User equipment, base station, and method for communication

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices are provided for performing cell selection or reselection in a network comprising earth-moving beams. In one example, a method comprises receiving, via a satellite, control information transmitted by a base station indicating that a beam associated with a cell ID has been redirected; in response, measuring a beam strength of the redirected beam; and performing cell reselection based on the measured beam strength.

Description

Background Technology

[0001] Non-terrestrial networks consist of communication nodes located above the Earth's surface. These nodes may orbit the Earth or fly or hover above certain areas of the Earth. Attached Figure Description

[0002] The following description will only illustrate some examples of circuits, devices, and / or methods by way of example. In this context, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings.

[0003] Figure 1A and Figure 1B Radio access networks including satellites with fixed Earth beams and moving Earth beams are shown respectively.

[0004] Figure 2A , Figure 2B , Figure 2C The diagram shows a radio access network that includes satellites.

[0005] Figure 3 and Figure 4 The diagram illustrates a radio access network that includes satellites with Earth-based mobile beams providing coverage near international borders.

[0006] Figure 5 This is a flowchart outlining an exemplary cell selection process with a moving beam according to the aforementioned aspects.

[0007] Figure 6 This is a flowchart outlining an exemplary cell selection process with a moving beam according to the aforementioned aspects.

[0008] Figure 7 This is a flowchart outlining an exemplary cell selection process with a moving beam according to the aforementioned aspects.

[0009] Figure 8 This is a flowchart outlining an exemplary cell selection process with a moving beam according to the aforementioned aspects.

[0010] Figure 9 An exemplary communication network is shown according to the disclosed aspects.

[0011] Figure 10 Examples of infrastructure equipment (e.g., BS, eNB, gNB) are shown according to the disclosed aspects.

[0012] Figure 11 Examples of user equipment devices (which may be interchangeably referred to herein as “UE” or “UE device”) are shown according to the disclosed aspects. Detailed Implementation

[0013] This disclosure is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not drawn to scale and are provided for illustrative purposes only. Several aspects of this disclosure are described below with reference to exemplary applications for illustration. Numerous specific details, relationships, and methods are set forth to provide an understanding of this disclosure. This disclosure is not limited to the order of the illustrated actions or events, as some actions may occur in a different order and / or simultaneously with other actions or events. Furthermore, not all illustrated actions or events are necessary to implement the method chosen according to this disclosure.

[0014] As the number of mobile devices connected to wireless networks continues to increase and the demand for mobile data traffic continues to grow, system requirements and architectures are being modified to meet current and anticipated rapid growth. For example, wireless communication networks such as 5G New Radio (NR) systems may need to be deployed using satellites as part of a non-terrestrial network (NTN). In one NTN deployment scenario, satellites known as transparent satellites can act as relay stations to link user equipment with terrestrial base stations and the 5G core network by implementing transparent payloads. In another deployment scenario, satellites known as regenerative satellites can have onboard processing capabilities to perform base station functions by implementing regenerative payloads between user equipment and the terrestrial 5G core network.

[0015] Various architectures and configurations for satellite networks have been discussed. These range from transparent architectures to onboard architectures with satellite configurations based on geostationary orbit (GEO), low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO), or high altitude platform (HAPS). Configurations can also vary based on whether satellite nodes use a single or multiple beams, or whether satellites have a single or multiple feed links.

[0016] like Figure 1A As shown, each of these beams can be guided to a fixed location on Earth (hereinafter referred to as "Earth-based fixed beam / cell") via beamforming. Alternatively, such as Figure 1B As shown, the beam can be continuously moved relative to the Earth's latitude / longitude (hereinafter referred to as "Earth-moving beam / cell"). The potential possibilities of each of these configuration options, combined with the constant variation between the NTN cell size and the short but consistent coverage range and potential outage duration, make improvements based on cell selection and reselection crucial in non-terrestrial networks. The complexity increases further when terrestrial nodes also exist in areas where their signal quality, even within short but consistent and strong NTN coverage, is also present.

[0017] Figures 2A to 2C Different potential deployment possibilities in NTN are shown. Figure 2A The diagram illustrates an NTN using satellites in a transparent mode architecture, where a single base station uses satellites as multiple gateways. Figure 2B This illustrates an NTN using satellites in a transparent mode architecture, where multiple independent base stations use satellites as multiple gateways. Figure 2C This illustrates an NTN using satellites in a transparent mode architecture, where each satellite has a different 5G core. Besides... Figures 2A to 2C Besides the transparent use of the satellites shown, another deployment possibility is regenerable satellites that include hardware for implementing base stations on the satellites. It should be understood that the techniques described herein are applicable to NTNs or any other alternative deployment scenarios that include transparent and / or regenerable satellites.

[0018] In Earth-moving beam scenarios, when satellites are used as network nodes, the Radio Access Network (RAN) comprises nodes or base stations (e.g., Next Generation Node B (gNB)) with associated cells that move relative to the Earth's surface. The fact that non-terrestrial cells move relative to the Earth and that non-terrestrial cells are significantly larger means that a satellite physically located above a first country can now broadcast deep above a PLMN associated with the coverage area of ​​a neighboring country, potentially leading to significant interference and other radio coverage and security issues.

[0019] Figure 3 An exemplary NTN is shown, comprising a UE device, two base stations, and two satellites that act as non-terrestrial relay nodes associated with BSA and BSB, respectively. While some examples below are presented in the context of satellites used transparently as RAN relay nodes, it should be understood that the techniques described herein can be applied to any network, including using satellites as relays where cell coverage is not in a fixed geographic location. As used herein, satellite may refer to a satellite in geostationary orbit, medium Earth orbit, or low Earth orbit. Furthermore, for the purposes of this specification, unless otherwise specified, the term satellite is used broadly to also include High Altitude Platforms (HAPS).

[0020] Satellite relay A uses multiple beams 1-4 (shown as solid lines) to transmit signals carrying data from BS A, while satellite relay B uses multiple beams 5-7 (shown as dashed lines) to transmit signals carrying data from BS B. As relays A and B move relative to the Earth, as indicated by the dashed lines on their orbits, the geographical area covered by each beam changes. The UE device is located near its home country, close to the border between its home and roaming countries. When relay A is above its home country, BS A supports the UE device's home PLMN (HPLMN); however, when relay A is above its roaming country, BS A will not support the UE device's HPLMMN, but will instead support the UE device's visited PLMN (VPLMN). Similarly, when relay B... Figure 1A When positioning is shown, BSB supports the VPLMN of the UE device, but does not support the HPLMN of the UE device.

[0021] Figure 4 An exemplary non-terrestrial network is illustrated, comprising a UE and two regenerating satellites acting as non-terrestrial (NT) RAN nodes labeled BS A and BS B. While some examples below are presented in the context of regenerating satellites as RAN nodes, it should be understood that the techniques described herein are applicable to any network, including those using satellites as relays where cell coverage is not in a fixed geographic location. As used herein, satellite may refer to a satellite in geostationary orbit, medium Earth orbit, or low Earth orbit. Furthermore, for the purposes of this specification, unless otherwise specified, the term satellite is used broadly to also include High Altitude Platforms (HAPS).

[0022] BS A uses multiple beams 1-4 (shown as solid lines) to transmit signals, while BS B uses multiple beams 5-7 (shown as dashed lines). As BS A and BS B move relative to the Earth, as indicated by the dashed lines on their orbits, the geographical area covered by each beam changes. The UE device is located in its home country, close to the border between its home and roaming countries. When BS A is above its home country, BS A supports the UE device's home PLMN (HPLMN); however, when BS A is above its roaming country, BS A will not support the UE device's HPLMMN, but will instead support the UE device's visited PLMN (VPLMN). Similarly, as... Figure 1B When positioning is shown, BSB supports the VPLMN of the UE device, but does not support the HPLMN of the UE device.

[0023] To connect to the core network associated with the RAN, the UE performs a cell selection process, where the UE measures the strength of the signal carried by a detectable beam. Based on the measurements of the detected beam, the UE identifies the cell with the strongest signal (which may be associated with a single beam of the BS). In some examples, the UE may be pre-loaded with or compiled with a blacklist of cells that should not be considered for pre-occupancy and / or a whitelist of cells that should be prioritized for pre-occupancy.

[0024] The UE decodes the system information broadcast by the selected cell to determine which PLMNs the cell supports and whether access to the cell by the UE is prohibited. If the cell supports the UE's home PLMN and does not prohibit the UE's access, the UE pre-occupies the cell until certain cell reselection criteria are met. If the UE cannot find an acceptable cell supporting its HPLMN, it can determine whether it is an acceptable cell supporting its VPLMN. If so, the UE can pre-occupy the VPLMN until a cell supporting its HPLMN can be found. When cell reselection criteria are met, the UE performs a similar process to identify new acceptable cells for pre-occupancy.

[0025] exist Figure 3 or Figure 4 In the scenario illustrated, when a UE device performs cell selection or reselection, it can detect beams from both BSA and BSB. The UE device should select the beam from BSA instead of BSB, even if the beam from BSB (e.g., beam 5) provides a stronger signal. Several alternative methods are proposed to facilitate an efficient cell selection process, in which a UE device that can connect to cells originating from different countries selects a cell within the UE device's HPLMN. Although the examples below are in the context of mobile cells that can cross international borders, it should be understood that the proposed solutions are equivalently applicable to mobile beams that can cross other arbitrary geographical boundaries between networks.

[0026] Ephemeris data contains the orbital trajectories of satellite networks. Based on the time of day, it provides information about the satellite's relative position coordinates on Earth, along with other useful information. The information in this database allows for a definitive understanding of when satellites will be within the UE's viewing range and when they will be unavailable. Propagating this information to the UE can benefit the UE in cell selection procedures.

[0027] Ephemeris data and UE location information can be used for cell selection and reselection. Using their location and ephemeris data, UE devices can calculate additional parameters with some degree of accuracy, such as satellite configuration (LEO, GEO, etc.), distance to satellites, or elevation angle, or other parameters that may aid in cell selection criteria. Considering the potential inaccuracies in determining these parameters and the potential problems of transmitting the entire database to the UE device in a pre-loaded form (via uSIM) or via SIB-based broadcast (due to overhead), it would be beneficial for the network to include these additional parameters, such as satellite mobility and coverage information in some format suitable for the UE device, in the initial cell selection broadcast information. Furthermore, providing UE device location information to the network could lead to power constraints on the UE, while also creating privacy constraints. Even if location information cannot be excluded, providing ephemeris data and associated offsets to the UE device is still very useful.

[0028] In mixed coverage areas, one problem the UE will face is that the large coverage area of ​​the NTN will result in dozens or even hundreds of potentially neighboring terrestrial cells. One solution is to use UE location information to identify the area where the UE is located and use cell reselection based on location identification. However, this is power-intensive because the UE will be assigned to continuously monitor its location to determine whether it is in or outside a specific fixed or mobile beam.

[0029] While location information consumes significant power for routine cell selection and reselection, it is extremely useful at international borders. Using existing terrestrial network deployments, cellular radio waves can be controlled in a way that doesn't penetrate deeply into roaming countries. However, such restrictions cannot be easily imposed in satellite networks with large and small cell scales. In such cases, geolocation-based announcements of home and roaming cells become very useful, and this information should be broadcast to UE devices to ensure that satellites can limit coverage and establish boundaries between home and roaming networks. Satellite ephemeris data can help the network ensure that additional information is broadcast to UE devices when satellites approach location boundaries or when beams begin to cross international borders (as the case may be).

[0030] This document discloses systems, circuits, and techniques for supporting efficient UE device cell selection and reselection in networks that include RAN nodes that move in a manner that identifies international boundaries.

[0031] Figure 5 A functional flowchart of an exemplary cell selection or reselection (hereinafter referred to as "selection") process for communicating with a mobile cell associated with a satellite is shown. In this process, it is assumed that the satellite's gNB is capable of transmitting multiple beams and therefore can support multiple cells, each associated with one or more beams. At 510, the gNB monitors an ephemeris database (e.g., a publicly available database providing satellite coordinates) and / or the satellite's location. At 520, the gNB determines whether any beams are moving outside the home country border. When it is determined that a beam is moving outside the border, at 530 it is determined whether the beam can be redirected to remain within the border and whether the cell's physical cell ID can be remapped to a new geographic area. At 570, the gNB notifies the core network (CN) that the beam has been mapped to a new physical cell to help the CN locate the UE device for paging purposes. In one example, the control information used for the beam (e.g., Layer 1 (L1) downlink control information (DCI)) is modified to reflect the redirection.

[0032] If the beam cannot be redirected, it is turned off at 550. In some examples, a wait timer is used before turning off the beam (see...). Figure 6 At 570, the gNB notifies the core network (CN) that the beam has been turned off. CN updates may include updating the CN whose beam has been redirected / turned off, to mark the registration status at the CN's Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) for the beam ID / cell ID that is being deactivated.

[0033] As indicated at 590, if the UE device is outside its home country, the UE device will not detect any cells from the mobile cell because any beams covering areas outside the home country are turned off. As indicated at 595, when the UE device is within its home country, the UE device will detect cells associated with beams from satellites. The UE device may be triggered by control information generated and transmitted at 540 to measure the strength of the redirected beam and determine whether to perform cell reselection based on the new beam measurement.

[0034] It can be seen that, Figure 5 In this solution, the gNB is responsible for tracking the coverage of mobile cells associated with different beams and turning off the beams when they reach outside the national border. This speeds up the cell selection process because the UE device will not detect signals from cells whose coverage is included outside the UE device's HPLMN.

[0035] Figure 6 A functional flowchart of an exemplary cell selection process for communicating with a mobile cell associated with a satellite is shown. In this process, it is assumed that the satellite's gNB cannot transmit multiple beams and is therefore associated with a single cell. At 610, the gNB monitors an ephemeris database (e.g., a publicly available database providing satellite coordinates) and / or the satellite's location. At 620, the gNB determines if any beam is moving outside the home country border. When it is determined that the beam is moving outside the border, at 630 it is determined whether the beam can be redirected to remain within the border. If so, at 640, the beam is redirected and the cell's physical cell ID is remapped to the new geographic area. At 645, control information (e.g., L1 DCI) transmitted to the UE device for that beam is modified to reflect the redirection for the UE device. At 680, the gNB notifies the core network (CN) that the beam has been mapped to a new physical cell to assist the CN in locating the UE device for paging purposes.

[0036] If the beam cannot be redirected, a wait timer is started at 650, and during the associated wait time, a signal is sent at 660 indicating that cell shutdown is imminent (e.g., via system information (e.g., System Information Block (SIB) 1)). In one example, the signal is sent by transmitting SIB1 indicating that the cell ID is disabled. At 680, the gNB notifies the core network (CN) that the cell is deactivated. The CN update may include updating the CN whose beam has been redirected / closed to mark the registration status at the CN's Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) for the cell ID being deactivated. After the wait time expires, the beam is closed at 670.

[0037] As indicated at 690, if the UE device is outside its home country, the UE device will not detect any cells from the mobile cell because when the cell's beam covers an area outside the home country, that beam (and therefore the cell) is turned off. As indicated at 695, when the UE device is within its home country but a satellite associated with the gNB is providing cell coverage outside the home country, the UE device receives system information (e.g., SIB1) that no longer includes signals from that cell because the beam used for that cell has been turned off. Furthermore, the neighbor relationships transmitted in the SIB are changed to indicate that previous neighbor relationships relative to the turned-off cells are no longer valid and to provide an updated list of cells.

[0038] It can be seen that, Figure 6 In this solution, the gNB is responsible for tracking the coverage area of ​​the mobile cell associated with a single beam and deactivating the beam when the cell's coverage area extends beyond the national border. This speeds up the cell selection process because the UE will not detect signals from cells whose coverage area is outside the UE's HPLMN.

[0039] Figure 7 A functional flowchart of another exemplary cell selection process for communicating with a mobile cell associated with a satellite is shown. At 705, the location of the international boundary is preloaded to the UE device, and the PLMN information of plmn1 being the home PLMN and plmn2 being the roaming PLMN is notified to the UE device.

[0040] At 710, the gNB monitors ephemeris databases (e.g., publicly available databases providing satellite coordinates) and / or satellite positions. At 720, the gNB determines whether any of its beams (or a single beam) is moving outside the home country border. If it determines that a beam is moving outside the border, at 730 it determines whether the beam can be redirected to remain within the border and remapped; if so, the beam is redirected at 740.

[0041] If the beam cannot be redirected, at 750, the gNB modifies the system information broadcast by the cell ID associated with the beam to indicate that the cell ID is no longer in the home country's PLMN, but is now in the roaming country's PLMN. In one example, the gNB will redirect the cell ID in SIB1... plmnIdentitylist The information element has been modified to no longer list the cell ID from the home country PLMN "plmn1". gNB will... plmnIdentitylist The information element has been modified to now list the cell IDs in the roaming country PLMN "plmn2". At 780, the gNB notifies the core network (CN) that the cell IDs have been remapped to plmn2.

[0042] At point 765, the UE compares its location with the pre-loaded international border location to determine if it is within its home country's border. If so, at point 770, based on the pre-loaded PLMN information, the UE uses plmn1 to connect to the network and at point 775 notifies the CN that the UE is within its home country. This means the UE will select a cell ID that supports plmn1 based on broadcast system information. If the UE determines it is outside its home border, at point 780, based on the pre-loaded PLMN information, the UE uses plmn2 to connect to the network and at point 785 notifies the CN that the UE is within its roaming country. This means the UE will select a cell ID that supports plmn2 based on broadcast system information.

[0043] It can be seen that, Figure 7 In this solution, the gNB is responsible for remapping cell IDs to PLMNs based on changes in the coverage of its mobile cells and broadcasting system information reflecting the latest mapping. The UE is responsible for determining whether it is in its home country or roaming country and selecting the PLMN associated with its current location. This speeds up the cell selection process because the UE will not select cells that are not associated with the appropriate PLMN.

[0044] Figure 8 A functional flowchart of another exemplary cell selection process for communicating with a mobile cell associated with a satellite is shown. At 810, a geographic region describing the home country (e.g., the location of the international boundary polygon of the home country, latitude and longitude coordinates, etc.) is preloaded into the storage medium of the UE device. Alternatively, at 810', geographic region information for surrounding countries may be broadcast as system information by the gNB (e.g., in SIB14 currently used for emergency broadcasts).

[0045] At 820, the UE monitors its location, and at 830, it compares its location with the geographic area information of its home country to determine if it is within the home country's borders. If so, at 840, the UE uses its home PLMN to connect to the CN. This means the UE will select a cell ID that supports its HPLMN. If not, at 850, the UE uses its roaming PLMN to connect to the CN. This means the UE can select a cell ID that supports its VPLMN.

[0046] It can be seen that, Figure 8 In this solution, the UE is solely responsible for determining whether it is in its home country or roaming country and establishing a connection accordingly. This method limits the amount of overhead signaling from the gNB, but may require significant processing resources at the UE.

[0047] This document includes several flowcharts outlining exemplary methods. In this specification and the appended claims, the term "determine" is used broadly when describing method steps or functions, referring to entities such as parameters, variables, etc. For example, "determine" is interpreted to cover, for example, communication that receives and parses encoded entities or the values ​​of entities. "Determine" should be interpreted to cover accessing and reading stored entities or memory (e.g., lookup tables, registers, device memory, remote memory, etc.) for the values ​​of entities. "Determine" should be interpreted to cover calculating or deriving the values ​​of entities based on other quantities or entities. "Determine" should be interpreted to cover any manner in which the values ​​of entities are inferred or identified.

[0048] As used herein, when referring to an entity or value of an entity, the term "identify" will be interpreted broadly to cover any manner in which an entity or value of an entity is determined. For example, the term "identify" is interpreted to cover, for example, communication that receives and parses encoded entities or values ​​of entities. The term "identify" should be interpreted to cover accessing and reading storage entities or memory used for the values ​​of entities (e.g., device queues, lookup tables, registers, device memory, remote memory, etc.).

[0049] As used herein, when referring to an entity or value of an entity, the term "selection" will be broadly interpreted to cover any manner of determining an entity or entity value from a plurality of or a series of possible selections. For example, the term "selection" is interpreted to cover accessing and reading storage entities or memory used for entity values ​​(e.g., lookup tables, registers, device memory, remote memory, etc.) and returning an entity or entity value from those stored. The term "selection" is interpreted to applying one or more constraints or rules to a set of input parameters to determine an appropriate entity or entity value. The term "selection" is interpreted broadly to cover any manner of selecting an entity based on one or more parameters or conditions.

[0050] As used herein, the term "derive" is interpreted broadly when used with reference to an entity or the value of an entity. "Derivation" should be interpreted to encompass accessing and reading memory (e.g., lookup tables, registers, device memory, remote memory, etc.) that stores some initial or underlying values, and performing processing and / or logical / mathematical operations on one or more values ​​to generate a derived entity or value for that entity. "Derivation" should be interpreted to encompass calculating or measuring the value of an entity or entity based on other quantities or entities. "Derivation" should be interpreted to encompass any manner in which an entity or the value of an entity is inferred or identified.

[0051] The term "coupled" is used throughout this specification. This term can cover any connection, communication, or signaling path that enables a functional relationship consistent with the description of this disclosure. For example, in a first example, if device A generates a signal to control device B to perform an action, then device A is coupled to device B via intermediate component C. Alternatively, in a second example, if intermediate component C substantially does not alter the functional relationship between device A and device B such that device B is controlled by device A via a control signal generated by the device, then device A is coupled to device B via intermediate component C.

[0052] Figure 9 An exemplary architecture of a communication network system 900 is illustrated according to various aspects. The following description is provided for an exemplary system 900 operating in combination with LTE system standards and 5G or NR system standards provided by 3GPP technical specifications. However, the exemplary aspects are not limited in this respect, and the aspects described can be applied to other networks that benefit from the principles described herein, such as future 3GPP systems (e.g., sixth generation (6G)) systems, IEEE 702.16 protocols (e.g., WLAN, WiMAX, etc.), etc.

[0053] like Figure 9 As shown, system 900 includes UE 901a and UE 901b (collectively referred to as "multiple UE 901" or "UE 901"). In this example, UE 901 is shown as a smartphone (e.g., a handheld touchscreen mobile computing device that can connect to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as consumer electronics devices, mobile phones, smartphones, feature phones, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), pagers, wireless handheld devices, desktop computers, laptop computers, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), in-vehicle entertainment (ICE) devices, instrument cluster (IC), head-up display (HUD) devices, onboard diagnostic (OBD) devices, dashtop mobile equipment (DME), mobile data terminal (MDT), electronic engine management system (EEMS), electronic / engine electronic control unit (ECU), electronic / engine electronic control module (ECM), embedded systems, microcontrollers, control modules, engine management system (EMS), connected or "smart" appliances, MTC devices, M2M, IoT devices, etc.

[0054] In some aspects, any of UEs in UE 901 can be an IoT UE, which may include a network access layer designed to utilize low-power IoT applications with short-lived UE connections. The IoT UE may use technologies such as M2M or MTC to exchange data with an MTC server or device via PLMN, ProSe or D2D communication, sensor networks, or IoT networks. M2M or MTC data exchange may be machine-initiated data exchange. The IoT network describes interconnected IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) with short-lived connections. The IoT UE may execute background applications (e.g., keeping track of activity messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connectivity within the IoT network.

[0055] UE 901 can be configured to connect to, for example, communicatively coupled to, RAN 910. In this context, RAN 910 can be an NG RAN or 5G RAN, E-UTRAN, or a legacy RAN such as UTRAN or GERAN. As used herein, the term "NGRAN," etc., may refer to RAN 910 operating in an NR or 5G system 900, while the term "E-UTRAN," etc., may refer to RAN 910 operating in an LTE or 4G system 900. UE 901 utilizes connections (or channels) 903 and 904, each connection comprising a physical communication interface or layer (discussed in further detail below).

[0056] In this example, connections 903 and 904 are shown as air interfaces for communication coupling and are compatible with cellular communication protocols such as GSM, CDMA, PTT, POC, UMTS, 3GPP LTE, 5G, NR, and / or any other communication protocols discussed herein. In this aspect, UE 901 can directly exchange communication data via ProSe interface 905. ProSe interface 905 may alternatively be referred to as SL interface 905 and may include one or more logical channels, including but not limited to PSCCH, PSSCH, PSDCH, and PSBCH.

[0057] UE 901b is shown configured to access AP 906 (also known as "WLAN Node 906", "WLAN 906", "WLAN Terminal 906", "WT 906", etc.) via connection 907. Connection 907 may include local wireless connectivity, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 702.11 protocol, where AP 906 will include Wi-Fi. ®Router. In this example, AP906 is shown connected to the Internet but not to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below). In various aspects, UE 901b, RAN 910, and AP 906 can be configured to utilize LWA operation and / or LWIP operation. LWA operation may involve RAN nodes 911a-b configuring UE 901b, which is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, to utilize the radio resources of LTE and WLAN. LWIP operation may involve UE 901b using WLAN radio resources (e.g., connection 907) via IPsec protocol tunneling to authenticate and encrypt packets (e.g., IP packets) transmitted through connection 907. IPsec tunneling may include encapsulating the entire original IP packet and adding a new packet header to protect the original header of the IP packet.

[0058] RAN 910 may include one or more AN nodes or RAN nodes 911a and 911b (collectively, “RAN node 911”) that enable connectivity between 903 and 904. As used herein, the terms “access node”, “access point”, etc., can describe equipment that provides radio baseband functionality for data and / or voice connections between the network and one or more users. These access nodes may be referred to as BS, gNB, RAN node, eNB, NodeB, RSU, TRxP, or TRP, etc., and may include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). As described below, in some specific implementations, satellite 960 may operate as a base station (e.g., RAN node 911) relative to UE 901. Therefore, references herein to base stations, RAN node 911, etc., may refer to implementations in which base stations, RAN node 911, etc., are terrestrial network nodes, and to implementations in which base stations, RAN node 911, etc., are non-terrestrial network nodes (e.g., satellite 160).

[0059] As used herein, the term "NG RAN node" and the like can refer to a RAN node 911 (e.g., gNB) operating in an NR or 5G system 900, while the term "E-UTRAN node" and the like can refer to a RAN node 911 (e.g., eNB) operating in an LTE or 4G system 900. Depending on various aspects, the RAN node 911 can be implemented as one or more of dedicated physical devices such as macro cell base stations and / or low-power (LP) base stations for providing smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macro cells.

[0060] Depending on various aspects, UE 901 and RAN node 911 transmit data (e.g., transmit and receive data) through licensed media (also referred to as “licensed spectrum” and / or “licensed band”) and unlicensed shared media (also referred to as “unlicensed spectrum” and / or “unlicensed band”). Licensed spectrum may include channels operating in the frequency range of approximately 400 MHz to approximately 3.8 GHz, while unlicensed spectrum may include a 5 GHz band.

[0061] To operate in unlicensed spectrum, UE 901 and RAN node 911 may use LAA, eLAA, and / or feLAA mechanisms. In these specific implementations, UE 901 and RAN node 911 may perform one or more known medium sensing and / or carrier sensing operations to determine whether one or more channels in the unlicensed spectrum are unavailable or otherwise occupied before transmission in the unlicensed spectrum. Medium / carrier sensing operations may be performed according to the Listen-After-Speak (LBT) protocol.

[0062] LBT is a mechanism that equipment (e.g., UE 901, RAN node 911, etc.) uses to sense a medium (e.g., a channel or carrier frequency) and transmit when that medium is sensed to be idle (or when a specific channel in that medium is sensed to be unoccupied). Medium sensing operations may include CCA, which utilizes at least ED to determine the presence of other signals on the channel in order to determine whether the channel is occupied or idle. This LBT mechanism allows cellular / LAA networks to coexist with existing systems in unlicensed spectrum and with other LAA networks. ED may include sensing RF energy in the intended transmission band over a period of time and comparing the sensed RF energy with predefined or configured thresholds.

[0063] Typically, existing systems in the 5GHz band are WLANs based on IEEE 702.11 technology. WLANs employ a contention-based channel access mechanism called CSMA / CA. Here, when a WLAN node (e.g., a mobile station (MS) such as UE 901, AP 906, etc.) intends to transmit, the WLAN node can first perform CCA before transmitting. Additionally, in cases where more than one WLAN node senses the channel as idle and transmits simultaneously, a backoff mechanism is used to avoid collisions. This backoff mechanism can be a counter randomly introduced within the CWS, which increases exponentially upon collision and resets to a minimum value upon successful transmission. The LBT mechanism designed for LAA is somewhat similar to WLAN's CSMA / CA. In some specific implementations, the LBT process for DL ​​or UL transmission bursts (including PDSCH or PUSCH transmissions) can have a variable-length LAA contention window between the X and Y ECCA time slots, where X and Y are the minimum and maximum values ​​of the LAA's CWS. In one example, the minimum CWS for LAA transmission can be 8 microseconds (µs); however, the size of the CWS and MCOT (e.g., transmission burst) can be based on government regulatory requirements.

[0064] The LAA mechanism is built upon the CA technology of LTE-Advanced systems. In CA, each aggregated carrier is called a CC. A CC can have a bandwidth of 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, or 20 MHz, and a maximum of five CCs can be aggregated, thus the maximum aggregated bandwidth is 100 MHz. In FDD systems, the number of aggregated carriers can differ for DL ​​and UL, where the number of UL CCs is equal to or less than the number of DL component carriers. In some cases, individual CCs can have different bandwidths than the other CCs. In TDD systems, the number of CCs and the bandwidth of each CC are usually the same for DL ​​and UL.

[0065] The CA also includes individual serving cells to provide individual CCs. The coverage of serving cells can differ, for example, because CCs on different frequency bands will experience different path losses. The primary serving cell, or PCell, provides PCCs for both UL and DL and handles activities related to RRC and NAS. Other serving cells are called SCells, and each SCell provides individual SCCs for both UL and DL. SCCs can be added and removed as needed, and changing the PCC may require the UE to undergo a handover. In LAA, eLAA, and feLAA, some or all of the SCells can operate in unlicensed spectrum (called "LAA SCells"), and LAA SCells are assisted by PCells operating in licensed spectrum. When a UE is configured to have more than one LAA SCell, the UE can receive UL grants on the configured LAA SCells, indicating different PUSCH start positions within the same subframe.

[0066] The PDSCH carries user data and higher-layer signaling to UE 901. Among other information, the PDCCH carries information about the transmission format and resource allocation related to the PDSCH channel. It can also inform UE 901 about the transmission format, resource allocation, and HARQ information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (allocating control and shared channel resource blocks to UE 901b within the cell) can be performed on any RAN node in RAN node 911 based on channel quality information fed back from any UE in UE 901. Downlink resource allocation information can be transmitted on the PDCCH used for (e.g., allocated to) each UE in UE 901.

[0067] RAN 910 is shown communicatively coupled to the core network, which in this aspect is communicatively coupled to the core network (CN) 920. CN 920 may include multiple network elements 922 configured to provide various data and telecommunications services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UE 901) connected to CN 920 via RAN 910. Components of CN 920 may be implemented in a single physical node or separate physical nodes, including components for reading and executing instructions from machine-readable or computer-readable media (e.g., non-transitory machine-readable storage media). In some aspects, NFV can be used to virtualize any or all of the aforementioned network node functions via executable instructions stored in one or more computer-readable storage media (described in further detail below). A logical instance of CN 920 may be referred to as a network slice, and a logical instance of a portion of CN 920 may be referred to as a network subslice. NFV architectures and infrastructure can be used to virtualize one or more network functions onto physical resources comprising a combination of industry-standard server hardware, storage hardware, or switches (optionally executed by proprietary hardware). In other words, an NFV system can be used to perform a virtual or reconfigurable concrete implementation of one or more EPC components / functions.

[0068] As shown in the figure, exemplary network 900 may include an NTN, which may include one or more satellites 960-1 and 960-2 (collectively, "Satellite 960"). Satellite 960 may communicate with UE 901 via a serving link or radio interface 962, and / or with RAN 910 via a feed link or radio interface 964 (depicted separately as 964-1 and 964). In some embodiments, Satellite 960 may operate as a passive or transparent network relay node with respect to communication between UE 901 and the terrestrial network (e.g., RAN 910). In some embodiments, Satellite 960 may operate as an active or regenerative network node, such that Satellite 960 may operate as a base station for UE 901 (e.g., as a gNB of RAN 910) with respect to communication between UE 901 and RAN 910. In some implementations, satellite 960 may communicate with each other via a direct radio interface (e.g., 966) or an indirect radio interface (e.g., via RAN 910 using interfaces 964-1 and 964-2). Alternatively or additionally, satellite 960 may include a GEO satellite, a LEO satellite, or another type of satellite. Satellite 960 may also or additionally relate to one or more satellite systems or architectures, such as Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Global Positioning System (GPS), Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), etc. In some implementations, satellite 960 may operate as a base station (e.g., RAN node 911) relative to UE 901. Therefore, references herein to base station, RAN node 911, etc., may refer to implementations in which the base station, RAN node 911, etc., are terrestrial network nodes, and to implementations in which the base station, RAN node 911, etc., are non-terrestrial network nodes (e.g., satellite 960).

[0069] Figure 10 Examples of infrastructure equipment 1000 according to various aspects are shown. Infrastructure equipment 1000 (or "system 1000") may be implemented as a base station, a radio head unit, a RAN node (such as the previously shown and described RAN node 911 and / or AP 906), an application server 930, and / or any other element / device discussed herein. In other examples, system 1000 may be implemented in or by a UE.

[0070] System 1000 includes: application circuitry 1005, baseband circuitry 1010, one or more radio front-end modules (RFEMs) 1015, memory circuitry 1020, power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 1025, power tee circuitry 1030, network controller circuitry 1035, network interface connector 1040, satellite positioning circuitry 1045, and user interface 1050. In some aspects, device 1000 may include additional components such as, for example, memory / storage devices, displays, cameras, sensors, or input / output (I / O) interfaces. In other aspects, the following components may be included in more than one device. For example, the circuitry may be individually included in more than one device for CRAN, vBBU, or other similar implementations.

[0071] Application circuitry 1005 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and one or more of the following: a low-dropout regulator (LDO), an interrupt controller, a serial interface such as SPI, I2C, or a universal programmable serial interface module, a real-time clock (RTC), a timer-counter including an interval timer and a watchdog timer, general-purpose input / output (I / O or IO), a memory card controller such as a Secure Digital (SD) Multimedia Card (MMC) or similar, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, a Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) interface, and a Joint Test Access Group (JTAG) test access port. The processor (or core) of application circuitry 1005 may be coupled to or may include memory / storage elements, and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on system 1000. In some specific implementations, the memory / storage element may be an on-chip memory circuit, which may include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory and / or any other type of memory device technology, such as those discussed herein.

[0072] The processor of application circuit 1005 may include, for example, one or more processor cores (CPUs), one or more application processors, one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), one or more Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processors, one or more Acorn RISC machine (ARM) processors, one or more Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) processors, one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors or controllers, or any suitable combination thereof. In some aspects, application circuit 1005 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller for operation according to various aspects of this document. As an example, the processor of application circuit 1005 may include one or more Apple processors / controllers. ® Processor, Intel ® Processor; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Ryzen ® Processor, Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) or Epyc ® Processor; ARM-based processors licensed by ARM Holdings, Ltd., such as the ARM Cortex-A series processors and ThunderX2 processors provided by Cavium™, Inc. ® MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as the MIPS Warrior P-class processor; etc. In some aspects, system 1000 may not utilize application circuitry 1005 and may instead include a dedicated processor / controller to process, for example, IP data received from EPC or 5GC.

[0073] User interface circuitry 1050 may include one or more user interfaces designed to enable a user to interact with system 1000 or peripheral component interfaces, wherein the peripheral component interfaces are designed to enable peripheral components to interact with system 1000. User interfaces may include, but are not limited to, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), one or more indicators (e.g., light-emitting diodes (LEDs)), a physical keyboard or keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen, a speaker or other audio transmitting device, a microphone, a printer, a scanner, headphones, a display screen or display device, etc. Peripheral component interfaces may include, but are not limited to, non-volatile memory ports, universal serial bus (USB) ports, audio jacks, power interfaces, etc.

[0074] Figure 10The components shown can communicate with each other using interface circuitry, which may include any number of bus and / or interconnect (IX) technologies, such as Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), Extended ISA (EISA), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Peripheral Component Interconnect Extension (PCIx), PCI Express (PCIe), or any number of other technologies. The bus / IX may be a proprietary bus, for example, used in a SoC-based system. Other bus / IX systems may be included, such as I2C interfaces, SPI interfaces, point-to-point interfaces, and power buses, etc.

[0075] Figure 11 Examples of platform 1100 (or “device 1100”) according to various aspects are shown. In these aspects, computer platform 1100 may be adapted to function as UE 901, application server 930, and / or any other element / device discussed herein. Platform 1100 may include any combination of the components shown in the examples. Components of platform 1100 may be implemented as integrated circuits (ICs), portions of ICs, discrete electronic devices, or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or combinations thereof adapted in computer platform 1100, or may be implemented as components otherwise integrated within the chassis of a larger system. Figure 11 The block diagram is intended to show a high-level view of the components of the computer platform 1100. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangements of the components shown may occur in other specific embodiments.

[0076] Application circuitry 1105 includes circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and one or more of the following: LDO, interrupt controller, serial interface (such as SPI), I2C or general programmable serial interface module, RTC, timers (including interval timers and watchdog timers), general-purpose I / O, memory card controller (such as SD MMC or similar controllers), USB interface, MIPI interface, and JTAG test access port. The processor (or core) of application circuitry 1105 may be coupled to or may include memory / storage elements, and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on system 1100. In some specific implementations, the memory / storage element may be on-chip memory circuitry that may include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory, and / or any other type of memory device technology, such as those discussed herein.

[0077] For example, the processor of application circuit 1105 may include a general-purpose or special-purpose processor, such as one purchased from Apple. ®Inc., Cupertino, CA's A-series processors (e.g., the A13 Bionic) or any other such processor. The processor for application circuit 1105 can also be one or more of the following: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Ryzen. ® Processor or Accelerated Processing Unit (APU); from Intel ® Inc.'s core processor, from Qualcomm ® Snapdragon by Technologies, Inc. ™ Processor, Texas Instruments, Inc. ® Open Multimedia ApplicationsPlatform (OMAP) ™ Processors; MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as the MIPS Warrior M-class, Warrior I-class, and Warrior P-class processors; ARM-based designs licensed from ARM Holdings, Ltd., such as the ARM Cortex-A, Cortex-R, and Cortex-M series processors; etc. In some specific implementations, the application circuit 1105 may be part of a system-on-a-chip (SoC), where the application circuit 1105 and other components are formed as a single integrated circuit or a single package.

[0078] The baseband circuit 1110 can be implemented, for example, as a solderable substrate, which includes one or more integrated circuits, a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits.

[0079] Platform 1100 may also include interface circuitry (not shown) for connecting external devices to platform 1100. External devices connected to platform 1100 via the interface circuitry include sensor circuitry 1121 and electromechanical components (EMC) 1122, as well as a removable memory device coupled to removable memory circuitry 1123.

[0080] Battery 1130 can power platform 1100, but in some examples, platform 1100 may be mounted in a fixed location and may have a power source coupled to the grid. Battery 1130 may be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, etc. In some specific implementations, such as in V2X applications, battery 1130 may be a typical lead-acid automotive battery.

[0081] Although the method has been shown and described above as a series of actions or events, it should be understood that the order of such actions or events shown should not be construed as limiting. For example, some actions may occur in a different order and / or simultaneously with other actions or events besides those shown and / or described herein. Furthermore, not all of the shown actions may be required to implement one or more aspects or embodiments disclosed herein. Additionally, one or more of the actions shown herein may be performed in one or more separate actions and / or stages. In some embodiments, the method shown above can be implemented in a computer-readable medium using instructions stored in memory. Many other embodiments and variations are possible within the scope of this disclosure protected by the claims.

[0082] Example

[0083] Example 1 is a user equipment device including a processor configured to perform operations including: receiving via a satellite control information transmitted by a base station indicating that a beam associated with a cell ID has been redirected; in response, measuring the beam strength of the redirected beam; and performing cell reselection based on the measured beam strength.

[0084] Example 2 includes the subject matter of Example 1, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the control information includes Layer 1 downlink control information.

[0085] Example 3 is a method comprising: receiving via a satellite control information transmitted by a base station indicating that a beam associated with a cell ID has been redirected; in response, measuring the beam strength of the redirected beam; and performing cell reselection based on the measured beam strength.

[0086] Example 4 includes the subject matter of Example 3, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the control information includes Layer 1 downlink control information.

[0087] Example 5 is a base station including a processor configured to perform operations including: identifying a first geographic area covered by a beam transmitted by a satellite, wherein the beam carries data transmitted by the base station; and redirecting the beam such that the beam covers a second geographic area within the designated home region when the first geographic area approaches the boundary of the designated home region; and transmitting control information indicating that the beam has been redirected to a user equipment device via the satellite.

[0088] Example 6 includes the subject matter of Example 5, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the control information includes Layer 1 downlink control information.

[0089] Example 7 includes the subject matter of Example 5, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the processor is configured to perform operations including: determining that the beam cannot be redirected to cover a geographic area within the designated home region; and in response, turning off the beam; transmitting control information indicating that the beam has been turned off to the user equipment via the satellite; and transmitting the indication that the beam has been turned off to the core network.

[0090] Example 8 includes the subject matter of Example 7, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the control information includes Layer 1 downlink control information.

[0091] Example 9 is a method comprising: identifying a first geographic area covered by a beam transmitted by a satellite, wherein the beam carries data transmitted by a base station; and redirecting the beam such that the beam covers a second geographic area within the designated home region when the first geographic area approaches the boundary of the designated home region; and transmitting control information indicating that the beam has been redirected to a user equipment device via the satellite.

[0092] Example 10 includes the subject matter of Example 9, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the control information includes Layer 1 downlink control information.

[0093] Example 11 includes the subject matter of Example 9, including or omitting optional elements, including: determining that the beam cannot be redirected to cover a geographic area within the designated home region; and in response, turning off the beam; transmitting control information indicating that the beam has been turned off to the user equipment via the satellite; and transmitting the indication that the beam has been turned off to the core network.

[0094] Example 12 includes the subject matter of Example 11, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the control information includes Layer 1 downlink control information.

[0095] Example 13 is a user equipment device including a processor configured to perform operations including: receiving first system information transmitted by a base station via a satellite, wherein the first system information identifies a cell ID provided by a beam; in response, measuring the signal strength of a signal transmitted by the cell associated with the cell ID; performing cell selection based on the measured signal strength; receiving second system information transmitted by the base station via the satellite, wherein the second system information indicates that the cell associated with the cell ID is being shut down; and in response, performing cell reselection based on the second system information.

[0096] Example 14 includes the subject matter of Example 13, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the first system information and the second system information include System Information Block 1 (SIB1).

[0097] Example 15 includes the subject matter of Example 14, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the second SIB1 includes an indication that the cell ID is prohibited.

[0098] Example 16 is a method comprising: receiving first system information transmitted by a base station via a satellite, wherein the first system information identifies a cell ID provided by a beam; in response, measuring the signal strength of a signal transmitted by the cell associated with the cell ID; performing cell selection based on the measured signal strength; receiving second system information transmitted by the base station via the satellite, wherein the second system information indicates that the cell associated with the cell ID is being shut down; and in response, performing cell reselection based on the second system information.

[0099] Example 17 includes the subject matter of Example 16, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the first system information and the second system information include System Information Block 1 (SIB1).

[0100] Example 18 includes the subject matter of Example 17, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the second SIB1 includes an indication that the cell ID is prohibited.

[0101] Example 19 is a base station including a processor configured to perform operations including: identifying a first geographic area covered by a beam transmitted by a satellite, wherein the beam carries data transmitted by the base station; and redirecting the beam such that the beam covers a second geographic area within the home region when the first geographic area approaches the boundary of a designated home region.

[0102] Example 20 includes the subject matter of Example 19, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the processor is configured to perform operations including: determining not to redirect the beam to cover a geographic area within the designated home region; and, in response, transmitting system information via the satellite to the user equipment equipment during a waiting period, wherein the system information indicates that a cell associated with a cell ID is being shut down; transmitting an indication that the cell ID is shut down to the core network; and shutting down the beam when the waiting period expires.

[0103] Example 21 includes the subject matter of Example 20, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the system information includes System Information Block 1 (SIB1).

[0104] Example 22 includes the subject matter of Example 21, including or omitting optional elements, wherein SIB1 includes an indication that the cell ID is prohibited.

[0105] Example 23 is a method comprising: identifying a first geographic area covered by a beam transmitted by a satellite, wherein the beam carries data transmitted by a base station; and redirecting the beam such that, when the first geographic area approaches the boundary of a designated home region, the beam covers a second geographic area within the home region.

[0106] Example 24 includes the subject matter of Example 23, including or omitting optional elements, including the following operations: determining not to redirect the beam to cover a geographic area within the designated home region; and in response, during a waiting period, transmitting system information via the satellite to the user equipment equipment, wherein the system information indicates that a cell associated with a cell ID is being shut down; transmitting an indication that the cell ID is shut down to the core network; and shutting down the beam when the waiting period expires.

[0107] Example 25 includes the subject matter of Example 24, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the system information includes System Information Block 1 (SIB1).

[0108] Example 26 includes the subject matter of Example 25, including or omitting optional elements, wherein SIB1 includes an indication that the cell ID is prohibited.

[0109] Example 27 is a user equipment device including a processor configured to perform operations including: determining the geographic location of the user equipment device; determining a Public Land Management Network (PLMN) associated with the geographic location; identifying cell IDs of cells supporting the determined PLMN based on system information received via satellite; and performing cell selection based on the received system information.

[0110] Example 28 includes the subject matter of Example 27, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the processor is configured to access the storage medium of the user equipment device to determine the PLMN associated with the determined geographic location.

[0111] Example 29 includes the subject matter of Example 27, including or omitting optional elements, including storage media for storing international boundary locations and PLMNs associated with multiple geographic locations.

[0112] Example 30 includes the subject matter of Example 27, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the system information includes System Information Block 1 (SIB1).

[0113] Example 31 includes the subject matter of Example 30, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the SIB1 includes an information element indicating one or more PLMNs supported by the cell associated with the cell ID.

[0114] Example 32 is a method comprising: determining the geographic location of a user equipment device; determining a Public Land Management Network (PLMN) associated with the geographic location; identifying cell IDs of cells supporting the determined PLMN based on system information received via satellite; and performing cell selection based on the received system information.

[0115] Example 33 includes the subject matter of Example 32, including or omitting optional elements, including accessing the storage medium of the user equipment device to determine the PLMN associated with the determined geographic location.

[0116] Example 34 includes the subject matter of Example 32, including or omitting optional elements, including storage media for accessing the storage international boundary location of the user equipment and PLMNs associated with multiple geographic locations.

[0117] Example 35 includes the subject matter of Example 32, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the system information includes System Information Block 1 (SIB1).

[0118] Example 36 includes the subject matter of Example 35, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the SIB1 includes an information element indicating one or more PLMNs supported by the cell associated with the cell ID.

[0119] Example 37 is a base station including a processor configured to perform operations including: identifying a first geographic area covered by a beam carrying data transmitted by the base station; identifying a first PLMN associated with the first geographic area; transmitting system information to a user equipment via a satellite, wherein the system information indicates that a cell ID of a cell associated with the beam supports the first PLMN; and redirecting the beam such that the beam covers a second geographic area within the home region when the first geographic area approaches the boundary of a designated home region.

[0120] Example 38 includes the subject matter of Example 37, including or omitting optional elements, including a processor configured to perform operations including: determining a second PLMN associated with the current geographic area covered by the beam when the beam cannot be redirected to cover the geographic area within the designated home region and associated with the first PLMN; updating the system information to indicate that the cell ID is not associated with the first PLMN and that the cell ID is associated with the second PLMN; transmitting an indication of a new mapping of the cell ID to the second PLMN to the core network; and transmitting the updated system information to the user equipment via the satellite.

[0121] Example 39 includes the subject matter of Example 37 or 38, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the system information includes System Information Block 1 (SIB1).

[0122] Example 40 includes the subject matter of Example 39, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the SIB1 includes an information element indicating one or more PLMNs supported by the cell associated with the cell ID.

[0123] Example 41 is a method comprising: identifying a first geographic area covered by a beam carrying data transmitted by a base station; identifying a first PLMN associated with the first geographic area; transmitting system information to a user equipment via a satellite, wherein the system information indicates that a cell ID of a cell associated with the beam supports the first PLMN; and redirecting the beam such that the beam covers a second geographic area within the home region when the first geographic area approaches the boundary of a designated home region.

[0124] Example 42 includes the subject matter of Example 41, including or omitting optional elements, including a processor configured to perform operations including: determining a second PLMN associated with the current geographic area covered by the beam when the beam cannot be redirected to cover the geographic area within the designated home region and associated with the first PLMN; updating the system information to indicate that the cell ID is not associated with the first PLMN and that the cell ID is associated with the second PLMN; transmitting an indication of a new mapping of the cell ID to the second PLMN to the core network; and transmitting the updated system information to the user equipment via the satellite.

[0125] Example 43 includes the subject matter of Example 41 or 42, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the system information includes System Information Block 1 (SIB1).

[0126] Example 44 includes the subject matter of Example 43, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the SIB1 includes an information element indicating one or more PLMNs supported by the cell associated with the cell ID.

[0127] Example 45 is a user equipment device including a processor configured to perform operations including: determining the geographic location of the user equipment device; determining whether the determined geographic location falls within a home area; and performing cell selection based on the determination of whether the determined geographic location falls within the home area.

[0128] Example 46 includes the subject matter of Example 45, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the processor is configured to perform operations including: accessing a storage medium storing a set of boundaries for a home region to determine whether a determined geographic region falls within the home region.

[0129] Example 47 includes the subject matter of Example 45, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the processor is configured to perform operations including receiving broadcast messages from a base station via satellite for the boundary set of the home area.

[0130] Example 48 includes the subject matter of Example 47, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the broadcast message is received in SIB14.

[0131] Example 49 includes the subject matter of Example 46 or 47, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the boundary set includes polygon locations.

[0132] Example 50 is a method comprising: determining the geographic location of a user equipment device; determining whether the determined geographic location falls within a home area; and performing cell selection based on the determination regarding whether the determined geographic location falls within the home area.

[0133] Example 51 includes the subject matter of Example 50, including or omitting optional elements, including accessing a storage medium storing a set of boundaries for a home region to determine whether a determined geographic region falls within the home region.

[0134] Example 52 includes the subject matter of Example 50, including or omitting optional elements, including receiving broadcast messages from a base station via satellite for the boundary set of the home area.

[0135] Example 53 includes the subject matter of Example 52, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the broadcast message is received in SIB14.

[0136] Example 54 includes the subject matter of Example 51 or 52, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the boundary set includes polygon locations.

[0137] Example 55 is a baseband processor for a user equipment device, the baseband processor being configured to perform operations including: receiving via a satellite control information transmitted by a base station indicating that a beam associated with a cell ID has been redirected; in response, measuring the beam strength of the redirected beam; and performing cell reselection based on the measured beam strength.

[0138] Example 56 includes the subject matter of Example 55, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the control information includes Layer 1 downlink control information.

[0139] Example 57 is a baseband processor for a user equipment device, the baseband processor being configured to perform operations including: receiving first system information transmitted by a base station via a satellite, wherein the first system information identifies a cell ID provided by a beam; in response, measuring the signal strength of a signal transmitted by the cell associated with the cell ID; performing cell selection based on the measured signal strength; receiving second system information transmitted by the base station via the satellite, wherein the second system information indicates that the cell associated with the cell ID is being shut down; and in response, performing cell reselection based on the second system information.

[0140] Example 58 includes the subject matter of Example 57, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the first system information and the second system information include System Information Block 1 (SIB1).

[0141] Example 59 includes the subject matter of Example 58, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the second SIB1 includes an indication that the cell ID is prohibited.

[0142] Example 60 is a baseband processor for a user equipment device, the baseband processor being configured to perform operations including: determining the geographic location of the user equipment device; determining a Public Land Management Network (PLMN) associated with the geographic location; identifying cell IDs of cells supporting the determined PLMN based on system information received via satellite; and performing cell selection based on the received system information.

[0143] Example 61 includes the subject matter of Example 60, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the baseband processor is configured to access the storage medium of the user equipment device to determine the PLMN associated with the determined geographic location.

[0144] Example 62 includes the subject matter of Example 60, including or omitting optional elements, including a storage medium for storing international boundary locations and PLMNs associated with multiple geographic locations.

[0145] Example 63 includes the subject matter of Example 60, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the system information includes System Information Block 1 (SIB1).

[0146] Example 64 includes the subject matter of Example 63, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the SIB1 includes an information element indicating one or more PLMNs supported by the cell associated with the cell ID.

[0147] Example 65 is a baseband processor for a user equipment device, the baseband processor being configured to perform operations including: determining the geographic location of the user equipment device; determining whether the determined geographic location falls within a home area; and performing cell selection based on the determination of whether the determined geographic location falls within the home area.

[0148] Example 66 includes the subject matter of Example 65, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the baseband processor is configured to perform operations including: accessing a storage medium storing a set of boundaries for a home region to determine whether a determined geographic region falls within the home region.

[0149] Example 67 includes the subject matter of Example 65, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the baseband processor is configured to perform operations including receiving broadcast messages from a base station via a satellite, transmitting a set of boundaries for the home area.

[0150] Example 68 includes the subject matter of Example 67, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the broadcast message is received in SIB14.

[0151] Example 69 includes the subject matter of Example 66 or 67, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the boundary set includes polygon locations.

[0152] As is widely recognized, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are generally accepted to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

Claims

1. A base station, comprising a processor configured to perform operations including: Identify a first geographic area covered by a beam transmitted by a satellite, wherein the beam carries data transmitted by the base station; as well as When the first geographic region approaches the boundary of the designated home region The beam is redirected so that it covers a second geographic area within the designated home region; as well as Control information instructing the beam to be redirected is transmitted to user equipment via the satellite.

2. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the control information includes Layer 1 downlink control information.

3. The base station according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to perform operations including: Determine that the beam cannot be redirected to cover a geographic area within the designated home region; and In response Turn off the beam; Transmitting control information indicating that the beam has been turned off to the user equipment via the satellite; and Transmit an indication that the beam is off to the core network.

4. The base station according to claim 3, wherein the control information includes Layer 1 downlink control information.

5. A method for communication, comprising: Identify a first geographic area covered by a beam transmitted by a satellite, wherein the beam carries data transmitted by a base station; as well as When the first geographic region approaches the boundary of the designated home region The beam is redirected so that it covers a second geographic area within the designated home region; as well as Control information instructing the beam to be redirected is transmitted to user equipment via the satellite.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the control information includes Layer 1 downlink control information.

7. The method according to claim 5, comprising: Determine that the beam cannot be redirected to cover a geographic area within the designated home region; as well as In response Turn off the beam; The satellite transmits control information indicating that the beam has been turned off to the user equipment. as well as Transmit an indication that the beam is off to the core network.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the control information includes Layer 1 downlink control information.

9. A base station, including a processor configured to perform operations including: Identify a first geographic area covered by a beam transmitted by a satellite, wherein the beam carries data transmitted by the base station; and When the first geographic region approaches the boundary of the designated home region, the beam is redirected so that the beam covers the second geographic region within the home region.

10. The base station of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to perform operations including: Determine not to redirect the beam to cover a geographic area within the designated home region; and In response, during the waiting period, System information is transmitted to user equipment via the satellite, wherein the system information indicates that the cell associated with the cell ID is being shut down; Transmit an indication to the core network that the cell ID is turned off; and When the waiting time expires, the beam is turned off.

11. The base station according to claim 10, wherein the system information includes system information block 1 SIB1.

12. The base station of claim 11, wherein the SIB1 includes an indication that the cell ID is prohibited.

13. A method for communication, comprising: Identify a first geographic area covered by a beam transmitted by a satellite, wherein the beam carries data transmitted by a base station; as well as When the first geographic region approaches the boundary of the designated home region, the beam is redirected so that the beam covers the second geographic region within the home region.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising: Determine not to redirect the beam to cover a geographic area within the designated home region; as well as In response, during the waiting period, System information is transmitted to user equipment via the satellite, wherein the system information indicates that the cell associated with the cell ID is being shut down; Transmit an indication to the core network that the cell ID is turned off; and When the waiting time expires, the beam is turned off.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the system information includes system information block 1 SIB1.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the SIB1 includes an indication that the cell ID is prohibited.

17. A base station, including a processor, the processor being configured to perform operations including: Identify a first geographical area covered by a beam carrying data transmitted by the base station; Identify the first PLMN associated with the first geographic region; System information is transmitted to user equipment via satellite, wherein the system information indicates that the cell ID of the cell associated with the beam supports the first PLMN; as well as When the first geographic region approaches the boundary of the designated home region, the beam is redirected so that the beam covers the second geographic region within the home region.

18. The base station of claim 17, further comprising a processor configured to perform operations including: When the beam cannot be redirected to cover the geographic area within the designated home region and associated with the first PLMN, Determine a second PLMN associated with the current geographic area covered by the beam; The system information is updated to indicate that the cell ID is not associated with the first PLMN and that the cell ID is associated with the second PLMN; The indication of the new mapping from the cell ID to the second PLMN is transmitted to the core network; as well as The updated system information is transmitted to the user equipment via the satellite.

19. The base station according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the system information includes system information block 1 SIB1.

20. The base station of claim 19, wherein the SIB1 includes an information element indicating one or more PLMNs supported by the cell associated with the cell ID.

21. A method for communication, comprising: Identify the first geographical area covered by the beam carrying data transmitted by the base station; Identify the first PLMN associated with the first geographic region; System information is transmitted to user equipment via satellite, wherein the system information indicates that the cell ID of the cell associated with the beam supports the first PLMN; as well as When the first geographic region approaches the boundary of the designated home region, the beam is redirected so that the beam covers the second geographic region within the home region.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising a processor configured to perform operations including: When the beam cannot be redirected to cover the geographic area within the designated home region and associated with the first PLMN, Determine a second PLMN associated with the current geographic area covered by the beam; The system information is updated to indicate that the cell ID is not associated with the first PLMN and that the cell ID is associated with the second PLMN; The indication of the new mapping from the cell ID to the second PLMN is transmitted to the core network; as well as The updated system information is transmitted to the user equipment via the satellite.

23. The method according to claim 21 or 22, wherein the system information includes system information block 1 SIB1.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the SIB1 includes an information element indicating one or more PLMNs supported by the cell associated with the cell ID.

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