User equipment (UE) method and user equipment (UE)

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure include a user equipment (UE) method. The method includes communicating with a communication device. The method includes receiving first signal threshold information from the communication device and performing PLMN selection based on the first signal threshold information. The present disclosure may relate to a user equipment (UE) method, a communication device method, a UE, and a communication device.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a user equipment (UE) method, a communication device method, a UE, and a communication device. [Background technology]

[0002] According to 3GPP® contribution SP-211068 (Non-Patent Document 2), 3GPP is defining a new feature called Signal Level Enhanced Network Selection in 3GPP Release 18. This feature solves the problem of VPLMN selection when IoT devices are not on their home network. This is often the case when IoT devices are not on their home network. For example, modules in IoT devices are deployed in a country other than the USIM they are provided with, or to use a global USIM for IoT use cases.

[0003] The problem of VPLMN selection by IOT devices is summarized below. During the first step of selecting a network after switch-on or recovery from coverage loss, and during all steps of periodic reselection, the signal levels of available cells are not taken into account. For cell reselection, only the cell selection criteria broadcast by the PLMN and the network priorities are taken into account. This can lead to the UE selecting or remaining on a network with poor coverage in a particular location. This occurs because the UE selects a PLMN with a higher priority while other PLMNs with a lower priority are available with much better local coverage. For a typical consumer UE, this is not a problem; due to mobility, conditions are changing rapidly and some users are able to recognize the problem and react, for example, by slightly changing their location or manually selecting a different PLMN. This is desirable behavior as part of roaming steering, avoiding frequent network changes. However, for fixed devices without user supervision, this can be problematic.

[0004] To solve this problem, the signal level enhanced network selection feature is introduced in 3GPP Release 18. This feature makes it possible to take signal levels into account during the first step of network selection after switch-on or during recovery from coverage loss, and during all steps of periodic cell reselection and PLMN selection. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] 3GPP TR 21.905: “Vocabulary for 3GPP Specifications” V17.1.0(2021-12) [Non-patent document 2] SP-211068:https: / / www.3gpp.org / ftp / tsg_sa / TSG_SA / TSGS_93E_Electronic_2021_09 / Docs / SP-211068.zip [Non-patent document 3] 3GPP TS 23.501: “System architecture for the 5G System (5GS)” V17.5.0 (2022-06) [Non-patent document 4] 3GPP TS 23.502: “Procedures for the 5G System (5GS)” V17.5.0 (2022-06) [Non-patent document 5] 3GPP TS 23.503: “Policy and charging control framework for the 5G System(5GS)Stage 2” V17.5.0(2022-06) [Non-patent document 6] 3GPP TS 22.011: “Service accessibility” V18.3.0(2022-06) [Non-Patent Document 7] 3GPP TS 24.501: “Non-Access-Stratum (NAS) protocol for 5G System (5GS) Stage 3” V17.7.1 (2022-06) [Non-patent document 8] 3GPP TS 23.122: "Non-Access-Stratum (NAS) functions related to Mobile Station (MS) in idle mode" V17.7.1 (2022-06) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The requirements for the signal level enhanced network selection function are defined in 3GPP TS 22.011 (Non-Patent Document 6), but there is no mechanism defined in any of the 3GPP specifications. For example, 3GPP TS 22.011 (Non-Patent Document 6) defines the requirements for the signal level enhanced network selection function as follows:

[0007] For UEs supporting any or a combination of NB-IoT, GERAN EC-GSM-IoT, and E-UTRA categories M1 or M2, the 5G system shall support a mechanism with an operator controlled signal threshold per access technology in the USIM used for network selection. The signal threshold shall be specific to an access technology and apply to all PLMNs with the corresponding access technology combination.

[0008] To meet this requirement, there are many aspects that can be considered.

[0009] For example, it is unclear how a UE obtains information about the operator control signal thresholds for each access technology over 5GS, but this information is intended for use in categories M1 or M2 for NB-IoT, GERAN EC-GSM-IoT, and E-UTRA devices. For example, an IoT UE would need to obtain the information over 5GS and always tune to NR or EUTRA to return to 2G, 3G, or E-UTRA to have IoT services. It is necessary to clarify the procedures for how a UE obtains information about the operator control signal thresholds for each access technology over 5GS and how the UE uses this information. Otherwise, this function will not work.

[0010] For example, it is unclear what the information about the operator control signal threshold structure is. There are many radio aspects that affect stable communication between IoT UE and the network. 3GPP needs to define the structure of the information about operator control signal thresholds, such as signal strength, signal quality, and interference level. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The user equipment (UE) includes a mobile termination (MT) and a user services identity module (USIM). a processor configured to access the first communication system when a predetermined condition is met; a transmitter configured to send a registration request message to an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF); a receiver configured to receive a registration accept message from the AMF, the registration accept message including information indicating a signal threshold for each access technology; Including, the processor is configured to access the second communication system after receiving information indicative of a signal threshold for each access technology; The processor is configured to perform a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) selection process based on information indicative of the access technology and a signal threshold for each access technology to which the UE is tuned.

[0012] 1. A method in a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: accessing the first communication system if a predetermined condition is met; sending a registration request message to an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF); receiving a registration accept message from the AMF, the registration accept message including information indicating a signal threshold for each access technology; Including, The method includes accessing the second communication system after receiving information indicating a signal threshold for each access technology; The method includes performing a public land mobile network (PLMN) selection process based on information indicative of an access technology and a signal threshold for each access technology that the UE will tune to.

[0013] Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) a receiver configured to receive a registration request message from a user equipment (UE) accessing the first communication system when a predetermined condition is met; a transmitter configured to transmit a registration accept message including information indicating a signal threshold for each access technology; Including, The public land mobile network (PLMN) selection is performed based on information indicative of the access technologies and signal thresholds for each access technology that the UE tunes to after accessing the second communication. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a signaling diagram of a first example of the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a signaling diagram of a first example of the second embodiment. [Figure 3]1 is an existing PLMN selection diagram in 3GPP TS 23.122. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a process diagram in a UE of a second example of the second aspect. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a process diagram in a UE of a third example of the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system overview. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a UE. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an (R)AN node. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 illustrates a system overview of an (R)AN node based on the O-RAN architecture. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an RU. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a DU. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a CU. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an AMF. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a PCF. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an AUSF. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a UDM. [Figure 17] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an NSSF. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Abbreviation For the purposes of this document, 3GPP TR 21.905 (Non-Patent Document 1) and the following abbreviations apply: Abbreviations defined in this document take precedence over definitions of the same abbreviations in 3GPP TR 21.905 (Non-Patent Document 1). 4G-GUTI 4G Globally Unique Temporary UE Identity 5GC 5G Core Network 5GLAN 5G Local Area Network 5GS 5G System 5G-AN 5G Access Network 5G-AN PDB 5G Access Network Packet Delay Budget 5G-EIR 5G-Equipment Identity Register 5G-GUTI 5G Globally Unique Temporary Identifier 5G-BRG 5G Broadband Residential Gateway 5G-CRG 5G Cable Residential Gateway 5G GM 5G Grand Master 5G-RG 5G Residential Gateway 5G-S-TMSI 5G S-Temporary Mobile Subscription Identifier 5G VN 5G Virtual Network 5QI 5G QoS Identifier AF Application Function AMF Access and Mobility Management Function AMF-G Geographically selected Access and Mobility Management Function AMF-NG Non-Geographically selected Access and Mobility Management Function ANDSF Access Network Discovery and Selection Function ARFCN Absolute radio-frequency channel number AS Access Stratum ATSSS Access Traffic Steering, Switching, Splitting ATSSS-LL ATSSS Low-Layer AUSF Authentication Server Function AUTN Authentication token BCCH Broadcast Control Channel BMCA Best Master Clock Algorithm BSF Binding Support Function CAG Closed Access Group CAPIF Common API Framework for 3GPP northbound APIs CHF Charging Function CN PDB Core Network Packet Delay Budget CP Control Plane DAPS Dual Active Protocol Stacks DL Downlink DN Data Network DNAI DN Access Identifier DNN Data Network Name DRX Discontinuous Reception DS-TT Device-side TSN translator ePDG evolved Packet Data Gateway EBI EPS Bearer Identity EPS Evolved Packet System EUI Extended Unique Identifier FAR Forwarding Action Rule FN-BRG Fixed Network Broadband RG FN-CRG Fixed Network Cable RG FN-RG Fixed Network RG FQDN Fully Qualified Domain Name GFBR Guaranteed Flow Bit Rate GMLC Gateway Mobile Location Centre GPSI Generic Public Subscription Identifier GUAMI Globally Unique AMF Identifier GUTI Globally Unique Temporary UE Identity HPLMN Home Public Land Mobile Network HR Home Routed (roaming) IAB Integrated access and backhaul IMEI / TAC IMEI Type Allocation Code IPUPS Inter PLMN UP Security I-SMF Intermediate SMF I-UPF Intermediate UPF LADN Local Area Data Network LBO Local Break Out (roaming) LMF Location Management Function LoA Level of Automation LPP LTE Positioning Protocol LRF Location Retrieval Function MCC Mobile country code MCX Mission Critical Service MDBV Maximum Data Burst Volume ME Mobile Equipment MFBR Maximum Flow Bit Rate MICO Mobile Initiated Connection Only MITM Man In the Middle MNC Mobile Network Code MPS Multimedia Priority Service MPTCP Multi-Path TCP Protocol MT Mobile Termination N3IWF Non-3GPP InterWorking Function N3GPP Non-3GPP access N5CW Non-5G-Capable over WLAN NAI Network Access Identifier NAS Non-Access-Stratum NEF Network Exposure Function NF Network Function NGAP Next Generation Application Protocol NID Network identifier NPN Non-Public Network NR New Radio NSAG Network Slice Access Stratum Group NRF Network Repository Function NSI ID Network Slice Instance Identifier NSSAA Network Slice-Specific Authentication and Authorization NSSAAF Network Slice-Specific Authentication and Authorization Function NSSAI Network Slice Selection Assistance Information NSSF Network Slice Selection Function NSSP Network Slice Selection Policy NSSRG Network Slice Simultaneous Registration Group NW-TT Network-side TSN translator NWDAF Network Data Analytics Function PCF Policy Control Function PCO Protocol Configuration Options PDB Packet Delay Budget PDR Packet Detection Rule PDU Protocol Data Unit PEI Permanent Equipment Identifier PER Packet Error Rate PFD Packet Flow Description PLMN Public Land Mobile Network PNI-NPN Public Network Integrated Non-Public Network PPD Paging Policy Differentiation PPF Paging Proceed Flag PPI Paging Policy Indicator PSA PDU Session Anchor PTP Precision Time Protocol QFI QoS Flow Identifier QoE Quality of Experience RACS Radio Capabilities Signaling optimisation (R)AN (Radio) Access Network RAT Radio Access Technology RG Residential Gateway RIM Remote Interference Management RQA Reflective QoS Attribute RQI Reflective QoS Indication RSN Redundancy Sequence Number RSRP Reference Signal Received Power RSRQ Reference Signal Received Quality SA NR Standalone New Radio SBA Service Based Architecture SBI Service Based Interface SCP Service Communication Proxy SD Slice Differentiator SEAF Security Anchor Functionality SENSE Signal Level Enhanced Network Selection SEPP Security Edge Protection Proxy SIB System Information Block SINR Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio SMF Session Management Function SMSF Short Message Service Function SN Sequence Number SN Name Serving Network Name SNPN Stand-alone Non-Public Network S-NSSAI Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information SOR Steering of Roaming SSC Session and Service Continuity SSCMSP Session and Service Continuity Mode Selection Policy SST Slice / Service Type SUCI Subscription Concealed Identifier SUPI Subscription Permanent Identifier SV Software Version TMSI Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity TNAN Trusted Non-3GPP Access Network TNAP Trusted Non-3GPP Access Point TNGF Trusted Non-3GPP Gateway Function TNL Transport Network Layer TNLA Transport Network Layer Association TSC Time Sensitive Communication TSCAI TSC Assistance Information TSN Time Sensitive Networking TSN GM TSN Grand Master TSP Traffic Steering Policy TT TSN Translator TWIF Trusted WLAN Interworking Function UCMF UE radio Capability Management Function UDM Unified Data Management UDR Unified Data Repository UDSF Unstructured Data Storage Function UE User Equipment UL Uplink UL CL Uplink Classifier UPF User Plane Function UPSI UE Policy Section Identifier URLLC: Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication URRP-AMF UE Reachability Request Parameter for AMF URSP UE Route Selection Policy USIM User Services Identity Module VID VLAN Identifier VLAN Virtual Local Area Network VPLMN Visited Public Land Mobile Network W-5GAN Wireline 5G Access Network W-5GBAN Wireline BBF Access Network W-5GCAN Wireline 5G Cable Access Network W-AGF Wireline Access Gateway Function

[0016] definition For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions in 3GPP TR 21.905 (Non-Patent Document 1) and set forth below apply. Terms defined in this document take precedence over the definition of the same term in 3GPP TR 21.905 (Non-Patent Document 1), if any.

[0017] References [1]3GPP TR 21.905: “Vocabulary for 3GPP Specifications” V17.1.0(2021-12) [2]SP-211068: https: / / www.3gpp.org / ftp / tsg_sa / TSG_SA / TSGS_93E_Electronic_2021_09 / Docs / SP-211068.zip [3]3GPP TS 23.501: “System architecture for the 5G System (5GS)” V17.5.0 (2022-06) [4]3GPP TS 23.502: “Procedures for the 5G System (5GS)” V17.5.0 (2022-06) [5]3GPP TS 23.503: “Policy and charging control framework for the 5G System(5GS)Stage 2” V17.5.0(2022-06) [6]3GPP TS 22.011: “Service accessibility” V18.3.0(2022-06) [7]3GPP TS 24.501: “Non-Access-Stratum (NAS) protocol for 5G System (5GS) Stage 3” V17.7.1 (2022-06) [8]3GPP TS 23.122: “Non-Access-Stratum (NAS) functions related to Mobile Station (MS) in idle mode” V17.7.1 (2022-06)

[0018] general Those skilled in the art will understand that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and may not necessarily be drawn to scale. Further, with respect to the configuration of a device, one or more components of the device may be represented in the figures by conventional symbols, and the figures may show only certain details relevant to an understanding of aspects of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the figures with details that will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

[0019] For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the present disclosure, reference will be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe them. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the present disclosure is thereby intended. Such changes and further modifications in the illustrated systems, and such further applications of the principles of the present disclosure as would normally occur to one skilled in the art, are to be construed as being within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0020] The terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that includes a list of steps does not include only those steps, but may include other steps that are not expressly listed or that are inherent to such process or method. Similarly, the term "comprises...a" precedes one or more devices or entities or subsystems or elements or structures or components, and does not, without further constraints, exclude the presence of other devices, subsystems, elements, structures, components, additional devices, additional subsystems, additional elements, additional structures, or additional components. Throughout this specification, appearances of the phrases "in an embodiment," "in another embodiment," and similar language may, but need not, all refer to the same embodiment.

[0021] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The systems, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and are not intended to be limiting.

[0022] In the following specification and claims, reference will be made to a number of terms that may be defined to have the following meanings: The singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0023] As used herein, information is associated with data and knowledge, as data is meaningful information and represents values ​​attributed to parameters. Further knowledge refers to an understanding of abstract or concrete concepts. Note that this exemplary system is simplified to facilitate explanation of the disclosed subject matter and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other devices, systems, and settings can be used in addition to or instead of the system to practice aspects disclosed herein, and all such aspects are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0024] Furthermore, each aspect or element included in each of the following aspects may be implemented independently or in any combination. These aspects include novel features that are different from one another. Therefore, these aspects contribute to achieving different objectives or solving different problems, and to obtaining different advantages.

[0025] An exemplary object of the present disclosure is to provide a method and apparatus that can solve the above problems.

[0026] First Aspect This aspect discloses a mechanism that enables secure transfer of information for operator control signal thresholds per access technology from a home operator to a USIM 35 installed in the UE 3 while the UE 3 is roaming in a VPLMN.

[0027] First example of the first aspect: When the information of the operator control signal threshold per access technology is not provisioned to the UE 3, the UE 3 initiates a registration procedure to fetch the information from the HPLMN using 5GS.

[0028] Hereinafter, a detailed process of the first example of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 indicates a mobile terminal unit of the UE 3. The MT 33 may be the UE 3 excluding the USIM 35.

[0029] Step 0. The SoR AF 201 stores information on signal thresholds for each access technology in the subscriber data. The SoR AF201 may store signal thresholds for NB-IoT, GERAN EC-GSM-IoT, E-UTRA Category M1, E-UTRA Category M2, and other access technologies. The SoR AF 201 may also store signal thresholds for WiFi as a non-3GPP access.

[0030] Step 1. When the MT33 in the UE3 detects that the operator control signal threshold per access technology information is not provisioned in the USIM35 or non-volatile memory in the UE3, the UE3 sends a registration request message including a user ID, SENSE feature support, and UE supported access technologies to the AMF70. The SENSE (Signal Level Enhanced Network Selection) feature support parameter, or any other representation of a parameter intended to indicate that the UE supports the operator control signal threshold per access technology feature, indicates that the UE3 supports the SENSE feature. The UE supported access technologies parameter sent from the UE indicates one or more access technologies supported by the UE3.

[0031] The UE supported access technologies may include instructions to support NB-IoT, GERAN EC-GSM-IoT, E-UTRA Category M1, E-UTRA Category M2, and other access technologies (e.g., NR).

[0032] In one example, if the UE is configured from manual PLMN mode selection to automatic PLMN mode selection and finds that the operator control signal thresholds per access technology are not configured, the UE also initiates the registration procedure defined in this step.

[0033] The SENSE capability support can be named differently, such as SENSE information query, SENSE request, or any other name to indicate that the UE 3 requests to have SENSE-related information from the AMF 70.

[0034] The UE supported access technology may be another name, such as access technology or any other name to indicate one or more access technologies supported by the UE 3.

[0035] Step 2. When the AMF 70 receives the registration request message, the AMF 70 sends a Nudm_UECM_Registration request message to the UDM 75, including the user ID, SENSE feature support, UE supported access technologies, and SoR for SENSE support. The SENSE feature supports the parameters received in step 1 and the UE supported access technologies. If the AMF 70 does not receive a SENSE feature support indication from the UE 3, the AMF 70 recognizes that the UE 3 does not support the SENSE feature, and the AMF 70 does not include either the SENSE feature support or the UE supported access technologies in the Nudm_UECM_Registration request message. The SoR for SENSE support indicates that the AMF 70 has the ability to forward SENSE-related information to the UE 3 using the SoR mechanism.

[0036] The SENSE function support can be named differently, such as SENSE information query, SENSE request, or any other name to indicate that the AMF 70 requests to have SENSE-related information from the UDM 75.

[0037] The UE supported access technology may be another name, such as access technology or any other name to indicate one or more access technologies supported by the UE 3. SoR for SENSE may be another name indicating that the AMF 70 has the capability to transfer SENSE related information to the UE 3 using the SoR mechanism.

[0038] Step 3. When the UDM 75 receives the Nudm_UECM_Registration request message containing the user ID, SENSE feature support, UE supported access technologies, and SoR for SENSE support, the UDM 75 sends an Nsoraf_SoR_Get request message (or a new message or any existing message) containing the user ID and SENSE feature support indication and UE supported access technologies received in step 2. The SENSE feature support can be named differently, for example, SENSE information query, SENSE request, or any other name to indicate that the UDM 75 requests to have SENSE-related information from the SoR AF 201.

[0039] If the UDM 75 does not receive a SENSE function support indication from the AMF 70, the UDM 75 assumes that the UE 3 does not support the SENSE function, and the UDM 75 does not send an Nsoraf_SoR_Get request message to the SoR-AF 201. If the UDM 75 does not receive an SoR for SENSE support from the AMF 70, the UDM 75 assumes that the AMF 70 does not support the SENSE function, and the UDM 75 does not send an Nsoraf_SoR_Get request message to the SoR-AF 201.

[0040] In one example, SENSE function support may be interpreted by UDM 70 as meaning that the AMF supports the SOR function. In this case, UDM 70 sends an Nsoraf_SoR_Get request message (new message or existing message) to SoR-AF 201 even if UDM 70 does not receive an SoR for SENSE support from AMF 70.

[0041] The UE supported access technology may be another name, such as access technology or any other name to indicate one or more access technologies supported by the UE 3.

[0042] Step 4. Upon receiving the Nsoraf_SoR_Get request message containing the user ID (e.g., SUPI or GPSI) and SENSE feature support and UE supported access technologies, the SoR-AF 201 finds the information of the signal threshold per access technology from the subscriber data record (e.g., memory) of the subscriber identified by the user ID. The SoR-AF 201 then sends an Nsoraf_SoR_Get response message (e.g., a new message or an existing message) to the UDM 75 containing the information about the signal threshold per access technology of the UE 3.

[0043] Step 5. When the UDM 75 receives the Nausf_SoR_Get response message from the SoR-AF 201 containing information about the signal thresholds per access technology for the UE 3, the UDM 75 sends a Nausf_SoRProtection request message (a new message or an existing message) containing information about the signal thresholds per access technology to the AUSF 74 in order to protect this information. The UDM 75 may include an ACK indication in the Nausf_SoRProtection request message to receive an indication from the UE 3 if the SoR container has been successfully delivered to the UE 3.

[0044] Step 6. When AUSF74 receives the ausf_SoRProtection request message containing information about the signal thresholds per access technology from UDM75, AUSF74 encrypts this information, and AUSF74 sends an Nausf_SoRProtection response message to UDM75 containing an SoR container containing the encrypted information about the signal thresholds per access technology.

[0045] Step 7. When the UDM 75 receives the Nausf_SoRProtection response message from the AUSF 74, the UDM 75 sends a Nudm_UECM_Registration response message to the AMF 70, the Nudm_UECM_Registration response message includes the SoR container containing the encryption information for the signal thresholds per access technology. The UDM 75 may include an ACK indication in the Nudm_UECM_Registration response message.

[0046] The SOR container is defined as follows: [Table 1]

[0047] A secured packet is defined as follows: [Table 2]

[0048] Step 8. When AMF70 receives the Nudm_UECM_Registration response message including an SoR container containing encryption information for signal thresholds per access technology, AMF70 sends a registration accept message to UE3 including an SoR container containing encryption information for signal thresholds per access technology. The AMF 70 may include an ACK indication in the registration acceptance message.

[0049] Step 9. When the MT33 in the UE3 receives the registration accept message from the AMF70 containing the SoR transparent container containing encrypted information for the signal thresholds per access technology, the MT33 decrypts the SoR transparent container to obtain the information for the signal thresholds per access technology. The MT33 either sends the information to the USIM35 or stores the information in the non-volatile memory of the UE3.

[0050] After MT33 decodes the per-access technology signal threshold information from the SoR transparent container, the NAS layer of UE3 notifies the per-access technology signal threshold information to the AS layer of UE3. For example, the per-access technology signal threshold information may consist of a list of measured signal strength (e.g., RSRP), measured signal quality (e.g., RSRQ), and measured signal-to-noise interference (e.g., SINR) per access technology.

[0051] If the MT33 receives an invalid value for the access technology, the UE3 ignores the value, does not store the value in the USIM35, and does not apply the threshold. In one example, UDM 75 transmits a fixed value, e.g., 0, for each access technology to disable cell selection or reselection procedures based on per-access-technology signal thresholds. When UE 3 receives the value, it does not apply the cell selection or reselection procedures for the access technology.

[0052] Step 10. If the UE 3 is requested to confirm successful delivery of information regarding signal thresholds per access technology, the UE 3 sends a registration complete message to the AMF 70.

[0053] Step 11. When the AMF 70 receives the registration complete message from the UE 3 and the AMF 70 is requested by the UDM 75 to confirm the successful delivery of the information regarding the signal thresholds per access technology to the UE 3, the AMF 70 sends a Nudm_SDM_Info message to the UDM 75, which enables the UDM 75 to recognize the successful delivery of the information regarding the signal thresholds per access technology to the UE 3.

[0054] The access technology-specific operator control signal thresholds may be expressed by other terminology in this disclosure, such as access technology-specific signal thresholds, access technology-specific signal quality thresholds, access technology-specific thresholds, etc. In this disclosure, user identity may be expressed as a user ID or a UE ID.

[0055] Variation 1 of the first example of the first aspect: In one example, the SoR AM 201 may be included in the UDM 75. In this case, steps 3 and 4 are performed inside the UDM 75.

[0056] Variation 2 of the first example of the first aspect: In one example, the UE 3 scans for PLMNs available at its location and sends a list of signal strengths and / or signal qualities (e.g., Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) and Reference Signal Received Quality (RSSRQ) RSSI in EPS) of the strongest cells of each PLMN available at its location in a registration request message. The AMF 70 sends the list of signal strengths and / or signal qualities to the UDM 75 in step 2. The UDM 75 sends the list of received signal strengths and / or signal qualities to the SoR-AF 201. The SoR-AF 201 determines the signal strength for each access technology based on the list of received signal strengths and / or signal qualities. In one example, the list of signal strengths or signal qualities is integrity protected or encrypted and transmitted to the UDM 75 in a transparent container.

[0057] Variation 3 of the first example of the first aspect: In another example, the operator control signal thresholds per access technology information may be configured in the AMF 70 directly or via OAM based on operator policy. The operator control signal thresholds per access technology information may then be delivered by the AMF 70 to the UE 3 while the UE 3 is registered with the home PLMN, as in steps 8 and 9 of Figure 1. Alternatively, the configured operator control signal thresholds per access technology information in the AMF 70 may be delivered to the UE 3 via a UE Configuration Update message while the UE 3 is connected with the home PLMN or whenever the UE 3 is in idle mode by initially paging the UE 3.

[0058] Variation 4 of the first example of the first aspect: In another example, the operator control signal threshold per access technology information may be defined as a new rule for triggering cell selection / reselection or PLMN selection / reselection by UE3 as part of the URSP rules of UE3 in the PCF and provided to UE3 in the URSP provisioning in the UE Policy information via the UE Configuration Update procedure in accordance with 3GPP TS 23.502 (Non-Patent Document 4) and 3GPP TS 23.503 (Non-Patent Document 5).

[0059] Variation 5 of the first example of the first aspect: In another example, the operator control signal threshold for each access technology information may be provided to the UE 3 by the AMF 70 via OTA (Over The Air) DM (Device management).

[0060] In another example, the UDM 75 can transmit the operator control signal threshold value for each access technology information in any existing or new message defined between the UDM 75 and the AMF 70. When the AMF 70 receives the operator control signal threshold value for each access technology information, the AMF 70 transmits the received operator control signal threshold value for each access technology information to the UE 3 in an existing or new NAS message. When the UE 3 receives the operator control signal threshold value for each access technology information, the UE 3 transmits an existing NAS message to the AMF indicating receipt of the operator control signal threshold value for each access technology information. When the AMF 70 receives the NAS message from the UE 3, it transmits a message to the UDM 75 indicating receipt of the operator control signal threshold value for each access technology information in the UE 3. This method of transmitting the operator control signal threshold value for each access technology information can be used when the UE 3 is a HPLMN or Equivalent HPLMN registrant.

[0061] Variation 6 of the first example of the first aspect: In another example, the operator control signal threshold per access technology may be defined by the service provider (e.g., when the mobile terminal belongs to a third-party service provider contracted with a signal threshold controlling PLMN), in which case the operator control signal threshold per access technology information is provided to the UDM 75 of the 3GPP network by the service provider via the NEF entity of the 3GPP network.

[0062] Along with the provisioning of operator control signal thresholds per access technology, the service provider may provide additional information regarding the validity of the provided thresholds or their applicability per UE or group of UEs, and the service provider may update the operator control signal thresholds per access technology and the conditions of their applicability at any time.

[0063] Variation 7 of the first example of the first aspect: In one example, the AS layer of the UE 3 provides the NG-RAN with the per-access-technology operator control signal threshold value in an existing or new RRC message. When the NG-RAN receives the per-access-technology operator control signal threshold value from the AS layer of the UE 3, the NG-RAN stores it and selects the target cell in the handover procedure when the signal strength of the target cell is equal to or greater than the per-access-technology operator control signal threshold value.

[0064] Variation 8 of the first example of the first aspect: In one example, the AMF 70 provides the NG-RAN with the operator control signal threshold value per access technology in an existing or new NGAP message. When the NG-RAN receives the operator control signal threshold value per access technology, the NG-RAN stores it and selects the target cell in the handover procedure when the signal strength of the target cell is equal to or greater than the operator control signal threshold value per access technology.

[0065] Variation 9 of the first example of the first aspect: The UE 3 may transparently and securely transmit to the UDM 75 via the AMF 70, for example, at any time during a power-on procedure or any NAS procedure, a list of signal strengths per access technology type that the UE 3 can receive and / or a list of signal strengths per PLMN that the UE 3 can receive and / or a list of signal strengths of all best cells for each access technology available for each available PLMN that the UE 3 can receive, as well as the current UE location. For example, the UE 3 transmits the list of signal strengths to the AMF 70 via a registration request message or a registration complete message, or in any NAS message. The AMF 70 then transmits the list of received signal strengths to the UDM 75 in an existing or new message defined between the AMF 70 and the UDM 75. Upon receiving the list of signal strengths, the UDM 75 may decide to update the operator control signal thresholds per access technology based on the received values ​​of the signal strengths in the list and the received current UE location.

[0066] For example, if the received signal strength of a particular access technology at the location of UE3 is much lower than the operator control signal threshold for the access technology in UDM75, UDM75 will decrease the threshold for the operator control signal threshold for the access technology and update the newly defined threshold in UE3 using the mechanism disclosed by the first aspect.

[0067] Variation 10 of the first example of the first aspect: The UE 3 sends the current value of the stored threshold to the UDM via the AMF at any time, for example, during a power-on procedure or any NAS procedure. The current value of the stored threshold may be transmitted transparently to the UDM 75 via the AMF 70 and secured. If the UE 3 has a stored threshold value that is not stored in the UE 3's USIM 35 or ME memory, the UE 3 indicates to the UDM 75 that the UE 3 does not have a current value of the operator-specific threshold.

[0068] The UDM 75 may decide to send operator control signal thresholds for each access technology to the UE 3 based on received current values ​​of thresholds stored in the UE 3 or instructions from the UE 3 .

[0069] For example, if the current received value of the threshold stored in the UE3 is out of date, the UDM75 updates the UE3 with the latest operator control signal threshold value for the access technology using the mechanism disclosed by the first aspect.

[0070] Variation 11 of the first example of the first aspect: In steps 2 to 7, the AMF 70 and the UDM 75 may use existing messages or new messages between the AMF 70 and the UDM 75.

[0071] Second Aspect This aspect discloses a mechanism for how UE3 obtains information of operator control signal thresholds per access technology via 5GS and how UE3 uses this information for NB-IoT, GERAN EC-GSM-IoT, and E-UTRA category M1 or M2.

[0072] First Example of the Second Aspect A first example of the second aspect discloses how a UE3 obtains information of operator control signal thresholds per access technology via 5GS, and how the UE3 uses this information for NB-IoT, GERAN EC-GSM-IoT, and E-UTRA category M1 or M2.

[0073] Hereinafter, a detailed process of the first example of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2 indicates a mobile terminal unit of the UE 3. The MT 33 may be the UE 3 excluding the USIM 35.

[0074] Step 1. The UE 3 is turned on. Another use case in step 1 could be that a new SIM 35 is inserted into the UE 3, that the UE 3 is initialized by the user, or any other case for resetting the UE 3. Another use case in step 1 could be recovery from lack of coverage, periodic network selection attempts, and steering roaming.

[0075] Step 2. The MT33 queries the USIM35 to see if the USIM35 holds information about signal thresholds for each access technology. The MT33 may indicate the access technology in the query message to obtain the signal threshold for that access technology. The access technologies include NB-IoT, GERAN EC-GSM-IoT, E-UTRA Category M1, E-UTRA Category M2, and other access technologies. The access technologies also include WiFi as a non-3GPP access.

[0076] If the information about the signal thresholds for each access technology is stored in a non-volatile memory in the UE 3, the MT 33 does not query the USIM 35. The UE 3 refers to that memory and proceeds to step 4.

[0077] Step 3. When USIM 35 receives the inquiry message in step 1, if USIM 35 holds information about the signal threshold per access technology, USIM 35 provides the information about the signal threshold per access technology to MT 33. Otherwise, USIM 35 simply sends a denial message to MT 33 or provides null information about the signal threshold per access technology.

[0078] Step 4. UE3 considers the following conditions: If all conditions are met, UE3 proceeds to step 5. -UE3 has the ability to process SENSE functions. The UE 3 does not maintain information about signal thresholds for each access technology. The UE 3 has the capability to access 5GS. That is, the UE 3 supports 5G NAS. The UE 3 can access NR or e-URAN, or any other RAT that can connect to 5GC (e.g., WLAN, Wi-Fi, BBF access, It has the ability to connect to a network (cable access, optical access).

[0079] Step 5. Based on the verification performed in step 4, the UE 3 initiates the registration procedure as disclosed in the first example of the first aspect.

[0080] In one example, if a cell supporting UTRAN or E-UTRAN or GERAN or NR exists at the current location, the UE3 selects a cell supporting 5GS and initiates a registration procedure with the selected cell of the PLMN to register to 5GS, even if the selected cell is not the best cell available at the location, or the selected cell does not belong to the PLMN where it was last registered, or belongs to a PLMN that is not a more preferred PLMN available at the location.

[0081] For example, assume that PLMN1, PLMN2, and PLMN3 are stored in the operator preferred PLMN list in order of priority from highest to lowest, i.e., PLMN1>PLMN2>PLMN3. If, at the current location, there exists an E-UTRAN cell 1 belonging to PLMN1 that does not support 5GS connectivity and there exists a cell 2 belonging to NG-RAN of PLMN2, UE3 will select cell 2 of PLMN2 and initiate the registration procedure from cell 2 to PLMN2.

[0082] Step 6. Upon successful completion of the registration procedure in step 5, the UE 3 roams GSM-based GPRS, W-CDMA-based GPRS or EPS to access with access technologies such as NB-IoT, GERAN EC-GSM-IoT, and E-UTRA category M1 or M2.

[0083] Step 7. The UE 3 initiates PLMN selection based on the information received in step 5 for the signal threshold of the access technology that the UE 3 is currently tuned to.

[0084] The access technology-specific operator control signal thresholds may be expressed by other terminology in this disclosure, such as access technology-specific signal thresholds, access technology-specific signal quality thresholds, access technology-specific thresholds, etc. In this disclosure, user identity may be expressed as a user ID or a UE ID.

[0085] Second example of the second aspect: The second example of the second aspect discloses how UE 3 uses signal thresholds for PLMN selection. This example can be used in step 7 of the first example of the second aspect.

[0086] FIG. 3 shows an existing PLMN selection diagram in 3GPP TS 23.122 (Non-Patent Document 8). This example discloses the following updates to the process of FIG.

[0087] First disclosure for updating the process "selecting a registered PLMN" The process "Select a registered PLMN" in the upper left of Figure 3 can be replaced with the process shown in Figure 4 using the following process flow.

[0088] Process 4001. UE3 checks whether UE3 maintains signal threshold information for the access technology to which UE3 is tuned. If UE3 maintains signal threshold information for the access technology, UE3 does not first search for the last registered PLMN availability at its location after switching on or returning from a no-service state, as in the legacy operation of Figure 3. Instead, UE3 proceeds to process 4002. If not, UE3 returns to follow the original procedure of Figure 3.

[0089] Process 4002. UE3 fetches operator control signal thresholds for each access technology information stored in USIM35 in UE3 or non-volatile memory in UE3 for the UE's radio access (i.e., the radio access to which the UE is adjusted), and UE3 fetches signal strength or signal quality or signal to noise interference measurements (e.g., RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power) or RSRQ (Reference Signal Received Quality) or SINR (Signal to Interference plus Noise Ratio)) of all cells of the UE's radio access at the UE location.

[0090] Process 4003. If the measured signal strength (e.g., RSRP) or measured signal quality (e.g., RSRQ) or measured signal-to-noise interference (e.g., SINR) of one of the available cells from any PLMN that UE3 is permitted to select at the UE location on the same radio access is equal to or greater than the operator control signal threshold for the access technology, UE3 shall select a cell of that PLMN (i.e., UE3 shall select the cell with the highest signal strength or highest signal quality or highest signal-to-noise ratio, or a combination of the three belonging to any of the PLMNs that UE3 is permitted to select), and UE3 shall continue the PLMN selection process from point C in the PLMN selection diagram in Figure 3.

[0091] Otherwise, the UE 3 shall start back from the beginning of the PLMN selection diagram of Figure 3, ie the PLMN selection, without taking into account the operator control signal thresholds per access technology information.

[0092] Second disclosure for updating the process "select a PLMN" The process immediately after the connecting circle A and the process immediately after the connecting circle B in FIG. 3 can be replaced with the process shown in FIG. 4 according to the following process flow.

[0093] In process 4001, the UE 3 checks whether the UE 3 has signal threshold information for the access technology that the UE 3 adjusts. If the UE 3 has signal threshold information for the access technology, the UE 3 proceeds to process 4302. If not, the UE 3 returns to the original process.

[0094] Process 4002.UE3 fetches the adjusted access technology thresholds and measures the signal.

[0095] Process 4003. If the measured signal quality is greater than or equal to the operator control signal threshold for the access technology, return to the original process. Otherwise, skip the original process and proceed to the next process, shown as "Attempt PLMNs." In this case, the "Attempt PLMNs" process does not initiate the registration procedure. The "Attempt PLMNs" process simply determines whether there are more PLMNs in the list. That is, proceed to either the middle line under the "Attempt PLMNs" process or the right line under the "Attempt PLMNs" process.

[0096] Third disclosure for updating the process "select the first available and acceptable PLMN of the list" The process "Select the first available and acceptable PLMN from the list" at the bottom of FIG. 3 is replaced by the process shown in FIG. 4 with the following process flow:

[0097] In process 4001, the UE 3 checks whether it has signal threshold information for the access technology it will adjust to. If it does, it proceeds to process 3002. If not, it returns to the original process.

[0098] Process 4002.UE3 fetches the adjusted access technology thresholds and measures the signal.

[0099] Process 4003. If the measured signal quality is greater than or equal to the operator control signal threshold for the access technology, return to the original process. Otherwise, proceed to the middle line under "On PLMN" process.

[0100] Variation 1 of the second example of the second aspect: In another example, the operator control signal threshold per access technology information may be regarded as an offset value, i.e., the UE 3 shall select a cell from another PLMN only when the difference in signal strength (e.g., RSRP) or signal quality (e.g., RSRQ) is greater than or equal to the operator control signal threshold per access technology that favors the cell from the other PLMN. In this case, the UE 3 shall select a cell from the other PLMN and register with the other PLMN.

[0101] Third example of the second aspect: The third example of the second aspect discloses a method for the UE 3 to determine the measurement signal using a signal threshold for PLMN selection, which can be used in step 4003 of the second example of the second aspect.

[0102] FIG. 5 shows a flow of the UE 3 determining the measurement signal. Process 5001.UE3 measures signals via access technology.

[0103] In process 5002, UE3 compares the received signal level to the RSRP as indicated by the operator control signal threshold for the access technology. If the received signal level is greater than or equal to the operator control signal threshold, it proceeds to process 5003. If not, it proceeds to process 5006 and concludes that the SENSE-based signaling check failed.

[0104] In process 5003, UE3 compares the received signal quality to the RSRQ, as indicated by the operator control signal threshold for the access technology. If the measured signal quality is equal to or greater than the operator control signal threshold, UE3 proceeds to process 5004. If not, UE3 proceeds to process 5006 and concludes that the SENSE-based signaling check failed.

[0105] In process 5004, UE3 compares the received signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio to the SINR as indicated by the operator control signal threshold for the access technology. If the measured signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio is equal to or greater than the operator control signal threshold, UE3 proceeds to process 5005 and concludes that the SENSE-based signaling check has passed and is authorized. Otherwise, UE3 proceeds to process 5006 and concludes that the SENSE-based signaling check has failed.

[0106] Modification 1 of the third example of the second aspect In another example, the operator control signal thresholds per access technology may be applicable only to the signal strength difference between cells, or only to the signal quality difference between cells, or only to the signal-to-noise ratio difference between cells, or any combination of these three operator control signal thresholds per access technology. Depending on the operator control signal thresholds per access technology application, the UE 3 may compare a home PLMN cell to a cell from another PLMN only for the signal strength difference, or the signal quality difference, or the signal-to-noise ratio difference, or any other combination between these three types of thresholds, or all three as in FIG. 5.

[0107] System Overview FIG. 6 illustrates schematically a mobile (cellular or wireless) telecommunications system 1 to which the above-described aspects can be applied. The telecommunications system 1 represents a system overview capable of end-to-end communication, e.g., UEs 3 (or user equipment, "mobile devices" 3) communicating with other UEs 3 or service servers in a data network 20 via respective (R)AN nodes 5 and a core network 7.

[0108] The (R)AN node 5 supports any radio access including 5G radio access technology (RAT), E-UTRA radio access technology, RATs beyond 5G, 6G RATs, and non-3GPP RATs, including wireless local area network (WLAN) technology defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

[0109] The (R)AN node 5 may be divided into a Radio Unit (RU), a Distributed Unit (DU), and a Centralized Unit (CU). In some aspects, each of the units may be connected to each other to construct the (R)AN node 5 by adopting an architecture defined by the Open RAN (O-RAN) Alliance, where these units are referred to as the O-RU, O-DU, and O-CU, respectively.

[0110] The (R)AN node 5 may be split into control plane functions and user plane functions. Furthermore, multiple user plane functions may be allocated to support communications. In some aspects, user traffic may be distributed across multiple user plane functions, with user traffic via each user plane function being aggregated to both the UE 3 and the (R)AN node 5. This split architecture is sometimes referred to as "dual connectivity" or "multi-connectivity."

[0111] The (R)AN node 5 may also support communications using satellite access. In some aspects, the (R)AN node 5 may support satellite access and terrestrial access.

[0112] The (R)AN node 5 may also be referred to as an access node for non-wireless access, including fixed line access as defined by the Broadband Forum (BBF) and optical access as defined by the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN).

[0113] The core network 7 may include logical nodes (or "functions") for supporting communications in the telecommunications system 1. For example, the core network 7 may be a 5G Core Network (5GC) that includes, among other functions, control plane functions and user plane functions. Each function within a logical node may be considered a network function. A network function may be provided in another node by adapting a Service Based Architecture (SBA). A network function may be deployed as distributed, redundant, stateless, and scalable, providing services from several locations and several running instances at each location, by adapting network virtualization technology defined as European Telecommunications Standards Institute, Network Functions Virtualization (ETSI NFV).

[0114] The core network 7 may support a non-public network (NPN), which may be a standalone non-public network (SNPN) or a public network integrated NPN (PNI-NPN).

[0115] As is known, a UE 3 may move in and out of areas (i.e., radio cells) served by (R)AN nodes 5 as the UE 3 moves within the geographic area covered by the telecommunications system 1. To track the UE 3 and facilitate movement between different (R)AN nodes 5, the core network 7 includes at least one access mobility management function (AMF) 70. The AMF 70 communicates with the (R)AN nodes 5 coupled to the core network 7. In some core networks, a mobility management entity (MME) or an beyond-5G or 6G mobility management node may be used instead of the AMF 70.

[0116] The core network 7 also includes, among other things, a session management function (SMF) 71, a user plane function (UPF) 72, a policy control function (PCF) 73, an authentication server function (AUSF) 74, a unified data management (UDM) 75, and a network slice selection function (NSSF) 76. When a UE 3 is roaming in a visited public land mobile network (VPLMN), the home public land mobile network (HPLMN) of the UE 3 provides the roaming-out UE 3 with the UDM 75, and at least some of the functionality of the SMF 71, UPF 72, and PCF 73.

[0117] The UE 3 and each serving (R)AN node 5 are connected via an appropriate air interface (e.g., the so-called "Uu" interface, etc.). Adjacent (R)AN nodes 5 are connected to each other via appropriate (R)AN node 5 (e.g., the so-called "Xn" interface, etc.). Each (R)AN node 5 is also connected to nodes in the core network 7 (e.g., so-called core network nodes) via appropriate interfaces (e.g., the so-called "N2" / "N3" interface(s)). The core network 7 also provides a connection to a data network 20. The data network 20 can be the Internet, a public network, an external network, a private network, or an internal network of a PLMN. If the data network 20 is provided by a PLMN operator or a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO), IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) services may be provided by the data network 20. The UE 3 can be connected to the data network 20 using IPv4, IPv6, IPv4v6, Ethernet, or unstructured data types. The data network may include an AAA 201 .

[0118] The "Uu" interface may include a control plane of the Uu interface and a user plane of the Uu interface. The user plane of the Uu interface is responsible for carrying user traffic between the UE 3 and the serving (R)AN node 5. The user plane of the Uu interface may have a hierarchical structure with SDAP, PDCP, RLC, and MAC sublayers over the physical connection.

[0119] The control plane of the Uu interface is responsible for establishing, modifying, and releasing the connection between the UE 3 and the serving (R)AN node 5. The control plane of the Uu interface may have a hierarchical structure with RRC, PDCP, RLC, and MAC sublayers over the physical connection.

[0120] For example, the following messages are communicated over the RRC layer to support AS signaling: RRC Setup Request Message: This message is sent from the UE 3 to the (R)AN node 5. In addition to the parameters disclosed by aspects of the present disclosure, the following parameters may be included together in the RRC Setup Request message: -establishmentCause and ue-Identity, where ue-Identity may have the value of ng-5G-STMSI-Part1 or randomValue. RRC Setup Message: This message is sent from the (R)AN node 5 to the UE 3. In addition to the parameters disclosed by aspects of the present disclosure, the following parameters may be included together in the RRC Setup message: -masterCellGroup and radioBearerConfig RRC Setup Complete message: This message is sent from the UE 3 to the (R)AN node 5. In addition to the parameters disclosed by aspects of the present disclosure, the following parameters may be included together in the RRC Setup Complete message: -guami-Type, iab-NodeIndication, idleMeasAvailable, mobilityState, ng-5G-S-TMSI-Part2, registeredAMF, selectedPLMN-Identity

[0121] The UE 3 and the AMF 70 are connected via an appropriate interface (such as the so-called N1 interface). The N1 interface is responsible for providing communication between the UE 3 and the AMF 70 to support NAS signaling. The N1 interface can be established via 3GPP access and via non-3GPP access. For example, the following messages are communicated via the N1 interface: Registration Request Message: This message is sent from the UE 3 to the AMF 70. In addition to the parameters disclosed by the aspects of the present disclosure, the following parameters may be included together in the Registration Request message: -5GS registration type, ngKSI, 5GS mobile identity, non-current native NAS key set identifier, 5GMM capability, UE security capability, requested NSSAI, last visited registration TAI, S1 UE network capability, uplink data status, PDU session status, MICO indication, UE status, additional GUTI, allowed PDU session status, UE usage configuration, requested DRX parameters, EPS NAS message container, LADN indication, payload container type, payload container, network slicing indication, 5GS update type, mobile station class mark 2, supported codecs, NAS message container, EPS bearer context status, requested extended DRX parameters, T3324 value, UE radio capability ID, requested mapping NSSAI, requested additional information, requested WUS assistance information, N5GC indication and requested NB-N1 mode DRX parameters. Registration Accept Message: This message is sent from the AMF 70 to the UE 3. In addition to the parameters disclosed by the aspects of the present disclosure, the following parameters may also be included in the registration accept message: -5GS Registration Result, 5G-GUTI, Equivalent PLMN, TAI List, Allowed NSSAI, Rejected NSSAI, Configured NSSAI, 5GS Network Capability Support, PDU Session Status, PDU Session Reactivation Result, PDU Session Reactivation Result Error Cause, LADN Information, MICO Indication, Network Slicing Indication, Service Area List, T3512 Value, Non-3GPP Deregistration Timer Value, T3502 Value, Emergency Number List, Extended Emergency Number List, SOR Transparent Container, EAP Message, NSSAI Inclusion Mode, Operator-Defined Access Category Definition, Negotiated DRX Parameters, Non-3GPP NW policy, EPS bearer context status, negotiated extended DRX parameters, T3447 value, T3448 value, T3324 value, UE radio capability ID, UE radio capability ID removal indication, pending NSSAI, ciphering key data, CAG information list, aborted 5G-S-TMSI configuration, negotiated WUS assistance information, negotiated NB-N1 mode DRX parameters, and extended rejected NSSAI. Registration Complete Message: This message is sent from the UE 3 to the AMF 70. In addition to the parameters disclosed by aspects of the present disclosure, the following parameters may be included together in the registration complete message: -SOR transparent container. -Authentication Request Message: This message is sent from the AMF 70 to the UE 3. In addition to the parameters disclosed by the aspects of the present disclosure, the following parameters may be included together in the Authentication Request message: -ngKSI, ABBA, authentication parameter RAND (5G authentication challenge), authentication parameter AUTN (5G authentication challenge), and EAP message. -Authentication Response Message: This message is sent from the UE 3 to the AMF 70. In addition to the parameters disclosed by the aspects of the present disclosure, the following parameters may be taken together in the authentication response message: - Authentication Response Message Identity, Authentication Response Parameters, and EAP Message. -Authentication Result Message: This message is sent from the AMF 70 to the UE 3. In addition to the parameters disclosed by the aspects of the present disclosure, the following parameters may be taken together in the Authentication Result message: -ngKSI, EAP Messages, and ABBA. Authentication Failure Message: This message is sent from the UE 3 to the AMF 70. In addition to the parameters disclosed by the aspects of the present disclosure, the following parameters may be taken together in the Authentication Failure Message: -Authentication failure message identifier, 5GMM cause, and authentication failure parameters. -Authentication Rejection Message: This message is sent from the AMF 70 to the UE 3. In addition to the parameters disclosed by the aspects of the present disclosure, the following parameters may be taken together in the authentication rejection message: -EAP message. -Service Request Message: This message is sent from the UE 3 to the AMF 70. In addition to the parameters disclosed by the aspects of the present disclosure, the following parameters may be taken together in the service request message: -ngKSI, Service Type, 5G-S-TMSI, Uplink Data Status, PDU Session Status, Allowed PDU Session Status, NAS Message Container. -Service Acceptance Message: This message is sent from the AMF 70 to the UE 3. In addition to the parameters disclosed by the aspects of the present disclosure, the following parameters may be taken together in the Service Acceptance Message: -PDU session status, PDU session reactivation result, PDU session reactivation result error cause, EAP message and T3448 value. - Service Rejection Message: This message is sent from the AMF 70 to the UE 3. In addition to the parameters disclosed by the aspects of the present disclosure, the following parameters may be taken together in the Service Rejection Message: -5GMM cause, PDU session status, T3346 value, EAP message, T3448 value, and CAG information list. Configuration Update Command Message: This message is sent from the AMF 70 to the UE 3. In addition to the parameters disclosed by aspects of the present disclosure, the following parameters may be taken together in the Configuration Update Command message: -Configuration update instruction, 5G-GUTI, TAI list, Allowed NSSAI, Service area list, Network full name, Network short name, Local time zone, Universal time and local time zone, Network daylight saving time, LADN information, MICO instruction, Network slicing instruction, Configuration NSSAI, Rejected NSSAI, Operator defined access category definition, SMS instruction, T3447 value, CAG information list, UE radio capability ID, UE radio capability ID deletion instruction, 5GS registration result, Abort 5G-S-TMSI configuration, Additional configuration instruction and Extended Rejected NSSAI. Configuration Update Complete Message: This message is sent from the UE 3 to the AMF 70. In addition to the parameters disclosed by the aspects of the present disclosure, the following parameters may be taken together in the Configuration Update Complete message: - Set Update Complete message identification information.

[0122] User Equipment (UE) FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the main components of a mobile device 3 (UE 3). As shown, the UE 3 includes a transceiver circuit 31 operable to transmit signals to and receive signals from connected node(s) via one or more antennas 32. The UE 3 may also include a user interface 34 for inputting or outputting information from the outside. Although not necessarily shown in the figure, the UE 3 may have all the usual functions of a conventional mobile device, which may be provided by any one or any combination of hardware, software, and firmware, as needed. The software may be pre-installed in memory and / or downloaded, for example, via a telecommunications network or from a removable data storage device (RMD). The controller 33 controls the operation of the UE 3 in accordance with software stored in the memory 36. The software includes, among other things, an operating system 361 and a communication control module 362 having at least a transceiver control module 3621. The communications control module 362 (using its transceiver control module 3621) is responsible for processing (generating / sending / receiving) signaling and uplink / downlink data packets between the UE 3 and other nodes, such as the (R)AN node 5 and the AMF 70. Such signaling may include, for example, appropriately formatted signaling messages (e.g., registration request messages and associated response messages) related to access and mobility management procedures (for the UE 3). The controller 33 interoperates with one or more Universal Subscriber Identity Modules (USIMs) 35. If multiple USIMs 35 are equipped, the controller 33 may activate only one USIM 35 or may activate multiple USIMs 35 simultaneously.

[0123] The UE 3 may, for example, support a non-public network (NPN), which may be a standalone non-public network (SNPN) or a public network integrated NPN (PNI-NPN).

[0124] UE3 may be, for example, equipment or machinery for production or manufacturing and / or energy-related machinery (e.g., equipment or machinery such as boilers; engines; turbines; solar panels; wind turbines; hydroelectric generators; thermal generators; nuclear generators; batteries; nuclear systems and / or related equipment; heavy electrical equipment; pumps including vacuum pumps; compressors; fans; blowers; hydraulic equipment; pneumatic equipment; metalworking machinery; manipulators; robots and / or application systems thereof; tools; molds or dies; rolls; material handling equipment; textile machinery; sewing machines; printing and / or related machinery; paper converting machinery; chemical machinery; mining and / or construction machinery and / or related equipment; machinery and / or implements for agriculture, forestry and / or fisheries; safety and / or environmental protection equipment; tractors; precision bearings; chains; gears; power transmission equipment; lubrication equipment; valves; pipe fittings; and / or application systems for any of the foregoing equipment or machinery, etc.).

[0125] The UE 3 may be, for example, an item of transportation equipment (e.g., transportation equipment such as railcars; automobiles; motorcycles; bicycles; trains; buses; carts; rickshaws; ships or other watercraft; aircraft; rockets; satellites; drones; balloons, etc.).

[0126] The UE 3 may be, for example, an information and communication equipment item (eg, information and communication equipment such as electronic computers and related equipment; communications and related equipment; electronic components, etc.).

[0127] The UE3 may be, for example, a refrigerator, a refrigerator application product, a goods and / or service industry equipment item, a vending machine, an automated service machine, an office machine, a consumer electronic device and an electronic appliance (e.g., consumer appliances such as audio equipment; video equipment; speakers; radios; televisions; microwave ovens; rice cookers; coffee machines; dishwashers; washing machines; dryers; electronic fans or related appliances; vacuum cleaners, etc.).

[0128] The UE 3 may be, for example, an electrical application system or equipment (eg, an electrical application system or equipment such as an X-ray system; a particle accelerator; a radioisotope equipment; a sonic equipment; an electromagnetic application equipment; an electrical application equipment, etc.).

[0129] The UE3 may be, for example, an electronic lamp, lighting fixture, measuring instrument, analyzer, tester, or surveying or sensing equipment (e.g., surveying or sensing equipment such as smoke detectors; motion sensors; radio frequency tags, etc.), a wristwatch or watch, inspection equipment, optical devices, medical equipment and / or systems, weapons, cutlery items, hand tools, etc.

[0130] UE3 may be, for example, a wireless-equipped personal digital assistant or related equipment, such as a wireless card or module designed to be attached to or inserted into another electronic device (e.g., a personal computer, electrical measuring instrument).

[0131] The UE3 may be part of a device or system that uses various wired and / or wireless communication technologies to provide the applications, services, and solutions described below in relation to the "internet of things (IoT)."

[0132] Internet of Things devices (or "Things") may be equipped with appropriate electronics, software, sensors, network connections, etc. that enable these devices to collect and exchange data with each other and other communicating devices. IoT devices may include automated equipment that follows software instructions stored in internal memory. IoT devices may operate without the need for human supervision or interaction. IoT devices may also remain stationary and / or inactive for extended periods of time. IoT devices may be implemented as part of (generally) stationary equipment. IoT devices may also be embedded in non-stationary equipment (e.g., vehicles) or attached to animals or people being monitored / tracked.

[0133] It will be appreciated that IoT technology may be implemented on any communication device that can connect to a communication network to send / receive data, whether such communication device is controlled by human input or software instructions stored in memory.

[0134] It will be appreciated that an IoT device may also be referred to as a Machine-Type Communication (MTC) device, a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication device, or a Narrow Band-IoT UE (NB-IoT UE). It will be appreciated that a UE 3 may support one or more IoT or MTC applications.

[0135] The UE 3 may be a smartphone or a wearable device (e.g., smart glasses, a smart watch, a smart ring, or a hearable device).

[0136] The UE3 may be a car, a connected car, an autonomous car, a vehicle device, a motorcycle, or a V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication module (e.g., a vehicle-to-vehicle communication module, a vehicle-to-infrastructure communication module, a vehicle-to-person communication module, and a vehicle-to-network communication module).

[0137] (R)AN Node FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating the main components of an exemplary (R)AN node 5, e.g., a base station (eNB in ​​LTE, gNB in ​​5G, later 5G base station, 6G base station). As shown, the (R)AN node 5 includes transceiver circuitry 51 operable to transmit signals to and receive signals from connected UE(s) 3 via one or more antennas 52 and to transmit signals to and receive signals from other network nodes (directly or indirectly) via a network interface 53. A controller 54 controls the operation of the (R)AN node 5 in accordance with software stored in memory 55. The software may be pre-installed in the memory and / or downloaded, for example, via a telecommunications network or from a removable data storage device (RMD). The software includes, among other things, an operating system 551 and a communications control module 552 having at least a transceiver control module 5521.

[0138] The communication control module 552 (using its transceiver control submodule) is responsible for processing (generating / sending / receiving) signaling (e.g., directly or indirectly) between the (R)AN node 5 and other nodes, such as the UE 3, another (R)AN node 5, the AMF 70, and the UPF 72. The signaling may include, for example, appropriately formatted signaling messages related to radio connectivity and connection with the core network 7 (for a particular UE 3), particularly connection establishment and maintenance (e.g., RRC connection establishment and other RRC messages), NG Application Protocol (NGAP) messages (i.e., messages over the N2 reference point) and Xn application protocol (XnAP) messages (i.e., messages over the Xn reference point), etc. Such signaling may also include, for example, broadcast information (e.g., master information and system information) in the transmit case. When implemented, the controller 54 is also configured (by software or hardware) to handle related tasks, such as UE mobility estimation and / or movement trajectory estimation.

[0139] The (R)AN node 5 may support a non-public network (NPN), which may be a standalone non-public network (SNPN) or a public network integrated NPN (PNI-NPN). The current RAN 501 and the candidate RAN 502 may have the same components as the (R)AN node 5. The (R)AN node 5 may also be referred to as a RAN node, a RAN, an (R)AN, etc.

[0140] System overview of (R)AN Node 5 based on O-RAN architecture FIG. 9 illustrates schematically an (R)AN node 5 based on an O-RAN architecture to which aspects of the (R)AN node 5 are applicable. The (R)AN node 5 based on the O-RAN architecture represents a system overview in which the (R)AN node is divided into a Radio Unit (RU) 60, a Distributed Unit (DU) 61, and a Centralized Unit (CU) 62. In some aspects, each unit may be combined. For example, the RU 60 may be integrated / combined with the DU 61 as an integrated / combined unit, and the DU 61 may be integrated / combined with the CU 62 as another integrated / combined unit. Any functionality described in the description of a unit (e.g., one of the RU 60, DU 61, and CU 62) may be implemented in the integrated / combined unit. Furthermore, the CU 62 may be separated into two functional units, such as a CU Control plane (CP) and a CU User plane (UP). The CU CP performs the control plane function in the (R)AN node 5. The CU UP performs the user plane function in the (R)AN node 5. Each CU CP is connected to the CU UP via an appropriate interface (such as a so-called "E1" interface).

[0141] The UE 3 and each serving RU 60 are connected via an appropriate air interface (such as the so-called "Uu" interface). Each RU 60 is connected to a DU 61 via an appropriate interface (such as the so-called "fronthaul", "open fronthaul", or "F1" interface). Each DU 61 is connected to a CU 62 via an appropriate interface (such as the so-called "midhaul", "open midhaul", or "E2" interface). Each CU 62 is also connected to a node in the core network 7 (such as a so-called core network node) via an appropriate interface (such as the so-called "backhaul", "open backhaul", or "N2" / "N3" interface(s)). The user plane part of the DU 61 may also be connected to the core network node 7 via an appropriate interface (such as the so-called "N3" interface(s)).

[0142] Depending on the functionality divided among the RU 60, DU 61, and CU 62, each unit provides a portion of the functionality provided by the (R)AN node 5. For example, the RU 60 may provide functionality for communicating with the UE 3 over the air interface, the DU 61 may provide functionality for supporting the MAC and RLC layers, and the CU 62 may provide functionality for supporting the PDCP, SDAP, and RRC layers.

[0143] Radio Unit (RU) FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating the main components of an exemplary RU 60, e.g., the RU portion of a base station (eNB in ​​LTE, gNB in ​​5G, later 5G base station, 6G base station). As shown, the RU 60 includes a transceiver circuit 601 operable to transmit signals to and receive signals from connected UE(s) 3 via one or more antennas 602 and to transmit and receive signals to and from other network nodes or units (directly or indirectly) via a network interface 603. A controller 604 controls the operation of the RU 60 according to software stored in memory 605. The software may be pre-installed in the memory and / or downloaded, for example, via a telecommunications network or from a removable data storage device (RMD). The software includes, among other things, an operating system 6051 and a communications control module 6052 having at least a transceiver control module 60521.

[0144] The communications control module 6052 (using its transceiver control sub-module) is responsible for handling (generating / sending / receiving) signaling (e.g., directly or indirectly) between the RU 60 and other nodes or units, such as a UE 3, another RU 60, and a DU 61. The signaling may include, for example, appropriately formatted signaling messages relating to the radio connection and connectivity with the RU 60 (for a particular UE 3), particularly the MAC and RLC layers.

[0145] When implemented, the control unit 604 is also configured (by software or hardware) to handle related tasks such as UE mobility estimation and / or movement trajectory estimation. The RU 60 may support a non-public network (NPN), which may be a standalone non-public network (SNPN) or a public network integrated NPN (PNI-NPN).

[0146] As mentioned above, the RU 60 can be integrated / combined with the DU 61 as an integrated / combined unit. Any of the functions described for the RU 60 can be implemented in the integrated / combined unit.

[0147] Distributed Unit (DU) FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating the main components of an exemplary DU 61, e.g., the DU portion of a base station (eNB in ​​LTE, gNB in ​​5G, later 5G base station, 6G base station). As shown, the device includes a transceiver circuit 611 operable to transmit signals to and receive signals from other nodes or units (including the RU 60) via a network interface 612. A controller 613 controls the operation of the DU 61 in accordance with software stored in memory 614. The software may be pre-installed in the memory 614 and / or may be downloaded, for example, via a telecommunications network or from a removable data storage device (RMD). The software includes, among other things, an operating system 6141 and a communications control module 6142 having at least a transceiver control module 61421. The communications control module 6142 (using its transceiver control module 61421) is responsible for processing (generating / sending / receiving) signaling between the DU 61 and other nodes or units, such as the RU 60 and other nodes and units.

[0148] The DU 61 may support a non-public network (NPN), which may be a standalone non-public network (SNPN) or a public network integrated NPN (PNI-NPN).

[0149] As mentioned above, the RU 60 can be integrated / combined with the DU 61 or the CU 62 as an integrated / combined unit. Any functionality in the description of the DU 61 can be implemented in one of the above integrated / combined units.

[0150] Centralized Unit (CU) FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating the main components of an exemplary CU 62, e.g., the CU portion of a base station (eNB in ​​LTE, gNB in ​​5G, later 5G base station, 6G base station). As shown, the device includes a transceiver circuit 621 operable to transmit signals to and receive signals from other nodes or units (including the DU 61) via a network interface 622. A controller 623 controls the operation of the CU 62 according to software stored in memory 624. The software may be pre-installed in the memory 624 and / or may be downloaded, for example, via a telecommunications network or from a removable data storage device (RMD). The software includes, among other things, an operating system 6241 and a communications control module 6242 having at least a transceiver control module 62421. The communications control module 6242 (using its transceiver control module 62421) is responsible for processing (generating / sending / receiving) signaling between the CU 62 and other nodes or units, such as the DU 61 and other nodes and units.

[0151] The CU 62 may support a non-public network (NPN), which may be a standalone non-public network (SNPN) or a public network integrated NPN (PNI-NPN). As described above, the CU 62 may be integrated / combined with the DU 61 as an integration / combination unit. Any of the functions described for the CU 62 may be implemented in the integration / combination unit.

[0152] AMF FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating the main components of the AMF 70. As shown, the device includes a transceiver circuit 701 operable to transmit signals to and receive signals from other nodes (including the UE 3, the NSSF 76) via a network interface 702. A controller 703 controls the operation of the AMF 70 according to software stored in a memory 704. The software may be pre-installed in the memory 704 and / or downloaded, for example, via a telecommunications network or from a removable data storage device (RMD). The software includes, among other things, an operating system 7041 and a communications control module 7042 having at least a transceiver control module 70421. The communications control module 7042 (using its transceiver control module 70421) is responsible for processing (generating / sending / receiving) signaling between the AMF 70 and other nodes, such as the UE 3 (e.g., via the (R)AN node 5) and other core network nodes (including core network nodes in the UE 3's HPLMN when the UE 3 is roaming in). Such signaling may include, for example, appropriately formatted signaling messages (eg, registration request messages and associated response messages) related to access and mobility management procedures (for UE 3).

[0153] The AMF 70 may support a non-public network (NPN), which may be a standalone non-public network (SNPN) or a public network integrated NPN (PNI-NPN). The AMF 7001 and the AMF 7002 may have the same components as the AMF 70.

[0154] PCF FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating the main components of the PCF 73. As shown, the device includes a transceiver circuit 731 operable to transmit signals to and receive signals from other nodes (including the AMF 70) via a network interface 732. A controller 733 controls the operation of the PCF 73 according to software stored in a memory 734. The software may be pre-installed in the memory 734 and / or downloaded, for example, via a telecommunications network or from a removable data storage device (e.g., a removable memory device (RMD)). The software includes, among other things, an operating system 7341 and a communications control module 7342 having at least a transceiver control module 73421. The communications control module 7342 (using its transceiver control module 73421) is responsible for processing (generating / sending / receiving) signaling between the PCF 73 and other nodes, such as the AMF 70 and other core network nodes (including core network nodes in the UE 3's HPLMN when the UE 3 is roaming in). Such signaling may include, for example, appropriately formatted signaling messages (for UE3) related to policy management procedures (for example, HTTP convenience methods based on service-based interfaces).

[0155] The PCF 73 may support a non-public network (NPN), which may be a standalone non-public network (SNPN) or a public network integrated NPN (PNI-NPN). The PCF 7301 and PCF 7302 may have the same components as the PCF 73.

[0156] AUSF FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating the main components of the AUSF 74. As shown, the device includes a transceiver circuit 741 operable to transmit signals to and receive signals from other nodes (including the UDM 75) via a network interface 742. A controller 743 controls the operation of the AUSF 74 according to software stored in a memory 744. The software may be pre-installed in the memory 744 and / or downloaded, for example, via a telecommunications network or from a removable data storage device (e.g., a removable memory device (RMD)). The software includes, among other things, an operating system 7441 and a communications control module 7442 having at least a transceiver control module 74421. The communications control module 7442 (using its transceiver control module 74421) is responsible for processing (generating / sending / receiving) signaling between the AUSF 74 and other nodes, such as the AMF 70 and other core network nodes (including core network nodes in the UE 3's HPLMN when the UE 3 is roaming in). Such signaling may include, for example, appropriately formatted signaling messages (for UE3) related to policy management procedures (for example, HTTP convenience methods based on service-based interfaces).

[0157] The AUSF 74 may support a non-public network (NPN), which may be a stand-alone non-public network (SNPN) or a public network integrated NPN (PNI-NPN).

[0158] UDM FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating the main components of the UDM 75. As shown, the device includes a transceiver circuit 751 operable to transmit signals to and receive signals from other nodes (including the AMF 70) via a network interface 752. A controller 753 controls the operation of the UDM 75 according to software stored in memory 754. The software may be pre-installed in the memory 754 and / or may be downloaded, for example, via a telecommunications network or from a removable data storage device (RMD). The software includes, among other things, an operating system 7541 and a communications control module 7542 having at least a transceiver control module 75421. The communications control module 7542 (using its transceiver control module 75421) is responsible for processing (generating / sending / receiving) signaling between the UDM 75 and other nodes, such as the AMF 70 and other core network nodes (including core network nodes in the UE 3's VPLMN when the UE 3 is roaming out). Such signaling may include, for example, appropriately formatted signaling messages (for UE 3) related to mobility management procedures (for example, HTTP convenience methods based on service-based interfaces).

[0159] The UDM 75 may support a non-public network (NPN), which may be a stand-alone non-public network (SNPN) or a public network integrated NPN (PNI-NPN).

[0160] NSSF 17 is a block diagram illustrating the major components of the NSSF 76. As shown, the device includes a transceiver circuit 761 operable to transmit signals to and receive signals from other nodes (including the AMF 70) via a network interface 762. A controller 763 controls the operation of the NSSF 76 in accordance with software stored in memory 764. The software may be pre-installed in the memory 764 and / or may be downloaded, for example, via a telecommunications network or from a removable data storage device (RMD). The software includes, among other things, an operating system 7641 and a communications control module 7642 having at least a transceiver control module 76421. The communications control module 7642 (using its transceiver control module 76421) is responsible for handling (generating / sending / receiving) signaling between the NSSF 76 and other nodes, such as the AMF 70 and other core network nodes (including core network nodes in the UE 3's VPLMN when the UE 3 is roaming out). Such signaling may include, for example, appropriately formatted signaling messages (e.g., HTTP convenience methods based on service-based interfaces) related to mobility management procedures (for the UE 3).

[0161] The NSSF 76 may support a non-public network (NPN), which may be a stand-alone non-public network (SNPN) or a public network integrated NPN (PNI-NPN).

[0162] The exemplary embodiments disclosed above may be described in whole or in part as follows, but are not limited thereto.

[0163] Modifications and Alternatives Detailed embodiments have been described above. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, having the benefit of the disclosure embodied herein, several modifications and alternatives to the above embodiments may be made. By way of example only, some of these alternatives and modifications are described herein.

[0164] In the above description, for ease of understanding, the UE 3 and network devices are described as having several separate modules (such as a communications control module). While these modules may be provided in this manner for a particular application, such as when an existing system is modified to implement the present disclosure, in other applications, such as systems designed from the beginning with the features of the present invention in mind, these modules may not be identifiable as separate entities because they may be incorporated into an overall operating system or code. These modules may also be implemented in software, hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0165] Each control unit may include any suitable form of processing circuitry including, for example (but not limited to), one or more hardware-implemented computer processors, microprocessors, central processing units (CPUs), arithmetic logic units (ALUs), input / output (IO) circuitry, internal memory / cache (program and / or data), processing registers, communication buses (e.g., control buses, data buses and / or address buses), direct memory access (DMA) functions, hardware or software-implemented counters, pointers and / or timers, etc.

[0166] In the above embodiments, several software modules have been described. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the software modules may be provided in compiled or uncompiled form and may be supplied to the UE 3 and network devices via a computer network or as a signal on a recording medium. Furthermore, the functionality performed by some or all of this software may be implemented using one or more dedicated hardware circuits. However, the use of software modules is preferred because it facilitates updating the UE 3 and network devices to update their functionality.

[0167] In the above embodiment, 3GPP wireless communication (radio access) technology is used. However, any other wireless communication technology (e.g., WLAN, Wi-Fi, WiMAX, Bluetooth, etc.) and other fixed line communication technology (e.g., BBF access, cable access, optical access, etc.) may also be used in accordance with the above embodiment.

[0168] User equipment products may be, for example, communication devices such as mobile phones, smartphones, user equipment, personal digital assistants, laptop / tablet computers, web browsers, e-book readers, etc. Such mobile (or generally fixed) devices are typically operated by a user, although so-called "Internet of Things" (IoT) devices and similar machine-type communication (MTC) devices may also be connected to the network.

[0169] For simplicity, this application will refer to mobile devices (or UEs) in the description, however, it will be understood that the described techniques can be implemented on any communication device (mobile and / or generally fixed) that can connect to a communication network to transmit and receive data, regardless of whether such communication device is controlled by human input or software instructions stored in memory.

[0170] Various other modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art and will not be described in further detail here.

[0171] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the present disclosure may be embodied as a method and system, and thus may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, a software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects.

[0172] It will be understood that each block of the block diagrams may be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or a processor of other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine such that the instructions, executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for performing the functions / acts specified in one or more blocks of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors, or any other such configuration.

[0173] The methods or algorithms described in connection with the examples disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. The storage medium may be coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC.

[0174] The previous description of the disclosed examples is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to these examples will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other examples without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0175] Although the present disclosure has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, the present disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. Those skilled in the art will understand that various changes in form and details can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined herein. For example, the above embodiments are not limited to 5GS but can also be applied to communication systems other than 5GS (e.g., 6G systems, systems beyond 5G).

[0176] Additional notes All or part of the exemplary aspects disclosed above may be described as follows, but are not limited to: (Appendix 1) The User Equipment (UE) includes a Mobile Termination (MT) and a User Services Identity Module (USIM), and the UE: a processor configured to access the first communication system when a predetermined condition is met; a transmitter configured to send a registration request message to an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF); a receiver configured to receive a registration accept message from the AMF, the registration accept message including information indicating an operator control signal threshold value per access technology, wherein the processor is configured to access the second communication system after receiving the information indicating the operator control signal threshold value per access technology, and the processor is configured to perform a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) selection process based on the access technology and the information indicating the operator control signal threshold value per access technology to which the UE is tuned. (Appendix 2) The registration request message includes a user ID, first information, and second information, where the first information indicates whether the UE supports a Signal Level Enhanced Network Selection (SENSE) function; The second information indicates the access technologies supported by the UE; UE as described in Appendix 1. (Appendix 3) Access technologies include NB-IoT, GERAN EC-GSM-IoT, EUTRA Category M1, E-UTRA Category M2, Wi-Fi, and New Radio (NR) technologies; UE as described in Appendix 2. (Appendix 4) the predetermined conditions include a first condition, a second condition, and a third condition; The first condition indicates that the US has the capability to process the Signal Level Enhancement Network Selection (SENSE) function; The second condition indicates that the UE does not store information indicating a carrier control signal threshold for each access technology; The third condition indicates that the UE has the capability to access the 5G system (5GS). UE as described in Appendix 1. (Appendix 5) the processor is configured to access the first communication system regardless of the list of preferred PLMNs when a predetermined condition is met; UE as described in Appendix 1. (Appendix 6) The first communication system includes a 5G system (5GS), and the second communication system includes at least one of a GSM-based GPRS, a W-CDMA-based GPRS, or an EPS; UE as described in Appendix 1. (Appendix 7) 1. A method in a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: accessing the first communication system if a predetermined condition is met; sending a registration request message to an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF); receiving a registration acceptance message from the AMF, the registration acceptance message including information indicating an operator control signal threshold for each access technology; Including, The method includes accessing a second communications system after receiving information indicating an operator control signal threshold per access technology, and the method includes performing a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) selection process based on the information indicating the access technology and the operator control signal threshold per access technology to which the UE is tuned. (Appendix 8) Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) a receiver configured to receive a registration request message from a user equipment (UE) accessing the first communication system when a predetermined condition is met; a transmitter configured to transmit a registration acceptance message including information indicating an operator control signal threshold for each access technology; and wherein the public land mobile network (PLMN) selection is performed based on information indicative of an access technology and an operator control signal threshold for each access technology to which the UE is tuned after the UE accesses the second communication.

[0177] This application claims the benefit of priority from Indian Patent Application No. 202211051128 filed on September 7, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Claims

1. A User Equipment (UE) including a Mobile Termination (MT) and a User Services Identity Module (USIM), the UE comprising: a processor configured to access the first communication system when a predetermined condition is met; a transmitter configured to send a registration request message to an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF); a receiver configured to receive from the AMF a registration accept message including information indicating a signal threshold for each access technology; Equipped with the processor is configured to access a second communication system after receiving the information indicative of the signal threshold for each access technology; the processor is configured to perform a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) selection process based on the information indicating an access technology and the signal threshold for each access technology to which the UE is tuned. User Equipment (UE).

2. the registration request message includes a user ID, first information, and second information; The first information indicates whether the UE supports a Signal Level Enhanced Network Selection (SENSE) function; the second information indicating the access technologies supported by the UE. The UE of claim 1.

3. The access technologies include NB-IoT, GERAN EC-GSM-IoT, EUTRA Category M1, EUTRA Category M2, Wi-Fi, and new radio (NR) technologies; The UE of claim 2.

4. the predetermined conditions include a first condition, a second condition, and a third condition; The first condition indicates that the US has the capability to process a signal level enhanced network selection (SENSE) function, and the second condition indicates that the UE does not hold the information indicating the signal threshold for each access technology; The third condition indicates that the UE has the capability to access a 5G system (5GS), The UE of claim 1.

5. the processor is configured to access the first communication system regardless of a list of preferred PLMNs if the predetermined condition is met; The UE of claim 1.

6. The first communication system includes a 5G system (5GS), the second communication system includes at least one of a GSM-based GPRS, a W-CDMA-based GPRS, or an EPS; The UE of claim 1.

7. 1. A method in a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: accessing the first communication system if a predetermined condition is met; sending a registration request message to an Access Mobility Management Function (AMF); receiving a registration accept message from the AMF, the registration accept message including information indicating a signal threshold for each access technology; Including, the method includes accessing a second communication system after receiving the information indicative of the signal thresholds for each access technology; the method comprising: performing a public land mobile network (PLMN) selection process based on the information indicative of an access technology and the signal threshold for each access technology to which the UE is tuned; method.

8. Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) a receiver configured to receive a registration request message from a user equipment (UE) accessing the first communication system when a predetermined condition is met; a transmitter configured to transmit a registration accept message including information indicating a signal threshold for each access technology; Equipped with a public land mobile network (PLMN) selection is performed based on the information indicating an access technology and the signal threshold for each access technology to which the UE is tuned after the UE accesses a second communication. Access Mobility Management Function (AMF).

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