Service announcement in wireless communication system

Abstract

A radio access network (RAN) of a wireless communication network transmits information about NPN services provided by a non-public network (NPN) supported by the wireless network to a user equipment (UE), where the UE is not subscribed to the NPN. In some embodiments, the NPN service information is periodically broadcast to the UE; in other embodiments, the information is transmitted in response to receiving a request from the UE. In response to receiving the NPN service information, the UE transmits an onboarding request to onboard the UE to the NPN, which the UE receives; the RAN forwards this to an onboarding network (OBN) of the wireless network. In response, the RAN receives an NPN certificate for the UE from the OBN and forwards this to the UE, which uses the NPN certificate to register with the NPN, thereby enabling the non-subscribed UE to subscribe to the NPN.

Description

[Background technology]

[0001] TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, and particularly, but not exclusively, to wireless communication systems supporting closed networks. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0002] This section introduces aspects that may help facilitate a better understanding of the disclosure. Accordingly, the statements in this section should be read in this light and not understood as admissions about what is prior art or what is not prior art.

[0003] The Third Generation Partnership Project Release-16 (3GPRel-16) standard for 5G wireless communication systems introduced a Non-Public Network (NPN) feature that allows for private network deployment. For example, a business such as a coffee shop or a bookstore or a venue such as a sports arena may deploy an NPN to offer certain services to users of wireless user equipment (UE) that subscribe to the private network where the services are not available to non-subscribers. For example, a coffee shop may offer its subscribers discounts that are not available to non-subscribers.

[0004] In 3GPP Rel-16, it is assumed that the subscription certificate for accessing an NPN, such as a Stand-alone Non-Public Network (SNPN), is pre-configured in the subscriber's UE, in other words, only UEs that have already subscribed to an SNPN can access that SNPN and use services from it.

[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters identify similar or identical elements. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a wireless 5G communication network in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] 2 is a signal flow diagram illustrating the flow of signals within the communication network of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure performing a first NPN communication method. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram showing the format of a network identifier (NID) according to 3GPP Rel-16. [Figure 4] A diagram showing the format of the NID for an NID allocation mode value of 0 according to 3GPP Rel-16. [Diagram 5] 1 represents three different possible options for encoding the bits in the NID. [Figure 6] 2 is a signal flow diagram illustrating the flow of signals within the communication network of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure performing a second NPN communication mode. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] Detailed exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed herein. However, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely representative for the purpose of describing the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. The present disclosure may be embodied in many alternative forms, and therefore should not be construed as being limited to only the embodiments described herein. Furthermore, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing only specific embodiments, and therefore is not intended to be a limitation of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0008] As used herein, singular definite and indefinite articles are intended to include the plural as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the term "comprises" specifies the presence of stated features, steps, or components, but does not exclude the presence or additional presence of one or more other features, steps, or components. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the described functions / acts may occur out of the order depicted in the accompanying figures. For example, two figures shown in succession may in fact be performed substantially simultaneously or sometimes in the reverse order, depending on the functions / acts involved.

[0009] With regard to Release 17, 3GPP has been studying some extensions for closed networks such as SNPNs (such as on-boarding of a user's UE to an SNPN that is not subscribed to the SNPN). The 3GPP Release 17 study does not cover the aspect of how a user can discover services offered by a local SNPN (where the UE does not have a pre-configured subscription certificate). If a non-subscribed user can be made aware of SNPN services offered within a service area (in this context, a service area is the area where the user is currently located), the user can better determine whether to initiate an on-boarding process to an SNPN to use the SNPN services.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a private network, such as a 5G NPN network, supports wireless communication with non-subscriber UEs (cell phones, etc.) (informing non-subscribers about services supported for subscribers) so that those non-subscribers may determine whether to subscribe to the private network. Depending on the particular implementation, the base station of the private network may employ one or both of two different modes for such communication. In a first communication mode, the NPN base station broadcasts information about its subscribed services to any UE that can receive the downlink message. In a second mode, the UE transmits an uplink request for such information, and the NPN base station responds by sending the information in a unicast downlink message back to the UE.

[0011] 1 is a simplified block diagram of a wireless 5G communication network 100 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The 5G network 100 has one or more 5G Cores (5GCs) 106 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 1 ) that support the operation of one or more radio access networks (RANs) 104 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 1 ). Each RAN 104 has one or more base stations (gNBs) (not shown in FIG. 1 ), each of which may communicate with one or more UEs 102 (only one of which is shown in FIG. 1 ). The operations supported by the 5GCs 106 may include one or more SNPNs (and one or more Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs)) that may use the RANs 104 to communicate with the UEs 102.

[0012] Also shown connected to the 5GC 106 in FIG. 1 is an On-Boarding Network (OBN) 108, which enables on-boarding of new SNPN subscriptions to the UE 102, and is described in more detail below.

[0013] 1, the UE 102 includes a radio transceiver (TRX) for communicating with the RAN 104, a processor for controlling the operation of the transceiver and for processing input and output data, memory for storing the data, and, in some implementations, software for controlling the operation of the processor. Similarly, the RAN 104 includes a radio transceiver for communicating with the UE 102, a backhaul transceiver for communicating with the 5G core 106 (including the OBN 108), a processor for controlling the operation of the transceiver and for processing input and output data, memory for storing the data, and, in some implementations, software for controlling the operation of the processor.

[0014] Some embodiments of the present disclosure allow the UE 102 to discover a new NPN, learn its service capabilities, and register and connect with it. While connected to a given NPN, the UE 102 may learn about and take advantage of additional services that may be available in the currently connected NPN. The UE 102 may request service information on various available NPNs at regular intervals. While connected to a given NPN, the UE 102 may discover and connect with a different NP in order to take advantage of better or more desirable services.

[0015] First communication mode: Broadcast SNPN information The following describes some solutions to "how a gNB of an SNPN can advertise / broadcast an offered SNPN service to reach a UE that does not yet have a valid SNPN certificate to access the SNPN."

[0016] Per 3GPP Rel-16 specifications, SNPN Identifiers (SNPN-IDs) are broadcast by the gNB. A 3GPP Rel-16 compliant UE that is within the service area of ​​a gNB and has a subscription and pre-configured certificate for one of the SNPN-IDs broadcast by the gNB may select that SNPN-ID by following the automatic or manual SNPN selection procedures specified in 3GPP TS 23.122 Rel-16, and then initiate an SNPN registration procedure per 3GPP TS 23.501, the teachings of both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. If the UE does not have a valid SNPN certificate to access any of the SNPN-IDs broadcast by the gNB, the UE cannot access any of the SNPNs within the gNB service area.

[0017] As mentioned above, 3GPP has not specified or studied any method on how an SNPN may advertise / broadcast its offered services within an SNPN service area of ​​a UE with which it has no prior relationship or subscription. A user of a UE visiting an SNPN service area but without a subscription to the SNPN (and any associated SNPN certificate pre-configured in the UE) may be interested in using the SNPN services based on the broadcast service information to make a more informed decision on whether to initiate the SNPN onboarding process to utilize the SNPN services.

[0018] As will be further described below, the proposed solution enhances the coding / structure of the network identifier (NID) portion of the SNPN-ID included in the broadcasted downlink message so that the gNB can advertise / broadcast the services offered by the SNPN, and a UE that does not yet have any valid SNPN certificate in the coverage area of ​​the gNB can initiate the SNPN onboarding procedure by the OBN 108 in Figure 1. The SNPN onboarding procedure is a way to download the SNPN certificate to the UE. Once the onboarding procedure is successfully completed, the UE can perform the SNPN registration procedure by using the downloaded SNPN certificate to use the SNPN service.

[0019] 2 is a signal flow diagram illustrating the flow of signals within the communication network 100 of FIG. 1 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure for a first NPN communication mode. The process begins at step 202 with the pre-configuration of the RAN 104, 5GC 106, and OBN 108 with information related to one or more SNPNs supported by the communication network 100.

[0020] Next, in step 204, the RAN 104 uses its gNBs to broadcast information related to those SNPNs. Note that in some situations, an SNPN will be associated with one or more gNBs whose coverage areas correspond to the location of the enterprise sponsoring the SNPN. In these situations, it is possible that only that gNB broadcasts information about that SNPN. In some situations, a given gNB may be associated with more than one SNPN and / or perhaps one or more PLMNs. In these situations, the gNB may continuously broadcast information about various SNPNs and / or PLMNs whose identifiers are listed in the same broadcasted System Information Block (SIB) (i.e., SIB-1).

[0021] According to 5G Rel-16, a PLMN is identified by a PLMN Identifier (PLMN-ID), while a SNPN is identified by a SNPN Identifier (SNPN-ID), which consists of a PLMN-ID and a Network Identifier (NID), where the RAN 104 broadcasts the PLMN-ID and / or SNPN-ID of the 5G Core 106 to which the RAN 104 is connected. Such broadcasting of PLMN-ID and SNPN-ID along with other system information is specified in 3GPP Specification (TS) 38.331.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 3, according to 3GPP Rel-16, the NID of an SNPN has 44 bits (i.e., a 4-bit allocation mode value (corresponding to one hexadecimal (aka hex) digit) followed by a 40-bit NID value (corresponding to 10 hexadecimal digits). 3GPP Rel-16 defines allocation mode values ​​(decimal) of 0, 1, and 2, and reserves 13 other possible allocation mode values ​​(i.e., decimal values ​​3 through 15) available for future definition.

[0023] In particular, according to 3GPP TS 23.003 Rel-16, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, a 4-bit NID allocation mode value of 0 implies that the 40-bit NID value is globally unique regardless of the corresponding PLMN-ID. A NID allocation mode value of 1 implies that the NID value is individually selected by the SNPN at deployment time. A NID allocation mode value of 2 implies that the NID value is assigned such that the combination of the NID value and the corresponding PLMN-ID is globally unique. The deployment model of a NID allocation mode value of 1 is called self-allocation, while the two other allocation models are called collaborative allocation.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 4, for an NID assignment mode value of 0, the 40-bit NID value is further divided into an 8-digit NID Private Enterprise Number (PEN) followed by a 2-digit NID code, where the NID PEN is issued to the service provider of the SNPN by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) in its capacity as a private enterprise number administrator, and the NID code identifies the SNPN within the service provider identified by the NID PEN.

[0025] According to some embodiments, a new 4-bit NID allocation mode value is defined to be one of the reserved decimal values ​​3 - 15. The 40-bit NID value is then used to provide information about the services provided by the SNPN identified by the corresponding SNPN-ID.

[0026] As shown in option 1 of Figure 5, in one possible implementation, one or more of the ten hexadecimal digits of the 40-bit NID value are used to represent different types of services offered by the SNPN. For example, the bits in the last two hexadecimal digits could be used to represent the following services: ●0000 0001 Low-speed public Internet access ●0000 0010 High-speed public internet access ●0000 0100 Beverage service ●0000 1000 Food Service ●0001 0000 Images from various angles ●0010 0000 Local promotion / sales ●0100 0000 Emergency support

[0027] If the previously reserved allocation mode value 4 is used for SNPN services, and the particular SNPN provides high speed public Internet access, beverage services, and local promotions / sales, the 44-bit NID value is: 0100 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0010 0110 where the first 4-bit value 0100 represents the allocation mode value 4, and the three 1's in the last two 4-bit values ​​0010 0110 identify the three supported services. In hexadecimal format, the 11-digit NID value would be 40000000026.

[0028] As shown in option 2 of Figure 5, in another possible implementation, the 10-digit NID value is split into various parts, where a first part (e.g., one hexadecimal digit) identifies the SNPN category, while a second part (e.g., another two hexadecimal digits) identifies the offered SNPN service (as in the previous example), and where any remaining part (e.g., the remaining seven hexadecimal digits) is reserved. For example, the eighth hexadecimal digit could be used to identify the SNPN category as follows: ●0001 Coffee shop ●0010 Concert Hall ●0011 Stadium ●0100 Restaurant ●0101 Bookstore ●0110 City ●0111 Airport

[0029] If the previously reserved allocation mode value 4 is used for SNPN services, and the restaurant with the SNPN offers high speed Internet access, beverage and food service, and local promotions / sales, the 44-bit NID value would be: 0100 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0100 0010 1110 where the first 4-bit value 0100 represents an allocation mode value of 4, the eighth 4-bit value 0100 identifies the business as a restaurant, and the four 1's in the two final 4-bit values ​​0010 1110 identify the four supported services. In hexadecimal format, the 11-digit NID value would be 4000000042E, where the hexadecimal value E corresponds to the decimal value 14.

[0030] As shown in option 3 of Figure 5, in yet another possible implementation, a different allocation mode value (e.g., 5) may be used to allow different SNPNs to uniquely define different standardized service offerings. In this option, the UE downloads a configuration file for mapping the SNPN service configurations offered by different PENs. This configuration information may be pre-configured in the UE or downloaded by the UE from a trusted source.

[0031] Some embodiments of the present disclosure are an extension of NID allocation mode 0, where the NID value includes a 32-bit globally unique PEN (Private Enterprise Number) and an 8-bit NID code. This disclosure proposes a method to advertise / broadcast the service offerings of an SNPN operator with a PEN assignment. For example, a stadium operator gets a PEN assigned by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) (https: / / www.iana.org / assignments / enterprise-numbers / enterprise-numbers). Then, according to a sample encoding, the operator uses this PEN to construct an SNPN-ID. The 8-bit NID code value is used by the stadium operator to broadcast the type of services offered in this stadium. Users visiting the stadium for an event such as a game or concert can download a file (e.g., from a website established by the PEN holder) with all the SNPN service offerings by various PEN holders. Such a file can allow end users to map the specific SNPN services broadcasted in this stadium location by the 8-bit NID code to a human-readable format. Such mapping may also be automated by some other means, such as an application downloaded into the UE.

[0032] 2, in step 206, the UE 102 receiving the broadcasted SNPN information performs an SNPN search (e.g., manually selected by a user) and displays information regarding services offered by one or more available SNPNs to which the UE has not yet subscribed. If the user selects one of the available SNPNs, a process of onboarding the UE to the SNPN occurs in step 208, during which an SNPN certificate is provided to the UE.

[0033] For example, in a coffee shop that has an SNPN offering free Internet service or any promotional sales for their customers, the SNPN network may broadcast this service offer through the gNBs in its coverage area. A UE user may initiate a manual SNPN network search in the coffee shop to discover available networks and services. The UE displays the SNPN-ID and associated offerings (e.g., free Internet service) to the user. If the user is interested in the service, the user may select the associated SNPN to begin the onboarding process.

[0034] As another example, a stadium venue has an SNPN that offers various services for customers visiting the venue. The offered services can be, for example, free best-effort Internet, paid high-speed Internet, special event footage from different camera angles, etc. These service offers are broadcasted over the NB by associating one or more of these services with one or more SNPN-IDs. A UE user can initiate a manual SNPN network search in the venue to discover available networks and services. The UE displays the SNPN-IDs and associated service offers to the user. If the user is interested in using any of the services, the user can select the associated SNPN to begin the onboarding process.

[0035] During the onboarding procedure, the UE may receive a new SNPN-ID from the 5GC that is used to access the SNPN service. This new SNPN-ID is also broadcast by the same gNB. The onboarding process will be based on 3GPP Rel-17 features. An example of an onboarding procedure for the communication network 100 of FIG. 1 may be summarized as follows: ● A UE 102 that does not have a valid SNPN certificate asks the 5GC 106 to provide such a certificate via UE-to-5GC signaling via the RAN 104; ● The 5GC 106 retrieves the temporary SNPN certificate for this UE 102 from the OBN 108 and then assigns a permanent SNPN certificate (which may include a new SNPN-ID to be used by the UE 102 for SNPN local services) to the UE 102; ● 5GC 106 sends the SNPN certificate back to UE 102 via 5GC-to-UE signaling; and The UE disconnects from the 5GC 106 and then reconnects to the 5GC 106 by using the downloaded SNPN certificate.

[0036] After the onboarding procedure is completed, in step 210, the UE 102 registers with the SNPN, which allows the UE to establish a PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session through the SNPN for establishing a connection between the UE and the SNPN for data transfer. The PDU session represents an association between the UE and a data network that provides access to the services offered by the SNPN (e.g., the Internet).

[0037] Second Communication Mode: NPN Information Required (Applicable to all flavors of NPN: SNPN and PNI-NPN) The following describes several solutions on how a UE that does not yet have a valid NPN certificate can request information about the characteristics of available NPNs. These solutions apply to both SNPNs and Public Network Integrated NPNs (PNI-NPNs) (as defined in 3GPP TS 22.261 and 3GPP TS 23.501), the disclosures of both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0038] According to some implementations, by using a new inquiry in an existing 3GPP message, the UE sends a request to the network soliciting information about offered NPN services, and the network responds with information about supported and available NPN service offerings. The UE then prompts the user with the available NPN service offerings, and with the user's consent, utilizes these services. The UE can also be pre-configured to utilize these network connections and services when available in a given location or from a provider.

[0039] 6 is a signal flow diagram illustrating the flow of signals in the communication network 100 of FIG. 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure performing a second NPN communication mode. The process begins in step 602 with pre-configuration of the RAN 104, 5GC 106, and OBN 108 with information related to one or more NPNs supported by the communication network 100. Step 602 is similar to step 202 of FIG. 2.

[0040] In step 604, the RAN 104 broadcasts a downlink MIB (Master Information Block) message to the UE 102. The MIB is a broadcast message (containing parameters needed for the UE to get the SIB-1 message from the cell) that is sent over the wireless network at regular intervals. The MIB allows the UE to identify and associate with modifiable networks.

[0041] In step 606, the RAN 104 broadcasts a downlink SIB-1 system information block message to the UE 102. The SIB-1 message defines other SIB messages (SIB-2, SIB-3, etc.) that contain the scheduling of the transmission of those other SIB messages. There are multiple SIBs (e.g., SIB-1 to SIB-14 and SIBpos) defined in 3GPP TS 38.331. Each SIB contains specific information. SIB-1 stands for system information block type 1. SIB-1 is a special SIB that is transmitted periodically and may also indicate the schedule of other SIB messages. If a given SIB message is not scheduled to be broadcast, the UE may specifically request a desired SIB message.

[0042] In step 608, to obtain information about the NPN service, the particular UE 102 transmits an uplink system information request message to the RAN 104, and in step 610, the RAN 104 responds by broadcasting the requested system information in a downlink response message. Although not explicitly shown in FIG. 6, additional uplink request and corresponding downlink response messages may be transmitted as necessary until the UE 102 receives all of the required information. Furthermore, since the downlink response message is broadcast, all of the UEs in the service area of ​​the NPN may also obtain the same information. Furthermore, since the downlink response message is broadcast, all of the UEs in the service area of ​​the NPN may also obtain the same information. These request and response messages are described in more detail below. The first exchange of information about the NPN service is initiated by the UE 102 by using a system information request message. Although not explicitly shown in FIG. 6, in order to minimize the load on the network due to similar requests from various UEs (e.g., in a stadium use case), the network may be configured to broadcast these SIB messages at regular intervals via gNBs in a given area.

[0043] After the UE 102 has obtained all of the required information, the UE 102 performs an NPN search (if appropriate), displays NPN service information, receives the user's NPN selection, initiates onboarding of the selected NPN, and registers with the NPN for a PDU session in steps 612-616, which are similar to steps 206-210 of Figure 2. With respect to step 612, similar to step 206 of Figure 2, the UE 102 may present the received information to the user in a user-friendly manner (by decoding messages and bit strings, if necessary), present various options to the user, and obtain the user's preferences / consent to subscribe to the selected NPN.

[0044] 3GPP TS 38.331, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, defines the SIB-1 downlink message SystemInformation as follows: SystemInformation::=SEQUENCE criticalExtensions CHOICE systemInformation SystemInformation-IEs, criticalExtensionsFuture-r16 CHOICE{ posSystemInformation-r16 PosSystemInformation-r16-IEs, criticalExtensionsFuture SEQUENCE{} } } } SystemInformation-IEs::=SEQUENCE{ sib-TypeAndInfo SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxSIB))OF CHOICE{ sib2 SIB2, sib3 SIB3, sib4 SIB4, sib5 SIB5, sib6 SIB6, sib7 SIB7, sib8 SIB8, sib9 SIB9, ..., sib10-v1610 SIB10-r16, sib11-v1610 SIB11-r16, sib12-v1610 SIB12-r16, sib13-v1610 SIB13-r16, sib14-v1610 SIB14-r16 }, lateNonCriticalExtension OCTET STRING OPTIONAL, nonCriticalExtension SEQUENCE{}OPTIONAL }

[0045] 3GPP TS 38.331, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, defines the SIB-10 downlink message SIB10-r16 as follows: SIB10-r16::=SEQUENCE hrnn-List-r16 HRNN-List-r16 OPTIONAL,--Need R lateNonCriticalExtension OCTET STRING OPTIONAL, ... } HRNN-List-r16::=SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxNPN-r16))OF HRNN-r16 HRNN-r16::=SEQUENCE hrnn-r16 OCTET STRING(SIZE(1..maxHRNN-Len-r16))OPTIONAL--Need R }

[0046] 3GPP TS 38.331 chapter 6.2.2, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, defines the uplink system information request message RRCSystemInfoRequest as follows: RRCSystemInfoRequest::=SEQUENCE{ criticalExtensions CHOICE rrcSystemInfoRequest RRCSystemInfoRequest-IEs, criticalExtensionsFuture-r16 CHOICE{ rrcPosSystemInfoRequest-r16 RRC-PosSystemInfoRequest-r16-IEs, criticalExtensionsFuture SEQUENCE{} } } } RRCSystemInfoRequest-IEs::=SEQUENCE{ requested-SI-List BIT STRING(SIZE (maxSI-Message)),--32bits spare BIT STRING(SIZE(12)) } RRC-PosSystemInfoRequest-r16-IEs::=SEQUENCE{ requestedPosSI-List BIT STRING (SIZE(maxSI-Message)),--32bits spare BIT STRING(SIZE(11)) }

[0047] According to some embodiments, appropriate bits in the RRCSystemInfoRequestIE field of the request message RRCSystemInfoRequest are used by the UE 102 to request information about NPN services of available NPNs to which the UE is not yet subscribed. In response, depending on the specific implementation, the RAN 104 uses either a modified SIB-10 response message SIB10-r16 or a new SIB response message NEW-SIB-r18 to send the requested NPN service information back to the UE 102. By setting appropriate indicators in the SIB-1 message, as will be further explained below, the new SIB response message can be cell-specific or area-specific, thereby minimizing the overhead of the wider network. It is proposed that the periodicity of the new SIB response message is aligned with similar SIB messages. The first exchange of information about NPN services is initiated by the UE as previously described by the SystemInfo request message. To minimize the load on the network due to similar requests from various UEs (e.g., in a stadium use case), the network may advertise these messages via gNBs in a given area at regular intervals.

[0048] Modified SIB-10 response message The existing SIB-10 response message provides the Human Readable Network Name (HRNN) of the NPN. According to some embodiments, the SIB-10 downlink message SIB10-r16 is modified to include an NPN Service octal string field NPN-Serv that can be used to capture human readable information about the services offered by a given NPN. The modified SIB-10 message SIB10-r16 is defined as follows: SIB10-r16::=SEQUENCE hrnn-List-r16 HRNN-List-r16 OPTIONAL,--Need R lateNonCriticalExtension OCTET STRING OPTIONAL, ... } HRNN-List-r16::=SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxNPN-r16))OF HRNN-r16 HRNN-r16::=SEQUENCE hrnn-r16 OCTET STRING(SIZE(1..maxHRNN-Len-r16))OPTIONAL--Need R NPN-Serv OCTET STRING(SIZE(1..maxNPN-Serv-Len-r18))OPTIONAL--Need R }

[0049] As many HRNN elements as there are NPNs in SIB-1 are included in the modified SIB-10 message, where the nth entry in the HRNN list contains the human readable network name of the nth NPN in SIB-1. A human readable network name in a communication entry in the HRNN list does not exist if there is no HRNN associated with a given NPN. The new NPN-Serv field provides a human readable description of the service offered by the corresponding NPN.

[0050] New SIB Response Message For the new SIB response message NEW-SIB-r18, the SystemInformation-IE of the SIB-1 message SystemInformation can be modified as follows: SystemInformation-IEs::=SEQUENCE{ sib-TypeAndInfo SEQUENCE(SIZE (1..maxSIB))OF CHOICE{ sib2 SIB2, sib3 SIB3, sib4 SIB4, sib5 SIB5, sib6 SIB6, sib7 SIB7, sib8 SIB8, sib9 SIB9, ..., sib10-v1610 SIB10-r16, sib11-v1610 SIB11-r16, sib12-v1610 SIB12-r16, sib13-v1610 SIB13-r16, sib14-v1610 SIB14-r16, new-sib-v18-10 NEW-SIB-r18 }, lateNonCriticalExtension OCTET STRING OPTIONAL, nonCriticalExtension SEQUENCE{}OPTIONAL }

[0051] According to one possible implementation, the new SIB response message NEW-SIB-r18 may be defined with a bit string field NPNServicesSupported as follows: NEW-SIB-r18::=SEQUENCE{ npn-service-List-r18 NPN-Sevice-List-r18 } NPN-Service-List-r18::=SEQUENCE(SIZE(1..maxNPN-r18))OF NPN-Serv-r18 NPN-Serv-r18::=SEQUENCE messageIdentifier BIT STRING(SIZE(16)), serialNumber BIT STRING(SIZE(16)), NPNServicesSupported BIT STRING(SIZE(32)), ServiceMessageSegmentType ENUMERATED{notLastSegment,lastSegment}, ServiceMessageSegmentNumber INTEGER(0..63), ServiceMessageSegment OCTET STRING, dataCodingScheme OCTET STRING(SIZE(1))OPTIONAL,--Cond Segment1 ... ... }

[0052] Note: The NPN services supported may be indicated either as a bit string in a single attribute (by using NPNServicesSupported), or in one or more segments (by using ServiceMessageSegmentType, ServiceMessageSegmentNumber, ServiceMessageSegment and dataCodingScheme), if desired to provide more information (optionally, possibly in a human-readable clear text format).

[0053] The fields in this implementation of the NEW-SIB-r18 message are defined as follows: messageIdentifier: identifies the source and type of the service offer notification to indicate that the message is sent from a particular "service provider." serialNumber: identifies a variant of the service offer notification to tell the UE whether a previously received message has been updated. The UE updates the information to the user only if the messageIdentifier and / or serialNumber are modified. - NPNServicesSupported: A description of the services offered by the NPN as coded with various binary and / or hexadecimal values ​​similar to the previous discussion of coding in the context of broadcast information about NPN services. ServiceMessageSegmentType: indicates whether the included service offer alert message segment is the final segment. ● ServiceMessageSegmentNumber: The segment number of the service offer alert message segment contained within the SIB. A segment number of 0 corresponds to the first segment, a segment number of 1 corresponds to the second segment, and so on. ServiceMessageSegment: Carries a segment of the service offer message content IE. dataCodingScheme: Identifies the alphabet / encoding and language adaptation variant of the service offer notification. ● Segment1: The field is mandatory to be present in the first segment of the new SIB; otherwise it is not present. When the service information of the NPN is large, the fields ServiceMessageSegmentType, ServiceMessageSegmentNumber, ServiceMessageSegment and dataCodingScheme can be used to implement a segmentation scheme in which the information is carried sequentially through various instances of the NEW-SIB-r18 message.

[0054] According to another possible implementation, the new SIB response message NEW-SIB-r18 is an octal string with the NPNServicesSupported field defined as follows: NPNServicesSupported OCTET STRING(SIZE(1..maxNPNServ-Len-r18)) The information is defined as above, except that: In this implementation, the various building types and / or various NPN services may be described by using a human readable clear text format. This allows new service offerings or service changes to be incorporated without any changes in the UE or network functions. This information may be provided in one or more segments as required and may support various encoding options.

[0055] The system as a whole should be backwards compatible with existing network functions, although new features may not be available in older versions. Furthermore, some embodiments involve only software modifications so that no changes to hardware are required.

[0056] In some embodiments, the present disclosure is a radio access network of a wireless communication network, where the RAN includes a radio transceiver, a backhaul transceiver, and a processor configured to control operation of the radio and the backhaul transceiver. The radio transceiver is configured to transmit information to a user equipment regarding an NPN service provided by a private network supported by the wireless communication network; the radio transceiver is configured to receive an onboarding request from the UE to onboard the UE into the NPN; the backhaul transceiver is configured to forward the onboarding request to an onboarding network of the wireless communication network; the backhaul transceiver is configured to receive an NPN certificate for the UE from the OBN; and the radio transceiver is configured to forward the NPN certificate to the UE.

[0057] In at least some of the above embodiments, the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit information regarding the NPN service to the UE in a broadcast message.

[0058] In at least some of the above embodiments, the wireless communication network is a 5G network; the NPN is a standalone private network having an SNPN identifier having a network identifier portion; and the processor is configured to encode information regarding the NPN service in the NID portion of the SNPN-ID in the broadcast message.

[0059] In at least some of the above embodiments, the network identifier has an allocation mode value and an NID value; and to transmit NPN information, the processor is configured to assign a value to the allocation mode value indicating that the NID value encodes information regarding the NPN service.

[0060] In at least some of the above embodiments, the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit information about the NPN service to the UE in response to receiving a request for information from the UE.

[0061] In at least some of the above embodiments, the wireless communication network is a 5G network; and the wireless transceiver is configured to receive a request for NPN service information by setting an appropriate bit of SIB-10 or a new SIB in the RRCSystemInfoRequest-IE field of a request message RRCSystemInfoRequest as required.

[0062] In at least some of the above embodiments, the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit the NPN service information as a bit string that is decoded by the UE.

[0063] In at least some of the above embodiments, the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit the NPN service information in a human-readable clear text format.

[0064] In at least some of the above embodiments, the wireless communication network is a 5G network; and the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit information in one or more fields in the modified SIB-10 message.

[0065] In at least some of the above embodiments, the wireless communication network is a 5G network; and the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit information in one or more fields of the new SIB message as one or more segments.

[0066] In some other embodiments, the present disclosure is a user equipment of a wireless communication network having a radio access network, where the UE includes a wireless transceiver and a processor, the wireless transceiver is configured to receive information from a RAN regarding an NPN service provided by a private network supported by the wireless communication network, the wireless transceiver is configured to send an onboarding request to the RAN for onboarding the UE into the NPN, the wireless transceiver is configured to receive an NPN certificate for the UE from the RAN, and the processor is configured to register with the NPN.

[0067] In at least some of the above embodiments, the wireless transceiver is configured to receive information regarding the NPN service in a broadcast message from the RAN.

[0068] In at least some of the above embodiments, the wireless communication network is a 5G network; the NPN is a standalone private network having an SNPN identifier having a network identifier portion; the wireless transceiver is configured to receive information regarding the NPN service encoded in the NID portion of the SNPN-ID in the broadcast message; and the processor is configured to decode the information regarding the NPN service.

[0069] In at least some of the above embodiments, the NID portion has an allocation mode value and an NID value; and to receive NPN information, the processor is configured to detect a value of the allocation mode value that indicates that the NID value encodes information regarding an NPN service.

[0070] In at least some of the above embodiments, the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit a request for information about NPN services to the RAN.

[0071] In at least some of the above embodiments, the wireless communication network is a 5G network; and the wireless transceiver is configured to send a request for NPN service information by setting an appropriate bit of SIB-10 or a new SIB as required in the RRCSystemInfoRequest-IE field of a request message RRCSystemInfoRequest.

[0072] In at least some of the above embodiments, the wireless transceiver is configured to receive the NPN service information as a bit string that is decoded by the UE.

[0073] In at least some of the above embodiments, the wireless transceiver is configured to receive NPN service information in a human-readable clear text format.

[0074] In at least some of the above embodiments, the wireless communication network is a 5G network; and the wireless transceiver is configured to receive the information in a field in the modified SIB-10 message.

[0075] In at least some of the above embodiments, the wireless communication network is a 5G network; and the wireless transceiver is configured to receive information in a field in the new SIB message.

[0076] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented as circuit-based processes (analog, digital, or a hybrid of both analog and digital), including possible implementations as a single integrated circuit (such as an ASIC or FPGA), a multi-chip module, a single card, or a multi-card circuit pack. As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, various functions of the circuit elements may also be implemented as processing blocks within a software program. Such software may be employed, for example, within a digital signal processor, microcontroller, general purpose computer, or other processor.

[0077] As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present disclosure may be embodied as an apparatus (including, e.g., a system, a machine, a device, a computer program product, and / or the like), as a method (including, e.g., a business process, a computer-implemented process, and / or the like), or as any combination of the above. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure may take the form of an entirely software-based embodiment (including firmware and resident software, microcode, and the like), an entirely hardware embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects (which may be generally referred to herein as a "system").

[0078] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be manifested in the form of a method and an apparatus for carrying out the method. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be manifested in the form of a program code embodied in a tangible medium, such as a magnetic recording medium, an optical recording medium, a solid-state memory, a floppy diskette, a CD-ROM, a hard drive, or other non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, which when loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, becomes an apparatus for carrying out the present disclosure. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be manifested in the form of a program code stored, for example, in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (including being loaded into and / or executed by a machine), which when loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, becomes an apparatus for carrying out the present disclosure. When implemented on a general-purpose processor, the program code segments combine with the processor to provide a unique device that operates in a manner similar to specific logic circuits.

[0079] Any suitable processor usable / readable or computer usable / readable storage medium may be utilized. The storage medium may be (without limitation) an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device. A more specific and non-exhaustive list of possible storage media includes magnetic tape, portable computer diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM) or flash memory, portable compact disk read only memory (CD ROM), optical storage devices, and magnetic storage devices. It should be noted that the storage medium may also be paper or another suitable medium on which the program is printed, since the program may be captured electronically, if necessary, for example via optical scanning of a print, and then compiled, interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable manner (including but not limited to optical character recognition), and then stored in a processor or computer memory. In the context of the present disclosure, a suitable storage medium may be any medium that may contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0080] The functionality of the various elements illustrated in the accompanying drawings (including any functional block labeled as a "processor") may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware and hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate software. When provided by a processor, the functionality may be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by multiple individual processors, some of which may be shared. Furthermore, explicit use of the terms "processor" or "controller" should not be construed to refer exclusively to hardware capable of executing software, and thus may implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, network processors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), read only memory (ROM) for storing software, random access memory (RAM), and non-volatile storage. Other hardware, conventional and / or custom, may also be included. Similarly, any switches illustrated in the accompanying drawings are merely conceptual. Their functionality may be performed through the operation of program logic, through dedicated logic, through interaction of program control with dedicated logic, or even manually, the specific techniques being selectable by the implementer as more specifically understood from the context.

[0081] Unless expressly stated otherwise, each numerical value and range should be construed as approximation, as if the word "about" or "approximately" precedes the value or range.

[0082] It will be further understood that various changes in the details, materials and arrangements of parts described and shown to illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the embodiments of the present disclosure as encompassed by the following claims.

[0083] In this specification, including any claims, the term "each" may be used to refer to one or more stated characteristics of multiple previously recited elements or steps. When used with the open-ended term "comprising," the recitation of the term "each" does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or steps. Thus, it will be understood that an apparatus may have additional, unrecited elements, and a method may have additional, unrecited steps, where the additional, unrecited elements or steps do not have one or more stated characteristics.

[0084] Use of figure numbers and / or figure reference labels in the claims is intended to identify one or more possible embodiments of the claimed subject matter to facilitate claim interpretation, and such use should not be construed as necessarily limiting the scope of the claims to the embodiments shown in the corresponding figures.

[0085] It should be understood that the steps of the exemplary methods described herein do not necessarily have to be performed in the order described, and the order of steps of such methods should be understood to be merely exemplary. Similarly, additional steps may be included in such methods, and some steps may be omitted or combined in methods consistent with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0086] Although some elements (if any) in the following method claims are recited in a particular sequence with corresponding labeling, the elements are not necessarily intended to be limited to being implemented in that particular sequence, unless the claim recitation otherwise implies a particular sequence for implementing some or all of the elements.

[0087] Accordingly, all documents mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety or in the alternative to provide the present disclosure on which they are specifically relied upon.

[0088] References herein to "one embodiment" or "embodiments" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" in various places in the specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment, nor are they necessarily mutually exclusive alternative embodiments or alternatives of other embodiments. The same applies to the term "implementation."

[0089] The embodiments covered by the claims in this application are limited to (1) those embodiments enabled by this specification and (2) those embodiments that correspond to statutory subject matter. Infeasible embodiments and those embodiments that correspond to non-statutory subject matter are expressly disclaimed, even if they fall within the scope of the claims.

[0090] As used herein and in the claims, the term "providing" with respect to an apparatus or with respect to a system, device or component includes designing or making the apparatus, system, device or component; having the apparatus, system, device or component designed or made; and / or acquiring the apparatus, system, device or component by purchase, lease, rental or other contractual arrangement.

[0091] Unless otherwise specified herein, the use of the ordinal adjectives "first," "second," "third," etc. to refer to an object of a plurality of similar objects merely indicates that various instances of such similar objects are being referenced, and is not intended to imply that the similar objects so referenced must be in a corresponding order or sequence, whether temporally, spatially, or sequentially, or in any other manner.

Claims

1. 1. A radio access network (RAN) of a wireless communication network, comprising: the RAN includes a radio transceiver, a backhaul transceiver, and a processor configured to control operation of the radio and backhaul transceivers; The wireless transceiver is configured to transmit, to a user equipment (UE), information regarding a non-public network (NPN) service provided by a non-public network (NPN) supported by the wireless communication network; The wireless transceiver is configured to receive an onboarding request from the UE to onboard the UE to the NPN; the backhaul transceiver is configured to forward the onboarding request to an onboarding network (OBN) of the wireless communication network; the backhaul transceiver is configured to receive an NPN certificate of the UE from the OBN; and The wireless transceiver is configured to forward the NPN certificate to the UE, RAN.

2. The RAN of claim 1 , wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit information regarding the NPN service in a broadcast message to the UE.

3. The wireless communication network is a 5G network; the NPN is a Standalone Private Network (SNPN) having a SNPN Identifier (SNPN-ID) having a Network Identifier (NID) portion; and The RAN of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to encode information regarding the NPN service in the NID portion of the SNPN-ID in the broadcast message.

4. the network identifier having an allocation mode value and an NID value; and The RAN of claim 3 , wherein to transmit the NPN information, the processor is configured to assign to the assignment mode value a value indicating that the NID value encodes the information regarding the NPN service.

5. The RAN of claim 1 , wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit the information regarding the NPN service to the UE in response to receiving a request for the information from the UE.

6. the wireless communication network is a 5G network; and The RAN of claim 5, wherein the radio transceiver is configured to receive the request for the NPN service information by setting appropriate bits required for SIB-10 or a new SIB as required in an RRCSystemInfoRequest-IE field of the request message RRCSystemInfoRequest, as appropriate.

7. The RAN of claim 5 , wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit the NPN service information as a bit string to be decoded by the UE.

8. The RAN of claim 7 , wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit the NPN service information in a human-readable clear text format.

9. the wireless communication network is a 5G network; and The RAN of claim 5, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit information in one or more fields in a modified SIB-10 message.

10. the wireless communication network is a 5G network; and The RAN of claim 5 , wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit the information in one or more fields of a new SIB message as one or more segments.

11. 1. A method for a Radio Access Network (RAN) of a wireless communication network, the RAN including a radio transceiver, a backhaul transceiver, and a processor that controls operation of the radio and backhaul transceivers, the method comprising: The wireless transceiver transmits, to a user equipment (UE), information regarding a non-public network (NPN) service provided by a non-public network (NPN) supported by the wireless communication network; receiving, by the wireless transceiver, an onboarding request from the UE for onboarding the UE into the NPN; forwarding the onboarding request to an onboarding network (OBN) of the wireless communication network by the backhaul transceiver; the backhaul transceiver receiving an NPN certificate for the UE from the OBN; and The method includes the wireless transceiver forwarding the NPN certificate to the UE.

12. A user equipment (UE) for a wireless communication network having a radio access network (RAN), the UE including a radio transceiver and a processor; The wireless transceiver is configured to receive from the RAN information regarding non-public network (NPN) services provided by NPNs supported by the wireless communication network; The wireless transceiver is configured to receive an onboarding request to the RAN for onboarding the UE to the NPN; the wireless transceiver is configured to receive an NPN certificate of the UE from the RAN; and The processor is configured to register with the NPN.

13. The UE of claim 12, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to receive the information regarding the NPN service in a broadcast message from the RAN.

14. The wireless communication network is a 5G network; the NPN is a Standalone Private Network (SNPN) having a SNPN Identifier (SNPN-ID) having a Network Identifier (NID) portion; the wireless transceiver is configured to receive information regarding the NPN service encoded in the NID portion of the SNPN-ID in the broadcast message; and The UE of claim 13 , wherein the processor is configured to decode the information regarding the NPN service.

15. the NID portion having an assignment mode value and an NID value; and The UE of claim 14, wherein to receive the NPN information, the processor is configured to detect a value of the allocation mode value indicating that the NID value encodes the information regarding the NPN service.

16. The UE of claim 12, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to transmit the request for the information regarding the NPN service to the RAN.

17. the wireless communication network is a 5G network; and The UE of claim 16, wherein the radio transceiver is configured to transmit the request for the NPN service information by setting appropriate bits of SIB-10 or a new SIB as required in an RRCSystemInfoRequest-IE field of the request message RRCSystemInfoRequest.

18. The UE of claim 16, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to receive the NPN service information as a bit string that is decoded by the UE.

19. 17. The UE of claim 16, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to receive the NPN service information in a human-readable clear text format.

20. the wireless communication network is a 5G network; and The UE of claim 16, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to receive the information in a field in a modified SIB-10 message.

21. the wireless communication network is a 5G network; and The UE of claim 16, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured to receive the information in a field in a new SIB message.

22. A method for a User Equipment (UE) of a wireless communication network having a Radio Access Network (RAN), the UE including a radio transceiver and a processor, the method comprising: receiving, by the wireless transceiver, information from the RAN regarding non-public network (NPN) services provided by NPNs supported by the wireless communication network; receiving, by the wireless transceiver, an onboarding request to the RAN for onboarding the UE to the NPN; the wireless transceiver receiving an NPN certificate for the UE from the RAN; and The method includes the processor registering with the NPN.

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