Handling start time of unavailability period during initial registration procedure in mobile communication

Abstract

Techniques related to handling an unavailability period start time during an initial registration procedure in mobile communications are described. A device (e.g., a network node of a network) receives, from a user equipment, an indication of an unavailability period due to discontinuous coverage. The device determines a start time of the unavailability period in which the user equipment is in an uncovered state. The device also stores the determined start time of the unavailability period.

Description

[0001] Cross-referencing

[0002] This disclosure claims priority to Indian Patent Application No. 202421010669, filed on February 15, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure generally relates to mobile communications, and more specifically, to handling the start time of an unavailable period in the initial registration process of a mobile communication. Background Technology

[0004] In the current third-generation cooperation project (3 rd In wireless communications (such as mobile communications) under the Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specification, if the User Equipment (UE) and the network support an unavailability period, and an event is triggered in the UE that renders the UE unavailable for a certain period, then the UE can use its fifth-generation mobility management (5GM) system. th Generation Mobility Management (5GMM) and Fifth Generation Session Management (5GSM) th The Generation Session Management (5GSM) context is stored in the Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) or non-volatile memory for reuse after an unavailable period. To activate an unavailable period, the UE provides the duration of the unavailable period during the registration or deregistration process (see 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 23.501 and 3GPP TS 23.502). Support for unavailable periods is negotiated during the registration process. If the UE provided the duration of the unavailable period in the previous registration or deregistration process, the network's Access & Mobility Management Function (AMF) considers the UE unreachable until the UE re-registers to obtain normal service without providing the duration of the unavailable period. During the registration process, the AMF determines the value of the periodic registration update timer (T3512) based on the duration of the unavailable period and provides it to the UE. After the registration process is completed with the UE providing the duration of the unavailable period, the AMF releases the N1 signaling connection.

[0005] However, when a UE is powered on or deregistered and it is determined that discontinuous coverage (i.e., the UE is about to lose satellite coverage), the UE has no procedure to indicate the impending discontinuous coverage to the network, and the network also has no procedure to indicate the impending discontinuous coverage to the UE before proceeding with the registration process. Therefore, a solution is needed to handle the start time of the unavailability period in the initial registration process of mobile communication. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following abstract is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. That is, the following abstract aims to introduce the concepts, key points, benefits, and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described herein. Detailed descriptions will follow in the following description section. Therefore, the following abstract is not intended to define the essential characteristics of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to define the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0007] One objective of this disclosure is to propose solutions or strategies for addressing the problems described herein. More specifically, the various solutions proposed in this disclosure are believed to provide solutions related to handling the start time of unavailable periods during the initial registration process of mobile communications. It is believed that implementations of one or more of the solutions proposed herein can solve or mitigate the aforementioned problems.

[0008] In one aspect, a method may include a network receiving from a user equipment an indication of an unavailability period due to discontinuous coverage. The method may further include the network determining the start time of the unavailability period in which the user equipment is in a state of no coverage. The method may also include the network storing the determined start time of the unavailability period.

[0009] In another aspect, a method may include a user equipment determining that a condition exists regarding discontinuous coverage. This condition may include the user equipment needing to provide unavailability information to the network. The method may further include the user equipment performing initial registration upon this determination.

[0010] It is worth noting that although the content described herein may be within the context of certain wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies, such as fifth-generation (5G) / New Radio (NR) / Beyond Fifth-Generation (B5G) mobile communications, the proposed concepts, schemes, and any variations / derivatives thereof can be implemented, used, and implemented by other types of wireless access technologies, networks, and network topologies, such as, but not limited to, fourth-generation (4G) / Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, Internet of Things (IoT), Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), and non-terrestrial network (NTN) communications. Therefore, the scope of this disclosure is not limited to the examples described herein. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The accompanying drawings are included in this disclosure to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and form part of it. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. It will be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, as some components may be shown out of proportion to their actual dimensions in order to clearly illustrate the concepts of the disclosure.

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an example network environment in which various solutions and schemes related to this disclosure can be implemented.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of an example communication system, consistent with an implementation of this disclosure.

[0014] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a second example process, consistent with an implementation of this disclosure.

[0015] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a second example process, consistent with an implementation of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0016] Detailed embodiments and implementations of the claims of this application are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are merely illustrative of the claims of this application, and the claims may be implemented in various forms. This disclosure may take many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations listed herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments and implementations are provided to make the description of this disclosure more detailed and complete, and to fully convey the scope of this disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the following description, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations.

[0017] Overview

[0018] According to embodiments of this disclosure, various techniques, methods, schemes, and / or solutions relate to handling the start time of an unavailable period during the initial registration process in mobile communications. According to this disclosure, several possible solutions can be implemented individually or in combination. That is, although these possible solutions are described separately below, two or more solutions can be implemented in combination.

[0019] Figure 1 An example of a network environment 100 is provided, in which various solutions and schemes of this disclosure can be implemented. Figures 2-4 Examples of various proposed solutions in network environment 100 according to this disclosure are illustrated. The following description of the various proposed solutions is in conjunction with… Figures 1-4 It was carried out.

[0020] See Figure 1 Network environment 100 may involve a user equipment (UE) 110, such as a mobile device or smartphone, wirelessly communicating with a wireless network 120 as part of a communication network. Wireless network 120 may be a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) encompassing 5G / Next Generation Radio Access Network (NR) and 4G / Long Term Evolution (LTE) domains. UE 110 may initially communicate wirelessly with wireless network 120 via a base station or network node 125 (e.g., eNB, gNB, or transmit-receive point, TRP). In network environment 100, UE 110 and wireless network 120 may implement various schemes described in this disclosure for handling the start time of unavailable periods during the initial registration process in mobile communications.

[0021] It is worth noting that although the various proposed solutions may be described separately below, in actual implementation, some or all of the proposed solutions may be used in combination or implemented in combination. Of course, each proposed solution may also be used or implemented independently. In addition, as used herein, "lower layer" may refer to layers below the radio resource control (RRC) layer in the 5G Mobility Management (5GMM) protocol stack, such as the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, radio control link (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer, physical (PHY) layer, etc. According to the proposed solutions in this disclosure, UE 110 may perform an initial registration procedure with radio network 120 when one or more conditions are met. Such conditions may include: (1) when UE 110 is about to lose satellite coverage when it accesses using a next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) with discontinuous coverage; and / or (2) when UE 110 needs to provide the duration of the unavailability period to the wireless network 120; and / or (3) when UE 110 needs to provide the start timestamp of the unavailability period; and / or (4) when UE 110 needs to provide unavailability information to the wireless network 120. According to the proposed scheme, UE 110 can use the fifth-generation generation system (5G) of the registration request message to generate a registration request message. th The coverage loss indication (CLI) bit in the Generation System (5GS) update type information element (IE) is set to "Coverage loss due to discontinuous coverage". Alternatively, UE 110 may omit the unavailable period duration information element from the registration request message. Alternatively, UE 110 may only initiate the initial registration process if it can determine, based on its own implementation, that there is sufficient time to complete the process before the start of the unavailable period.

[0022] According to the proposed scheme, if UE 110 sets the CLI bit to "Coverage loss due to discontinuous coverage" in the 5GS update type information element of the registration request message, then: (a) if the access and mobility management function (AMF) of the wireless network 120 can determine the UE's out-of-coverage period based on satellite coverage availability information, the AMF can store the determined out-of-coverage period duration and provide the expected out-of-coverage duration to UE 110 in the registration acceptance message; and / or (b) after sending the registration acceptance message, the AMF can: (i) consider UE 110 unreachable until UE 110 provides the out-of-coverage period duration and re-registers for normal service; and / or (ii) immediately release the signaling connection after the registration process is completed.

[0023] The AMF can determine the periodically updated timer value based on the value of a stored unavailable period duration information element. Alternatively, the AMF can determine the periodically updated timer value based on the unavailable period duration determined by the network when the UE 110 does not provide an unavailable period duration information element. If the UE 110 does not provide an unavailable period duration information element in the registration request message, the AMF can delete the value of any stored unavailable period duration information element (if any).

[0024] When UE 110 performs initial registration to provide unavailability information; and / or UE 110 includes an unavailability information element to indicate the type of unavailability period; and / or UE 110 will be unavailable due to discontinuous coverage of NR satellite access, UE 110 may set the unavailability type bit to "unavailability due to discontinuous coverage" in the unavailability information element. Alternatively, or additionally, UE 110 may initiate the initial registration procedure when it is able to determine, according to its own implementation, that there is sufficient time to complete the procedure before the start of the unavailability period.

[0025] According to the proposed scheme in this disclosure, if UE 110 provides an unavailability information element in the registration request message during initial registration, the AMF can determine the unavailability period duration value as the value provided by UE 110 and / or the value determined by the AMF based on satellite coverage availability information. Alternatively, the AMF can store the start time value of the unavailability period. Alternatively, when the start time of the unavailability period is reached, the AMF can consider UE 110 unreachable before UE 110 provides unavailability information and the start time of the unavailability period and re-registers for normal service. Alternatively, the AMF can store the received unavailability period duration (if any). Alternatively, the AMF can release the signaling connection immediately after the registration process is completed.

[0026] According to the proposed scheme of this disclosure, if the user equipment (UE, hereinafter referred to as UE) 110 sets the unavailability type to "unavailability due to discontinuous coverage" in the unavailability information element (IE); and / or UE 110 provides the unavailability information element in the registration request message during initial registration; and / or the access and mobility management function (AMF) is able to determine the UE's coverage-free period based on satellite coverage availability information; and / or the value of the unavailability information element in the registration request message during initial registration, then the AMF can perform certain operations. For example, the AMF can store the duration of the determined unavailability period. Alternatively, the AMF can provide the expected unavailability duration to the UE 110 by including the unavailability period duration information element in the registration acceptance message. Alternatively, the AMF can determine the unavailability period duration value as the value provided by the UE 110. Alternatively, the AMF can determine the unavailability period duration value as the value determined by the AMF based on satellite coverage availability information. Alternatively, the AMF can store the value of the start time of the unavailability period. Alternatively, or in another case, when an unavailable period begins, the AMF may consider UE 110 unreachable until UE 110 registers for normal service.

[0027] According to the proposed scheme of this disclosure, the AMF can determine the value of the periodic registration update timer based on the stored value of the received unavailability period duration, or based on the unavailability period duration determined by the network when the UE 110 does not provide an unavailability period duration. If the UE 110 does not provide an unavailability information element in the registration request message, the AMF can delete the value of any stored unavailability information element (if it exists).

[0028] According to the proposed scheme of this disclosure, when UE 110 receives an unavailable configuration information element with a value indicating the duration of the unavailable period in a registration acceptance message, UE 110 may: (a) delete the value determined by the UE and start using the received value; or (b) discard the received value and use the value determined by the UE. If UE 110 supports discontinuous coverage, AMF may include a discontinuous coverage maximum time offset information element in the registration acceptance message.

[0029] When UE 110 receives the maximum time offset information element for discontinuous coverage in the registration acceptance message, UE 110 can replace any previously received maximum time offset value on the same satellite next-generation radio access technology (NG-RAN) and public land mobile network (PLMN) with the most recently received timer value. If, for discontinuous coverage, the AMF includes an unavailability configuration information element in the registration acceptance message and sets the End of unavailabilityreport bit to "UE does not need to report the end of unavailability," then UE 110 may not need to initiate the mobility registration update registration process at the end of the unavailability period.

[0030] Example Implementation

[0031] Figure 2 An example communication system 200 is shown, having at least one example device 210 and one example device 220, conforming to embodiments of this disclosure. Devices 210 and 220 can each perform various functions to implement the schemes, techniques, processes, and methods described herein, relating to handling the initiation of an unavailable period in a mobile communication initial registration process, encompassing the schemes described above for various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods, including network environment 100, and the processes described below.

[0032] Devices 210 and 220 can each be part of an electronic device, which can be a network device or UE (e.g., UE 110), such as a portable or mobile device, wearable device, in-vehicle device or vehicle, wireless communication device, or computing device. For example, devices 210 and 220 can be implemented in smartphones, smartwatches, personal digital assistants, electronic control units (ECUs) in vehicles, digital cameras, or computing devices such as tablets, laptops, or mobile phones. Devices 210 and 220 can also be part of a machine-type device, such as an Internet of Things (IoT) device, such as a non-movable or fixed device, home appliance, roadside unit (RSU), wired communication device, or computing device. For example, devices 210 and 220 can be implemented in smart thermostats, smart refrigerators, smart door locks, wireless speakers, or home control centers. When implemented as or as a network device, device 210 and / or device 220 can be implemented as an eNodeB in an LTE, LTE-Advanced, or LTE-Advanced Pro network, or as a gNB or TRP in a 5G network, New Radio (NR) network, or Internet of Things network.

[0033] In some implementations, devices 210 and 220 may each be implemented as one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more complex instruction-set computing (CISC) processors, or one or more reduced instruction-set computing (RISC) processors. In all the above embodiments, devices 210 and 220 may each be implemented as or serve as a network device or a UE. Devices 210 and 220 may each contain... Figure 2 At least some components are shown, such as processor 212 and processor 222. Devices 210 and 220 may also include one or more other components (e.g., internal power supply, display device, and / or user interface device) unrelated to the proposed solutions of this disclosure, and therefore these components of devices 210 and 220 are... Figure 2 It is not shown in the text, and will not be described in the following text for the sake of brevity.

[0034] In one aspect, processor 212 and processor 222 may each be implemented as one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more CISC or RISC processors. That is, although the singular term "processor" is used herein to refer to processor 212 and processor 222, according to certain embodiments of this disclosure, processor 212 and processor 222 may each comprise multiple processors, or in other embodiments, a single processor. In another aspect, processor 212 and processor 222 may each be implemented in hardware (and optionally firmware) comprising, for example, but not limited to, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors, and / or one or more transformers, these electronic components being configured and arranged to achieve a specific purpose of this disclosure. In other words, in at least some embodiments, processor 212 and processor 222 are each dedicated machines specifically designed, arranged, and configured to perform specific tasks, including tasks related to handling the start of an unavailable period in a mobile communication initial registration process according to various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0035] In some embodiments, device 210 may further include a transceiver 216 connected to processor 212. Transceiver 216 may be capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some embodiments, transceiver 216 may be capable of wireless communication with different types of wireless networks using different radio access technologies (RATs). In some embodiments, transceiver 216 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), for example, four antenna ports. That is, transceiver 216 may be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas to achieve multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication. In some embodiments, device 220 may further include a transceiver 226 connected to processor 222. Transceiver 226 may include a transceiver capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some embodiments, transceiver 226 may be capable of wireless communication with different types of user equipment / wireless networks using different RATs. In some embodiments, transceiver 226 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), for example, four antenna ports. In other words, transceiver 226 can be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas to achieve MIMO wireless communication.

[0036] In some embodiments, device 210 may further include a memory 214 connected to and accessible by processor 212 for storing data. In some embodiments, device 220 may further include a memory 224 connected to and accessible by processor 222 for storing data. Each of memory 214 and memory 224 may include a random-access memory (RAM), such as dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), thyristor RAM (T-RAM), and / or zero-capacitor RAM (Z-RAM). Alternatively, or additionally, each of memory 214 and memory 224 may include a read-only memory (ROM), such as a mask ROM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), and / or electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM). Alternatively, or additionally, each of memory 214 and memory 224 may include a non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM), such as flash memory, solid-state memory, ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), and / or phase-change memory.

[0037] Each of devices 210 and 220 can be a communication entity capable of communicating according to various proposed schemes of this disclosure. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, the capabilities of device 210 as a user equipment (e.g., user equipment 110) and device 220 as a network node (e.g., network node 125) of a network (e.g., a wireless network 120 as a 5G / NR mobile network) are described below in conjunction with example flows 300 and 400.

[0038] Example Process

[0039] Figure 3An example flow 300 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Flow 300 may represent one aspect of implementing the various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods described above. More specifically, flow 300 may represent one aspect of the proposed concepts and schemes of this disclosure involving the handling of the start time of an unavailable period during the initial registration process of mobile communications. Flow 300 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions, as shown in flow blocks 310, 320, and 330. Although shown as discrete flow blocks, the flow blocks of flow 300 may be divided into more flow blocks, merged into fewer flow blocks, or omitted according to desired implementations. Furthermore, the flow blocks / sub-flow blocks of flow 300 may be arranged according to... Figure 3 The process can be executed in the order shown, or in a different order. Furthermore, one or more process blocks / sub-process blocks of process 300 can be executed repeatedly or iteratively. Process 300 can be implemented by or in devices 210 and 220 and any variations thereof. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, process 300 is described below in conjunction with device 210 as a user equipment (e.g., user equipment 110) and device 220 as a network communication entity (e.g., a network node or base station of a network (e.g., wireless network 120)). Process 300 may begin with process block 310.

[0040] At 310, process 300 may involve the processor 222 of device 220 receiving, via transceiver 226, an indication of an unavailability period due to discontinuous coverage from user equipment (e.g., device 210). Process 300 may continue from 310 to 320.

[0041] At 320, process 300 may involve processor 222 determining the start time of an unavailable period in which the user equipment is in a state of no coverage. Process 300 may continue from 320 to 330.

[0042] In 330, process 300 may involve processor 222 storing the determined start time of the unavailable cycle in memory 224.

[0043] In some implementations, during the determination process, process 300 may involve processor 222 making a determination based on satellite coverage availability information.

[0044] In some implementations, during the receipt of the instruction, process 300 may involve processor 222 receiving the instruction in an information element (IE) of the registration request message (e.g., a 5GS update type information element). In some implementations, the instruction may include an unavailability type indicated in the information element, set to unavailability due to discontinuous coverage.

[0045] In some implementations, process 300 may also involve processor 222 providing the user equipment with the determined start time of the unavailability period via transceiver 226. For example, in providing the determined start time of the unavailability period, process 300 may involve processor 222 providing the determined start time of the unavailability period in an unavailability configuration information element in a registration acceptance message.

[0046] Figure 4 An example flow 400 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Flow 400 may represent one aspect of implementing the various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods described above. More specifically, flow 400 may represent one aspect of the proposed concepts and schemes of this disclosure involving handling the start time of an unavailable period during the initial registration process of mobile communications. Flow 400 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions, as shown in flow blocks 410 and 420. Although shown as discrete flow blocks, the flow blocks of flow 400 may be divided into more flow blocks, merged into fewer flow blocks, or omitted according to desired implementations. Furthermore, the flow blocks / sub-flow blocks of flow 400 may be arranged according to... Figure 4 The process can be executed in the order shown, or in a different order. Furthermore, one or more process blocks / sub-process blocks of process 400 can be executed repeatedly or iteratively. Process 400 can be implemented by or in devices 210 and 220 and any variations thereof. For illustrative purposes only and without limitation, process 400 is described below in conjunction with device 210 as a user equipment (e.g., user equipment 110) and device 220 as a communication entity (e.g., a network node or base station, such as network node 125) of a network (e.g., a wireless network 120 as a 5G / NR mobile network). Process 400 may begin with process block 410.

[0047] At 410, process 400 may involve the processor 212 of device 210 determining that a condition exists regarding discontinuous coverage. This condition may involve device 210 needing to provide unavailability information to the network. Process 400 can proceed from 410 to 420.

[0048] At 420, process 400 may involve processor 212 performing an initial registration with a network (e.g., via wireless network 120, which is device 220 as network node 125) in response to the determination via transceiver 216.

[0049] In some implementations, the condition may also involve device 210 using satellite access with the discontinuous coverage to determine that the user equipment is about to lose satellite coverage.

[0050] In some implementations, this condition may also involve the duration of an unavailable period that device 210 needs to provide to the network.

[0051] In some implementations, this condition may also involve the need for device 210 to provide the network with a start timestamp of an unavailable period.

[0052] Additional Notes

[0053] The topics described herein sometimes demonstrate different components contained within or connected to different other components. It should be understood that such architectures are merely examples, and many other architectures can actually be implemented to achieve the same functionality. Conceptually, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” to achieve the desired function. Therefore, any two components combined in this document to achieve a specific function can be considered “associated with each other” to achieve the desired function, regardless of the architecture or intermediate components. Similarly, any two such associated components can also be considered “operably connected” or “operably coupled” to achieve the desired function, and any two components that can be suchly associated can also be considered “operably coupled” to achieve the desired function. Specific examples of operable coupling include, but are not limited to, physically matable and / or physically interactive components and / or wirelessly interactive and / or logically interactive components.

[0054] Furthermore, regarding the use of almost all plural and / or singular terms in this document, those skilled in the art can appropriately convert from plural to singular and / or from singular to plural depending on the context and / or application. For clarity, various singular / plural permutations may be explicitly listed in this document.

[0055] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the terminology used herein, particularly in appended claims, such as the body portion of appended claims, is generally intended as “open” terms. For example, the word “comprising” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the word “having” should be interpreted as “at least having,” and the word “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” etc. Those skilled in the art will also understand that if a particular quantity introduced in a claim has a clear intent, that intent will be clearly stated in the claim; if no such statement is made, then no such intent exists. For example, to aid understanding, the following appended claims may contain the use of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce the claim recitation. However, the use of such phrases should not be interpreted as introducing the claim recitation with the indefinite article “a” or “an” to limit any particular claim containing that recitation to containing only one such recitation, even if the same claim contains the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a (an)”, for example, “a” should be interpreted as “at least one” or “one or more”; the same applies to definite articles used to introduce the claim recitation. Furthermore, even if a specific quantity is explicitly stated in the claims, those skilled in the art will recognize that such a statement should be interpreted as at least the stated quantity. For example, the phrase "two statements" alone, without any other modifiers, implies at least two statements, or two or more statements. Additionally, when using conventions such as "at least one A, B, and C, etc.", such structures are generally intended for those skilled in the art to understand the meaning of the convention. For example, "a system having at least one A, B, and C" includes, but is not limited to, systems with only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and systems with A, B, and C, etc. Similarly, when using conventions such as "at least one A, B, or C, etc.", such structures are generally intended for those skilled in the art to understand the meaning of the convention. For example, "a system having at least one A, B, or C" includes, but is not limited to, systems with only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and systems with A, B, and C, etc. Those skilled in the art will also understand that almost all extractives and / or phrases presenting two or more alternative terms in the specification, claims, or drawings should be understood to include the possibility of containing only one term, either term, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibility of “A” or “B” or “A and B”.

[0056] As can be seen from the foregoing, various embodiments of this disclosure have been described herein for illustrative purposes, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of this disclosure. Therefore, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, and the true scope and spirit are indicated by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: The network node's processor receives an indication of unavailability periods caused by discontinuous coverage from the user equipment; The processor determines the start time of the unavailable period when the user equipment is in a state of no coverage; as well as The processor stores the start time of the determined unavailable period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination includes determination based on satellite coverage availability information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the instruction includes receiving the instruction in the information element of the registration request message.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the indication includes an unavailability type indicated in the information element that is set to be unavailable due to the discontinuous coverage.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The processor provides the user equipment with the start time of the determined unavailability period.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein providing the start time of the determined unavailability period includes providing the start time of the determined unavailability period in an unavailability configuration information element in the registration acceptance message.

7. A method comprising: The user equipment's processor determines the existence of conditions regarding discontinuous coverage; as well as The processor performs the initial registration after this determination. This condition includes the requirement that the user equipment needs to provide unavailability information to the network.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the condition further includes the user equipment using satellite access with the discontinuous coverage, and determining that the user equipment is about to lose satellite coverage.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the condition further includes the duration of the unavailability period that the user equipment needs to provide to the network.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the condition further includes the user equipment needing to provide the network with an unavailability period start timestamp.

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