524. The means for including an indication of the country in the location response may be, for example, the external interface 1502 and one or more processors 1504, with dedicated hardware or implemented in Figure 15 Executable code or software instructions in memory 1516 and / or media 1518 in the LMF 1500, such as location session module 1524.

[0267] The abbreviations used in this article can be identified in Table 1 as follows:

[0268]

[0269]

[0270] Table 1

[0271] Substantial variations can be made depending on specific needs. For example, customized hardware can also be used, and / or specific elements can be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, such as applets, etc.), or both. In addition, connections to other computing devices such as network input / output devices can be employed.

[0272] The configuration may be described as a process shown in a flowchart or block diagram. Although each may describe the operations as a sequential process, many operations may be performed in parallel or simultaneously. Furthermore, the order of the operations may be rearranged. The process may have additional steps not included in the diagram. Furthermore, examples of the method may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, the program code or code segments for performing the necessary tasks may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as a storage medium. A processor may perform the described tasks.

[0273] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly or conventionally understood. As used herein, "a" and "an" refer to one or more (i.e., at least one) of the grammatical objects of this document. For example, "element" refers to one element or multiple elements. As used herein, "approximately" and / or "approximately" refer to measurable values, such as amounts, time durations, etc., including variations of ±20% or ±10%, ±5% or +0.1% from the specified values, as such variations apply to the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other implementations described herein. When referring to measurable values ​​(such as amounts, time durations, physical properties (such as frequency), etc.), "substantially" as used herein also includes variations of ±20% or ±10%, ±5% or +0.1% from the specified values, as such variations apply to the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other implementations described herein.

[0274] As used herein, including in the claims, "or" used in a list of items beginning with "at least one" or "one or more" means a disjunctive list, for example, a list of "at least one of A, B, or C" means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), or a combination of more than one feature (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.). Furthermore, as used herein, unless otherwise specified, a statement that a function or operation is "based on" an item or condition means that the function or operation is based on the item or condition, and may be based on one or more items and / or conditions in addition to the item and condition.

[0275] As used herein, a mobile device, user equipment (UE), or mobile station (MS) refers to a device such as a cellular or other wireless communication device, a smartphone, a tablet, a personal communication system (PCS) device, a personal navigation device (PND), a personal information manager (PIM), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, or other suitable mobile device capable of receiving wireless communications and / or navigation signals (such as navigation positioning signals). The term "mobile station" (or "mobile device," "wireless device," or "user device") is also intended to include devices that communicate with a personal navigation device (PND), such as devices that communicate via short-range wireless, infrared, wired, or other connections - whether satellite signal reception, assistance data reception, and / or location-related processing occurs at the device or PND. Furthermore, "mobile station" or "user device" is intended to include all devices, including wireless communication devices, computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, etc., that are capable of communicating with a server via the Internet, WiFi, or other networks, and are capable of communicating with one or more types of nodes, whether satellite signal reception, assistance data reception, and / or location-related processing occurs at the device, server, or another device or node associated with the network. Any operable combination of the foregoing is also considered a "mobile station" or "user device." A mobile device or user equipment (UE) may also be referred to as a mobile terminal, terminal, device, secure user plane location enabled terminal (SET), target device, target, or other names.

[0276] In an embodiment, a first example independent claim may include a method for supporting positioning of a user equipment (UE) at a first wireless node, the method comprising receiving a first request for broadcasting an increased amount of location-related information, the broadcasting being based on a wireless access type of the first wireless node; and broadcasting an increased amount of location-related information using the wireless access type and based on the first request.

[0277] Example dependent claims may include one or more of the following features. The wireless access type is fifth generation (5G), new radio (NR), or long term evolution (LTE). The location-related information includes a positioning reference signal (PRS). Increasing the amount of location-related information includes increasing the PRS bandwidth, increasing the frequency of PRS positioning opportunities, increasing the duration of PRS positioning opportunities, increasing the number of separate PRS signals, PRS transmission using an uplink carrier frequency, or some combination thereof. The method may also include sending a second request for transmission muting to a second wireless node of the wireless access type, wherein the transmission muting is based on avoiding radio interference with the broadcast of the increased amount of location-related information to the first wireless node. The location-related information may include location assistance data. The location assistance data may include assistance data for DL-TDOA, assistance data for Assisted Global Navigation Satellite System (A-GNSS), assistance data for Real-Time Kinematics (RTK), assistance data for Precise Point Positioning (PPP), assistance data for Differential GNSS (DGNSS), or any combination thereof. The increased amount of location-related information may include an increased amount of location assistance data, additional types of location assistance information, an increased frequency of broadcasting location assistance data, an increased repetition of location assistance data broadcasts, or any combination thereof. The first request may be received from a third wireless node. The first request may be received from a UE. The first request may be received using a radio resource control (RRC) protocol of a radio access type. The first wireless node may be a serving wireless node of a UE based on a radio access type. The method may further include sending a third request to a fourth wireless node of a radio access type for broadcasting an increased amount of location-related information, wherein the third request is based on the first request. The method may further include sending a response to the UE, wherein the response includes a confirmation that the first wireless node broadcast the increased amount of location-related information. The method may further include receiving a fourth request from the UE to terminate broadcasting an increased amount of location-related information, and terminating broadcasting an increased amount of location-related information using the radio access type based on the fourth request.

[0278] While some of the techniques, processes, and / or implementations presented herein may conform to all or part of one or more standards, in some embodiments, these techniques, processes, and / or implementations may not conform to some or all of such one or more standards.

[0279] In view of this description, embodiments may include different combinations of features. Implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0280] Clause 1. A method performed by a satellite Node B (gNB) for supporting satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to a serving public land mobile network (PLMN), the method comprising: receiving a registration request for a serving PLMN from the UE via a communications satellite belonging to a plurality of communications satellites; performing verification, based on information provided by at least one of the UE, the communications satellite, or the gNB, of whether the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN; providing a registration request to a first entity in a core network of the serving PLMN when the verification determines that the UE is or may be in the country associated with the serving PLMN; and providing, together with the registration request, an indication of whether the gNB has verified that the UE is in the country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0281] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein performing verification comprises: obtaining a location of the UE based on the information; and mapping the location to a country.

[0282] Clause 3. A method according to clause 1 or 2, wherein the information provided by the UE includes at least one of a first measurement of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal received by the UE, a second measurement of a downlink (DL) signal received from a plurality of communication satellites, or a combination thereof.

[0283] Clause 4. The method of clause 3, wherein the second measurement comprises at least one of reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), receive time-transmit time difference (RxTx), angle of arrival (AOA), reference signal time difference (RSTD), differential angle of arrival (DAOA), or some combination of these.

[0284] Clause 5. A method according to any of clauses 1-4, wherein the indication is of a country verified by the gNB as being associated with the serving PLMN, wherein the indication enables the first entity to accept the registration request without determining the location of the UE.

[0285] Clause 6. A method according to any of clauses 1-5, wherein the indication is that the country is not verified by the gNB as being a country associated with the serving PLMN, and wherein the core network obtains the location of the UE to verify that the UE is located in the country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0286] Clause 7. A satellite node B (gNB) configured to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to a serving public land mobile network (PLMN), comprising: an external interface configured to communicate with a network entity; at least one memory; at least one processor coupled to the external interface and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive a registration request for the serving PLMN from the UE using the external interface via a communication satellite belonging to a plurality of communication satellites; perform verification of whether the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN based on information provided by at least one of the UE, the communication satellite, or the gNB; when the verification determines that the UE is or may be located in the country associated with the serving PLMN, provide a registration request to a first entity in a core network of the serving PLMN using the external interface; and provide, together with the registration request, an indication of whether the gNB has verified that the UE is in the country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0287] Clause 8. The gNB of clause 7, wherein the at least one processor is configured to perform the verification by being configured to: obtain a location of the UE based on the information; and map the location to a country.

[0288] Clause 9. A gNB as described in any of clauses 7 or 8, wherein the information provided by the UE includes at least one of a first measurement of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal received by the UE, a second measurement of a downlink (DL) signal received from a plurality of communication satellites, or a combination thereof.

[0289] Clause 10. The gNB of clause 9, wherein the second measurement comprises at least one of reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), receive time-transmit time difference (RxTx), angle of arrival (AOA), reference signal time difference (RSTD), differential angle of arrival (DAOA), or some combination of these.

[0290] Clause 11. A gNB as described in any of clauses 7-10, wherein the indication is a country verified by the gNB as being associated with the serving PLMN, wherein the indication enables the first entity to accept the registration request without determining the location of the UE.

[0291] Clause 12. A gNB as described in any of clauses 7-11, wherein the indication is that the country is not verified by the gNB as the country associated with the serving PLMN, and wherein the core network obtains the location of the UE to verify that the UE is located in the country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0292] Clause 13. A satellite Node B (gNB) configured to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to a serving public land mobile network (PLMN), comprising: means for receiving a registration request for the serving PLMN from the UE via a communications satellite belonging to a plurality of communications satellites; means for performing verification whether the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN based on information provided by at least one of the UE, the communications satellite, or the gNB; means for providing the registration request to a first entity in a core network of the serving PLMN when the verification determines that the UE is or may be in the country associated with the serving PLMN; and means for providing, together with the registration request, an indication of whether the gNB has verified that the UE is in the country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0293] Clause 14. The gNB of clause 13, wherein the means for performing verification comprises: means for obtaining a location of the UE based on the information; and means for mapping the location to a country.

[0294] Clause 15. A gNB according to any of clauses 13 or 14, wherein the information provided by the UE comprises at least one of a first measurement of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal received by the UE, a second measurement of downlink (DL) signals received from a plurality of communication satellites, or a combination thereof.

[0295] Clause 16. The gNB of clause 15, wherein the second measurement comprises at least one of reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), receive time-transmit time difference (RxTx), angle of arrival (AOA), reference signal time difference (RSTD), differential angle of arrival (DAOA), or some combination thereof.

[0296] Clause 17. A gNB as described in any of clauses 13-16, wherein the indication is a country verified by the gNB as being associated with the serving PLMN, wherein the indication enables the first entity to accept the registration request without determining the location of the UE.

[0297] Clause 18. A gNB as described in any of clauses 13-17, wherein the indication is that the country is not verified by the gNB as being a country associated with the serving PLMN, and wherein the core network obtains the location of the UE to verify that the UE is located in the country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0298] Clause 19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a satellite Node B (gNB) for supporting satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to a serving public land mobile network (PLMN), the program code comprising instructions to: receive a registration request for the serving PLMN from the UE via a communications satellite belonging to a plurality of communications satellites; perform verification of whether the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN based on information provided by at least one of the UE, the communications satellite, or the gNB; provide a registration request to a first entity in a core network of the serving PLMN when the verification determines that the UE is or may be in the country associated with the serving PLMN; and provide, together with the registration request, an indication of whether the gNB has verified that the UE is in the country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0299] Clause 20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of clause 19, wherein the instructions to perform the verification comprise instructions to: obtain a location of the UE based on the information; and map the location to a country.

[0300] Clause 21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to any one of clauses 19 or 20, wherein the information provided by the UE includes at least one of a first measurement of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal received by the UE, a second measurement of a downlink (DL) signal received from a plurality of communication satellites, or a combination thereof.

[0301] Clause 22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to clause 21, wherein the second measurement includes at least one of reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), receive time-transmit time difference (RxTx), angle of arrival (AOA), reference signal time difference (RSTD), differential angle of arrival (DAOA), or some combination of these.

[0302] Clause 23. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as described in any of clauses 19-22, wherein the indication is a country verified by the gNB as being associated with the serving PLMN, wherein the indication enables the first entity to accept the registration request without determining the location of the UE.

[0303] Clause 24. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as described in any of clauses 19-23, wherein the indication is that the country is not verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN, wherein the core network obtains the location of the UE to verify that the UE is located in the country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0304] Clause 25. A method, performed by a first entity in a core network of a serving public land mobile network (PLMN), for supporting satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to the PLMN, the method comprising: receiving a message from a satellite Node B (gNB), the message comprising a registration request from the UE and a first indication of whether the UE's country is verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN; accepting the registration request if the first indication is that the UE's country is verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN; and causing a location of the UE to verify that the UE is located in a country associated with the serving PLMN if the first indication is that the UE's country is not verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0305] Clause 26. The method of clause 25, wherein the first indication is that the UE's country is verified as a country associated with a serving PLMN, and further comprising: sending a registration accept message to the UE.

[0306] Clause 27. A method according to any one of clauses 25 or 26, wherein the first indication is that the UE's country has not been verified as a country associated with the serving PLMN, the method further comprising: sending a location request to a second entity in the core network to determine the location of the UE; and receiving a response from the second entity, the response including at least one of the location of the UE, an indication of the UE's country, or a second indication of whether the UE's country is verified by the second entity as a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0307] Clause 28. The method of clause 27, wherein the response includes the location of the UE and further comprising verifying whether the location of the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0308] Clause 29. The method according to any of clauses 27-28 further includes: including an indication in the location request that the UE has access to a communication satellite, wherein the indication that the UE has access to a communication satellite enables the second entity to obtain the location of the UE using a UE-assisted positioning method, a network-based positioning method, or both.

[0309] Clause 30. The method of clause 29, wherein the UE-assisted positioning method is based on transmission of measurements of at least one of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal, a communication satellite signal, or a combination thereof from the UE to the second entity.

[0310] Clause 31. A method as described in any of clauses 27-30, wherein the first entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) and the second entity is a Location Management Function (LMF).

[0311] Clause 32. A first entity in a core network of a serving public land mobile network (PLMN), configured to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to the serving PLMN, comprising: an external interface configured to communicate with a network entity; at least one memory; at least one processor coupled to the external interface and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive a message from a satellite Node B (gNB) using the external interface, the message comprising a registration request from the UE and a first indication of whether the UE's country is verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN; accept the registration request if the first indication is that the UE's country is verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN; and if the first indication is that the UE's country is not verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN, cause a location of the UE to verify that the UE is located in a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0312] Clause 33. The first entity of clause 32, wherein the first indication is that the UE's country is verified as a country associated with a serving PLMN, and the at least one processor is further configured to: send a registration accept message to the UE using the external interface.

[0313] Clause 34. A first entity according to any of clauses 32 or 33, wherein the first indication is that the UE's country has not been verified as a country associated with the serving PLMN, and the at least one processor is further configured to: send a location request to a second entity in the core network using an external interface to determine the location of the UE; and receive a response from the second entity using the external interface, the response including at least one of the location of the UE, an indication of the UE's country, or a second indication of whether the UE's country is verified by the second entity as a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0314] Clause 35. The first entity of clause 34, wherein the response includes a location of the UE, and the at least one processor is further configured to verify whether the location of the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0315] Clause 36. A first entity according to any of clauses 34-35, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to include in the location request an indication that the UE has access to a communication satellite, wherein the indication that the UE has access to a communication satellite enables the second entity to obtain the location of the UE using a UE-assisted positioning method, a network-based positioning method, or both.

[0316] Clause 37. The first entity of clause 36, wherein the UE-assisted positioning method is based on transmission of measurements of at least one of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal, a communication satellite signal, or a combination thereof from the UE to the second entity.

[0317] Clause 38. The first entity of any of clauses 34-37, wherein the first entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) and the second entity is a Location Management Function (LMF).

[0318] Clause 39. A first entity in a core network of a serving public land mobile network (PLMN), configured to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to the serving PLMN, comprising: means for receiving a message from a satellite Node B (gNB), the message including a registration request from the UE and a first indication of whether the UE's country is verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN; means for accepting the registration request if the first indication is that the UE's country is verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN; and means for causing a location of the UE to verify that the UE is located in a country associated with the serving PLMN if the first indication is that the UE's country is not verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0319] Clause 40. The first entity of clause 39, wherein the first indication is that the country of the UE is verified as a country associated with a serving PLMN, and further comprising: means for sending a registration accept message to the UE.

[0320] Clause 41. A first entity according to any of clauses 39 or 40, wherein the first indication is that the UE's country has not been verified as a country associated with the serving PLMN, the method further comprising: a component for sending a location request to a second entity in the core network to determine the location of the UE; and a component for receiving a response from the second entity, the response comprising at least one of the location of the UE, an indication of the UE's country, or a second indication of whether the UE's country is verified by the second entity as a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0321] Clause 42. The first entity of clause 41, wherein the response includes the location of the UE and further comprises means for verifying whether the location of the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0322] Clause 43. The first entity according to any of clauses 41-42 further includes: a component for including an indication that the UE has communication satellite access in the location request, wherein the indication that the UE has communication satellite access enables the second entity to obtain the location of the UE using a UE-assisted positioning method, a network-based positioning method, or both.

[0323] Clause 44. The first entity of clause 43, wherein the UE-assisted positioning method is based on transmission of measurements of at least one of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal, a communication satellite signal, or a combination thereof from the UE to the second entity.

[0324] Clause 45. The first entity of any of clauses 41-44, wherein the first entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) and the second entity is a Location Management Function (LMF).

[0325] Clause 46. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a first entity in a core network of a serving public land mobile network (PLMN), the first entity being configured to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to the PLMN, the program code comprising instructions to: receive a message from a satellite Node B (gNB), the message comprising a registration request from the UE and a first indication of whether the UE's country is verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN; accept the registration request if the first indication is that the UE's country is verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN; and cause a location of the UE to verify that the UE is located in a country associated with the serving PLMN if the first indication is that the UE's country is not verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0326] Clause 47. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of clause 46, wherein the first indication is that the UE's country is verified as a country associated with a serving PLMN, and the program code further comprises instructions to: send a registration accept message to the UE.

[0327] Clause 48. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to any one of clauses 46 or 47, wherein the first indication is that the UE's country has not been verified as a country associated with the serving PLMN, and the program code further comprises instructions to: send a location request to a second entity in the core network to determine the location of the UE; and receive a response from the second entity, the response comprising at least one of the location of the UE, an indication of the UE's country, or a second indication of whether the UE's country is verified by the second entity as a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0328] Clause 49. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of clause 48, wherein the response includes a location of the UE, and the program code further comprises instructions to verify whether the location of the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0329] Clause 50. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to any of clauses 48-49, wherein the program code further comprises instructions to: include in the location request an indication that the UE has communication satellite access, wherein the indication that the UE has communication satellite access enables the second entity to obtain the location of the UE using a UE-assisted positioning method, a network-based positioning method, or both.

[0330] Clause 51. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of clause 50, wherein the UE-assisted positioning method is based on transmission of measurements of at least one of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal, a communication satellite signal, or a combination thereof from the UE to the second entity.

[0331] Clause 52. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of any of clauses 48-51, wherein the first entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) and the second entity is a Location Management Function (LMF).

[0332] Clause 53. A method performed by a first entity in a core network serving a public land mobile network (PLMN) for supporting satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to the PLMN, the method comprising: receiving a location request from a second entity in the core network, wherein the location request indicates that the UE has communication satellite access; determining a location of the UE using at least one of a UE-assisted positioning method and a network-based positioning method; and providing a location response to the second entity, the location response including the location.

[0333] Clause 54. The method of clause 53, wherein the location response enables the second entity to verify whether the UE is located in a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0334] Clause 55. A method according to any of clauses 53 or 54, further comprising: performing verification based on location that the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN; and including in the location response an indication indicating whether the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0335] Clause 56. A method according to any of clauses 53-55, further comprising: determining a country in which the UE is located based on the location; and including an indication of the country in the location response.

[0336] Clause 57. A method according to any of clauses 53-56, wherein the UE-assisted positioning method is based on the transmission of measurements of at least one of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal, a communication satellite signal, or a combination thereof from the UE to the first entity.

[0337] Clause 58. A method according to any of clauses 53-57, wherein the second entity sends a location request to the first entity based on the second entity receiving a message from a serving satellite Node B (gNB), the message including a registration request for the UE and an indication that the country of the UE is a country verified by the gNB as associated with the serving PLMN.

[0338] Clause 59. A method as described in any of clauses 53-58, wherein the first entity is a location management function (LMF) and the second entity is an access and mobility management function (AMF).

[0339] Clause 60. A first entity in a core network of a serving public land mobile network (PLMN) configured to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to the serving PLMN, comprising: an external interface configured to communicate with a network entity; at least one memory; at least one processor coupled to the external interface and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive a location request from a second entity in the core network using the external interface, wherein the location request indicates that the UE has communication satellite access; determine a location of the UE using at least one of a UE-assisted positioning method and a network-based positioning method; and provide a location response to the second entity using the external interface, the location response including the location.

[0340] Clause 61. The first entity of clause 60, wherein the location response enables the second entity to verify whether the UE is located in a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0341] Clause 62. The first entity according to any of clauses 60 or 61, at least one processor being further configured to: perform verification based on location that the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN; and include in the location response an indication indicating whether the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0342] Clause 63. The first entity of clause 60, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: determine a country in which the UE is located based on the location; and include an indication of the country in the location response.

[0343] Clause 64. A first entity according to any of clauses 60-63, wherein the UE-assisted positioning method is based on transmission of measurements of at least one of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal, a communication satellite signal, or a combination thereof from the UE to the first entity.

[0344] Clause 65. A first entity according to any of clauses 60-64, wherein the second entity sends a location request to the first entity based on the second entity receiving a message from a serving satellite Node B (gNB), the message including a registration request for the UE and an indication that the UE's country is not verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0345] Clause 66. The first entity of any of clauses 60-65, wherein the first entity is a Location Management Function (LMF) and the second entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0346] Clause 67. A first entity in a core network of a serving public land mobile network (PLMN) configured to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to the serving PLMN, comprising: means for receiving a location request from a second entity in the core network, wherein the location request indicates that the UE has communication satellite access; means for determining the location of the UE using at least one of a UE-assisted positioning method and a network-based positioning method; and means for providing a location response to the second entity, the location response including the location.

[0347] Clause 68. The first entity of clause 67, wherein the location response enables the second entity to verify whether the UE is located in a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0348] Clause 69. The first entity according to any of clauses 67 or 68 further comprises: means for performing verification based on location that the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN; and means for including in the location response an indication indicating whether the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0349] Clause 70. The first entity of any of clauses 67-69, further comprising: means for determining, based on the location, a country in which the UE is located; and means for including an indication of the country in the location response.

[0350] Clause 71. A first entity according to any of clauses 67-70, wherein the UE-assisted positioning method is based on the transmission of measurements of at least one of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal, a communication satellite signal, or a combination thereof from the UE to the first entity.

[0351] Clause 72. A first entity according to any of clauses 67-71, wherein the second entity sends a location request to the first entity based on the second entity receiving a message from a serving satellite Node B (gNB), the message including a registration request for the UE and an indication that the UE's country has not been verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0352] Clause 73. The first entity of any of clauses 60-65, wherein the first entity is a Location Management Function (LMF) and the second entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0353] Clause 74. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a first entity in a core network serving a public land mobile network (PLMN) to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to the PLMN, the program code comprising instructions to: receive a location request from a second entity in the core network, wherein the location request indicates that the UE has communication satellite access; determine a location of the UE using at least one of a UE-assisted positioning method and a network-based positioning method; and provide a location response to the second entity, the location response comprising a location.

[0354] Clause 75. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of clause 74, wherein the location response enables the second entity to verify whether the UE is located in a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0355] Clause 76. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to any one of clauses 74 or 75, wherein the program code further comprises instructions to: perform verification based on location that the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN; and include in the location response an indication indicating whether the UE is in a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0356] Clause 77. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of any of clauses 74-76, wherein the program code further comprises instructions to: determine a country in which the UE is located based on the location; and include an indication of the country in the location response.

[0357] Clause 78. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to any of clauses 74-77, wherein the UE-assisted positioning method is based on the transmission of measurements of at least one of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal, a communication satellite signal, or a combination thereof from the UE to the first entity.

[0358] Clause 79. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as described in any of clauses 74-78, wherein the second entity sends a location request to the first entity based on the second entity receiving a message from a serving satellite Node B (gNB), the message including a registration request for the UE and an indication that the UE's country is not verified by the gNB as a country associated with the serving PLMN.

[0359] Clause 80. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of any of clauses 74-79, wherein the first entity is a location management function (LMF) and the second entity is an access and mobility management function (AMF).

[0360] Although specific embodiments have been disclosed herein in detail, this has been done by way of example only for purposes of illustration and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims appended hereto. In particular, it is contemplated that various substitutions, changes, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the claims. Other aspects, advantages, and modifications are considered to be within the scope of the appended claims. The claims set forth are representative of the embodiments and features disclosed herein. Other unclaimed embodiments and features are also contemplated. Therefore, other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method, performed by a satellite Node B (gNB), for supporting satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to a serving public land mobile network (PLMN), the method comprising: receiving, from the UE, a registration request for a serving PLMN via a communication satellite belonging to a plurality of communication satellites; performing verification whether the UE is in a country associated with a serving PLMN based on information provided by at least one of the UE, a communication satellite, or a gNB; When the verification determines that the UE is located or may be located in a country associated with the serving PLMN, providing a registration request to a first entity in the core network of the serving PLMN; as well as providing, together with the registration request, to the first entity an indication of whether the gNB has verified that the UE is in a country associated with a serving PLMN, When the indication is that the country is verified by the gNB as being associated with the serving PLMN, the indication enables the first entity to accept the registration request without determining the location of the UE, and When the indication is that the country is not verified by the gNB as the country associated with the serving PLMN, the indication causes the core network to obtain the UE's location to verify that the UE is located in the country associated with the serving PLMN.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein Performing validation includes: Obtaining a location of the UE based on the information; and Map locations to countries.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein The information provided by the UE includes at least one of a first measurement of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal received by the UE, a second measurement of a downlink (DL) signal received from a plurality of communication satellites, or a combination thereof.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The second measurement includes at least one of reference signal received power RSRP, reference signal received quality RSRQ, reception time-transmission time difference RxTx, angle of arrival AOA, reference signal time difference RSTD, differential angle of arrival DAOA, or some combination of these.

5. A satellite Node B (gNB) configured to support satellite radio access of a user equipment (UE) to a serving public land mobile network (PLMN), comprising: an external interface configured to communicate with a network entity; at least one memory; At least one processor coupled to an external interface and to at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receiving a registration request for a serving PLMN from the UE using an external interface through a communication satellite belonging to the plurality of communication satellites; performing verification whether the UE is in a country associated with a serving PLMN based on information provided by at least one of the UE, a communication satellite, or a gNB; providing a registration request to a first entity in a core network of the serving PLMN using an external interface when the verification determines that the UE is or may be located in a country associated with the serving PLMN; and providing, together with the registration request, to the first entity an indication of whether the gNB has verified that the UE is in a country associated with a serving PLMN, When the indication is that the country is verified by the gNB as being associated with the serving PLMN, the indication enables the first entity to accept the registration request without determining the location of the UE, and When the indication is that the country is not verified by the gNB as the country associated with the serving PLMN, the indication causes the core network to obtain the UE's location to verify that the UE is located in the country associated with the serving PLMN.

6. The gNB according to claim 5, wherein: The at least one processor is configured to perform the verification by being configured to: Obtaining a location of the UE based on the information; and Map locations to countries.

7. The gNB according to claim 5, wherein: The information provided by the UE includes at least one of a first measurement of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signal received by the UE, a second measurement of a downlink (DL) signal received from a plurality of communication satellites, or a combination thereof.

8. The gNB according to claim 7, wherein: The second measurement includes at least one of reference signal received power RSRP, reference signal received quality RSRQ, reception time-transmission time difference RxTx, angle of arrival AOA, reference signal time difference RSTD, differential angle of arrival DAOA, or some combination of these.

9. A method, performed by a first entity in a core network of a serving public land mobile network (PLMN), for supporting satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to a serving PLMN, the method comprising: receiving, from a satellite Node B gNB, a message including a registration request from a UE and a first indication of whether the UE's country is verified by the gNB as a country associated with a serving PLMN; If the first indication is that the UE’s country is verified by the gNB as being the country associated with the serving PLMN, then accept the registration request; as well as If the first indication is that the UE's country is not verified by the gNB as the country associated with the serving PLMN, then obtain the UE's location to verify that the UE is located in the country associated with the serving PLMN.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The first indication is that the UE's country is verified to be the country associated with the serving PLMN, and also includes: Send a registration accept message to the UE.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein The first indication is that the UE's country is not verified as a country associated with the serving PLMN, the method further comprising: sending a location request to a second entity in the core network to determine the location of the UE; and A response is received from the second entity, the response including at least one of a location of the UE, an indication of a country of the UE, or a second indication of whether the country of the UE is verified by the second entity as a country associated with the serving PLMN.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The response includes the location of the UE and also includes verification that the location of the UE is in the country associated with the serving PLMN.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: An indication that the UE has communication satellite access is included in the location request, wherein the indication that the UE has communication satellite access enables the second entity to obtain the location of the UE using a UE-assisted positioning method, a network-based positioning method, or both.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein The UE-assisted positioning method is based on the transmission of measurements on at least one of Global Navigation Satellite System GNSS signals, communication satellite signals or a combination thereof from the UE to a second entity.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein The first entity is an Access and Mobility Management Function AMF and the second entity is a Location Management Function LMF.

16. A first entity in a core network of a serving public land mobile network (PLMN), configured to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to the serving PLMN, the first entity comprising: an external interface configured to communicate with a network entity; at least one memory containing instructions; as well as At least one processor is configured to execute the instructions so that the first entity performs the method according to any one of claims 9 to 15.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a satellite Node B (gNB) to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to a serving public land mobile network (PLMN), the program code comprising instructions for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a first entity in a core network of a serving public land mobile network (PLMN) to support satellite wireless access of a user equipment (UE) to the serving PLMN, the program code comprising instructions for executing the method according to any one of claims 9 to 15.

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