Cellular network access using short-range communication connection

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) is configured to receive a selection of a short-range communication connection with another device via a user input to activate the UE, activate the UE using the short-range communication connection, and transmit settings from the another device to the UE via the short-range communication connection.

Description

[0001] Inventors: R.S. Chogler, L. Lee, L.M. Bugela, P.L. Coffman, S. Sua

[0002] Priority / Incorporation by Reference

[0003] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 374,639, filed on September 6, 2022, entitled “Cellular Onboarding,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background Art

[0004] When a user purchases a new user equipment (UE), the UE needs to be set up to operate on a cellular network. Cellular setup may include various operations, including activation, installation, transfer, and deployment. There may be various ways to perform the setup, depending on the type of UE, the identity of the user, the type of cellular service provided, other UEs owned / used by the user, etc. These various ways of performing the setup process may result in a poor user experience when setting up a new device. Therefore, there is a need to provide users with a simple way to set up cellular service for a UE. Summary of the invention

[0005] Some exemplary embodiments relate to an apparatus of a user equipment (UE) having a processing circuit configured to receive a selection of a short-range communication connection with another device via user input to activate the UE, activate the UE using the short-range communication connection, and transmit settings from the other device to the UE via the short-range communication connection.

[0006] Other exemplary embodiments relate to a processor of a user equipment (UE) having processing circuitry configured to receive, via user input, a selection of a short range communication connection with another device to activate the UE, activate the UE using the short range communication connection, and transmit settings from the other device to the UE via the short range communication connection. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 Exemplary network arrangements are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0008] Figure 2 An exemplary UE according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0009] Figure 3 An exemplary method for activating a user equipment (UE) according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0010] Figure 4Exemplary display panes and an exemplary display pane sequence for activating a UE using a guided connection according to various exemplary embodiments are shown.

[0011] Figure 5 Exemplary display panes and an exemplary display pane sequence for activating a managed UE or store demonstration unit UE using a guided connection according to various exemplary embodiments are shown.

[0012] Figure 6 An exemplary method for transmitting a telephone number to a UE after the UE is activated is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.

[0013] Figure 7 Exemplary display panes and an exemplary display pane sequence for an eSIM On-Device Activation (eSIM ODA) flow are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0014] Figure 8 Exemplary display panes and an exemplary display pane sequence for an eSIM discovery server activation process are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0015] Fig. 9 Exemplary display panes and an exemplary display pane sequence for phone number transfer using device-to-device pairing are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0016] Fig.10 Exemplary display panes and an exemplary display pane sequence are shown for an SMS ODA (SODA) carrier binding process using a guided connection in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.

[0017] Fig.11 Exemplary methods for evaluating the display of an intermediate display pane according to various exemplary embodiments are shown.

[0018] Fig.12 Exemplary display panes and an exemplary display pane sequence are shown for cellular setup of a UE using a short range communication connection with a source device according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0019] Fig.13 Exemplary display panes and an exemplary display pane sequence for cellular setup of a UE using a QR code are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0020] Fig.14 An exemplary method for cellular setup of a UE over a Wi-Fi connection is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.

[0021] Fig.15Exemplary display panes and an exemplary display pane sequence are shown for cellular setup of a UE using a Wi-Fi connection and backbone services according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0022] Fig.16 Exemplary display panes and an exemplary display pane sequence are shown for cellular setup of a UE using a Wi-Fi connection and carrier information bound to the UE in accordance with various exemplary embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and associated drawings, wherein like elements are provided with like reference numerals.The exemplary embodiments relate to activation and setup of an embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM) of a user equipment (UE) to provide cellular services.

[0024] The exemplary embodiments are described with reference to UE. However, reference to the term "UE" is provided for illustrative purposes only. The exemplary embodiments may be used with any electronic component configured with hardware, software and / or firmware for exchanging information (e.g., control information) and / or data with a network. Therefore, the UE described herein is used to represent any suitable electronic device.

[0025] The exemplary embodiments are described with reference to setting up cellular service or cellular network access. As described above, cellular network access may include various operations, including device activation, installation, delivery, and deployment. However, it should be understood that the exemplary embodiments do not require all of these operations, and there may be other operations related to cellular network access that may be performed when implementing the exemplary embodiments.

[0026] Exemplary embodiments are also described with reference to a guided connection. A guided connection may be a cellular connection through which a UE that has not yet been set up for cellular service can communicate with a cellular network of a particular cellular provider. For example, a user may purchase a new UE from a cellular provider. The UE may have an embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM) having credentials for temporarily accessing the cellular service of a cellular provider. The temporary connection may be used to perform some or all of the operations of cellular access. In one example, the manufacturer of the UE may own credentials to allow a temporary cellular connection for cellular access purposes. Therefore, a guided connection may be considered a cellular connection that can be used on a temporary basis to set up cellular service for the UE. It should be understood that the above example of the manufacturer of the UE as the owner of the credentials for the cellular connection is merely exemplary, and other ownership arrangements may exist for these temporary use cellular connections.

[0027] The exemplary embodiments are also described with reference to a UE that may initially be considered a new UE that has not yet been provisioned with cellular service. It should also be understood that the UE is not required to be "new". For example, the UE may be a refurbished UE that is new to a particular user. As another example, the UE may be a UE that the user previously owned, but the SIM or eSIM is new to the UE. The present disclosure as a whole relates to the process of provisioning cellular service for a UE. However, for the sake of completeness, the following description of the UE is not provided. Figure 1 The description of the network arrangement 100 of FIG. 1 describes the UE 110 as being configured to communicate with one or more networks. It should be understood that some of the communications are performed after the UE 110 is provisioned with, for example, cellular service.

[0028] Figure 1 An exemplary network arrangement 100 according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. The exemplary network arrangement 100 includes a UE 110. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the UE 110 may be any type of electronic component configured to communicate via a network, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, a smart phone, a phablet, an embedded device, a wearable device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc. It should also be appreciated that an actual network arrangement may include any number of UEs used by any number of users. Therefore, the example of a single UE 110 is provided for illustrative purposes only.

[0029] UE 110 may be configured to communicate with one or more networks. In the example of network arrangement 100, the networks with which UE 110 may wirelessly communicate are fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) radio access network (RAN) 120, long term evolution (LTE) RAN 122, and wireless local area network (WLAN) 124. However, UE 110 may also communicate with other types of networks (e.g., 5G cloud RAN, next generation RAN (NG-RAN), traditional cellular networks, etc.), and UE 110 may also communicate with the network via a wired connection. Thus, UE 110 may have a 5G NR chipset that communicates with NR RAN 120, an LTE chipset that communicates with LTE-RAN 122, and an ISM chipset that communicates with WLAN 124.

[0030] 5G NR-RAN 120 and LTE-RAN 122 may be part of cellular networks that may be deployed by cellular providers (e.g., Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.). These networks 120, 122 may include, for example, cells or base stations (NodeB, eNodeB, HeNB, eNBS, gNB, gNodeB, macrocell base stations, microcell base stations, small cell base stations, femtocell base stations, etc.) configured to transmit and receive traffic from UEs equipped with appropriate cellular chipsets. WLAN 124 may include any type of wireless local area network (Wi-Fi, hotspot, IEEE 802.11x network, etc.).

[0031] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any relevant process may be performed to connect the UE 110 to the 5G NR-RAN 120 or the LTE-RAN 122. For example, as described above, the 5G NR-RAN 120 may be associated with a specific cellular provider at which the UE 110 and / or its user has a protocol and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of the 5G NR-RAN 120, the UE 110 may send corresponding credential information to associate with the 5G NR-RAN 120. More specifically, the UE 110 may be associated with a specific cell or base station (e.g., gNB 120A). In order to access LTE services, a similar association process may be performed with the LTE RAN 122 via a specific cell or base station (e.g., eNB 122A). However, as described above, references to the 5G NR-RAN 120 and the LTE-RAN 122 are for illustrative purposes only, and the exemplary embodiments may be applicable to any type of RAN.

[0032] The network arrangement 100 also includes a cellular core network 130, the Internet 140, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) 150, and a network service backbone 160. The cellular core network 130 can be viewed as an interconnected set of components that manage the operation and services of the cellular network. It can include an evolved packet core (EPC) and / or a fifth generation core (5GC). The cellular core network 130 also manages the services that flow between the cellular network and the Internet 140. The IMS 150 can generally be described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to the UE 110 using the IP protocol. The IMS 150 can communicate with the cellular core network 130 and the Internet 140 to provide multimedia services to the UE 110. The network service backbone 160 communicates directly or indirectly with the Internet 140 and the cellular core network 130. The network service backbone 160 can generally be described as a collection of components (e.g., servers, network storage arrangements, etc.) that implement a set of services that can be used to extend the functionality of the UE 110 to communicate with various networks.

[0033] Figure 2 An exemplary UE 110 is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. The UE 110 will refer to Figure 1 100. UE 110 may include a processor 205, a memory arrangement 210, a display device 215, an input / output (I / O) device 220, a transceiver 225, and other components 230. Other components 230 may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a power supply, a data acquisition device, a port for electrically connecting UE 110 to other electronic devices, etc.

[0034] The processor 205 may be configured to execute a number of engines for the UE 110. For example, these engines may include a cellular network access engine 235, which may perform various operations related to setting up cellular service for the UE 110. These operations may include displaying setup connection options to a user, interacting with other devices and network components to perform cellular setup, determining a display pane to be shown to the user during cellular setup, etc. Each of these operations and other operations are described in more detail below.

[0035] The engine 235 described above is provided as an application (e.g., program) executed by the processor 205 for illustrative purposes only. The functionality associated with the engine 235 may also be represented as a separate combined component of the UE 110, or may be a modular component coupled to the UE 110, for example, an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include an input circuit for receiving a signal and a processing circuit for processing the signal and other information. The engine may also be embodied as one application or multiple separate applications. In addition, in some UEs, the functionality described for the processor 205 is split between two or more processors (such as a baseband processor and an application processor). The exemplary implementation scheme may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of the UE.

[0036] The memory arrangement 210 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE 110. The memory arrangement 210 may include a non-volatile memory (NVM) 211 that enables the UE 110 to retain stored data after power is turned off. The display device 215 may be a hardware component configured to display data to a user, and the I / O device 220 may be a hardware component that enables a user to enter input. The display device 215 and the I / O device 220 may be separate components or may be integrated together (such as a touch screen).

[0037] The transceiver 225 may be a hardware component configured to establish a connection with the 5G NR RAN 120, LTE-RAN 122, a traditional RAN (not shown in the figure), WLAN 124, etc. Therefore, the transceiver 225 can operate on multiple different frequencies or channels (e.g., a set of continuous frequencies). The transceiver 225 includes a circuit configured to send and / or receive signals (e.g., control signals, data signals). Such signals may be encoded with information for implementing any of the methods described herein. The processor 205 may be operably coupled to the transceiver 225 and configured to receive signals from the transceiver 225 and / or send signals to the transceiver. The processor 205 may be configured to encode and / or decode signals (e.g., signaling from a base station of a network) for implementing any of the methods described herein.

[0038] Figure 3 An exemplary method 300 for activating user equipment (UE) 110 is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments. Figure 3 In the description of 300, it will be described that UE 110 will be activated in 330, 350 or 355. Those skilled in the art will understand the operations performed between UE 110 and the cellular network to perform device activation of 330, 350 or 355. These operations are outside the scope of the exemplary embodiment because different cellular networks may have different device activation schemes, and the exemplary embodiment may be implemented with any device activation scheme. The flow of method 300 is intended to describe the information / selections that may be presented to the user during the device activation operation and the connections used to perform device activation.

[0039] As described above, it can be considered that at the beginning of method 300, UE 110 has not been activated, for example, UE 110 is new. Therefore, in 305, the user can start device setup by, for example, powering on UE 110. In 310, UE 110 can present the user with the option of connecting to the source device using Bluetooth (or any other short-range communication connection). In this example, the source device can be considered to be any other device of the user. In a first example, UE 110 can be a wearable device, and the source device can be a mobile phone of the user. In a second example, UE 110 can be a new mobile phone, and the source device can be an old mobile phone of the user. In a third example, UE 110 can be a new mobile phone, and the source device can be a tablet computer of the user. From these examples, it should be understood that the source device can be any other device of the user that can establish a short-range communication connection with UE 110.

[0040] In 315, it is determined whether the user has selected to connect UE 110 to the source device. If the user has selected to connect to the source device, UE 110 may retrieve Wi-Fi settings of the source device for use in the setup process in 320. In 325, UE 110 may access a Wi-Fi network (e.g., WLAN 124) using the Wi-Fi settings to activate UE 110 in 330. In another alternative, if UE 110 is unable to access a Wi-Fi network associated with the Wi-Fi settings of the source device and UE 110 has an eSIM capable of establishing a guided connection, UE 110 may perform device activation in 330 using the guided connection.

[0041] If it is determined in 315 that the user has not selected to connect to the source device, then in 340, a connection option for device activation may be presented to the user. In this example, it may be considered that there are two options, namely a Wi-Fi connection option (based on the presence of one or more available Wi-Fi networks to which UE 110 can connect) and a guided connection option, e.g., UE 110 has an eSIM capable of establishing a guided connection. In 345, the user selects either the Wi-Fi connection option or the guided connection option.

[0042] If the user selects the Wi-Fi connection option, then in 350, a device activation operation is performed using the selected Wi-Fi connection. If the user selects the guided connection option, then in 355, a device activation operation is performed using the guided connection. However, when a guided connection is used, additional operations may be performed in addition to the device activation operation. These additional operations may include obtaining a device activation tag in 360. The device activation tag may include various information about the UE 110, such as the information described below with respect to 365 and 370. It should be understood that different entities may refer to the device activation tag using different terms, but generally it is meant to refer to a set of policies applicable to the UE 110. For example, the device activation tag may be downloaded to the UE 110 from a server owned by the manufacturer of the UE. For example, carrier-subsidized locked devices, store demonstration units, or enterprise-managed devices may have their specific policy information in the device activation tag.

[0043] At 365, it is determined whether UE 110 is a managed device or a store demonstration unit based on the information provided in the device activation tag. For example, a managed device may be a device provided to employees of an organization (e.g., a private company, a government agency, etc.). These predefined settings may be uniform across the organization, may be linked to a job title or position, etc. Similarly, a store demonstration unit may be a device advertised and sold with specific predefined settings. The device activation tag may indicate that UE 110 was purchased as a store demonstration unit with predefined settings.

[0044] If the device activation tag does not indicate that the UE 110 is a managed device or a store demonstration unit, the method proceeds to 380, which will be described in more detail below. However, if the UE 110 is a managed device or a store demonstration unit, the UE 110 will then determine in 370 whether the eSIM information (e.g., predefined settings) is available on the discovery server based on the information provided in the device activation tag. Generally speaking, the operator can create a binding for the eSIM of the device in the discovery server (as will be described in more detail below, there are many types of bindings). The device checks with the discovery server, and if there is a binding for the device, the device discovers the binding, which has details of where the UE can retrieve the eSIM corresponding to the device. The retrieved eSIM then allows the UE 110 to establish a cellular connection, and the UE 110 can then retrieve the predefined settings corresponding to the UE 110 through the cellular connection. The predefined settings are typically not included in the discovery server, but are included in one or more other network servers that may correspond to an entity that is a managed device, to a store demonstration unit, etc. If the corresponding discovery server is available (e.g., if the UE 110 can connect to the correct discovery server to retrieve the eSIM), then in 375, the UE 110 will contact the network server using a cellular connection that can be established using the eSIM to silently install the predefined settings. Silent installation refers to actions taken by the UE 110 without further input from the user, e.g., since the settings are predefined, the user does not need to answer additional questions or make additional selections for the settings. If the discovery server is not available in 370, the method will continue to 380.

[0045] Thus, at the end of method 300, UE 110 will be activated and, in some cases, predefined settings will be installed. In all cases (e.g., source device pairing connection, Wi-Fi connection, or guided connection), the method continues with evaluating transfer options 380, which will be described below with respect to Figure 6 However, before describing the delivery options, the following figures will provide examples of display panes and presentation orders of the display panes that may be displayed to a user on a display of the UE 110 during activation method 300 .

[0046] Figure 4 Exemplary display panes 405-420 and an exemplary display pane sequence for activating a UE using a guided connection according to various exemplary embodiments are shown. As described above, a guided connection may be established during a source device pairing operation (e.g., 325) or during guided connection operations 355-375. Thus, display panes 405-420 may be displayed during any of these operations.

[0047] Display pane 405 shows that the user is provided with an option to select an available Wi-Fi network for device activation. Display pane 410 shows that the user has selected to use a guided connection process instead of a Wi-Fi connection, e.g., the user has selected to continue without using Wi-Fi. Display pane 415 shows that UE 110 displays a message to the user while the guided connection is established and while operations related to activation are occurring. Display pane 420 shows that UE 110 indicates to the user that activation is complete because the user is given the option to set up cellular service for UE 110, e.g., display pane 420 corresponds to the evaluate transfer option 380 of method 300. As mentioned above, the setup of cellular service will be described in more detail below.

[0048] Figure 5 Exemplary display panes 505-525 and an exemplary display pane sequence for activating a managed UE or a store demonstration unit UE using a guided connection according to various exemplary embodiments are shown. As described above, the UE 110 may be a managed device or a store demonstration unit, and the guided connection process may correspond to operations 355-375 to activate and silently install the correct predefined settings.

[0049] Display panes 505-515 are similar to display panes 405-415 and are therefore not described again. Display pane 520 shows that when UE 110 contacts the corresponding discovery server and silently installs the predefined settings (e.g., 370 of method 300), UE 110 displays a message to the user. After the predefined settings have been installed, display pane 525 may allow the user to select remote management of UE 110. For example, remote management may allow an entity that has provided the device (e.g., an employee of the user) to manage certain aspects of UE 110, such as limiting certain functionality, installing applications, managing backups, monitoring Internet traffic, managing device settings, etc.

[0050] Figure 6 An exemplary method 600 for transmitting a telephone number to a UE after the UE is activated is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. 605 corresponds to 380 of method 300, for example, after the UE 110 is activated, the UE 110 evaluates different ways to transmit the telephone number to the UE 110.

[0051] In 610, UE 110 evaluates whether there is a phone number bound to UE 110 at the time of purchase, such as when UE 110 is purchased at a retail (or other) channel, the eSIM of UE 110 is pre-provisioned with a phone number. If there is a phone number bound to UE 110 at the time of purchase, an eSIM on-device activation (eSIM ODA) process can be started.

[0052] Figure 7Exemplary display panes 705-755 and an exemplary display pane sequence for an eSIM On-Device Activation (eSIM ODA) flow are shown according to various exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that display panes 705-755 may encompass operations from both method 300 (activation) and method 600 (cellular setup).

[0053] Display pane 705 allows the user to select a language for setup. Display pane 710 allows the user to quickly launch setup or manually setup UE 110. Typically, the quick launch option allows the user to physically bring another device close to UE 110 to transfer settings to implement the setup. On the other hand, the user may choose to manually setup UE 110 during the process.

[0054] Display pane 715 allows the user to select a Wi-Fi network for setup, while display pane 720 allows the user to enter a password to connect to the Wi-Fi network. It should be understood that although the process shows the user performing the setup using a Wi-Fi connection, the user may also choose to perform the setup using a guided connection, for example, after displaying pane 715, the user may select a guided connection similar to display panes 410 and 510.

[0055] Display pane 725 shows that UE 110 displays a message to the user when UE 110 activates UE 110. Device activation is described above with reference to operations 330, 350, and 355 of method 300, for example.

[0056] After device activation, display pane 730 may provide the user with information about the cellular connection and an option to activate the phone number bound to UE 110. For example, display pane 730 may display the number bound to UE 110 so the user can verify that it is the correct phone number that the user received when purchasing UE 110. In this example, the information may be deemed correct and the user may choose to proceed with activation. However, it should be noted that during the example processes described herein (e.g., Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Fig. 9 , Fig.10 , Fig.12 , Fig.13 , Fig.15 , Fig.16 ), there may be various points at which the user can abort the process and choose to continue setup at a later time or notify the network provider, device manufacturer, retail location, etc. that there is a problem with the UE 110.

[0057] Display pane 735 allows the user to be authenticated by the network provider. For example, the user can enter their zip code (or any other identification information), which is provided by the user at the time of purchase (or other time), so that the corresponding subscription of the phone number and the phone number can be activated. Similarly, in this process, it can be considered that the user has entered the correct information, and display pane 740 shows that when UE 110 activates cellular service using the phone number bound to UE 110, UE 110 displays a message to the user. Those skilled in the art will understand that UE 110 and cellular networks can perform various operations and exchange various messages to activate the phone number bound to UE 110. These operations and messages may be different according to a specific network provider. These operations and messages are outside the scope of this disclosure because the exemplary embodiment can be used with any method of activating the phone number bound to UE 110.

[0058] Display pane 745 indicates to the user that the cellular setup was successful and that the cellular service for the phone number is now active. Display panes 750 and 755 may then continue the user's setup of the device. For example, display pane 750 may prompt the user to set up limited access to the device, such as using a facial ID (or other biometric identification methods such as fingerprints or retinal information), using a password, etc. Display pane 755 may be used to set up various network services, such as backup services, VPN services, etc.

[0059] Thus, the eSIM ODA procedure may be considered a front-load procedure that is not dependent on a connection to the UE for performing the cellular setup, for example the procedure may be performed using a Wi-Fi connection and / or a bootstrapped connection.

[0060] Back to Figure 6 In method 600, if it is determined in 610 that there is no phone number bound to UE 110, then it is determined in 620 whether there is an eSIM setup available for UE 110 on the discovery server. The process of determining whether there is an available eSIM on the discovery server is described above with reference to 360-370 of method 300. If the discovery server information is available, then in 625, UE 110 silently installs the eSIM from the discovery server. Then, the user can manually set up UE 110 using the cellular connection associated with the eSIM.

[0061] Figure 8 Exemplary display panes 805-840 and an exemplary display pane sequence for an eSIM discovery server activation flow are shown according to various exemplary embodiments. Likewise, it should be understood that display panes 805-840 may encompass operations from both method 300 (activation) and method 600 (cellular setup).

[0062] Display pane 805 allows the user to select a language for setup. Display pane 810 allows the user to select a region for setup. Display pane 815 allows the user to quickly launch setup or manually setup UE 110, similar to display pane 710 described above. Display pane 820 allows the user to select a Wi-Fi network for setup. Likewise, it should be understood that while the process shows the user performing the setup using a Wi-Fi connection, the user may also choose to perform the setup using a guided connection, e.g., after displaying pane 820, the user may select a guided connection similar to display panes 410 and 510.

[0063] Display pane 825 shows UE 110 displaying a message to the user when UE 110 activates cellular service, and display pane 830 shows UE 110 displaying a message to the user when UE 110 sets up cellular service using information from the discovery server.

[0064] Display pane 835 indicates to the user that the cellular setup is successful and that the cellular service for the phone number is now active. Display pane 840 can then continue the user's setup of the device, for example, using a face ID (or other biometrics such as fingerprint or retinal information), using a password, etc.

[0065] Similar to the eSIM ODA process, the eSIM discovery server process can be considered a front-load process that does not rely on the UE's connection for performing cellular setup, for example, the process can be performed using a Wi-Fi connection and / or a bootstrap connection. In addition, because the UE 110 is a managed device or a store demonstration unit, the user will provide consent to the predefined settings. Therefore, a silent installation can be used because user consent is not required during installation and setup.

[0066] Back to Figure 6 In method 600, if it is determined in 620 that there is no discovery server available for eSIM setup, then in 630 it is determined whether the user has decided to pair UE 110 with a source device, as described above with reference to 310 of method 300. If UE 110 is paired with the source device, then in 635, UE 110 retrieves and displays a phone number from the source device that can be transferred to UE 110 during cellular setup. In 640, it is determined whether there are any numbers available for transfer. If no phone number is available for transfer, the method continues to 660, which will be described in more detail below.

[0067] If there are phone numbers available for transfer, then the user is provided with the option to select one of the phone numbers for transfer at 645. If the user selects one of the phone numbers, then at 650 a transfer procedure is initiated with the authorization server to transfer the phone number from the source device to the UE 110. If at 645 the user does not want to transfer one of the available phone numbers from the source device or after the transfer procedure is complete at 650, the method 600 may continue with the user's setup of the device, such as face ID setup 655.

[0068] Thus, at the end of this process, UE 110 may have a cellular number setup based on selecting one of the transferable phone numbers from the source device, or the UE may not have a cellular setup if the user does not want to use one of the transferable numbers.

[0069] Fig. 9 Exemplary display panes 905-960 and an exemplary display pane sequence for phone number transmission using device-to-device pairing according to various exemplary embodiments are shown. Likewise, it should be understood that display panes 905-960 may encompass operations from both method 300 (activation) and method 600 (cellular setup). In this example, display panes 905-935 are displayed on the UE 110 being set up, while display panes 950-960 are displayed on the paired source device. Device-to-device pairing over a short-range communication connection may be used to migrate settings and other information from one device (e.g., a source device) to a new device (e.g., a UE 110). Fig. 9 The exemplary display pane of shows a portion of this migration, which includes transferring the phone number from the source device to the UE 110. However, it should be understood that other settings and information may also be migrated to the UE 110 as part of this device-to-device pairing.

[0070] The display pane 905 of the UE 110 allows the user to select a language for setup. The display pane 950 of the source device allows the user to select pairing with the UE 110 for the purpose of setting up a new phone. As described above, pairing can be performed via Bluetooth or any other short-range connection. The display pane 910 shows that when the UE 110 and the source device are paired, the UE 110 displays a message to the user. The display pane 955 of the source device allows the source device to determine the identity of the new device (UE 110) to be set up. In this example, it is based on identification using the camera of the source device, for example, based on a visual indication of the UE 110 to identify the UE 110. After the UE 110 is successfully paired with the source device and identified by the source device, the display pane 960 of the source device can indicate to the user that all additional setup operations will be performed on the UE 110.

[0071] Thus, display pane 915 prompts the user to enter the password of the source device into UE 110. Display panes 915, 920, and 925 illustrate that UE 110 displays messages to the user while using settings from the source device to set up UE 110. This may include transmitting information from the source device to UE 110 (915), activation (920), and cellular setup (925).

[0072] Display pane 930 may display an option to transmit one or more telephone numbers from a source device to UE 110 corresponding to operations 640 and / or 645 of method 600. As described above, a user may select to transmit a telephone number from a source device, which will initiate a transmission process with an authorization server to transmit the telephone number from the source device to UE 110. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the transmission process may involve various operations and message exchanges for transmitting the telephone number between UE 110, the authorization server, and the cellular network. These operations and messages may vary depending on the specific network provider. These operations and messages are outside the scope of this disclosure, as the exemplary embodiments may be used with any method for transmitting the telephone number from a source device to UE 110.

[0073] After the transfer is complete or if the user chooses to wait to complete the cellular setup, display pane 940 can continue the user's setup of the device, for example, using facial ID (or other biometric methods such as fingerprint or retinal information), using a password, etc.

[0074] Returning to method 600, if the user has not paired UE 110 with the source device (630) or if there is no phone number to be transferred from the source device to UE 110 (640), UE 110 will determine whether a guided connection is available in 660. If a guided connection is not available, the cellular setup will be skipped and the user can continue with further setup of the device, for example, using face ID (or other biometric identification methods such as fingerprint or retinal information), using a password, etc.

[0075] If a bootstrap connection is available, then in 670, UE 110 evaluates whether there is a carrier bound to UE 110 at the time of purchase, such as when UE 110 is purchased in a retail (or other) channel, the eSIM of UE 110 is pre-provisioned with a carrier. If there is no carrier bound to the UE at the time of purchase, method 600 may continue to 675, where the middle pane is evaluated. This evaluation of the middle pane is described in more detail below.

[0076] If there is a carrier bound to UE 110 at the time of purchase, the SODA carrier binding process can be started. When the SODA carrier binding process is completed, the user can continue further settings of the device, such as using facial ID (or other biometric identification methods such as fingerprint or retinal information), using a password, etc.

[0077] Fig.10 Exemplary display panes 1005 - 1025 and an exemplary display pane sequence are shown for a SODA operator binding process using guided connections according to various exemplary embodiments. Figure 7 The eSIMODA process for bootstrapping a connection has been described. Fig.10 The display pane depicted is a simplified display of the SODA pane applicable to the operator binding process.

[0078] Display panes 1005 and 1010 may represent Figure 7 The same display panes 710 and 725 of the display pane 710 and 725, and each other display pane before the display pane 725 can also be displayed in Fig.10 Display pane 1015 shows the user a message that the user can transfer the previously purchased cellular plan to UE 110. For example, display pane 1015 can prompt the user to enter information about the user's account with the carrier, such as an account number, the user's social security number, etc. The carrier can then send an SMS message with an authentication code to the source device, and the user can enter the authentication code into UE 110 to verify that the user wants to transfer the user's cellular plan with the carrier to UE 110.

[0079] In this process, it can be assumed that the user has entered the correct information and the correct verification code. Therefore, UE 110 will set up cellular service according to the user's cellular plan for the operator. Display pane 1020 will be displayed to indicate to the user that the cellular setup is complete. Display pane 1025 can then continue the user's setup of the device, such as using facial ID (or other biometric identification methods such as fingerprint or retinal information), using a password, etc.

[0080] Fig.11 An exemplary method 1100 for evaluating the display of the middle display pane according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. As described above, the evaluation can be performed when there is no carrier bound to the UE 110 during the retail purchase (675). Therefore, 1105 corresponds to 675 of method 600. More specifically, when the UE 110 has not yet set up cellular service, the middle pane is displayed, and the middle pane provides the user with additional options for setting up cellular service.

[0081] In 1110, the UE 110 determines whether the device-to-device setup via Bluetooth has been completed. If the device-to-device setup has been completed, then in 1115, the UE 110 will display a middle pane to the user with one option to use a QR code for cellular setup, for example, if the Bluetooth device-to-device setup has been completed, this would mean that there is no transferable phone number or the user has decided not to transfer a phone number. The display of the QR code will be described in more detail below. If the device-to-device setup has not been completed, then in 1120, the UE 110 will display a middle pane to the user with two options to use a QR code or a separate Bluetooth process for cellular setup.

[0082] In 1125, UE 110 determines whether the user has selected the independent Bluetooth process or the QR code scanning process. If the independent Bluetooth process is selected, then in 1130, UE 110 performs the independent Bluetooth process for cellular setup. The independent Bluetooth process will be described in more detail below. If the independent Bluetooth process is not selected in 1125, then in 1135, UE 110 performs the QR code scanning process for cellular setup. The QR code scanning process will be described in more detail below.

[0083] Fig.12 Exemplary display panes 1205-1255 and an exemplary display pane sequence for cellular setup of a UE using a short-range communication (e.g., Bluetooth) connection with a source device according to various exemplary embodiments are shown. Display panes 1205-1255 correspond to the above reference Fig.11 In addition, display panes 1205-1240 are displayed on UE 110, while display panes 1250 and 1255 are displayed on the source device for the independent Bluetooth process.

[0084] Display pane 1205 prompts the user to unlock UE 110 for cellular setup. In this example, the unlocking is performed using a facial ID previously set up by the user. However, any method of unlocking UE 110 may be used. Once UE 110 is unlocked, display pane 1210 prompts the user to enter the identity of one or more backbone services (e.g., a backbone service that associates multiple devices of the user with a single account, etc.). In this example, as shown in display pane 1215, it can be assumed that the user does not have or does not want to use the backbone service.

[0085] Display pane 1220 can be considered as an intermediate pane that provides the user with a choice of using either the standalone Bluetooth process or the QR code scanning process. In this example, it can be considered that the user has selected the standalone Bluetooth process, so that display pane 1225 is shown to instruct the user to connect to the source device for transfer. Thus, the user will connect UE 110 to the source device via Bluetooth or other short-range communication protocols. Display pane 1250 of the source device shows that the user has selected to transfer the phone number from the source device to UE 110.

[0086] Display pane 1230 allows the user to select a phone number to be transferred from the source device. As described above, the source device may have more than one phone number available for transfer to UE 110. Thus, display pane 1230 may display one or more phone numbers, and the user may select the number to which the user wishes to transfer.

[0087] Once the number is selected, UE 110 will initiate the transfer process. As described above, the transfer process may include contacting an authorization server to perform the transfer. Display pane 1255 of the source device may indicate to the user that the transfer has begun. Display pane 1235 will indicate to the user when the transfer is complete, which means that the cellular setup is complete. Finally, display pane 1240 may prompt the user to further set up UE 110.

[0088] Fig. 9 The process and Fig.12 Both of the processes involve the case where a telephone number is transmitted to UE 110 using a short-range communication connection (e.g., Bluetooth). However, it should be understood that these processes may be mutually exclusive. As described above, Fig. 9 The process of is used for the migration of multiple settings from the source device to the UE 110, and the phone number can be one of the settings. In contrast, Fig.12 The process of the Bluetooth procedure involves the process of a separate Bluetooth procedure for transmitting the phone number from the source device to the UE 110. This mutual exclusivity is due to Fig.11 The example in operations 1110 and 1115 of is shown, where it is stated that if a device-to-device setup via Bluetooth is performed, the user will not be provided with the option of a separate Bluetooth process for transferring a phone number.

[0089] Fig.13 Exemplary display panes 1305-1335 and an exemplary display pane sequence for cellular setup of a UE using a QR code according to various exemplary embodiments are shown. Display panes 1305 and 1310 show the previously described manner of activating UE 110. However, as described above, there may be other ways of activating UE 110, and the use of a QR code for cellular setup as described herein may be used with these other ways of activating UE 110.

[0090] Display pane 1315 can be considered as an intermediate pane that provides the user with the choice of using a separate Bluetooth process or a QR code scanning process. As described above, there may be another intermediate pane that only provides the user with the choice of using a QR code scanning process. In this example, it can be considered that the user has selected the QR code scanning process, so that display pane 1320 is shown to instruct the user to scan the QR code to set up cellular service. The user can obtain the QR code from any number of sources, for example, the QR code can be included on the box or in the instructions accompanying the phone, there may be a URL that the user can connect to using another device that displays the QR code, which can then be scanned by UE110, etc.

[0091] Scanning of the QR code prompts UE 110 to display display pane 1325 to request user confirmation of activation of cellular service. Assuming the user confirms the setup, display pane 1330 will indicate to the user that cellular setup is being performed, and display pane 1335 will indicate when the cellular setup is complete.

[0092] Fig.14 An exemplary method 1400 for cellular setup of a UE via a Wi-Fi connection is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. Figure 6 In method 600, there are various flows that lead the user to set up face ID or other biometric means of unlocking UE 110 without completing cellular setup. Method 1400 addresses the situation where face ID has been set up but cellular setup has not been completed.

[0093] Thus, in 1405, the Face ID setup is considered complete. In 1410, the UE 110 prompts the user to access a backbone service that associates the user's multiple devices with a single account. In 1415, the UE 110 determines whether there is an active Wi-Fi connection. If there is no active Wi-Fi connection, the user is not prompted to set up cellular service using a display pane (1420), e.g., cellular service is only set up over an active Wi-Fi connection in this process. In 1425, the UE 110 determines whether a phone number has already been set up on the UE 110. If the phone number has already been set up, the user is not prompted to set up cellular service using a display pane (1430) because the process is already complete.

[0094] In 1435, UE 110 retrieves any transferable phone numbers from the backbone service, such as other devices of the user connected to the backbone service may upload transferable numbers to the backbone service. In 1440, UE 110 determines whether there are any transferable numbers available from other devices of the user, such as whether UE 110 retrieved any transferable phone numbers in 1435.

[0095] If there is no transferable phone number, then in 1460, the UE 110 determines whether the phone number or carrier was bound to the UE 110 during a retail purchase. If the phone number or carrier is bound to the UE 110, then in 1470, an eSIM ODA process or a carrier SODA process may be performed to set up cellular service for the UE 110. These processes are described above and will not be described again, except to note that the ODA process of 1470 is limited to Wi-Fi connections and is not also used for bootstrapping connections. If the phone number or carrier is not bound to the UE 110, then in 1465, the UE 110 performs Fig.11 The middle pane evaluation method.

[0096] If there are transferable phone numbers at 1440, then at 1445, UE 110 determines whether the user has selected one of the transferable phone numbers for cellular setup of UE 110. If the user has not selected one of the available transfer phone numbers, then the user is not prompted to set up cellular service using a display pane (1450). If the user selects one of the transferable phone numbers for cellular setup of UE 110, then at 1455, a transfer procedure is initiated with the authorization server to transfer the phone number from the source device to UE 110.

[0097] Fig.15 Exemplary display panes 1505-1560 and an exemplary display pane sequence for cellular setup of a UE using a Wi-Fi connection and backbone services according to various exemplary embodiments are shown. Display panes 1505-1535 for selecting a language, manually or quickly starting a process, selecting and logging into a Wi-Fi network, setting up a face ID, and setting a password have been described above and will not be described again.

[0098] Display pane 1540 prompts the user to access a backbone service that associates the user's multiple devices with a single account. Display pane 1545 displays a terms and conditions page for the backbone service that the user can accept. Display pane 1550 prompts the user to associate UE 110 with the backbone service, which then associates UE 110 with the user's account.

[0099] For example, at 1445 of method 1400, display pane 1555 may then display available transferable phone numbers from the user's other devices that may be transferred to UE 110, and the user may select one of the transferable phone numbers for use with the cellular settings of UE 110. A transfer process may then be initiated with the authorization server to transfer the phone number from the source device to UE 110. Display pane 1560 will indicate to the user when the transfer is complete.

[0100] Fig.16Exemplary display panes 1605-1670 and an exemplary display pane sequence for performing cellular setup of a UE using a Wi-Fi connection and carrier information bound to the UE according to various exemplary embodiments are shown. Display panes 1605-16455 for selecting a language, manually or quickly starting a process, selecting and logging into a Wi-Fi network, setting up a face ID, setting a password, accessing a backbone service, and accepting the terms and conditions of the backbone service have been described above and will not be described again. Display pane 1650 prompts the user to accept one of the services of the backbone service (e.g., a positioning service), for example, to enable the location of a lost or stolen device.

[0101] Display pane 1655 shows the user a message that the user can transfer the previously purchased cellular plan to UE 110. This is associated with the SODA operator flow in 1470 of method 1400. For example, display pane 1660 can prompt the user to enter information about the user's account with the operator, such as an account number, user social security number, etc. The operator can then send an SMS message with an authentication code over the guided connection, which the user can enter into UE 110 to verify that the user wants to transfer the user's cellular plan with the operator to UE 110.

[0102] In this process, it can be assumed that the user has entered the correct information and the correct verification code. Therefore, UE 110 will set up cellular service according to the user's cellular plan for the operator. Display pane 1665 will be displayed to indicate to the user that the cellular setup is complete. Then, display pane 1670 can continue the user's further setup of the device.

[0103] As mentioned above, the SODA operator process is similar to the reference Fig.10 The SODA operator process described above is different Fig.16 The SODA operator flow is limited to Wi-Fi connections and is not also available for bootstrap connections.

[0104] In the above description, various processes are shown in a specific order. However, the order of the processes may be changed or altered. To provide an example, non-binding processes such as the middle pane and SODA may be moved to after the backbone service login is completed. The reason for this is that if the eSIM on the source device is available from the backbone service and can be transferred, the eSIM transfer process after the backbone service login may enhance the user experience. This may result in a simpler and fewer steps, thereby enhancing the user experience.

[0105] In another example, when a user is activating a UE over Wi-Fi and the process logs into a backbone service around the start of the process, this allows the UE to check if an eSIM exists on the backbone service. If not, other non-binding processes can be offered to the user.

[0106] In an additional example, when set up via a guided connection, backbone service login and retrieval of eSIM data from the backbone service is not possible. Therefore, in this example, some of the unbound flow may move forward after activation. In this example, the user may utilize a cellular connection for backbone service login.

[0107] It should be apparent from these examples that there may be various ways of arranging the order of the processes, and that the order presented in the above description is merely exemplary.

[0108] Example

[0109] In a first embodiment, a method includes: selecting one of a plurality of connections to activate a user equipment (UE), wherein the plurality of connections include a short range communication connection, a Wi-Fi connection, or a bootstrapped connection between the UE and another device; and activating the UE using the selected one of the connections.

[0110] In a second embodiment, the method according to the first embodiment further comprises: when the selected one of the connections is the short range communication connection, transmitting settings from the other device to the UE.

[0111] In a third embodiment, according to the method of the second embodiment, transmitting the settings from the other device to the UE includes: receiving a phone number from the other device; initiating transmission of the phone number from the other device to the UE; and performing settings for the cellular service of the UE based at least on the phone number.

[0112] In a fourth embodiment, the method according to the first embodiment also includes: after activating the UE, determining that a telephone number is bound to the UE, wherein the telephone number is associated with a cellular service plan of a user of the UE; receiving identification information associated with the cellular service plan from the user; verifying the identification information; and when the identification information is verified, performing settings for the cellular service for the UE based on the cellular service plan.

[0113] In a fifth embodiment, the method according to the first embodiment also includes: after activating the UE, determining that an operator is bound to the UE, wherein a user of the UE has a cellular service plan for the operator; receiving identification information related to the cellular service plan from the user; verifying the identification information; and when the identification information is verified, performing settings for the cellular service for the UE based on the cellular service plan.

[0114] In a sixth embodiment, according to the method of the fifth embodiment, verifying the identification information includes receiving a verification code entered by the user, wherein the verification code is received in a short message service (SMS) message from the operator on the source device.

[0115] In a seventh embodiment, the method according to the first embodiment also includes: after activating the UE, determining one or more options for cellular settings of the UE; displaying the one or more options to a user of the UE; receiving a selection of the one or more options; and performing settings for cellular services for the UE based on the selected one or more options.

[0116] In an eighth embodiment, according to the method of the seventh embodiment, the option selected from the options is for the cellular setup performed through the short range communication connection, and wherein performing the setup of the cellular service includes receiving a phone number from the other device and initiating transmission of the phone number from the other device to the UE.

[0117] In a ninth embodiment, the method according to the seventh embodiment further includes: determining that a device-to-device setup is performed through the short range communication connection between the UE and another device, wherein the displaying of the one or more options is based at least on determining that the device-to-device setup is performed.

[0118] In a tenth embodiment, the method according to the first embodiment further includes: determining that a phone number has been set on the UE and performing further settings of the UE, wherein the further settings do not include an option to transmit the phone number to the UE.

[0119] In an eleventh embodiment, a processor is provided, wherein the processor is configured to execute any one of the methods described in accordance with the first to tenth embodiments.

[0120] In a twelfth embodiment, a user equipment (UE) comprises: a transceiver, the transceiver being configured to communicate with another device; and a processor, the processor being communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform any one of the methods described in the first to tenth embodiments.

[0121] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the exemplary embodiments described above may be implemented with any suitable software configuration or hardware configuration or combination thereof. Exemplary hardware platforms for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, for example, Intel x86-based platforms with compatible operating systems, Windows OS, Mac platforms and MAC OS, mobile devices with operating systems such as iOS, Android, etc. The exemplary embodiments of the above methods may be embodied as a program comprising lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which, when compiled, may be executed on a processor or microprocessor.

[0122] Although this application describes various embodiments, each having different features in various combinations, those skilled in the art will understand that any feature of one embodiment may be combined with features of other embodiments in any manner that is not expressly negated or that is not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation of the device or the prescribed function of the disclosed embodiment.

[0123] 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.

[0124] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, it is intended that the present disclosure covers modifications and variations of the present disclosure as long as they fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A device of a user equipment (UE), the device comprising: A processing circuit, the processing circuit being configured to: receiving, via user input, a selection of a short range communication connection with another device to activate the UE; activating the UE using the short range communication connection; as well as Settings are communicated from the other device to the UE via the short range communication connection.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transmission of the setting from the other device to the UE is based on the processing circuit being further configured to: decoding a telephone number based on a signal received from the other device; initiating transmission of the telephone number from the other device to the UE; Setup of cellular service for the UE is performed based at least on the telephone number.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: after activating the UE, determining that a telephone number is bound to the UE, wherein the telephone number is associated with a cellular service plan for a user of the UE; receiving, from the user via user input, identification information associated with the cellular service plan; Verifying the identification information; as well as When the identification information is verified, setup of cellular service for the UE is performed based on the cellular service plan.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: After activating the UE, determining that a carrier is bound to the UE, wherein a user of the UE has a cellular service plan with the carrier; receiving, from the user via user input, identification information associated with the cellular service plan; Verifying the identification information; as well as When the identification information is verified, setup of cellular service for the UE is performed based on the cellular service plan.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein verifying the identification information is based on the processing circuit being further configured to: A verification code is received via user input, wherein the verification code is received in a short message service (SMS) message from the operator on the other device.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: after activating the UE, determining one or more options for a cellular setting of the UE; configuring a display of the UE to display the one or more options to a user of the UE; receiving, via user input, a selection of the one or more options; as well as Setup of cellular service for the UE is performed based on the selected one or more options.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the selected one of the options is for the cellular setup via the short range communication connection, and wherein performing the setup of the cellular service is based on the processing circuit being further configured to: decoding a telephone number based on a signal received from the other device; and A transfer of the telephone number from the other device to the UE is initiated.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: A determination is made that a device-to-device setup is performed through the short range communication connection between the UE and another device, wherein the displaying of the one or more options is based at least on the determination that the device-to-device setup is performed.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: Determining that a telephone number has been set on the UE; Further setup of the UE is performed, wherein the further setup does not include an option to transmit a telephone number to the UE.

10. A processor of a user equipment (UE), the processor comprising a processing circuit, the processing circuit being configured to: receiving, via user input, a selection of a short range communication connection with another device to activate the UE; activating the UE using the short range communication connection; as well as Settings are communicated from the other device to the UE via the short range communication connection.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the transmitting of the setting from the other device to the UE is based on the processing circuit being further configured to: decoding a telephone number based on a signal received from the other device; initiating transmission of the telephone number from the other device to the UE; Setup of cellular service for the UE is performed based at least on the telephone number.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: After activating the UE, determining that a telephone number is bound to the UE, wherein the telephone number is associated with a cellular service plan of a user of the UE; receiving, from the user via user input, identification information associated with the cellular service plan; Verifying the identification information; as well as When the identification information is verified, setup of cellular service for the UE is performed based on the cellular service plan.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: After activating the UE, determining that a carrier is bound to the UE, wherein a user of the UE has a cellular service plan with the carrier; receiving, from the user via user input, identification information associated with the cellular service plan; Verifying the identification information; as well as When the identification information is verified, setup of cellular service for the UE is performed based on the cellular service plan.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein verifying the identification information is based on the processing circuit being further configured to: A verification code is received via user input, wherein the verification code is received in a short message service (SMS) message from the operator on the other device.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: after activating the UE, determining one or more options for a cellular setting of the UE; configuring a display of the UE to display the one or more options to a user of the UE; receiving, via user input, a selection of the one or more options; as well as Setup of cellular service for the UE is performed based on the selected one or more options.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the selected one of the options is for the cellular setup via the short range communication connection, and wherein performing the setup of the cellular service is based on the processing circuit being further configured to: decoding a telephone number based on a signal received from the other device; and A transfer of the telephone number from the other device to the UE is initiated.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: A determination is made that a device-to-device setup is performed through the short range communication connection between the UE and another device, wherein the displaying of the one or more options is based at least on the determination that the device-to-device setup is performed.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: Determining that a telephone number has been set on the UE; Further setup of the UE is performed, wherein the further setup does not include an option to transmit a telephone number to the UE.

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