Systems and methods for radio access network based user equipment location verification

Abstract

Systems and methods for a radio access network (RAN)-based user equipment (UE) location verification mechanism are discussed herein. These systems and methods may be used to validate a UE report indicating that the UE is located in a geographic area served by a non-terrestrial network (NTN) cell having a given set of application regulations, charging schemes, content access rules, etc. (e.g., possibly different from another geographic area covered by the same NTN cell). In an embodiment, the base station may determine that the UE is not located in a reported geographic area based on failing to receive a response to a radio resource control (RRC) configuration message, a scheduling information message, and / or paging on a beam of the NTN cell associated with the reported geographic area, and / or determining that a preferred beam indicated by a measurement report from the UE does not correspond to a beam of a geographic area for the report.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application generally relates to wireless communication systems, including wireless communication systems implementing non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication mechanisms. Background Art

[0002] Wireless mobile communication technologies use various standards and protocols to send data between base stations and wireless communication devices. For example, wireless communication system standards and protocols may include the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G), 3GPP New Radio (NR) (e.g., 5G), and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard for wireless local area networks (WLANs) (commonly referred to within industry organizations as WLANs). ).

[0003] As envisioned by 3GPP, different wireless communication system standards and protocols may use various radio access networks (RANs) to communicate between base stations of the RAN (which may also sometimes be referred to as RAN nodes, network nodes, or simply nodes) and wireless communication devices referred to as user equipment (UE). 3GPP RANs may include, for example, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), and / or Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN).

[0004] Each RAN may use one or more radio access technologies (RATs) to perform communications between base stations and UEs. For example, GERAN implements GSM and / or EDGE RAT, UTRAN implements Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) RAT or other 3GPP RAT, E-UTRAN implements LTE RAT (sometimes referred to as LTE), and NG-RAN implements NR RAT (sometimes referred to herein as 5G RAT, 5G NR RAT, or NR). In some deployments, E-UTRAN may also implement NR RAT. In some deployments, NG-RAN may also implement LTE RAT.

[0005] The base stations used by the RAN may correspond to the RAN. An example of an E-UTRAN base station is an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly denoted as an evolved Node B, enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB). An example of an NG-RAN base station is a Next Generation Node B (sometimes also referred to as a gNodeB or gNB).

[0006] The RAN provides communication services together with external entities through its connection with the Core Network (CN). For example, E-UTRAN may utilize the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and NG-RAN may utilize the 5G Core Network (5GC).

[0007] The frequency bands of 5G NR can be divided into two or more different frequency ranges. For example, frequency range 1 (FR1) may include frequency bands operating at frequencies below 6 gigahertz (GHz), some of which are available for use by previous standards and can potentially be expanded to cover new spectrum products from 410 megahertz (MHz) to 7125MHz. Frequency range 2 (FR2) may include frequency bands from 24.25GHz to 52.6GHz. It should be noted that in some systems, FR2 may also include frequency bands from 52.6GHz to 71GHz (or higher). The frequency bands in the millimeter wave (mmWave) range of FR2 may have smaller coverage than the frequency bands in FR1 but potentially higher available bandwidth. Technicians will recognize that these frequency ranges provided by way of example may vary over time or region. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or action, the most significant digit(s) in a reference number refers to the drawing number that first introduces the element.

[0009] Figure 1 An NTN architecture of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment is illustrated.

[0010] Figure 2 A diagram illustrating an NTN architecture according to an embodiment is illustrated.

[0011] Figure 3 A diagram illustrating an NTN architecture according to an embodiment is illustrated.

[0012] Figure 4 A diagram illustrating an NTN architecture according to an embodiment is illustrated.

[0013] Figure 5 A flow chart illustrating a RAN-based UE location verification framework according to embodiments herein is illustrated.

[0014] Fig. 6A A flow chart showing an example use of a RAN-based UE location verification mechanism according to an embodiment is illustrated.

[0015] Figure 6B A diagram corresponding to an example use of a RAN-based UE location verification mechanism according to an embodiment is illustrated.

[0016] Figure 7 A method of a base station according to an embodiment is illustrated.

[0017] Figure 8 A flow chart showing an example use of a RAN-based UE location verification mechanism according to an embodiment is illustrated.

[0018] Fig. 9 A flow chart showing an example use of a RAN-based UE location verification mechanism according to an embodiment is illustrated.

[0019] Fig.10 A method of a base station according to an embodiment is illustrated.

[0020] Fig.11 A method of a UE according to an implementation scheme is illustrated.

[0021] Fig.12 A flow chart showing an example use of a RAN-based UE location verification mechanism according to an embodiment is illustrated.

[0022] Fig.13 A method of a base station according to an embodiment is illustrated.

[0023] Fig.14 An example architecture of a wireless communication system according to embodiments disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0024] Fig.15 A system for performing signaling between a wireless device and a RAN device connected to a CN of a core network device according to an embodiment herein is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Various embodiments are described with respect to UE. However, reference to UE is provided for illustrative purposes only. The example embodiments may be used with any electronic component that can establish a connection with a network and is configured with hardware, software, and / or firmware for exchanging information and data with the network. Therefore, UE as described herein is used to represent any suitable electronic component.

[0026] A non-terrestrial network (NTN) refers to a network (or network segment) that uses airborne and / or spaceborne vehicles to perform communications.

[0027] Figure 1 The NTN architecture 100 of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment is illustrated. The NTN architecture 100 includes a core network (CN) 102, a base station 104, a vehicle 106 with a payload 118, and a UE 108. The base station 104 and the payload 118 of the vehicle 106 may be included in the RAN 110.

[0028] In some embodiments, RAN 110 includes NG-RAN, CN 102 includes 5GC, and base station 104 includes gNB or next generation eNB (ng-eNB). In such a case, the CN link 112 connecting CN 102 and base station 104 may include an NG interface.

[0029] In the NTN architecture 100, the payload 118 of the vehicle 106 is a network node of the RAN 110. The payload 118 may be equipped with one or more antennas capable of operating (e.g., broadcasting, facilitating its communications, etc.) a cell 120 of the RAN 110 as directed / configured by the base station 104. The base station 104 communicates with the payload 118 of the vehicle 106 via a feeder link 114 (e.g., via a non-terrestrial gateway (not shown)). The UE 108 may be equipped with one or more antennas (e.g., a mobile parabolic antenna, an omnidirectional phased array antenna, etc.) capable of communicating with the payload 118 via a Uu interface on the cell 120 of the RAN via a service link 116. In this document, a cell (such as the cell 120) provided by a payload of an NTN vehicle may be referred to as an "NTN cell". It should also be noted that the payload of the NTN may sometimes be referred to as an "NTN payload" in this document.

[0030] The NTN architecture 100 illustrates a "bent pipe" or "transparent" satellite-based architecture. In such a system, a payload 118 transparently forwards data between a base station 104 and a UE 108 using a feeder link 114 between the base station 104 and the payload 118 and a service link 116 between the payload 118 and the UE 108. The payload 118 may perform radio frequency (RF) conversion and / or amplification in both the uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) to enable this communication.

[0031] exist Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the base station 104 is illustrated as not having the (expression) capability of directly communicating with the UE on the ground. However, it is contemplated that in an embodiment, such a base station that communicates with the payload 118 using a non-ground gateway may (also) have this functionality (either with the UE 108 or with another (not illustrated) UE).

[0032] The NTN architecture 100 illustrates the vehicle 106 as a satellite onboard. In such a case, the vehicle 106 may be a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (MEO) satellite, a geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellite, or a high earth orbit (HEO) satellite. It is also noted that vehicles other than satellites may be used in the NTN network. For example, the vehicle 106 may alternatively be a high altitude platform station (HAPS) such as, for example, a spacecraft or an airplane.

[0033] In some cases, NTN networks may be useful in addressing mobile broadband needs and / or public safety needs in areas not served / underserved by ground-based network elements. Some such example cases include maritime applications, aircraft connectivity applications, railway applications, etc.

[0034] In some cases, the NTN network may, for example, support / use LEO and GEO, and also implicitly have compatibility for supporting HAPS and air-to-ground (ATG) scenarios. In addition, the NTN network may focus on the frequency division duplex (FDD) mechanism, wherein the time division duplex (TDD) mechanism is applied to relevant scenarios, such as for HAPS, ATG, etc.

[0035] Some NTN networks may use geo-fixed tracking areas for predefined areas, which do not change with any movement of the NTN's payload.

[0036] The UE may also have the ability to determine its own location (eg, via a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) such as a Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo GNSS, etc.) and communicate that location information to a base station (eg, via a payload).

[0037] UEs that may be used in the NTN network may include, but are not limited to, handheld devices (eg, power class 3 devices) operating in FR1 and / or very small aperture terminal (VSAT) devices with external antennas in at least FR2.

[0038] Figure 2 A diagram 200 of an NTN architecture according to an embodiment is illustrated. NTN cells 202 (and / or beams used within cells) may cover a large area (e.g., due to the height of payload 204 on vehicle 206) relative to the cell area / cell beams of cells broadcast by ground-based equipment. For example, as illustrated, NTN cells 202 cover multiple different geographic regions (including at least country #1 212, country #2 214, and country #3 216).

[0039] The NTN may be able to broadcast multiple public land mobile networks (PLMNs) in a single cell, with one or more PLMNs corresponding to separate geographic areas within the cell. These PLMNs may be operated by separate CNs corresponding to each of the geographic areas. Note that the examples herein may use different countries as geographic areas corresponding to specific PLMN / CNs. While this may reflect some real-world applications, it should be understood that other geographic areas (including, for example, geographic areas not necessarily marked along political boundaries) may exist within the NTN cell and be processed as described herein.

[0040] exist Figure 2 In the diagram 200 of FIG. 2 , the PLMN correspondence is illustrated by shading. Therefore, with reference to the diagram 200, it can be understood that the first PLMN is operated by the first CN 218 for country #1 212 via the base station 208 by using the feeder link 210, the second PLMN is operated by the second CN 220 for country #2 214 via the base station 208 by using the feeder link 210, and the third PLMN is operated by the third CN 222 for country #3 216 via the base station 208 by using the feeder link 210.

[0041] Multiple tracking area codes (TACs) per PLMN (e.g., up to 12) may be used in a single NTN cell, such as NTN cell 202. A UE communicating within a wireless communication system (e.g., according to the NTN architecture of diagram 200) may not be expected to perform a registration procedure if one of the currently broadcasted TACs belongs to the UE's current registration area.

[0042] Figure 3 Diagram 300 illustrates an NTN architecture according to an embodiment. Diagram 300 may include elements of diagram 200 as indicated, as described herein, with elements of flowchart 300 that remain similar to similar elements of diagram 200 again numbered as in diagram 200.

[0043] Furthermore, diagram 300 illustrates UE 302 located in country #1 212 and communicating with base station 208 via signaling with payload 204 of vehicle 206 over serving link 304, as illustrated.

[0044] UE 302 may provide a location report to base station 208 via payload 204. For example, the UE may determine its own location according to a GNSS coordinate system to within an accuracy of, for example, approximately two kilometers (km), and report that value to base station 208. This may be an example of a "coarse location report" as used herein.

[0045] Based on the location report, the base station 208 may perform access and mobility management function (AMF) selection (e.g., an AMF of one of the first CN 218, the second CN 220, and the third CN 222 may be selected to control access and / or mobility of the UE 302). In the case where the base station has been configured to ensure that the selected AMF serves the country in which the UE is located, the base station will select the AMF of the CN that operates the PLMN for the country in which the UE is located. In the case of diagram 300, this means that the base station 208 will select the AMF of the first CN 218 because the UE's location report identifies the UE as being located in country #1 212, and the access and / or mobility of the UE 302 will be managed by the AMF of the first CN 218 accordingly.

[0046] The base station may use the reported location of the UE to select an AMF in such a manner as to comply with regulatory requirements (e.g., to ensure that the UE's access is accurate, private, reliable, and has acceptable latency). Examples of regulatory features that may be important to ensure that the UE is connected to the CN (e.g., the CN's AMF) corresponding to its current location (in order to comply with regulation) include, but are not limited to, situations where the UE makes an emergency call, situations where lawful interception of communications occurs in accordance with applicable laws in the geographic area in which the UE is located, situations where public warnings are issued to UEs in the geographic area in which the UE is located, enforcement of data retention policies based on cross-border situations, and / or accurate charging and billing based on the geographic area in which the UE is located. Therefore, it is beneficial to develop systems and methods that enable wireless communication systems to locate UEs in a reliable manner so that corresponding policies applicable to their operations based on the location and / or context of the UE can be accurately determined.

[0047] To meet this regulatory requirement, the NTN network may implement a correspondence between operation under a particular PLMN and the current location of the UE in the geographic area corresponding to that PLMN. In at least some cases, this may be achieved by having the network verify the location reported by the UE during mobility management and session management procedures.

[0048] Such verification is useful because there may be situations where the position reported by the UE (as nominally determined at the UE using, e.g., GNSS, and then reported to the base station, as described) may be erroneous. For example, a user of the UE or a third party may maliciously configure the UE to report an incorrect position (for the purpose of, e.g., being incorrectly assigned within the wireless communication system to a geographic region that, e.g., is licensed for certain content that is not licensed in the actual geographic region of the UE, has cheaper charges and billing than charges and billing associated with the actual geographic region of the UE, etc.). As another example, interference may cause the position reported by the UE to be incorrect (e.g., when GNSS signals are highly interfering, the UE may incorrectly determine its position).

[0049] Thus, the systems and methods disclosed herein relate to a manner in which the RAN may independently perform validation on a location report provided by a UE to the network in order to ensure that the UE is associated with the correct CN-related features / functionality (e.g., corresponding to the correct PLMN corresponding to the actual location of the UE), such as the AMF of the CN that controls the access functions of the UE. The systems and methods disclosed herein are operable to perform this functionality in a manner that overcomes inherent difficulties arising from the relatively large size of a single NTN cell and the corresponding possibility of having multiple differently treated geographic locations therein.

[0050] Figure 4Diagram 400 of an NTN architecture according to an embodiment is illustrated. Diagram 400 may include elements of diagram 200 as indicated, as described herein, wherein elements of flowchart 400 that remain similar to similar elements of diagram 200 are again numbered as in diagram 200. Diagram 400 illustrates an example of a scenario involving UE 402 that may occur when a location reported by UE 402 is not verified using a RAN-based UE location verification mechanism.

[0051] As can be seen, UE 402 is currently located in country #1 212. UE 402 may transmit a location report to base station 208 via payload 204 that inaccurately indicates that the reported location of the UE is in country #2 214. In response, base station 208 selects second CN 220 and / or an AMF in second CN 220 corresponding to country #2 214 to provide service to UE 402. This allows, among other things, UE 402 to obtain information for country #2 214 (e.g., public warning system (PWS) information for country #2 214, licensed media content for country #2 214, etc.) via the NTN connection to operate outside of any national regulations and / or other operating restrictions that should apply to the use of UE 402 in country #1 212 in accordance with charging policies of country #2 214, etc.

[0052] The base station may be pre-configured with a mapping between a geographical area (e.g., a country) as identified in the wireless communication system and a corresponding real geographical area within the NTN cell. The base station then identifies the geographical area (e.g., a country) in which the UE is present within the NTN cell based on a location report (e.g., a coarse location report) from the UE in the manner already described.

[0053] A RAN-based UE location verification framework may then be established that enables the network to verify the UE reported location. In some such cases, the RAN-based UE location verification framework may be enabled by the base station itself.

[0054] In some such cases, the RAN-based UE location verification framework may be enabled / triggered by the CN (e.g., AMF in the CN). For example, the AMF of the CN may transmit a message (e.g., Location Reporting Control message) to the base station indicating that RAN-based UE location verification is to be performed. In some cases, the indication may be performed via the presence and / or value of a VerificationRequest information element (IE) present in the message from the AMF to the base station.

[0055] In some such cases, the RAN-based location verification framework may be enabled by, for example, operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM) operations and / or procedures of an operator of the applicable base station.

[0056] The conditions for enabling RAN-based UE location verification may be based on event triggers, or may be pre-configured. In some cases, RAN-based UE location verification may be enabled only for some types of UEs, while in other cases, RAN-based UE location verification may be enabled for all UEs.

[0057] In the event that the base station identifies that the location reported by the UE is unreliable, the base station may report this information to the CN (e.g., to the AMF of the CN). In some cases, this indication may be performed via the presence and / or value of the VerificationFailureIndIE or Cause IE in a message (e.g., a Location Reporting Failure Indication message) from the base station to the AMF of the CN.

[0058] The base station and / or CN may then record the UE in a blacklist (eg, based on UE equipment or based on UE user) and autonomously trigger RAN-based UE location verification for the UE / user for the next N accesses of the UE / user.

[0059] In some embodiments, if the base station can obtain accurate UE location information at a certain granularity (e.g., to the level of a country associated with a particular PLMN / CN), the base station may choose to simply ignore the UE's location report and / or disable location reporting at the UE.

[0060] Figure 5 A flowchart 500 is illustrated of a RAN-based UE location verification framework according to embodiments herein. Flowchart 500 shows communications and operations between UE 502, base station 504, CN 506, and OAM operations 508.

[0061] The OAM operations 508 provide 510 to the base station 504 a mapping between the country in which the wireless communication system operates and the actual geographic area within the NTN cell.

[0062] Then, OAM operations 508 (eg, performed by an operator of the base station) instruct 512a, the CN 506 instructs 512b the base station 504, or the base station 504 autonomously determines 512c to enable RAN-based UE location verification functionality.

[0063] UE 502 provides a UE location report (eg, a UE coarse location report as illustrated) to base station 504 (eg, via an NTN payload of a serving cell operating the base station) that reports the UE's location to base station 504 .

[0064] The base station 504 then performs 516 a location verification on the UE based on the UE reported location received in the UE location report. Specific methods of how this can be performed will be discussed elsewhere herein.

[0065] In some embodiments, in the event that the base station 504 determines that the reported location of the UE is unreliable based on the location verification, the base station 504 notifies 518 the CN 506 that the reported location of the UE is unreliable.

[0066] Fig. 6A Illustrated is a flow chart 600 showing an example use of a RAN-based UE location verification mechanism according to an embodiment. Figure 6B Illustrated is a diagram 626 corresponding to an example use of a RAN based UE location verification mechanism, according to an embodiment. Figure 6B The diagram 626 corresponds to Fig. 6A 600 , and thus flowchart 600 and diagram 626 will be discussed together.

[0067] Flowchart 600 illustrates signaling and operations between UE 602 and operations of base station 604. As indicated at 606, UE 602 is physically present in country #1 630 within NTN cell 628.

[0068] In addition, as indicated at 608, there may be a correspondence known to the base station 604 between the countries / geographic regions served by the NTN cell and the specific beams used by the NTN payload to communicate with UEs in those countries / geographic regions. For example, as illustrated, the NTN payload may use a first beam ("beam #1") to perform communications with UEs in country #1 630, and use a second beam ("beam #2") to perform communications with UEs in country #2 632. In such a case, each individual beam may be formed / steered / shaped (e.g., by the NTN payload) such that it is well suited for communications with the physical geographic region of the country to which it corresponds, and such that it is not suitable for communications with other countries within the cell (or at all).

[0069] As illustrated, RAN-based UE location verification is enabled 610 at base station 604. This may be due to an autonomous decision of base station 604. Alternatively, it may be in response to an instruction from the CN to base station 604. Alternatively, it may be in response to an instruction at base station 604 as a result of an OAM operation performed by an operator of base station 604.

[0070] The UE provides 612 a UE location report (e.g., a coarse UE location report as illustrated) to the base station 604 (e.g., via communication with the NTN payload 634 of the base station 604 on the vehicle 636) reporting the UE location to the base station 604. As illustrated, the UE location report indicates that the UE is currently in country #2 632.

[0071] Based on the location reported by the UE within country #2 632, the UE determines that beam #2 (corresponding to country #2 632) is an appropriate beam for further communication with the UE. Accordingly, the base station adjusts 614 the configuration and / or scheduling of the UE by transmitting an appropriate message on beam #2. For example, in a first option, the base station 604 transmits 616 a radio resource control (RRC) message (e.g., an RRCReconfiguration message) to the UE 602 on beam #2. In a second option, the base station 604 transmits 618 a scheduling information message (e.g., a UE-specific scheduling message) to the UE 602 on beam #2.

[0072] However, because UE 602 is not actually present in country #2 632 corresponding to beam #2, the communication will fail (either because it was never received at UE 602 or because the UE's location in country #1 630 means that any response transmitted by the UE is not receivable at payload 634 corresponding to the use of beam #2 at payload 634). Thus, flow diagram 600 illustrates that after time window 620, base station 604 determines 622 that it has not received an appropriate response to the previous messaging.

[0073] Based on the failure to receive expected response messaging from UE 602, the base station may assume that UE 602 is not actually in the geographic area corresponding to reported Country #2 632. Therefore, base station 604 determines 624 that the location of UE 602 reported by UE 602 is not verified.

[0074] The base station 604 may then proceed to restrict the operation of the UE 602 utilizing network services for Country #2 632 based on a determination that the UE 602 is not located in Country #2 632 as indicated by the reported location. For example, the UE 602 may not be allowed to perform some types / any user plane communications on the network that would require and / or otherwise be based on the understanding that the UE is in Country #2 632 unless and until the UE 602 later reports a verifiable location in Country #2 632. The restriction may include rejecting an attempted connection of the UE 602 to the CN / AMF of Country #2 632.

[0075] Back to Figure 5500 , it can be understood that operation 612 of flowchart 600 corresponds to operation 514 of flowchart 500 , and operations 614 to 624 of flowchart 600 correspond to operation 516 of flowchart 500 .

[0076] In some embodiments, as discussed with respect to operation 518 in flowchart 500, base station 604 may further proceed to indicate to the CN that UE 602 is not located in the country / geographic region indicated by the UE's location report.

[0077] In some embodiments, the base station 604 may record itself that the UE is not located in the country / geographic region indicated by the UE's location report.

[0078] Figure 7 A method 700 of a base station according to an embodiment is illustrated. The method 700 comprises receiving 702 a reported location from a UE via an NTN payload of a serving cell of an operating base station, the reported location indicating that the UE is located in a geographic area of ​​the serving cell corresponding to a beam used by the NTN payload.

[0079] Method 700 also includes: performing 704 verification of the reported location by: transmitting an RRC configuration message and a scheduling information message to the UE via an NTN payload on a beam; and determining that the UE is not located in a geographic area as indicated by the reported location based on a failure to receive a response to one of the RRC configuration message and the scheduling information message from the UE.

[0080] The method 700 also includes limiting 706 the operation of the UE to utilize network services for the geographic area based on determining that the UE is not located in the geographic area.

[0081] In some embodiments, method 700 further includes indicating to the CN that the UE is not located in the geographic area.

[0082] In some embodiments, method 700 further includes recording, at the base station, that the UE is not located in the geographic area.

[0083] In some embodiments, method 700 further comprises: receiving instructions for performing verification of the reported location. In some such embodiments, the instructions are received from the CN. In some such embodiments, the instructions are received as part of an OAM procedure performed by an operator of the base station.

[0084] In some embodiments of method 700, verification of the reported location is performed in response to detecting a triggering event.

[0085] In some implementations of method 700, validation of the reported location is performed in response to determining that the UE is of a type that is to perform validation on the reported location.

[0086] Figure 8 Illustrated is a flow chart 800 showing an example use of a RAN-based UE location verification mechanism according to an embodiment. Flow chart 800 illustrates signaling between operations of a UE 802 and a base station 804. As illustrated at 806, the UE is actually physically present in a first country ("Country #1").

[0087] In addition, as indicated at 808, there may be a correspondence known to the base station 804 between the countries / geographic regions served by the NTN cell and the specific beams used by the NTN payload to communicate with UEs in those countries / geographic regions. For example, as illustrated, the NTN payload may use a first beam ("beam #1") to perform communications with UEs in country #1, and use a second beam ("beam #2") to perform communications with UEs in a second country ("country #2"). In such a case, each individual beam may be formed / steered / shaped (e.g., by the NTN payload) such that it is well suited for communications with the physical geographic region of the country to which it corresponds, and such that it is not suitable for communications with other countries within the cell (or at all).

[0088] As illustrated, RAN-based UE location verification is enabled 810 at base station 804. This may be due to an autonomous decision of base station 804. Alternatively, it may be in response to an instruction from the CN to base station 804. Alternatively, it may be in response to an instruction at base station 804 as a result of an OAM operation performed by an operator of base station 804.

[0089] The UE provides 812 a UE location report (eg, a coarse UE location report as illustrated) reporting the UE location to base station 804 (eg, via communication of an NTN payload with base station 804). As illustrated, the UE location report indicates that the UE is currently in country #2.

[0090] The UE also provides 814 a measurement report (e.g., a layer 1 (L1) channel state information (CSI) report and / or a layer 3 (L3) beam measurement report, as illustrated) to the base station 804, which indicates that the preferred beam for the UE's NTN payload is beam #1. For example, the L3 beam measurement report may indicate a strong measurement result of the DL Rx beam at the UE, which the base station 804 interprets as corresponding to beam #1 rather than beam #2. As another example, the L1 CSI report may report that the channel corresponding to beam #1 is better than the channel corresponding to beam #2.

[0091] In response, the base station 804 determines 816 that the country corresponding to the UE location report and the preferred beam on the NTN payload of the UE (e.g., as indicated by / derived from the received measurement report) do not match. In other words, the base station 804 determines that the preferred beam on the NTN payload does not correspond to the country / geographic area corresponding to the UE location reported by the UE.

[0092] Based on the presence of this mismatch, base station 804 may assume that UE 802 is not in the actual geographic area corresponding to reported country # 2. Therefore, base station 804 determines 818 that the location of UE 802 reported by UE 802 is not verified.

[0093] The base station 804 may then proceed to restrict the operation of the UE 802 utilizing network services for Country #2 based on a determination that the UE 802 is not located in Country #2 as indicated by the reported location. For example, the UE 802 may not be allowed to perform some types of / any user plane communications on the network that would require and / or otherwise be based on the understanding that the UE is in Country #2 unless and until the UE 802 later reports a verifiable location in Country #2. The restriction may include rejecting an attempted connection of the UE 802 to the CN / AMF of Country #2.

[0094] Back to Figure 5 500 , it can be understood that operation 812 of flowchart 800 corresponds to operation 514 of flowchart 500 , and operations 814 to 818 of flowchart 800 correspond to operation 516 of flowchart 500 .

[0095] In some embodiments, as discussed with respect to operation 518 in flowchart 500, base station 804 may further proceed to indicate to the CN that UE 802 is not located in the country / geographic region indicated by the UE's location report.

[0096] In some embodiments, the base station 804 may record itself that the UE is not located in the country / geographic region indicated by the UE's location report.

[0097] Fig. 9 Illustrated is a flowchart 900 showing an example use of a RAN based UE location verification mechanism according to an embodiment. Flowchart 900 represents an adapted version of flowchart 800, wherein elements of flowchart 900 that remain similar to similar elements of flowchart 800 are again numbered as in flowchart 800.

[0098] Unlike flowchart 800, in flowchart 900, before receiving the UE location report, base station 804 transmits 902 a location report request (e.g., an enhanced UE coarse location request, as illustrated) to the UE. The location report request may indicate that the reported location and measurement report of the UE are to be jointly provided to base station 804. In response to the location report request, UE 802 jointly transmits 904 a UE location report (e.g., a UE coarse location report) and a measurement report (e.g., including one or more of an L1 CSI report and / or an L3 beam measurement report, as illustrated) reporting the UE location to base station 804. Figure 8 Both of which are described by flowchart 800.

[0099] The base station 804 may then use the reported location and measurement reports of the UE to determine the Figure 8 The described approach determines whether there is a mismatch between the beam used for the reported location of the UE and the preferred beam corresponding to the information found in the measurement report.

[0100] Fig.10 A method 1000 of a base station according to an embodiment is illustrated. The method 1000 comprises: receiving 1002 a reported location from a UE via an NTN payload of a serving cell of an operating base station, the reported location indicating that the UE is located in a geographical area of ​​the serving cell.

[0101] Method 1000 also includes: performing 1004 verification of the reported location by: receiving a measurement report from the UE via the NTN payload indicating a preferred beam of the NTN payload for the UE, wherein the preferred beam does not correspond to a geographic area; and determining that the UE is not located in the geographic area based on determining that the preferred beam does not correspond to the geographic area.

[0102] The method 1000 also includes limiting 1006 the operation of the UE utilizing network services for the geographic area based on determining that the UE is not located in the geographic area as indicated by the reported location.

[0103] In some embodiments, method 1000 also includes: transmitting a location reporting request to the UE via the NTN payload indicating that the reported location and beam report are jointly transmitted by the UE, and wherein the reported location and beam report are jointly received at the base station in response to the location reporting request.

[0104] In some embodiments, method 1000 further includes indicating to the CN that the UE is not located in the geographic area.

[0105] In some embodiments, method 1000 further includes recording, at the base station, that the UE is not located in the geographic area.

[0106] In some embodiments, method 1000 further comprises: receiving instructions for performing verification of the reported location. In some such embodiments, the instructions are received from the CN. In some such embodiments, the instructions are received as part of an OAM procedure performed by an operator of the base station.

[0107] In some embodiments of method 1000, verification of the reported location is performed in response to detecting a triggering event.

[0108] In some implementations of method 1000, validation of the reported location is performed in response to determining that the UE is of a type that is to perform validation on the reported location.

[0109] Fig.11 A method 1100 of a UE according to an embodiment is illustrated. The method 1100 comprises receiving 1102 from a base station via an NTN payload a location reporting request indicating that a reported location of the UE and a measurement report are jointly transmitted by the UE.

[0110] The method 1100 also includes determining 1104 that the current location of the UE is the reported location of the UE.

[0111] The method 1100 also includes generating 1106 a measurement report using one or more reference signals transmitted to the UE via the NTN payload.

[0112] The method 1100 further includes jointly transmitting 1108 the reported location and the measurement report of the UE to the base station in response to the location reporting request.

[0113] Fig.12 Illustrated is a flow chart 1200 showing an example use of a RAN-based UE location verification mechanism according to an embodiment. Flow chart 1200 illustrates signaling between operations of a UE 1202 and a base station 1204. As illustrated at 1206, the UE is actually physically present in a first country ("Country #1").

[0114] In addition, as indicated at 1208, there is a correspondence known to the base station 1204 between the countries / geographic regions served by the NTN cell and the specific beams used by the NTN payload to communicate with UEs in those countries / geographic regions. For example, as illustrated, the NTN payload may use a first beam ("Beam #1") to perform communications with UEs in Country #1, and use a second beam ("Beam #2") to perform communications with UEs in a second country ("Country #2"). In such a case, each individual beam may be formed / steered / shaped (e.g., by the NTN payload) such that it is well suited for communications with the physical geographic region of the country to which it corresponds, and such that it is not suitable (or at all) for communications with other national regions within the cell.

[0115] As illustrated, RAN-based UE location verification is enabled 1210 at base station 1204. This may be due to an autonomous decision of base station 1204. Alternatively, it may be in response to an instruction from the CN to base station 1204. Alternatively, it may be in response to an instruction at base station 1204 as a result of an OAM operation performed by an operator of base station 1204.

[0116] The UE provides 1212 a UE location report (eg, a coarse UE location report as illustrated) reporting the UE location to base station 1204 (eg, via communication of an NTN payload with base station 1204). As illustrated, the UE location report indicates that the UE is currently in country #2.

[0117] The base station 1204 then (optionally) provides 1214 an RRC release message (e.g., via an RRCRelease message with a suspendconfig parameter as illustrated) to the UE 1202. In response, if the UE 1202 is in an RRC connected mode with the base station 1204, the UE transitions 1216 out of the RRC connected mode and enters an RRC inactive or RRC idle mode.

[0118] The base station 1204 then transmits a page 1218 to the UE 1202 (where the page 1218 optionally includes multiple individual pages occurring during the time window 1220, as illustrated). Based on the location reported by the UE within country #2, the base station 1204 determines that beam #2 (corresponding to country #2) is the appropriate beam for communicating with the UE. Therefore, as illustrated, the base station 1204 performs the page 1218 on beam #2. It is contemplated that in embodiments where the base station 1204 does not provide 1214 the RRC release message discussed previously, the page will be understood to be directed to the UE 1202, while the UE 1202 may be in RRC connected mode with the base station 1204.

[0119] Because UE 1202 is not actually present in country #2 corresponding to beam #2, a response to paging 1218 (e.g., response messaging attempting to trigger and / or confirm RRC connected mode of UE 1202 with base station 1204) will not be received at base station 1204 (either because paging 1218 was never received at UE 1202, or because the UE's location in country #2 means that any response transmitted by the UE is not receivable at a payload corresponding to using beam #2 at the payload). Therefore, flow chart 1200 illustrates that after time window 1220, base station 1204 determines 1222 that it did not successfully deliver paging 1218 to UE 1202.

[0120] Based on the failure to receive the expected response messaging from UE 1202, base station 1204 assumes that UE 1202 is not actually in the geographic area corresponding to reported country # 2. Therefore, base station 1204 determines 1224 that the location of UE 1202 reported by UE 1202 is not verified.

[0121] The base station 1204 may then proceed to restrict the operation of the UE 1202 utilizing network services for Country #2 based on a determination that the UE 1202 is not located in Country #2 as indicated by the reported location. For example, the UE 1202 may not be allowed to perform some types / any user plane communications on the network that would require and / or otherwise be based on the understanding that the UE is in Country #2 unless and until the UE 1202 later reports a verifiable location in Country #2. The restriction may include rejecting an attempted connection of the UE 1202 to the CN / AMF of Country #2.

[0122] Back to Figure 5 500 , it can be understood that operation 1212 of flowchart 1200 corresponds to operation 514 of flowchart 500 , and operations 1214 to 1224 of flowchart 1200 correspond to operation 516 of flowchart 500 .

[0123] In some embodiments, as discussed with respect to operation 518 in flowchart 500, base station 1204 may further proceed to indicate to the CN that UE 1202 is not located in the country / geographic region indicated by the UE's location report.

[0124] In some embodiments, the base station 1204 may record itself that the UE is not located in the country / geographic region indicated by the UE's location report.

[0125] Fig.13 A method 1300 of a base station according to an embodiment is illustrated. The method 1300 includes receiving 1302 a reported location from a UE via an NTN payload of a serving cell of an operating base station, the reported location indicating that the UE is located in a geographic area of ​​the serving cell corresponding to a beam used by the NTN payload.

[0126] The method 1300 also includes performing 1304 verification of the reported location by paging the UE via the NTN payload on the beam and determining that the UE is not located in the geographic area based on failure to receive a response to the paging from the UE within the time window.

[0127] The method 1300 also includes limiting 1306 the operation of the UE utilizing network services for the geographic area based on determining that the UE is not located in the geographic area as indicated by the reported location.

[0128] In some embodiments, the method 1300 further includes transmitting an RRC release message to the UE via the NTN payload to cause the UE to transition out of the RRC connected mode before performing the paging.

[0129] In some embodiments, method 1300 further includes indicating to the CN that the UE is not located in the geographic area.

[0130] In some embodiments, method 1300 further includes recording, at the base station, that the UE is not located in the geographic area.

[0131] In some embodiments, method 1300 further comprises: receiving instructions for performing verification of the reported location. In some such embodiments, the instructions are received from the CN. In some such embodiments, the instructions are received as part of an OAM procedure performed by an operator of the base station.

[0132] In some embodiments of method 1300, verification of the reported location is performed in response to detecting a triggering event.

[0133] In some implementations of method 1300, verification of the reported location is performed in response to determining that the UE is of a type that is to perform verification on the reported location.

[0134] Fig.14 An example architecture of a wireless communication system 1400 according to an embodiment disclosed herein is illustrated. The description provided below is for an example wireless communication system 1400 operating in conjunction with LTE system standards and / or 5G or NR system standards provided in 3GPP technical specifications and other 3GPP documents.

[0135] like Fig.14 As shown, the wireless communication system 1400 includes UE 1402 and UE 1404 (however, any number of UEs may be used). In this example, UE 1402 and UE 1404 are illustrated as smartphones (e.g., handheld touch screen mobile computing devices capable of connecting to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device configured for wireless communication.

[0136] UE 1402 and UE 1404 may be configured to be communicatively coupled to RAN 1406. In an embodiment, RAN 1406 may be NG-RAN, E-UTRAN, etc. UE 1402 and UE 1404 utilize connections (or channels) (shown as connection 1408 and connection 1410, respectively) with RAN 1406, where each connection (or channel) includes a physical communication interface. RAN 1406 may include one or more base stations (such as base station 1412 and base station 1414) and / or other entities (e.g., a payload on satellite 1436, which may operate a cell as indicated by one of base station 1412 and / or base station 1414) to implement connection 1408 and connection 1410. One or more non-terrestrial gateways 1434 may be associated with the RAN 1406. Figure 1 The NTN architecture 100 describes a manner in which payloads 1438 on satellites 1436 are integrated into the RAN 1406 .

[0137] In this example, connection 1408 and connection 1410 are air interfaces that implement such communication coupling and may conform to the RAT used by RAN 1406, such as, for example, LTE and / or NR. It is contemplated that in some embodiments, connection 1408 and connection 1410 may include service links between their respective UE 1402, UE 1404, and payload 1438 of satellite 1436.

[0138] In some implementations, UE 1402 and UE 1404 may also directly exchange communication data via side link interface 1416 .

[0139] UE 1404 is shown as being configured to access an access point (AP) (shown as AP 1418) via connection 1420. By way of example, connection 1420 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection conforming to any IEEE 802.11 protocol, wherein AP 1418 may include In this example, AP 1418 may not be connected to another network (eg, the Internet) through CN 1424.

[0140] In an embodiment, UE 1402 and UE 1404 may be configured to communicate with each other, base station 1412, base station 1414, and / or payload 1438 of satellite 1436 using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals over a multi-carrier communication channel in accordance with various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication techniques (e.g., for downlink communications) or single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication techniques (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communications), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0141] In some embodiments, all or part of base station 1412 and / or base station 1414 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network.

[0142] In addition, or in other embodiments, base station 1412 or base station 1414 may be configured to communicate with each other via interface 1422. In embodiments where wireless communication system 1400 is an LTE system (e.g., when CN 1424 is an EPC), interface 1422 may be an X2 interface. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more eNBs, etc.) connected to the EPC and / or between two eNBs connected to the EPC. It is contemplated that an inter-satellite link (ISL) may carry the X2 interface between two satellite base stations.

[0143] In an implementation where the wireless communication system 1400 is an NR system (e.g., when the CN 1424 is a 5GC), the interface 1422 may be an Xn interface. The Xn interface is defined between two or more base stations connected to the 5GC (e.g., the CN 1424). For example, the Xn interface may be between two or more gNBs connected to the 5GC, between a gNB and an eNB connected to the 5GC, or between two eNBs connected to the 5GC.

[0144] In an implementation where the wireless communication system 1400 is an LTE system (e.g., when the CN 1424 is an EPC), the interface 1422 may be an X2 interface. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more eNBs, etc.) connected to the EPC and / or between two eNBs connected to the EPC.

[0145] RAN 1406 is shown as being communicatively coupled to CN 1424. CN 1424 may include one or more network elements 1426 configured to provide various data and telecommunication services to customers / subscribers (e.g., UE 1402 and users of UE 1404) connected to CN 1424 via RAN 1406. The components of CN 1424 may be implemented in one physical device or separate physical devices, including components for reading and executing instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium). For example, the components of CN 1424 may be implemented in one or more processors and / or one or more associated memories.

[0146] In an embodiment, CN 1424 may be an EPC, and RAN 1406 may be connected to CN 1424 via an S1 interface 1428. In an embodiment, S1 interface 1428 may be divided into two parts: an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface, which carries traffic data between base station 1412, base station 1414, and a serving gateway (S-GW); and an S1-MME interface, which is a signaling interface between base station 1412 and / or base station 1414 and a mobility management entity (MME).

[0147] In an embodiment, CN 1424 may be a 5GC, and RAN 1406 may be connected to CN 1424 via an NG interface 1428. In an embodiment, NG interface 1428 may be divided into two parts: an NG user plane (NG-U) interface, which carries traffic data between base station 1412 and / or base station 1414 and a user plane function (UPF); and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface, which is a signaling interface between base station 1412 and / or base station 1414 and an access and mobility management function (AMF).

[0148] In general, the application server 1430 may be an element that provides applications that use Internet Protocol (IP) bearer resources with the CN 1424 (e.g., packet-switched data services). The application server 1430 may also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., VoIP sessions, group communication sessions, etc.) for the UE 1402 and UE 1404 via the CN 1424. The application server 1430 may communicate with the CN 1424 via the IP communication interface 1432.

[0149] Fig.15 A system 1500 for performing signaling 1534 between a wireless device 1502 and a RAN device 1518 of a core network connected to a CN device 1536 according to an embodiment herein is illustrated. The system 1500 may be part of a wireless communication system as described herein. The wireless device 1502 may be, for example, a UE of a wireless communication system. The RAN device 1518 may be, for example, a base station (e.g., an eNB or gNB) of a wireless communication system that is a ground base station. In the case where the RAN device 1518 is a ground base station, the RAN device 1518 may communicate with a payload of a satellite that directly provides a radio access connection to the UE in the manner described herein. The CN device 1536 may be one or more devices that make up a CN, as described herein.

[0150] The wireless device 1502 may include one or more processors 1504. The processor 1504 may execute instructions to perform various operations of the wireless device 1502, as described herein. The processor 1504 may include one or more baseband processors implemented using, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0151] The wireless device 1502 may include a memory 1506. The memory 1506 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 1508 (which may include, for example, instructions executed by the processor 1504). The instructions 1508 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. The memory 1506 may also store data used by the processor 1504 and results computed by the processor.

[0152] The wireless device 1502 may include one or more transceivers 1510, which may include RF transmitter and / or receiver circuitry that uses an antenna 1512 of the wireless device 1502 to facilitate signaling (e.g., signaling 1534) transmitted or received by the wireless device 1502 with other devices (e.g., RAN devices 1518) according to a corresponding RAT. In some embodiments, the antenna 1512 may include a mobile parabolic antenna, an omnidirectional phased array antenna, or some other antenna suitable for communicating with a payload on a satellite (e.g., as described above with respect to Figure 1 108 described by UE 108).

[0153] In the case of NTN, network equipment signaling 1534 may occur on a service link between the wireless device 1502 and a payload on the satellite and a feeder link between the payload on the satellite and the RAN equipment 1518 (e.g., as described with respect to FIG. Figure 1 described).

[0154] The wireless device 1502 may include one or more antennas 1512 (e.g., one, two, four, or more). For implementations with multiple antennas 1512, the wireless device 1502 may take full advantage of the spatial diversity of these multiple antennas 1512 to transmit and / or receive multiple different data streams on the same time-frequency resources. This behavior may be referred to as, for example, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) behavior (referring to the multiple antennas used at each of the transmitting device and the receiving device to implement this aspect). The MIMO transmission performed by the wireless device 1502 may be implemented based on precoding (or digital beamforming) applied to the wireless device 1502, which multiplexes the data streams between the antennas 1512 based on known or assumed channel characteristics, so that each data stream is received with appropriate signal strength relative to the other streams and at a desired location in the spatial domain (e.g., the location of the receiver associated with the data stream). Certain embodiments may use a single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) approach (where data streams are all directed to a single receiver) and / or a multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) approach (where separate data streams may be directed to separate (different) receivers in different locations in the spatial domain).

[0155] In certain embodiments with multiple antennas, the wireless device 1502 may implement analog beamforming techniques whereby the phases of signals transmitted by the antennas 1512 are relatively adjusted such that the (joint) transmissions of the antennas 1512 are directional (this is sometimes referred to as beam steering).

[0156] The wireless device 1502 may include one or more interfaces 1514. The interfaces 1514 may be used to provide input to or output from the wireless device 1502. For example, a wireless device 1502 that is a UE may include an interface 1514, such as a microphone, a speaker, a touch screen, buttons, etc., to allow a user of the UE to provide input and / or output to the UE. Other interfaces of such a UE may be composed of transmitters, receivers, and other circuits that allow the UE to communicate with other devices (e.g., in addition to the transceiver 1510 / antenna 1512 described above), and may communicate according to known protocols (e.g., etc.) to perform the operation.

[0157] The wireless device 1502 may include a RAN-based UE location verification module 1516. The RAN-based UE location verification module 1516 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the RAN-based UE location verification module 1516 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instruction 1508 stored in the memory 1506 and executed by the processor 1504. In some examples, the RAN-based UE location verification module 1516 may be integrated within the processor 1504 and / or the transceiver 1510. For example, the RAN-based UE location verification module 1516 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or a general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the processor 1504 or the transceiver 1510.

[0158] The RAN-based UE location verification module 1516 may be used in various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figures 1 to 15 The RAN-based UE location verification module 1516 is configured to jointly provide a reported location of the UE and a measurement report, etc., when so instructed (eg, by the RAN device 1518 as a base station).

[0159] The RAN device 1518 may include one or more processors 1520. The processor 1520 may execute instructions to perform various operations of the RAN device 1518 as described herein. The processor 1504 may include one or more baseband processors implemented using, for example, a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a controller, an FPGA device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0160] The RAN device 1518 may include a memory 1522. The memory 1522 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions 1524 (which may include, for example, instructions executed by the processor 1520). The instructions 1524 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. The memory 1522 may also store data used by the processor 1520 and results calculated by the processor.

[0161] The RAN device 1518 may include one or more transceivers 1526 that may include RF transmitter and / or receiver circuits that use antennas 1528 of the RAN device 1518 to facilitate signaling (e.g., signaling 1534) sent or received by the RAN device 1518 with other devices (e.g., wireless device 1502) in accordance with a corresponding RAT.

[0162] The RAN device 1518 may include one or more antennas 1528 (e.g., one, two, four, or more antennas). In an embodiment with multiple antennas 1528, the RAN device 1518 may perform MIMO, digital beamforming, analog beamforming, beam steering, etc. as described above.

[0163] In the case of NTN, the transceiver 1526 and antenna 1528 may alternatively reside on a satellite's payload associated with the base station.

[0164] The RAN device 1518 may include one or more interfaces 1530. The interface 1530 may be used to provide input to or output from the RAN device 1518. For example, the RAN device 1518 as a base station may include an interface 1530 composed of a transmitter, a receiver and other circuits (e.g., in addition to the transceiver 1526 / antenna 1528 already described), which enables the base station to communicate with other equipment in the CN and / or enables the base station to communicate with external networks, computers, databases, etc., for the purpose of operating, managing and maintaining the base station or other equipment operably connected to the base station.

[0165] The RAN device 1518 may include a RAN-based UE location verification module 1532. The RAN-based UE location verification module 1532 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the RAN-based UE location verification module 1532 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instruction 1524 stored in the memory 1522 and executed by the processor 1520. In some examples, the RAN-based UE location verification module 1532 may be integrated within the processor 1520 and / or the transceiver 1526. For example, the RAN-based UE location verification module 1532 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or a general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the processor 1520 or the transceiver 1526.

[0166] The RAN-based UE location verification module 1532 may be used in various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figures 1 to 13 The RAN-based UE location verification module 1532 is configured to, for example, perform a RAN-based UE location verification mechanism, as has been described herein with respect to the wireless device 1502 as a UE, etc.

[0167] RAN device 1518 can communicate with CN device 1536 via interface 1548, which can be similar to Fig.14 Interface 1428 (for example, it can be S1 and / or NG interface, either of which can be divided into a user plane part and a control plane part).

[0168] The CN device 1536 may include one or more processors 1538. The processor 1538 may execute instructions to perform various operations of the CN device 1536 as described herein. The processor 1538 may include one or more baseband processors implemented using, for example, a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a controller, an FPGA device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0169] CN device 1536 may include memory 1540. Memory 1540 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 1542 (which may include, for example, instructions executed by processor 1538). Instructions 1542 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. Memory 1540 may also store data used by processor 1538 and results calculated by the processor.

[0170] The CN device 1536 may include one or more interfaces 1544. The interfaces 1544 may be used to provide input to or output from the CN device 1536. For example, the CN device 1536 may include an interface 1530 consisting of a transmitter, a receiver, and other circuits that enable the CN device 1536 to communicate with other equipment in the CN, and / or enable the CN device 1536 to communicate with an external network, computer, database, etc., for the purpose of operating, managing, and maintaining the CN device 1536 or other equipment operably connected to the CN device.

[0171] The CN device 1536 may include a RAN-based UE location verification module 1546. The RAN-based UE location verification module 1546 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the RAN-based UE location verification module 1546 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instruction 1542 stored in the memory 1540 and executed by the processor 1538. In some examples, the RAN-based UE location verification module 1546 may be integrated within the processor 1538. For example, the RAN-based UE location verification module 1546 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or a general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the processor 1538.

[0172] The RAN-based UE location verification module 1546 may be used in various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figures 1 to 13 The RAN-based UE location verification module 1546 is configured to, for example, instruct the RAN device 1518 as a base station to perform a RAN-based UE location verification mechanism for the wireless device 1502 as a UE, to perform a record of the result provided by the RAN device 1518 as a base station, etc.

[0173] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of the method 1100. For example, the apparatus may be an apparatus of a UE (such as the wireless device 1502 as a UE, as described herein).

[0174] Embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of method 1100. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable medium may be a memory of a UE (such as memory 1506 of wireless device 1502 as a UE, as described herein).

[0175] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logical components, modules, or circuits for performing one or more elements of the method 1100. For example, the apparatus may be an apparatus of a UE (such as the wireless device 1502 as a UE, as described herein).

[0176] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of the method 1100. For example, the apparatus may be an apparatus of a UE (such as the wireless device 1502 as a UE, as described herein).

[0177] Embodiments contemplated herein include a signal as described in or associated with one or more elements of method 1100 .

[0178] Embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product including instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processor causes the processor to perform one or more elements of the method 1100. The processor may be a processor of a UE (such as the processor 1504 of the wireless device 1502 as a UE, as described herein). For example, these instructions may be located in the processor and / or on a memory of the UE (such as the memory 1506 of the wireless device 1502 as a UE, as described herein).

[0179] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of any of the methods 700, 1000, and / or 1300. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a base station (such as the RAN device 1518 as a base station, as described herein).

[0180] Embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of any of method 700, method 1000, and / or method 1300. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may be, for example, a memory of a base station (such as memory 1522 of RAN device 1518 as a base station, as described herein).

[0181] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logical components, modules, or circuits for performing one or more elements of any of the methods 700, 1000, and / or 1300. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a base station (such as the RAN device 1518 as a base station, as described herein).

[0182] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of any of the methods 700, 1000, and / or 1300. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a base station (such as the RAN device 1518 as a base station, as described herein).

[0183] Embodiments contemplated herein include a signal as described in or associated with one or more elements of any of method 700 , method 1000 , and / or method 1300 .

[0184] Embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product including instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element causes the processing element to perform one or more elements of any of the methods 700, 1000, and / or 1300. The processor may be a processor of a base station (such as the processor 1520 of the RAN device 1518 as a base station, as described herein). These instructions may be located, for example, in the processor and / or on a memory of the base station (such as the memory 1522 of the RAN device 1518 as a base station, as described herein).

[0185] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components described in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes and / or methods as described herein. For example, a baseband processor as described herein in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described herein. For another example, circuits associated with a UE, a base station, a network element, etc. as described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described herein.

[0186] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. In view of the above teachings, modifications and variations are possible, or can be obtained from the practice of various embodiments.

[0187] Embodiments and implementations of the systems and methods described herein may include various operations that may be embodied in machine executable instructions to be executed by a computer system. A computer system may include one or more general or special purpose computers (or other electronic devices). A computer system may include hardware components that include specific logic components for performing operations; or may include a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0188] It should be appreciated that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific embodiments. These embodiments may be combined into a single system, partially incorporated into other systems, separated into multiple systems, or otherwise divided or combined. In addition, it is contemplated that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of another embodiment may be used in one embodiment. For clarity, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. are described only in one or more embodiments, and it should be appreciated that unless expressly stated herein, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. may be combined with or substituted for parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of another embodiment.

[0189] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining 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 the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0190] Although the foregoing has been described in considerable detail for the sake of clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be made without departing from the principles of the invention. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways to implement both the processes and the apparatus described herein. Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive, and the specification is not limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method of a base station, the method comprising: receiving a reported location from a user equipment (UE) via a non-terrestrial network (NTN) payload operating a serving cell of the base station, the reported location indicating that the UE is located in a geographic area of ​​the serving cell corresponding to a beam used by the NTN payload; Verification of the reported location is performed by: transmitting one of a radio resource control (RRC) configuration message and a scheduling information message to the UE via the NTN payload on the beam; as well as determining that the UE is not located in the geographic area as indicated by the reported location based on a failure to receive a response to said one of the RRC configuration message and the scheduling information message from the UE; as well as Operation of the UE utilizing network services for the geographic area is restricted based on a determination that the UE is not located in the geographic area.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Indicating to a core network (CN) that the UE is not located in the geographical area.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: It is recorded at the base station that the UE is not located in the geographical area.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Instructions are received to perform the verification on the reported location. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the instruction is received from a core network (CN).

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the instruction is received as part of an operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM) procedure performed by an operator of the base station. The method of claim 1 , wherein the verifying of the reported location is performed in response to detecting a triggering event.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the validation of the reported location is performed in response to determining that the UE is of a type to perform the validation of the reported location.

9. A method of a base station, the method comprising: receiving a reported location from a user equipment (UE) via a non-terrestrial network (NTN) payload operating a serving cell of the base station, the reported location indicating that the UE is located in a geographic area of ​​the serving cell; Verification of the reported location is performed by: receiving, from the UE via the NTN payload, a measurement report indicating a preferred beam of the NTN payload for the UE, wherein the preferred beam does not correspond to the geographic area; as well as determining that the UE is not located in the geographic area based on determining that the preferred beam does not correspond to the geographic area; as well as Operation of the UE utilizing network services for the geographic area is restricted based on a determination that the UE is not located in the geographic area indicated by the reported location.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: A location reporting request is transmitted to the UE via the NTN payload indicating that the reported location and the measurement report are jointly transmitted by the UE, and wherein the reported location and the measurement report are jointly received at the base station in response to the location reporting request.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: Indicating to a core network (CN) that the UE is not located in the geographical area.

12. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: It is recorded at the base station that the UE is not located in the geographical area.

13. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: Instructions are received to perform the verification on the reported location. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the instruction is received from a core network (CN).

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the instruction is received as part of an operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM) procedure performed by an operator of the base station. The method of claim 9 , wherein the verifying of the reported location is performed in response to detecting a triggering event.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the validation of the reported location is performed in response to determining that the UE is of a type to perform the validation of the reported location.

18. A method of a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, from a base station via a non-terrestrial network (NTN) payload, a location reporting request indicating that a reported location of the UE and a measurement report are jointly transmitted by the UE; determining that a current location of the UE is the reported location of the UE; generating a measurement report using one or more reference signals transmitted to the UE via the NTN payload; as well as The reported location of the UE and the measurement report are jointly transmitted to the base station in response to the location reporting request.

19. A method of a base station, the method comprising: receiving a reported location from a user equipment (UE) via a non-terrestrial network (NTN) payload operating a serving cell of the base station, the reported location indicating that the UE is located in a geographic area of ​​the serving cell corresponding to a beam used by the NTN payload; Verification of the reported location is performed by: paging the UE via the NTN payload on the beam; as well as determining that the UE is not located in the geographic area based on a failure to receive a response to the paging from the UE within a time window; as well as Operation of the UE utilizing network services for the geographic area is restricted based on a determination that the UE is not located in the geographic area indicated by the reported location.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: A radio resource control (RRC) release message is transmitted to the UE via the NTN payload to cause the UE to transition out of an RRC connected mode before performing the paging.

21. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: Indicating to a core network (CN) that the UE is not located in the geographical area.

22. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: It is recorded at the base station that the UE is not located in the geographical area.

23. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: Instructions are received to perform the verification on the reported location.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the instruction is received from a core network (CN).

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the instruction is received as part of an operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM) procedure performed by an operator of the base station.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein the verifying of the reported location is performed in response to detecting a triggering event.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the validation of the reported location is performed in response to determining that the UE is of a type to perform the validation of the reported location.

28. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 27.

29. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 27.

30. An apparatus comprising logic components, modules or circuits for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 27.

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