Fixed wireless access mobility

Abstract

To provide a fixed wireless access capability.SOLUTION: Various example embodiments of a fixed wireless access (FWA) mobility capability are presented in the present specification. The FWA mobility capability may be based on configuration of a customer premises equipment (CPE) device of an FWA service to support enforcement of mobility of the CPE device with respect to the FWA service. The CPE device may be configured to support enforcement of FWA mobility for the CPE device with respect to the FWA service by controlling operation of the CPE device based on a location of the CPE device with respect to an approved operating region of the CPE device for the FWA service (e.g., checking the location of the CPE device with respect to the approved operating region in response to an event and, based on a determination that the CPE device is located outside of the approved operating region, activating a captive portal on the CPE device).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Various exemplary embodiments relate generally to communication systems and more particularly, but not exclusively, to supporting fixed wireless access service mobility in wireless communication systems. [Background technology]

[0002] Various communication technologies may be used to support communication in various types of communication systems. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In at least some example embodiments, the apparatus includes at least one processor and at least one memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following steps: detecting an event, by a device configured to communicate based on a fixed wireless access service; performing, by the device in response to the event, a determination as to whether a current location of the device is within an authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service; and, based on a determination that the current location of the device is outside the authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service, activating a captive portal configured to control communications of devices that use the fixed wireless access service and initiating a service access process configured to support use of the fixed wireless access service by devices outside the authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service.

[0004] In at least some example embodiments, the event is a device reboot, a device reset, or a mobility event related to device mobility.

[0005] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the event is the association of the device with a new base station, the association of the device with a new cell of the base station, or the physical movement of the device to a new geographic location.

[0006] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the determination as to whether the current location of the device is within an authorization area for the fixed wireless access service device is based on authorization area information configured to describe an authorization area for the fixed wireless access service device.

[0007] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the authorization area information includes at least one of an indication of one or more authorized base stations for the device, an indication of one or more authorized cells for the device, one or more global positioning system coordinates for one or more authorized locations for the device, or an indication of a class of service for the device.

[0008] In at least some exemplary embodiments, at least a portion of the authorization domain information is pre-configured on the device, or a portion of the authorization domain information is received by the device from a service provider device associated with the fixed wireless access service.

[0009] In at least some exemplary embodiments, at least some of the authorization domain information is received at the device without a corresponding firmware update for the device.

[0010] In at least some example embodiments, the captive portal is configured to intercept and redirect web-based traffic and block other internet traffic.

[0011] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the service activation process is configured to initiate the presentation of a notification that the fixed wireless access service will be interrupted based on a determination that the device has moved outside an authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service.

[0012] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the service activation process is configured to initiate the presentation of options for a fixed wireless access service customer to request use of the fixed wireless access service by the device at the device's current location.

[0013] In at least some example embodiments, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the steps of: sending a query to a network configured to provide fixed wireless access service to determine whether the network has sufficient capacity to support operation of the device at the device's current location; and, based on a response indicating that the network has sufficient capacity to support operation of the device at the device's current location, initiating presentation of options to a fixed wireless access service customer for requesting use of the fixed wireless access service by the device at the device's current location.

[0014] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the option for the fixed wireless access service customer to request use of the fixed wireless access service by the device at the device's current location includes an option for the fixed wireless access service customer to request a change of the authorization area for the fixed wireless access service device to include the device's current location.

[0015] In at least some example embodiments, the instructions, when executed by at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the steps of receiving a confirmation from a service provider of the fixed wireless access service that the authorization field for the device for the fixed wireless access service has been modified to include the current location of the device, and deactivating the captive portal based on the confirmation that the authorization field for the device for the fixed wireless access service has been modified to include the current location of the device.

[0016] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the option for the fixed wireless access service customer to request use of the fixed wireless access service by the device at the device's current location includes an option for the fixed wireless access service customer to purchase a roaming plan that permits use of the device at the device's current location.

[0017] In at least some example embodiments, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the steps of receiving confirmation from a service provider of the fixed wireless access service that a customer of the fixed wireless access service has purchased a roaming plan that permits use of the device at the device's current location, and deactivating the captive portal based on the confirmation that the customer of the fixed wireless access service has purchased a roaming plan that permits use of the device at the device's current location.

[0018] In at least some example embodiments, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the step of reactivating the captive portal based on a determination that the device is still located outside an approved area for the device of the fixed wireless access service upon expiration of the roaming plan.

[0019] In at least some example embodiments, the apparatus further includes a containerized application configured to detect the event, activate the captive portal, and initiate the service access process.

[0020] In at least some example embodiments, the device further includes a set of firmware configured to cause the device to perform the set of functions, and the containerized application is maintained separate from the set of firmware.

[0021] In at least some exemplary embodiments, fixed wireless access services are supported by a cellular network.

[0022] In at least some example embodiments, the non-transitory computer-readable medium, when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform at least the steps of: detecting an event, by a device configured to communicate based on a fixed wireless access service; performing, by the device in response to the event, a determination as to whether a current location of the device is within an authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service; and, based on a determination that the current location of the device is outside the authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service, activating, by the device, a captive portal configured to control communications of the device using the fixed wireless access service and initiating a service access process configured to support use of the fixed wireless access service by the device outside the authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service.

[0023] In at least some example embodiments, the event is a device reboot, a device reset, or a mobility event related to device mobility.

[0024] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the event is the association of the device with a new base station, the association of the device with a new cell of the base station, or the physical movement of the device to a new geographic location.

[0025] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the determination as to whether the current location of the device is within an authorization area for the fixed wireless access service device is based on authorization area information configured to describe an authorization area for the fixed wireless access service device.

[0026] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the authorization area information includes at least one of an indication of one or more authorized base stations for the device, an indication of one or more authorized cells for the device, one or more global positioning system coordinates for one or more authorized locations for the device, or an indication of a class of service for the device.

[0027] In at least some exemplary embodiments, at least a portion of the authorization domain information is pre-configured on the device, or a portion of the authorization domain information is received by the device from a service provider device associated with the fixed wireless access service.

[0028] In at least some exemplary embodiments, at least some of the authorization domain information is received at the device without a corresponding firmware update for the device.

[0029] In at least some example embodiments, the captive portal is configured to intercept and redirect web-based traffic and block other internet traffic.

[0030] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the service activation process is configured to initiate the presentation of a notification that the fixed wireless access service will be interrupted based on a determination that the device has moved outside an authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service.

[0031] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the service activation process is configured to initiate the presentation of options for a fixed wireless access service customer to request use of the fixed wireless access service by the device at the device's current location.

[0032] In at least some example embodiments, the computer program code, when executed by at least one device, causes the device to perform at least the steps of: sending a query to a network configured to provide fixed wireless access service to determine whether the network has sufficient capacity to support operation of the device at the device's current location; and, based on a response indicating that the network has sufficient capacity to support operation of the device at the device's current location, initiating presentation of options to a fixed wireless access service customer for requesting use of the fixed wireless access service by the device at the device's current location.

[0033] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the option for the fixed wireless access service customer to request use of the fixed wireless access service by the device at the device's current location includes an option for the fixed wireless access service customer to request a change of the authorization area for the fixed wireless access service device to include the device's current location.

[0034] In at least some example embodiments, the computer program code, when executed by at least one device, causes the device to perform at least the steps of receiving, from a service provider of the fixed wireless access service, a confirmation that an authorization field for the device for the fixed wireless access service has been modified to include the current location of the device, and deactivating the captive portal based on the confirmation that the authorization field for the device for the fixed wireless access service has been modified to include the current location of the device.

[0035] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the option for the fixed wireless access service customer to request use of the fixed wireless access service by the device at the device's current location includes an option for the fixed wireless access service customer to purchase a roaming plan that permits use of the device at the device's current location.

[0036] In at least some example embodiments, the computer program code, when executed by at least one device, causes the device to perform at least the steps of receiving confirmation from a service provider of the fixed wireless access service that a customer of the fixed wireless access service has purchased a roaming plan that permits use of the device at the device's current location, and deactivating the captive portal based on the confirmation that the customer of the fixed wireless access service has purchased a roaming plan that permits use of the device at the device's current location.

[0037] In at least some example embodiments, the computer program code, when executed by at least one device, causes the device to perform at least the step of reactivating the captive portal based on a determination that the device is still located outside an authorized area for the device for the fixed wireless access service upon expiration of the roaming plan.

[0038] In at least some example embodiments, the device includes a containerized application configured to detect the event, activate the captive portal, and initiate the service access process.

[0039] In at least some example embodiments, the device includes a set of firmware configured to cause the device to perform a set of functions, and the containerized application is maintained separate from the set of firmware.

[0040] In at least some exemplary embodiments, fixed wireless access services are supported by a cellular network.

[0041] In at least some example embodiments, the method includes detecting an event by a device configured to communicate based on a fixed wireless access service; performing, by the device in response to the event, a determination as to whether a current location of the device is within an authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service; and based on a determination that the current location of the device is outside the authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service, performing, by the device, activation of a captive portal configured to control communications of devices using the fixed wireless access service and initiation of a service access process configured to support use of the fixed wireless access service by devices outside the authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service.

[0042] In at least some example embodiments, the event is a device reboot, a device reset, or a mobility event related to device mobility.

[0043] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the event is the association of the device with a new base station, the association of the device with a new cell of the base station, or the physical movement of the device to a new geographic location.

[0044] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the determination as to whether the current location of the device is within an authorization area for the fixed wireless access service device is based on authorization area information configured to describe an authorization area for the fixed wireless access service device.

[0045] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the authorization area information includes at least one of an indication of one or more authorized base stations for the device, an indication of one or more authorized cells for the device, one or more global positioning system coordinates for one or more authorized locations for the device, or an indication of a class of service for the device.

[0046] In at least some exemplary embodiments, at least a portion of the authorization domain information is pre-configured on the device, or a portion of the authorization domain information is received by the device from a service provider device associated with the fixed wireless access service.

[0047] In at least some exemplary embodiments, at least some of the authorization domain information is received at the device without a corresponding firmware update for the device.

[0048] In at least some example embodiments, the captive portal is configured to intercept and redirect web-based traffic and block other internet traffic.

[0049] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the service activation process is configured to initiate the presentation of a notification that the fixed wireless access service will be interrupted based on a determination that the device has moved outside an authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service.

[0050] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the service activation process is configured to initiate the presentation of options for a fixed wireless access service customer to request use of the fixed wireless access service by the device at the device's current location.

[0051] In at least some example embodiments, the method includes transmitting a query to a network configured to provide fixed wireless access service to determine whether the network has sufficient capacity to support operation of the device at the device's current location, and, based on a response indicating that the network has sufficient capacity to support operation of the device at the device's current location, initiating presentation of options to a customer of the fixed wireless access service for requesting use of the fixed wireless access service by the device at the device's current location.

[0052] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the option for the fixed wireless access service customer to request use of the fixed wireless access service by the device at the device's current location includes an option for the fixed wireless access service customer to request a change of the authorization area for the fixed wireless access service device to include the device's current location.

[0053] In at least some example embodiments, the method includes receiving a confirmation from a service provider of the fixed wireless access service that an authorization field for the fixed wireless access service device has been modified to include a current location of the device, and deactivating the captive portal based on the confirmation that the authorization field for the fixed wireless access service device has been modified to include a current location of the device.

[0054] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the option for the fixed wireless access service customer to request use of the fixed wireless access service by the device at the device's current location includes an option for the fixed wireless access service customer to purchase a roaming plan that permits use of the device at the device's current location.

[0055] In at least some example embodiments, the method includes receiving confirmation from a service provider of the fixed wireless access service that the fixed wireless access service customer has purchased a roaming plan that permits use of the device at the device's current location, and deactivating the captive portal based on the confirmation that the fixed wireless access service customer has purchased a roaming plan that permits use of the device at the device's current location.

[0056] In at least some example embodiments, the method includes reactivating the captive portal based on a determination that the device is still located outside an approved area for the device of the fixed wireless access service at the time of expiration of the roaming plan.

[0057] In at least some example embodiments, the device includes a containerized application configured to detect the event, activate the captive portal, and initiate the service access process.

[0058] In at least some example embodiments, the device includes a set of firmware configured to cause the apparatus to perform a set of functions, and the containerized application is maintained separately from the set of firmware.

[0059] In at least some exemplary embodiments, fixed wireless access services are supported by a cellular network.

[0060] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus includes means for detecting an event by a device configured to communicate based on a fixed wireless access service; means for, in response to the event, performing by the device a determination as to whether a current location of the device is within an authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service; and means for, based on a determination that the current location of the device is outside the authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service, activating a captive portal configured to control communications of devices that use the fixed wireless access service and initiating a service access process configured to support use of the fixed wireless access service by devices outside the authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service.

[0061] In at least some example embodiments, the event is a device reboot, a device reset, or a mobility event related to device mobility.

[0062] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the event is the association of the device with a new base station, the association of the device with a new cell of the base station, or the physical movement of the device to a new geographic location.

[0063] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the determination as to whether the current location of the device is within an authorization area for the fixed wireless access service device is based on authorization area information configured to describe an authorization area for the fixed wireless access service device.

[0064] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the authorization area information includes at least one of an indication of one or more authorized base stations for the device, an indication of one or more authorized cells for the device, one or more global positioning system coordinates for one or more authorized locations for the device, or an indication of a class of service for the device.

[0065] In at least some exemplary embodiments, at least a portion of the authorization domain information is pre-configured on the device, or a portion of the authorization domain information is received by the device from a service provider device associated with the fixed wireless access service.

[0066] In at least some exemplary embodiments, at least some of the authorization domain information is received at the device without a corresponding firmware update for the device.

[0067] In at least some example embodiments, the captive portal is configured to intercept and redirect web-based traffic and block other internet traffic.

[0068] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the service activation process is configured to initiate the presentation of a notification that the fixed wireless access service will be interrupted based on a determination that the device has moved outside an authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service.

[0069] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the service activation process is configured to initiate the presentation of options for a fixed wireless access service customer to request use of the fixed wireless access service by the device at the device's current location.

[0070] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus includes means for transmitting a query to a network configured to provide fixed wireless access service to determine whether the network has sufficient capacity to support operation of the device at the device's current location, and means for initiating presentation of options to a fixed wireless access service customer for requesting use of the fixed wireless access service by the device at the device's current location based on a response indicating that the network has sufficient capacity to support operation of the device at the device's current location.

[0071] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the option for the fixed wireless access service customer to request use of the fixed wireless access service by the device at the device's current location includes an option for the fixed wireless access service customer to request a change of the authorization area for the fixed wireless access service device to include the device's current location.

[0072] In at least some example embodiments, the apparatus includes means for receiving, from a service provider of the fixed wireless access service, confirmation that an authorization field for the device of the fixed wireless access service has been modified to include the current location of the device, and means for deactivating the captive portal based on the confirmation that the authorization field for the device of the fixed wireless access service has been modified to include the current location of the device.

[0073] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the option for the fixed wireless access service customer to request use of the fixed wireless access service by the device at the device's current location includes an option for the fixed wireless access service customer to purchase a roaming plan that permits use of the device at the device's current location.

[0074] In at least some example embodiments, the apparatus includes means for receiving confirmation from a service provider of the fixed wireless access service that the fixed wireless access service customer has purchased a roaming plan that permits use of the device at the device's current location, and means for deactivating the captive portal based on the confirmation that the fixed wireless access service customer has purchased a roaming plan that permits use of the device at the device's current location.

[0075] In at least some exemplary embodiments, the apparatus includes means for reactivating the captive portal based on a determination that the device is still located outside an approved area for the device of the fixed wireless access service upon expiration of the roaming plan.

[0076] In at least some example embodiments, the apparatus includes means for providing a containerized application configured to detect the event, activate the captive portal, and initiate the service access process.

[0077] In at least some example embodiments, the apparatus includes means for providing a set of firmware configured to cause the device to perform a set of functions, wherein the containerized application is maintained separately from the set of firmware.

[0078] In at least some exemplary embodiments, fixed wireless access services are supported by a cellular network.

[0079] The teachings herein can be readily understood by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0080] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a communication system configured to support fixed wireless access mobility. [Figure 2] 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a communication system configured to support fixed wireless access mobility. [Figure 3] 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a method used by a customer premises equipment device to support fixed wireless access mobility. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a method used by a customer premises equipment device to support fixed wireless access mobility. [Figure 5] 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a computer suitable for use in performing various functions presented herein.

[0081] For ease of understanding, the same reference numbers have been used herein, wherever possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the various figures. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0082] Various exemplary embodiments of fixed wireless access (FWA) mobility capabilities are presented herein. The FWA mobility capabilities may be based on a configuration of a customer premises equipment (CPE) device for an FWA service to support the implementation of mobility of the CPE device for the FWA service. The CPE device may be configured to support the implementation of mobility of the CPE device for the FWA service by controlling the operation of the CPE device based on the location of the CPE device with respect to the authorized operating area of ​​the CPE device for the FWA service. The CPE device may be configured to activate a captive portal on the CPE device based on the location of the CPE device relative to the authorized operating area of ​​the CPE device for the FWA service in response to an event (e.g., a mobility event, a reboot event, a restart event, etc.), by checking the location of the CPE device relative to the authorized operating area of ​​the CPE device for the FWA service, and control operation of the CPE device based on a determination that the CPE device is located outside the authorized operating area of ​​the CPE device for the FWA service (e.g., the captive portal is configured to block operation of some functions when the CPE device is located outside the authorized operating area of ​​the CPE device for the FWA service until the customer of the FWA service subscribes to a roaming plan that allows temporary operation of the CPE device in the detected location of the CPE device or requests a permanent change of the authorized operating area of ​​the CPE device for the FWA service to include the detected location of the CPE device). The CPE device may be configured to control operation of the CPE device based on the location of the CPE device relative to its authorized operating area for FWA services based on the use of containerized applications that are independent of the CPE device's firmware, thereby enabling firmware updates to the CPE device without jeopardizing the CPE device's FWA mobility enforcement capabilities. It will be appreciated that these and various other example embodiments of FWA mobility capabilities may be further understood within the context of the various figures presented herein, which are discussed further below.

[0083] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a communication system configured to support fixed wireless access mobility.

[0084] Communications system 100 includes customer network 110 located at customer premises 101, cellular network 120, and communications network 130. Customer network 110 includes a set of customer devices 111-1 through 111-N (collectively, customer devices 111) and customer premises equipment (CPE) devices 115. Cellular network 120 includes cellular access device 121 and may include various other communications elements that may be located within access and core portions of cellular network 120 (e.g., access device controllers, serving gateways, packet gateways, mobility management entities, policy functions, charging functions, rules functions, control plane interfaces, user plane interfaces, etc.) that are omitted for clarity. Communications network 130 may represent various types of communications networks that may be accessible via cellular network 120 and may include various types of communications elements (omitted for clarity) depending on the communications network type. It will be appreciated that communications system 100 may include various other customer premises, CPE devices, networks, network devices, communications elements, etc., as well as various combinations thereof.

[0085] Customer network 110, as described above, is located at customer premises 101 and includes customer devices 111 and CPE devices 115. Customer premises 101 may be any suitable customer location including devices capable of communicating via cellular network 120 and communications network 130. For example, customer premises 101 may be a residential location for a residential customer, a business location for a business customer, etc. Customer network 110 may be a local area network (LAN) or other suitable type of network for customer devices 111. Customer devices 111 may include various types of devices that are communicatively connected to CPE devices 115 at customer premises 101 and may be located on customer network 110 at customer premises 101. For example, customer devices 111 may include computers, tablets, smartphones, smart TVs, gaming systems, smart appliances, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, servers, etc., as well as various combinations thereof. CPE device 115 is configured to operate as a gateway to cellular network 120 for customer device 111 at customer premises 101, as discussed further below. For example, CPE device 115 may be a gateway, an access control device, etc. It will be understood that customer network 110 may include a variety of other devices.

[0086] The cellular network 120 facilitates communications between the customer network 110 and the communication network 130. The cellular network 120 supports access to the cellular network 120 by the CPE devices 115 based on a fixed wireless access (FWA) service. The FWA service uses the radio spectrum of the cellular network 120 for wireless broadband connections between the CPE devices 115 of the customer network 110 at the customer premises 101 and the cellular access devices 121 in the cellular network 120, thereby enabling the CPE devices 115 to support communications for the customer devices 111 over the cellular network 120 based on the FWA service. The FWA service is associated with a fixed location of the customer (e.g., an area including the customer premises 101 and potentially extending a certain distance around the customer premises 101), which is the authorization area for the FWA service and, therefore, also the authorization area for the CPE devices 115 using the FWA service for access to the cellular network 120. The FWA service may be a service provided by a network provider of the cellular network 120.

[0087] The cellular network 120 may include any type of cellular network capable of supporting FWA service for a customer at the customer premises 101. For example, the cellular network 120 may include a fourth-generation (4G) network configured to use a 4G radio spectrum for FWA service, a fifth-generation (5G) network configured to use a 5G radio spectrum for FWA service, a sixth-generation (6G) network configured to use a 6G radio spectrum for FWA service, etc., as well as various combinations thereof. The cellular access device 121 may be any type of cellular access device configured to support FWA access to the cellular network 120 by the CPE device 115, which may vary for different types of cellular network 120. For example, the cellular access device 121 may be a 4G base station, a 5G base station, a 6G base station, etc. It will be understood that the cellular network 120 may include various other devices, elements, functions, etc., as well as various combinations thereof. Although presented herein primarily with respect to example embodiments in which FWA services are provided by a cellular network, it will be understood that in at least some example embodiments, FWA services may be provided by different types of communication networks.

[0088] The communication network 130 may include any network or combination of networks with which the customer devices 111 of the customer network 110 may communicate via the cellular network 120. For example, the communication network 130 may represent the Internet, one or more public communication networks, one or more private communication networks, one or more enterprise networks, one or more data center networks, one or more cloud networks, etc., as well as various combinations thereof. It will be understood that the customer devices 111 may communicate with devices located within the communication network 130 (e.g., content servers, application servers, etc., as well as various combinations thereof) and / or devices accessible via the communication network 130 (e.g., end devices such as end-user devices, autonomous end devices, etc., as well as various combinations thereof). It will be understood that the communication network 130 may be considered to include various other types of communication networks with which the customer devices 111 of the customer network 110 may communicate via the cellular network 120.

[0089] The communication system 100 is configured to support enforcement of FWA mobility for the CPE device 115 for FWA services supported by the cellular network 120 for the CPE device 115. More specifically, the CPE device 115 is configured to enforce FWA mobility for the CPE device 115 for FWA services supported by the cellular network 120 for the CPE device 115. The CPE device 115 includes an FWA mobility application 116 configured to enforce FWA mobility for the CPE device 115 for FWA services supported by the cellular network 120 for the CPE device 115. The FWA mobility enforcement application 116 may be configured to support various functions (e.g., location determination functions, captive portal capabilities for controlling use of the FWA services by the CPE device 115, etc., as well as various combinations thereof) for enabling the CPE device 115 to enforce FWA mobility for the CPE device 115. The FWA mobility enforcement application 116 may be implemented on the CPE device 115 as a containerized application, thereby ensuring that firmware upgrades on the CPE device 115 do not affect the ability of the CPE device 115 to support FWA mobility enforcement for the CPE device 115. It will be appreciated that the operation of the FWA mobility enforcement application 116 and the CPE device 115 in supporting FWA mobility enforcement for the CPE device 115 may be further understood with reference to the system presented with respect to FIG. 2 and the method presented with respect to FIG. 3.

[0090] It will be appreciated that communications system 100 may include various other customer premises, CPE devices, networks, network devices, communications elements, etc., as well as various combinations thereof.

[0091] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a communications system configured to support fixed wireless access mobility.

[0092] As shown in Figure 2, communication system 200 includes a customer CPE device 215 and a cellular service provider's cellular network 220. The cellular network 220 includes a cellular access device 221 that provides cellular access to the cellular network 220. It will be understood that communication system 200 of Figure 2 may represent a portion of communication system 100 of Figure 1 (e.g., CPE device 215 of Figure 2 may correspond to CPE device 115 of Figure 1, cellular network 220 of Figure 2 may correspond to cellular network 120 of Figure 1, cellular access device 221 of Figure 2 may correspond to cellular access device 121 of Figure 1, etc.), and that other elements have been omitted from Figure 2 for clarity.

[0093] CPE device 215 is associated with an FWA service. The FWA service may be provided by an FWA service provider, which may be a provider of cellular network 220, a third-party provider working with the provider of cellular network 220, etc. The FWA service may be accessed by CPE device 215 based on a subscription by a customer of CPE device 215 to the FWA service provider's FWA service. The FWA service supports broadband wireless access by CPE device 215 to cellular network 220 via cellular access device 221, thereby enabling CPE device 215 to support communications for one or more customer devices of the customer supported by CPE device 215 (omitted for clarity).

[0094] The CPE device 215 is associated with an authorization domain 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service. The authorization domain 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service may be defined by the FWA service provider. When the CPE device 215 is located within the authorization domain 201, it is authorized to utilize the FWA service to communicate over the cellular network 220 based on its access to the cellular access device 221. When the CPE device 215 is located outside the authorization domain 201, it is, at least initially, not authorized to utilize the FWA service to communicate over the cellular network 220 based on its access to the cellular access device 221. It should be noted that the potential for mobility of the CPE device 215 outside of the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service is illustrated in FIG. 2 as a movement of the CPE device 215 from the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service to a new location 202 that is outside of the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, which, as discussed further below, may be detected by the CPE device 215 such that the CPE device 215 may support implementation of the mobility of the CPE device 215 outside of the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service.

[0095] The authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service may be defined by the FWA service provider in a variety of ways, and therefore the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service may have a variety of shapes and / or sizes and may be monitored in a variety of ways (e.g., based on geographic location, based on access point to the cellular access network 220, etc., as well as various combinations thereof) to determine the CPE device's 215's compliance with the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service. Note that at least some of the various ways in which the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service may be defined for the CPE device 215 and monitored for the CPE device 215 are discussed further below.

[0096] The authorization region 201 for a CPE device 215 of an FWA service may be defined based on a particular base station or set of base stations (e.g., based on a cellular access device 221 of a cellular network 220). For example, as long as the CPE device 215 is connected to or communicates through a base station or a base station in the set of base stations, the CPE device 215 is considered to be located within the authorization region 201 of the CPE device 215. For example, as long as the received signal strength from the base station or a base station in the set of base stations meets a threshold, the CPE device 215 is considered to be located within the authorization region 201 of the CPE device 215. In this case, the authorization region 201 for a CPE device 215 of an FWA service may include a geographic area around the base station or set of base stations including the customer premises where the CPE device 215 is expected to be located, but this also allows the CPE device 215 to move some distance and still be considered to be located within the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service.

[0097] The authorization region 201 for a CPE device 215 of an FWA service may be defined based on a particular cell or set of cells of a particular base station or set of base stations (e.g., based on a cellular access device 221 of a cellular network 220). For example, as long as the CPE device 215 is connected to or communicating through a particular cell or set of cells of a base station or set of base stations, the CPE device 215 is considered to be located within the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215. For example, as long as the received signal strength from the cell or set of cells of the base station or set of base stations meets a threshold, the CPE device 215 is considered to be located within the authorization region 201 of the CPE device 215. In this case, the authorization region 201 for a CPE device 215 of an FWA service includes the customer premises where the CPE device 215 is expected to be located, but may also include the geographic coverage area of ​​the cell or set of cells, which may allow the CPE device 215 to move some distance and still be considered to be located within the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service.

[0098] The region of approval 201 for a CPE device 215 of an FWA service may be defined as a geographic area. The geographic area may be defined based on Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates. The geographic area may be defined to include the location within the customer premises where the CPE device 215 is deployed. The geographic area may be defined to include the location within the customer premises where the CPE device 215 is deployed, as well as an area extending for a distance around the customer premises where the CPE device 215 is deployed (it will be understood that this additional area around the customer premises where the CPE device 215 is deployed may be defined in various ways depending on the level of mobility the FWA service provider is willing to offer its customers). The geographic area may take various shapes, such as a rectangle (e.g., defined based on four GPS coordinates), a circle (e.g., defined based on a GPS point within the customer premises and an associated radius of the circle within the customer premises), etc. It will be understood that the geographic area of ​​the region of approval 201 may be defined in various other ways.

[0099] The authorization region 201 for a CPE device 215 of an FWA service may be defined based on a combination of two or more of such bases for defining the authorization region 201 for a CPE device 215 of an FWA service. For example, the authorization region 201 for a CPE device 215 of an FWA service may be defined as a particular geographic area served by a particular base station or set of base stations (e.g., located within a geographic area defined based on GPS coordinates as long as the CPE device 215 is communicating via the base station or via a base station within the authorized set of base stations). For example, the authorization region 201 for a CPE device 215 of an FWA service may be defined as a particular geographic area served by a particular cell or set of cells of one or more base stations (e.g., located within a geographic area defined based on GPS coordinates as long as the CPE device 215 is communicating via a cell or via a cell within the authorized set of cells). It will be understood that the authorization region 201 for a CPE device 215 of an FWA service may be defined based on various other combinations of bases for defining the authorization region 201 for a CPE device 215 of an FWA service.

[0100] The CPE device 215 maintains authorization region description information that defines an authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 for FWA service. The authorization region description information that defines the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 for FWA service may vary depending on the manner in which the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 for FWA service is defined by the FWA service provider. For example, the authorization region description information for the authorization region 201 may include one or more of an indication of one or more base stations authorized for the CPE device 215 (e.g., one or more base station identifiers), an indication of one or more cells authorized for the CPE device 215 (e.g., one or more cell identifiers), an indication of a geographic area authorized for the CPE device 215 (e.g., based on one or more GPS coordinates of one or more areas or locations authorized for the CPE device 215), an indication of a class of service for the CPE device 215, etc., as well as various combinations thereof. It will be understood that the authorization region description information defining the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service may include various other types of information that may be used to define the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service.

[0101] As described above, the CPE device 215 maintains authorization region description information that defines the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service. The authorization region description information that defines the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service may be provided on the CPE device 215 in various ways. For example, the authorization region description information that defines the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service may be pre-stored on the CPE device 215 before the CPE device 115 is deployed at the customer premises, downloaded to the CPE device 215 during configuration of the CPE device 215 to operate based on the FWA service, etc. It will be appreciated that the authorization region description information that defines the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service may be provided on the CPE device 215 in various other ways.

[0102] The CPE device 215 is configured to enforce FWA mobility for the CPE device 215 with respect to an authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service. The CPE device 215 is configured to enforce FWA mobility for the CPE device 215 based on an FWA mobility enforcement application 216, a captive portal 217, and a service access process 218. The FWA mobility enforcement application 216 is configured to monitor the location of the CPE device 215 with respect to the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, and to activate the captive portal 217 and initiate use of the service access process 218 based on a determination that the CPE device 215 is located outside the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service. The captive portal 217 is configured to control communications of the CPE device 215 when it is determined that the CPE device 215 is outside the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service. The service access process 218 is configured to provide a customer of the FWA service with an opportunity to ensure continuity of use of the FWA service by the CPE device 215 when it is determined that the CPE device 215 is outside the authorization domain 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service.

[0103] The FWA mobility enforcement application 216 may be configured to determine whether the CPE device 215 is located within an authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service to determine whether to activate a captive portal 217 on the CPE device 215 and whether to start using a service access process 218 on the CPE device 215. Based on a determination that the CPE device 215 is located within an authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, the FWA mobility enforcement application 216 does not need to activate the captive portal 217 or start the service access process 218, and the CPE device 215 can continue to operate using the FWA service. Based on a determination that the CPE device 215 is located outside the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, the FWA mobility enforcement application 216 activates a captive portal 217 for the CPE device 215 to control communications by the CPE device 215 using the FWA service when it is determined that the CPE device 215 is outside the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, and initiates use of a service access process 218 to provide a customer of the FWA service with an opportunity to ensure continuity of use of the FWA service by the CPE device 215 when it is determined that the CPE device 215 is outside the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service.

[0104] The FWA mobility enforcement application 216 may be configured to determine a current location of the CPE device 215 and to compare the current location of the CPE device 215 with authorization region description information that defines the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service to determine whether the CPE device 215 is located within the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, in order to determine whether the CPE device 215 is located within the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service. The current location of the CPE device 215 may be determined in a manner that may depend on the manner in which the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service is defined with respect to authorization region description information used to define the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service (e.g., based on GPS coordinates of the current location of the CPE device 215, where the authorization region 201 of the CPE device 215 is defined as a geographical area, where the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 is defined based on an authorized base station or set of base stations, based on an indication of the base station with which the CPE device 215 is currently associated, where the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 is defined based on an authorized cell or set of cells, etc., based on an indication of the cell with which the CPE device 215 is currently associated, and various combinations thereof).

[0105] The FWA mobility enforcement application 216 may be configured to respond to detecting an event related to the mobility of the CPE device 215 related to the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, periodically determine whether the CPE device 215 is located within the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, etc., as well as various combinations thereof. The event that triggers the determination as to whether the CPE device 215 is located within the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service may be a CPE device state event such as a reboot (e.g., a soft reboot or a hard reboot) of the CPE device 215, a restart of the CPE device 215, etc. The event that triggers the determination as to whether the CPE device 215 is located within the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service may be a mobility event in which the location of the CPE device 215 changes (e.g., the physical location of the CPE device 215 changes, the network location of the CPE device 215 changes with respect to the base station with which the CPE device 215 is associated, etc., as well as various combinations thereof).

[0106] It will be appreciated that the FWA mobility enforcement application 216 may be configured to determine whether the CPE device 215 is located within the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service in response to various other types of triggers.

[0107] Based on a determination that the CPE device 215 is located outside the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, the FWA mobility enforcement application 216 activates a captive portal 217 for the CPE device 215 to control communications by the CPE device 215 using the FWA service when it is determined that the CPE device 215 is outside the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, and initiates use of a service access process 218 to provide a customer of the FWA service with an opportunity to ensure continuity of use of the FWA service by the CPE device 215 when it is determined that the CPE device 215 is outside the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service. It will be understood that the FWA mobility enforcement application 216 may perform or initiate various other types of functions or processes based on a determination that the CPE device 215 is located outside the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service.

[0108] The captive portal 217 is configured to control communications by the CPE device 215 based on the FWA service once activated by the FWA mobility enforcement application 216 based on a determination that the CPE device 215 is located outside the authorization domain 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service. The captive portal 217 may be configured to act as an intermediary between the customer device of the customer seeking to communicate via the CPE device 215 and the cellular network 220 to control and manage user access to the cellular network 220 via the CPE device 215 (e.g., requiring user communication to authenticate and agree to certain terms and conditions via the CPE device 215, such as by automatically directing the user's device's web browser to a login page or portal where the user attempts to enter authentication information, accept terms of service, pay for access, etc., as well as various combinations thereof, before gaining full access to the Internet via the CPE device 215 and the cellular network 220). The captive portal 217 may be configured to intercept and redirect any web-based traffic on the CPE device 215 and block any other internet traffic on the CPE device 215 .The captive portal 217 may be configured to intercept and redirect any traffic related to use of the FWA mobility enforcement application 216 (e.g., traffic related to allowing a customer of the FWA service to continue using the FWA service outside of the authorization domain 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, traffic related to allowing the customer to interact with the network to modify the authorization domain 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, or to purchase a temporary roaming agreement to enable use of the FWA service outside of the authorization domain 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service), and block any other Internet traffic on the CPE device 215 (to prevent the customer from using the CPE device 215, the customer takes some action to ensure continuity of the FWA service after the CPE device 215 is detected to be outside the authorization domain 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service). It will be understood that the captive portal 217 may be configured to support various other functions.

[0109] The service access process 218 is configured to provide the customer of the FWA service with an opportunity to ensure continuity of use of the FWA service by the CPE device 215 once the captive portal 217 is activated by the FWA mobility enforcement application 216 based on a determination that the CPE device 215 is located outside the authorization domain 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service. The service access process 218 may initiate the presentation of a notification to the customer of the FWA service. The notification may include an indication that the CPE device 215 has moved outside of the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service (e.g., an informational notice to provide the customer with instructions as to why the CPE device 215 does not support communications based on the FWA service) and options for the customer to request use of the FWA service by the CPE device 215 outside of the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service (e.g., requesting use of the FWA service by the CPE device 215 at the current location of the CPE device 215 even if the CPE device 215 is located outside the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, requesting use of the FWA service by the CPE device 215 anywhere outside the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, etc., as well as various combinations thereof).

[0110] The notification may be presented to the customer of the FWA service in various ways. For example, the notification may be presented to the customer of the FWA service via one or more customer devices currently associated with the CPE device 215 (e.g., currently connected to the CPE device 215, currently attempting to communicate via the CPE device 215 based on the FWA service, etc., as well as various combinations thereof). For example, the notification may be presented to the customer of the FWA service via one or more user devices designated by the customer for such notifications (e.g., maintained as part of the customer's customer profile for the FWA service for use in notifying the customer when a captive portal is activated on the CPE device 215 for the FWA service), which may include one or more customer devices currently associated with the CPE device 215, one or more customer devices not associated with the CPE device 215 (e.g., the customer's smartphone, regardless of whether the smartphone is currently attempting or has ever attempted to communicate via the CPE device 215 based on the FWA service), etc., as well as various combinations thereof. It will be understood that the notification may be presented to the customer of the FWA service in various other ways.

[0111] The notification, with regard to options for the customer of the FWA service to request use of the FWA service by the CPE device 215 outside the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, even if the CPE device 215 is located outside the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, may include an option for the customer of the FWA service to request a change of the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service to include the current location of the CPE device 215, may include an option for the customer of the FWA service to purchase a roaming plan that allows the customer of the FWA service to use the CPE device 215 of the FWA service outside the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service (e.g., at the current location of the CPE device 215 or at any location outside the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service), etc. It will be understood that multiple such options may be presented to the customer of the FWA service in a variety of ways. It will be appreciated that various other types of service continuity options may be provided to a customer of an FWA service to enable the customer of the FWA service to request use of the FWA service by the CPE device 215 at the current location of the CPE device 215.

[0112] The service access process 218 may perform one or more processes to verify that use of the FWA service by the CPE device 215 is permitted or possible at the current location of the CPE device 215 before including an option for the customer to request use of the FWA service by the CPE device 215 outside of the authorization domain 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service. For example, the service access process 218 may verify that sufficient network capacity exists at the current location of the CPE device 215 to support use of the FWA service by the CPE device 215 at the current location of the CPE device 215 (e.g., ensuring that there are sufficient resources to support the FWA service for the CPE device 215 at the current location of the CPE device 215 based on messaging between the CPE device 215 and one or more systems of the cellular access network). It will be appreciated that the service access process 218 may perform one or more other processes to verify that the CPE device 215 is authorized or capable of using the FWA service at the current location of the CPE device 215 before the service access process 218 provides the customer with the option of continuity of the FWA service at the current location of the CPE device 215.

[0113] After initiating the presentation of the notification to the customer of the FWA service, the service access process 218 waits for a response from the customer of the FWA service. The service access process 218 may wait for a predetermined length of time for the response, after which the presented option for the customer to continue using the FWA service at the current location of the CPE device 215 may expire, and the captive portal 217 may continue to prevent the CPE device 215 from using the FWA service until some other action is taken by the customer of the FWA service (e.g., the CPE device 215 returns to the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, the customer contacts the FWA service provider to reactivate the FWA service, etc., as well as various combinations thereof). Based on receiving a negative response by the customer of the FWA service to the notification (i.e., an indication that the customer of the FWA service does not want to use the FWA service outside the authorization domain 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service), the service access process 218 can ensure that the captive portal 217 remains activated to prevent use of the FWA service by the CPE device 215 until some other action is taken by the customer of the FWA service. Based on receiving a positive response by the customer of the FWA service to the notification (i.e., an indication of a request by the customer of the FWA service to use the FWA service outside the authorization domain 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, such as based on a dynamic modification of the authorization domain 201 for the FWA service or on purchasing a roaming plan for use of the FWA service at the current location of the CPE device 215), the service access process 218 can initiate additional processes to support use of the FWA service outside the authorization domain 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service.

[0114] Based on receiving a request from a customer of the FWA service to use the FWA service outside the authorized domain 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service (e.g., based on receiving a positive response from the customer of the FWA service to the notification), service access process 218 may initiate an additional process to verify that use of the FWA service by CPE device 215 can be reactivated even if CPE device 215 is located outside the authorized domain 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service before deactivating captive portal 217 to reactivate use of the FWA service by CPE device 215 at the current location of CPE device 215. For example, service access process 218 may verify the request with an FWA service provider of the FWA service (e.g., based on messaging with one or more systems of the FWA service provider). It will be understood that the manner in which the request is verified by the FWA service provider of the FWA service may depend on the type of request initiated by the customer of the FWA service.

[0115] The service access process 218 may receive a request from a customer of the FWA service to use the FWA service outside the authorization domain 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, where the request is a request to change the authorization domain 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service to include the current location of the CPE device 215. This may be used, for example, to enable dynamic migration of a customer to a new customer premises (e.g., when the customer moves to a new location and wants to continue using the FWA service for wireless access at the new location). In response to the request, the service access process 218 may verify with the FWA service provider of the FWA service that the authorization domain 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service can be modified to include the current location of the CPE device 215. Based on a determination that the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service can be modified to include the current location of the CPE device 215, the service access process 218 may update the authorization region description information of the authorization region 210 to include the current location of the CPE device 215 (optionally to remove one or more locations or areas that were previously part of the authorization region 201 and are no longer considered part of the authorization region 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service) and may deactivate the captive portal 217 to allow the CPE device 215 to communicate over the cellular network 220 based on the FWA service.

[0116] The service access process 218 may receive a request from a customer of the FWA service to use the FWA service outside the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, where the request is a request to activate a roaming plan that allows temporary operation of the CPE device 215 outside the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service (e.g., at the current location of the CPE device 215 or anywhere outside the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, which may depend on the details of the roaming plan provided by the FWA service provider and / or requested by the customer of the FWA service). This may be used, for example, to allow the customer to temporarily use the FWA service outside the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service without having to modify the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service (e.g., the customer has a temporary need to use the CPE device 215 for wireless access at some other location outside the authorization area 201). In response to the request, the service access process 218 may verify by the FWA service provider of the FWA service that a roaming plan can be activated for the customer of the FWA service (e.g., that the customer has paid for the roaming plan or has at least an authorized payment for the roaming plan). Based on a determination that a roaming plan can be activated for the customer of the FWA service, the service access process 218 may maintain authorization area information for the roaming plan (e.g., as part of the authorization area description information for the authorization area 201 and / or as separate authorization area information maintained for the roaming plan) and deactivate the captive portal 217 to allow the CPE device 215 to communicate over the cellular network 220 based on the FWA service.

[0117] The service access process 218 may continue to implement the mobility of the CPE device 215 with respect to the roaming plan while the roaming plan is activated for the customer of the FWA service. The service access process 218 may implement the mobility of the CPE device 215 with respect to the roaming plan in a manner similar to how it implements the mobility of the CPE device 215 with respect to the FWA service. For example, the service access process 218 may monitor for events that trigger a location verification action (e.g., events such as reboot / restart, mobility events such as when the CPE device 215 moves to a new base station or base station cell, etc., as well as various combinations thereof) while a roaming plan is activated for the customer for the FWA service, verify the location of the CPE device 215 against the authorization area of ​​the CPE device 215 based on the roaming plan (e.g., the roaming plan may allow use of the FWA service only at or near the location of the CPE device 215 when the roaming plan was activated, may allow use of the FWA service anywhere outside the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 for the FWA service, or the like), and the captive portal may be reactivated based on a determination that the customer has violated one or more conditions of the roaming plan (e.g., based on a determination that the CPE device 215 has moved outside the authorization area for the roaming plan), etc., as well as various combinations thereof.

[0118] The service access process 218 can manage the expiration of a roaming plan while the roaming plan is activated for the customer of the FWA service. The service access process 218 can initiate presenting the customer of the FWA service with options to renew the roaming plan prior to the expiration of the roaming plan and can inform the customer of the FWA service that failing to renew the roaming plan or returning the CPE device 215 to the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service will result in an interruption of the FWA service. Based on a determination that the roaming plan has expired, the service access process 218 can determine the current location of the CPE device 215 to determine whether the CPE device 215 has been returned to a location within the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service. Based on a determination that the CPE device 215 is not within the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service when the roaming plan expires, the service access process 218 can reactivate the captive portal 217 to control communications by the CPE device 215 via the FWA service. The service access process 218 may leave the captive portal 217 in a deactivated state, allowing the CPE device 215 to communicate using the FWA service, based on a determination that the CPE device 215 is not within the authorization area 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service when the roaming plan expires.

[0119] Although presented herein primarily with respect to particular functions of CPE device 215 performed by FWA mobility enforcement application 216, captive portal 217, and service access process 218, respectively, it will be understood that various functions of CPE device 215 may be provided in a variety of other manners (e.g., various functions presented herein as provided by FWA mobility enforcement application 216 may be provided by captive portal 217 and / or service access process 218, various functions presented herein as provided by captive portal 217 may be provided by FWA mobility enforcement application 216, various functions presented herein as provided by service access process 218 may be provided by FWA mobility enforcement application 216, etc., as well as various combinations thereof). It will be understood that various functions presented herein as provided by FWA mobility enforcement application 216, captive portal 217, and service access process 218 may be implemented on CPE device 215 in a variety of other ways.

[0120] It will be understood that the CPE device 215 may be configured to support various other functions for implementing FWA mobility for the CPE device 215 relative to the authorization domain 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, may include various other elements configured to support various functions for implementing FWA mobility for the CPE device 215 relative to the authorization domain 201 for the CPE device 215 of the FWA service, or various combinations thereof.

[0121] FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a method for use by a customer premises equipment device to support fixed wireless access mobility. While presented herein as primarily performed sequentially, it will be understood that at least some of the functions of method 300 may be performed simultaneously or in a different order than presented in FIG. 3 . Method 300 begins at block 301. At block 310, an event is detected by a device configured to communicate based on a fixed wireless access service. At block 320, the device performs a determination as to whether the device's current location is within an authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service in response to the event. At block 330, based on a determination that the device's current location is outside the authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service, the device activates a captive portal configured to control communications of devices using the fixed wireless access service and initiates a service access process configured to support use of the fixed wireless access service by devices outside the authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service. Method 300 ends at block 399.

[0122] FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary embodiment of a method for use by a customer premises equipment device to support fixed wireless access mobility. While presented herein as primarily performed sequentially, it will be understood that at least some of the functions of method 400 may be performed simultaneously or in a different order than presented in FIG. 4 . Method 400 begins at block 401. At block 410, an event is detected by a device configured to communicate based on a fixed wireless access service. At block 420, based on a determination in response to the event that the device's current location is outside an authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service, the device supports implementation of device mobility to an authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service. Method 400 ends at block 499.

[0123] Various exemplary embodiments of FWA mobility capabilities may be configured to provide various advantages or potential advantages. For example, various exemplary embodiments of FWA mobility capabilities may be configured to enable a CPE device itself to support its own mobility enforcement, thereby ensuring that a customer is provided with an opportunity for service continuity when the CPE device is moved outside of the approved operating area for the FWA service used by the CPE device for network access (e.g., via on-the-fly modification of the approved operating area for the FWA service used by the CPE device for network access and / or on-the-fly purchase of roaming services that allow the CPE device to temporarily operate outside of the approved operating area for the FWA service used by the CPE device). For example, various exemplary embodiments of FWA mobility capabilities may be configured to enable a CPE device itself to support its own mobility enforcement based on containerized applications on the CPE device, thereby ensuring that the FWA mobility enforcement of the CPE device is not affected by firmware updates to the CPE device. It will be appreciated that various exemplary embodiments of FWA mobility capabilities may be configured to provide various other advantages or potential advantages.

[0124] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a computer suitable for use in performing various functions presented herein.

[0125] Computer 500 includes a processor 502 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a processor, a processor core of a processor, a subset of processor cores of a processor, a set of processor cores of a processor, etc.) and memory 504 (e.g., random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), etc.). In at least some exemplary embodiments, computer 400 may include at least one processor and at least one memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computer to perform various functions presented herein.

[0126] Computer 500 may also include cooperating elements 505. Cooperating elements 505 may be hardware devices or processes that may be loaded into memory 504 and executed by processor 502 to implement various functions presented herein (in which case, for example, cooperating elements 505 (including associated data structures) may be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as a storage device or other suitable type of storage element (e.g., magnetic drive, optical drive, etc.)).

[0127] The computer 500 may also include one or more input / output devices 506. The input / output devices 506 may include one or more of user input devices (e.g., keyboards, keypads, mice, microphones, cameras, etc.), user output devices (e.g., displays, speakers, etc.), one or more network communication devices or elements (e.g., input ports, output ports, receivers, transmitters, transceivers, etc.), one or more storage devices (e.g., tape drives, floppy drives, hard disk drives, compact disk drives, etc.), etc., as well as various combinations thereof.

[0128] It will be appreciated that computer 500 may represent a general architecture and functionality suitable for implementing the functional elements described herein, portions of the functional elements described herein, etc., as well as various combinations thereof. For example, computer 500 may provide a general architecture and functionality suitable for implementing one or more elements presented herein, such as a customer device or portion thereof, a customer premises equipment device or portion thereof, a cellular access device or portion thereof, etc.

[0129] It will be understood that at least some of the functionality presented herein may be implemented in software (e.g., via implementation of the software on one or more processors for execution (e.g., via execution by one or more processors) on a general-purpose computer to provide a special-purpose computer, etc.), and / or may be implemented in hardware (e.g., using a general-purpose computer, one or more application-specific integrated circuits, and / or any other hardware equivalents).

[0130] It will be understood that at least some of the functionality presented herein may be implemented in hardware, for example, as circuitry that cooperates with a processor to perform various functions. Portions of the functionality / elements described herein may be implemented as a computer program product, where computer instructions, when processed by a computer, adapt the operation of the computer such that the methods and / or techniques described herein are invoked or otherwise provided. The instructions for invoking the various methods may be stored on fixed or removable media (e.g., non-transitory computer-readable media), transmitted via a data stream in a broadcast or other signal-bearing medium, and / or stored in memory within a computing device that operates according to the instructions.

[0131] It will be understood that the term "non-transitory" as used herein is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible rather than signal) as opposed to a limitation of data storage persistence (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0132] As used herein, "at least one of " and "at least one of: " and similar phrases, where a list of two or more elements is joined by "and" or "or", will be understood to mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0133] As used herein, the term "or" will be understood to refer to a non-exclusive "or" unless otherwise indicated (e.g., use of "or otherwise" or "or alternatively").

[0134] While various embodiments incorporating the teachings presented herein have been shown and described in detail herein, it will be understood that those skilled in the art could readily devise many other various embodiments which still incorporate these teachings.

Claims

1. at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least: detecting an event by a device configured to communicate based on a fixed wireless access service; performing, by the device in response to the event, a determination as to whether the current location of the device is within an approval region for the device of the fixed wireless access service; and, based on a determination that the current location of the device is outside the authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service, activating a captive portal configured to control communications of the device using the fixed wireless access service and initiating a service access process configured to support use of the fixed wireless access service by the device outside the authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the event is a reboot of the device, a reset of the device, or a mobility event associated with mobility of the device.

3. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the event is an association of the device with a new base station, an association of the device with a new cell of a base station, or a physical movement of the device to a new geographic location.

4. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the determination as to whether the current location of the device is within the authorization region for the device of the fixed wireless access service is based on authorization region information configured to describe the authorization region for the device of the fixed wireless access service.

5. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the authorization area information includes at least one of an indication of one or more authorized base stations for the device, an indication of one or more authorized cells for the device, one or more global positioning system coordinates for one or more authorized locations for the device, or an indication of a class of service for the device.

6. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein at least a portion of the authorization area information is pre-configured on the device or a portion of the authorization area information is received by the device from a service provider device associated with the fixed wireless access service.

7. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein at least a portion of the authorization domain information is received at the device without a corresponding firmware update for the device.

8. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the captive portal is configured to intercept and redirect web-based traffic and block other Internet traffic.

9. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the service activation process is configured to initiate presentation of a notification that the fixed wireless access service will be interrupted based on a determination that the device has moved outside the authorization region for the device of the fixed wireless access service.

10. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the service activation process is configured to initiate presentation of an option for a customer of the fixed wireless access service to request use of the fixed wireless access service by the device at the current location of the device.

11. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: sending a query to a network configured to provide the fixed wireless access service to determine whether the network has sufficient capacity to support operation of the device at the device's current location; and initiating a presentation of an option to the customer of the fixed wireless access service to request use of the fixed wireless access service by the device at the current location of the device based on a response indicating that the network has sufficient capacity to support operation of the device at the current location of the device.

12. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the options for the customer of the fixed wireless access service to request use of the fixed wireless access service by the device at the current location of the device include an option for the customer of the fixed wireless access service to request a change of the authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service to include the current location of the device.

13. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: receiving confirmation from a service provider of the fixed wireless access service that the authorization region for the device of the fixed wireless access service has been modified to include the current location of the device; and deactivating the captive portal based on the confirmation that the authorization domain for the device of the fixed wireless access service has been changed to include the current location of the device.

14. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the options for the customer of the fixed wireless access service to request use of the fixed wireless access service by the device at the current location of the device include an option for the customer of the fixed wireless access service to purchase a roaming plan permitting use of the device at the current location of the device.

15. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: receiving confirmation from a service provider of the fixed wireless access service that the customer of the fixed wireless access service has purchased the roaming plan permitting use of the device at the current location of the device; and deactivating the captive portal based on the confirmation that the customer of the fixed wireless access service has purchased the roaming plan permitting use of the device at the current location of the device.

16. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least:

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus causes the step of reactivating the captive portal based on a determination that the device is still located outside the authorized area for the device of the fixed wireless access service upon expiration of the roaming plan.

17. The device comprises:

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a containerized application configured to detect the event, activate the captive portal, and initiate the service access process.

18. 20. The device of claim 17, wherein the device further includes a set of firmware configured to cause the device to perform a set of functions, and wherein the containerized application is maintained separately from the set of firmware.

19. 19. The device of any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the fixed wireless access service is supported by a cellular network.

20. A computer-readable medium storing computer program code, the computer program code, when executed by an apparatus, causing the apparatus to perform at least: detecting an event by a device configured to communicate based on a fixed wireless access service; performing, by the device in response to the event, a determination as to whether the current location of the device is within an approval region for the device of the fixed wireless access service; and causing the device to perform the steps of: activating a captive portal configured to control communications of the device using the fixed wireless access service based on a determination that the current location of the device is outside the authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service; and initiating a service access process configured to support use of the fixed wireless access service by the device outside the authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service.

21. detecting an event by a device configured to communicate based on a fixed wireless access service; performing, by the device in response to the event, a determination as to whether the current location of the device is within an approval region for the device of the fixed wireless access service; and based on a determination that the current location of the device is outside the authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service, activating, by the device, a captive portal configured to control communications of the device using the fixed wireless access service, and initiating a service access process configured to support use of the fixed wireless access service by the device outside the authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service.

22. at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least: detecting an event by a device configured to communicate based on a fixed wireless access service; and supporting, by the device, enforcement of mobility of the device to the authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service based on a determination in response to the event that the current location of the device is outside the authorization area for the device of the fixed wireless access service.

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