Method and apparatus for steering a radio / transmit / receive unit between multiple wireless networks

Abstract

A method implemented in a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) for the WTRU to select a local network to join includes storing Steering of Roaming (SoR) information for a plurality of local service hosting networks, the SoR information including an indication of priority in a list of network identifiers, switching to an access mode for network discovery, discovering a local service hosting network to join from among the plurality of local service hosting networks, and selecting the local service hosting network to join based on the indication of priority in the list of network identifiers. The method may further include updating the SoR information during any one or more of a periodic procedure or a mobility registration procedure.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] (CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 181,016, filed April 28, 2021, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 275,004, filed November 3, 2021, both of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for steering a Wireless Transmit / Receive Unit (WTRU) between multiple wireless networks. [Background technology]

[0003] In some situations, small cellular networks may be deployed to provide services to local users within a certain area. For example, a temporary, non-public cellular network may be set up to provide streaming video services to viewers at a live concert or soccer game. In another example, small cellular networks may be deployed in locations where large crowds may gather, such as airports, shopping malls, or school campuses, to provide localized services, such as commercial advertisements in shopping malls. Services provided by these small cellular networks typically have two common characteristics: (1) the services are localized, meaning that the services are related to activities / events within a localized area and are usually limited to users within the area; and (2) users do not use these services regularly, perhaps on-demand or temporarily.

[0004] 3GPP is studying how 5G systems should be extended to provide such localized services and enable users to access the hosting networks that provide those services under Study Item FS_PALS (3GPP Work Item Description, SP-200799, "Study on 5G Networks Providing Access to Localized Services"). In this specification, these localized services are referred to as "PALS (Providing Access to Localized Services) services," and networks that provide PALS services are referred to as "PALS networks," "PALS hosting networks," or simply "hosting networks."

[0005] The PALS hosting network may be a non-public network as defined in 3GPP TS 23.501, "System Architecture for the 5G System", V16.7.0, 2020-12, but the PALS service user does not have to subscribe to the PALS network. The PALS service provider may be the PALS network operator itself, another mobile network operator, or a third-party service provider.

[0006] The Steering of Roaming (SoR) function is used by a home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) operator to steer a roaming user of the home Public Land Mobile Network operator to a preferred network by updating the preferred PLMN list stored in the user's subscriber identification module (SIM) or universal integrated circuit card (UICC). In 5GS, a control plane SoR solution (CP-SoR) is used to enable the HPLMN to securely update the "Operator Controlled PLMN Selector with Access Technology" list in the WTRU.

[0007] Figure C.2.1 in Annex C of 3GPP TS 23.122, "Non-Access-Stratum (NAS) functions related to Mobile Station (MS) in idle mode," V16.8.0, 2020-12, shows the CP-SoR flow during the registration procedure, and Figure C.3.1 in Annex C of TS 23.122 shows the CP-SoR flow after the registration procedure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] A more detailed understanding can be had from the following detailed description, given in conjunction with the drawings that accompany this specification by way of example. The figures in such drawings, like the detailed description, are illustrative. Therefore, the figures and detailed description should not be considered limiting, as other equally effective examples are possible and likely. Furthermore, like reference numerals ("ref") within the figures ("FIG") indicate like elements. [Figure 1A]FIG. 1 is a system diagram illustrating an example communication system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. [Figure 1B] 1B is a system diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that may be used within the communication system illustrated in FIG. 1A, according to one embodiment. [Figure 1C] 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) that may be used within the communication system illustrated in FIG. 1A, according to one embodiment. [Figure 1D] 1B is a system diagram illustrating a further exemplary RAN and a further exemplary CN that may be used within the communication system illustrated in FIG. 1A, according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary manner in which data for use in an operator-controlled PALS network selector may be organized according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for steering a WTRU between a PLMN and an appropriate PALS network, according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for a steering of Roaming Application Function (SoR-AF) to build a network-preferred hosting network prioritized list, according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for a WTRU to select a hosting network from a WTRU-preferred or network-preferred hosting network list, according to one embodiment. [Figure 6-1] FIG. 10 is a signal flow diagram for a hosting network prioritization and selection procedure, according to one embodiment. [Figure 6-2] FIG. 10 is a signal flow diagram for a hosting network prioritization and selection procedure, according to one embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an alternative process for a WTRU to prioritize a list of available hosting networks, according to one embodiment. [Figure 8-1] 8 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an alternative process exemplified by the flowchart of FIG. 7 for hosting a network prioritization and selection procedure, according to one embodiment. [Figure 8-2] 8 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an alternative process exemplified by the flowchart of FIG. 7 for hosting a network prioritization and selection procedure, according to one embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for a WTRU to select a local network to join. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Introduction In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments and / or examples disclosed herein. It will be understood, however, that such embodiments and examples may be practiced without some or all of the specific details set forth herein. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the following description. Furthermore, embodiments and examples not specifically described herein may be practiced in place of, or in combination with, embodiments and other examples explicitly, implicitly, and / or inherently described, disclosed, or otherwise provided herein (collectively "provided").

[0010] Exemplary Communication System 1A is a diagram illustrating an example communication system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. Communication system 100 may be a multiple-access system that provides content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcasts, etc., to multiple wireless users. Communication system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communication system 100 may use one or more channel access methods such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero-tail unique-word DFT-Spread OFDM (ZT UW DTS-s OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), etc.

[0011] 1A, communications system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, RANs 104 / 113, CNs 106 / 115, public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, although it will be understood that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, any of which may be referred to as a “station” and / or “STA,” may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include user equipment (UE), mobile stations, fixed or mobile subscriber units, subscription-based units, pagers, cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), smartphones, laptops, netbooks, personal computers, wireless sensors, hotspots or Mi-Fi devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearables, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automated processing chain contexts), consumer electronics devices, devices operating in commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d may be referred to interchangeably as a UE.

[0012] The communications system 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communications networks, such as the CN 106 / 115, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node B, an eNode B, a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a gNB, an NR Node B, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, etc. Although the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be understood that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0013] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104 / 113, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), a relay node, etc. The base station 114a and / or base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive radio signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). These frequencies may be licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide wireless service coverage for a particular geographic area, which may be relatively fixed or may change over time. A cell may be further divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e., one transceiver for each sector of the cell. In one embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers per sector of the cell, for example, using beamforming to transmit and / or receive signals in desired spatial directions.

[0014] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0015] More specifically, as noted above, the communications system 100 may be a multiple-access system and may use one or more channel access schemes, such as, for example, CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, etc. For example, the base stations 114a of the RANs 104 / 113 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include communications protocols such as High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High-Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High-Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0016] In one embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-Advanced, LTE-A) and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0017] In one embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR radio access, which may establish the air interface 116 using New Radio (NR).

[0018] In one embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may jointly implement LTE radio access and NR radio access, e.g., using dual connectivity (DC) principles. Thus, the air interface utilized by the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions transmitted to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., eNBs and gNBs).

[0019] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a wireless technology such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity, WiFi), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, WiMAX), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), or the like.

[0020] 1A may be, for example, a wireless router, a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or an access point and may utilize any suitable RAT to facilitate wireless connectivity in a local area such as a location such as a business, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a road, etc. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may establish a picocell or a femtocell using a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR, etc.). As shown in FIG. 1A, the base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not need to access the Internet 110 through the CN 106 / 115.

[0021] The RAN 104 / 113 may communicate with the CN 106 / 115, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, application, and / or voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have various quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as different throughput, latency, error tolerance, reliability, data throughput, and mobility requirements. The CN 106 / 115 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, prepaid calls, Internet connectivity, video distribution, and / or perform high-level security functions such as user authentication. Although not shown in FIG. 1A , it will be understood that the RAN 104 / 113 and / or the CN 106 / 115 may communicate directly or indirectly with other RANs employing the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104 / 113, which may utilize NR radio technology, the CN 106 / 115 may also communicate with another RAN (not shown) employing GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0022] The CN 106 / 115 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include a public switched telephone network providing plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP), and / or the internet protocol (IP) of the TCP / IP Internet protocol suite. The network 112 may include wired and / or wireless communication networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the network 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT.

[0023] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communications system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links.) For example, the WTRU 102c shown in FIG. 1A may be configured to communicate with a base station 114a that may use a cellular-based wireless technology and a base station 114b that may use an IEEE 802 wireless technology.

[0024] 1B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in FIG. 1B, the WTRU 102 may include, among other things, a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138. It will be understood that the WTRU 102 may include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0025] The processor 118 may be a general-purpose processor, a special-purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) circuit, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, etc. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. While FIG. 1B depicts the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 as separate components, it will be understood that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0026] The transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to or receive signals from a base station (e.g., base station 114a) over the air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals, for example. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF and light signals. It will be understood that the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0027] 1B as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may use MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0028] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate signals transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and demodulate signals received by the transmit / receive element 122. As mentioned above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers to enable the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as, for example, NR and IEEE 802.11.

[0029] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to and may receive user-entered data from a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, and / or a display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. Additionally, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in any type of suitable memory, such as non-removable memory 130 and / or removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, etc. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or home computer (not shown).

[0030] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, but may also be configured to distribute and / or control the power to other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cells (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, etc.

[0031] The processor 118 may also be coupled to a GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to or instead of information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information from base stations (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) over the air interface 116 and / or determine its location based on the timing of signals received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be understood that the WTRU 102 may obtain location information by way of any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0032] The processor 118 may further be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality, and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an electronic compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photos and / or videos), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands-free headset, a Bluetooth module, a frequency modulated (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an internet browser, a virtual reality and / or augmented reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, etc. The peripheral device 138 may include one or more sensors, which may be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a Hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, a direction sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor, a geolocation sensor, an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, and / or a humidity sensor.

[0033] The WTRU 102 may include a full-duplex radio where transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with a particular subframe for both the uplink (e.g., for transmission) and downlink (e.g., for reception)) may be parallel and / or simultaneous. The full-duplex radio may include an interference management unit 139 for reducing and or substantially eliminating self-interference either through hardware (e.g., chokes) or signal processing via a processor (e.g., via a separate processor (not shown) or processor 118). In one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include a half-duplex radio for transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with a particular subframe for either the uplink (e.g., for transmission) or downlink (e.g., for reception)).

[0034] 1C is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to one embodiment. As mentioned above, the RAN 104 may communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116 using E-UTRA radio technology. The RAN 104 may also communicate with the CN 106.

[0035] The RAN 104 may include eNodeBs 160a, 160b, and 160c, although it will be understood that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNodeBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNodeBs 160a, 160b, and 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c over the air interface 116. In an embodiment, the eNodeBs 160a, 160b, and 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the eNodeB 160a may, for example, use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a.

[0036] Each of the eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the uplink (UL) and / or downlink (DL), etc. As shown in FIG. 1C, the eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with one another over an X2 interface.

[0037] 1C may include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (or packet gateway, PGW) 166. Although each of the foregoing elements is depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0038] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNodeBs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may function as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, activating / deactivating bearers, selecting a particular serving gateway during initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, etc. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0039] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as anchoring the user plane during inter-eNodeB handover, triggering paging when DL data is available to the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing the context of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, etc.

[0040] The SGW 164 may be connected to a PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0041] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional landline communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include or communicate with an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0042] Although the WTRU is depicted in FIGS. 1A-1D as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments, such a terminal may use a wired communication interface (e.g., temporarily or permanently) with the communication network.

[0043] In a representative embodiment, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0044] A WLAN in infrastructure Basic Service Set (BSS) mode may have an Access Point (AP) of the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have access or interface to a Distribution System (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic into and / or out of the BSS. Traffic originating from outside the BSS to a STA may arrive through the AP and be delivered to the STA. Traffic originating from a STA to a destination outside the BSS may be sent to the AP and transmitted to the respective destination. Traffic between STAs within a BSS may be transmitted, for example, through the AP, where a source STA may send traffic to the AP, which may deliver the traffic to the destination STA. Traffic between STAs within a BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer-to-peer traffic. Peer-to-peer traffic may be transmitted between a source STA and a destination STA (e.g., directly between them) in a direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use 802.11e DLS or 802.11z tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an Independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and STAs within or using the IBSS (e.g., all of the STAs) may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS mode of communication may be referred to herein as an "ad hoc" communication mode.

[0045] When using the 802.11ac infrastructure mode of operation or a similar mode of operation, an AP may transmit beacons on a fixed channel, such as a primary channel. The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., a 20 MHz wide bandwidth) or a width that is dynamically set via signaling. The primary channel may be the operating channel of the BSS and may be used by STAs to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, for example, in an 802.11 system, Carrier Sense Multiple Access / Collision Avoidance (CSMA / CA) with collision avoidance may be implemented. With CSMA / CA, STAs (e.g., all STAs), including the AP, may sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected and / or determined to be busy by a particular STA, the particular STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any given time in a given BSS.

[0046] High Throughput (HT) STAs may use 40 MHz wide channels for communication, which may be formed, for example, through a combination of a primary 20 MHz channel and adjacent or non-adjacent 20 MHz channels.

[0047] A Very High Throughput (VHT) STA may support 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz-wide channels. The 40 MHz and / or 80 MHz-wide channels may be formed by combining multiple contiguous 20 MHz channels. A 160 MHz channel may be formed by combining eight contiguous 20 MHz channels or by combining two non-contiguous 80 MHz channels, which may be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. For the 80+80 configuration, after channel encoding, the data may pass through a segment parser that may split the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing and time-domain processing may be performed separately on each stream. The streams may be mapped to two 80 MHz channels, and the data may be transmitted by the transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the operations described above for the 80+80 configuration may be reversed, and the combined data may be transmitted to the Medium Access Control (MAC).

[0048] Sub-1 GHz operating modes are supported by 802.11af and 802.11ah. Channel operating bandwidths and carriers are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11ah compared to those used in 802.11n and 802.11ac. 802.11af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz, and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, while 802.11ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to representative embodiments, 802.11ah may support meter-type control / machine-type communications, such as MTC devices within macro coverage areas. MTC devices may have specific capabilities, including, for example, support for (e.g., only for) specific and / or limited bandwidths. MTC devices may include batteries with above-threshold battery life (e.g., to maintain very long battery life).

[0049] WLAN systems that can support multiple channels and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, and 802.11ah, include a channel that can be designated as a primary channel. The primary channel can have a bandwidth equal to the maximum common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel can be configured and / or limited by the STAs among all STAs operating in the BSS that support the minimum bandwidth operating mode. In an 802.11ah example, the primary channel can be 1 MHz wide for STAs (e.g., MTC-type devices) that support (e.g., only) the 1 MHz mode, even if the AP and other STAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or Network Allocation Vector (NAV) configuration can depend on the condition of the primary channel. For example, if the primary channel is busy due to STAs (that only support 1 MHz operating mode) transmitting to the AP, the entire available frequency band may be considered busy, even though most of the frequency band may remain idle and be available for use.

[0050] In the United States, the available frequency band that can be used by 802.11ah is 902MHz to 928MHz. In South Korea, the available frequency band is 917.5MHz to 923.5MHz. In Japan, the available frequency band is 916.5MHz to 927.5MHz. The total bandwidth available for 802.11ah is 6MHz to 26MHz depending on the country code.

[0051] 1D is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 113 and the CN 115 according to one embodiment. As mentioned above, the RAN 113 may communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116 using NR radio technology. The RAN 113 may also communicate with the CN 115.

[0052] The RAN 113 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c, although it will be understood that the RAN 113 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, and 102c over the air interface 116. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, the gNBs 180a and 180b may utilize beamforming to transmit and / or receive signals to the gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a may transmit wireless signals to and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a, for example, using multiple antennas. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c may implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, the gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on an unlicensed spectrum, and the remaining component carriers may be on a licensed spectrum. In one embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, and 180c may implement Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) technology. For example, the WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from the gNBs 180a and 180b (and / or 180c).

[0053] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions associated with a scalable numerology. For example, the OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframes or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of different or scalable lengths (e.g., including different numbers of OFDM symbols and / or lasting different lengths of absolute time).

[0054] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c without accessing another RAN (e.g., eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c, etc.). In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may utilize one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as mobility anchor points. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in unlicensed bands. In a non-standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with and connect to gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c while also communicating with and connecting to another RAN, such as eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement DC principles to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In a non-standalone configuration, the eNodeBs 160a, 160b, 160c may act as mobility anchors for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, while the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput for serving the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0055] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, support for network slicing, dual connectivity, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data to User Plane Functions (UPFs) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information to Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMFs) 182a, 182b, etc. As shown in FIG. 1D , the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may communicate with each other via an Xn interface.

[0056] 1D may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one Session Management Function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possibly a Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b. While each of the foregoing elements is depicted as part of the CN 115, it will be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0057] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N2 interface and may function as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, supporting network slicing (e.g., handling different PDU sessions with different requirements), selecting a particular SMF 183a, 183b, managing registration areas, terminating NAS signaling, mobility management, etc. Network slicing may be used by the AMF 182a, 182b to customize the CN support of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c based on the type of service utilizing the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices may be established for different use cases, such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced massive mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for machine type communication (MTC) access, and / or the like. The AMF a82a, 182b may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 113 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies, such as WiFi.

[0058] The SMFs 183a and 183b may be connected to the AMFs 182a and 182b in the CN 115 via an N11 interface. The SMFs 183a and 183b may also be connected to the UPFs 184a and 184b in the CN 115 via an N4 interface. The SMFs 183a and 183b may select and control the UPFs 184a and 184b and configure the routing of traffic through the UPFs 184a and 184b. The SMFs 183a and 183b may perform other functions, such as managing and allocating UE IP addresses, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing downlink data notification, etc. The PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP-based, Ethernet-based, etc.

[0059] The UPFs 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks such as the Internet 110 to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPFs 184, 184b may perform other functions such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering downlink packets, providing mobility anchoring, etc.

[0060] The CN 115 may facilitate communication with other networks. For example, the CN 115 may include or communicate with an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that acts as an interface between the CN 115 and the PSTN 108. In addition, the CN 115 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to local data networks (DNs) 185a, 185b through the UPFs 184a, 184b via an N3 interface to the UPFs 184a, 184b and an N6 interface between the UPFs 184a, 184b and the DNs 185a, 185b.

[0061] 1A-1D and the corresponding description thereof, one or more or all of the functions described herein with respect to one or more of the WTRUs 102a-d, base stations 114a-b, e-enabling Node Bs 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNBs 180a-c, AMFs 182a-b, UPFs 184a-b, SMFs 183a-b, DNs 185a-b, and / or any other devices described herein may be performed by one or more emulation devices (not shown). The emulation devices may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more or all of the functions described herein. For example, the emulation devices may be used to test other devices and / or simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0062] The emulation devices may be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a lab environment and / or an operator network environment. For example, one or more emulation devices may perform one or more or all functions while fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network to test other devices in the communication network. One or more emulation devices may perform one or more or all functions while temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The emulation devices may be directly coupled to another device for testing purposes and / or may perform testing using terrestrial wireless communication.

[0063] One or more emulation devices may perform one or more functions, inclusive, while not being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the emulation devices may be utilized in test scenarios in a test lab and / or in a non-deployed (e.g., test) wired and / or wireless communication network to implement testing of one or more components. One or more emulation devices may be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communication via RF circuitry (which may include, e.g., one or more antennas) may be used by the emulation devices to transmit and / or receive data.

[0064] The examples provided herein do not limit the applicability of the subject matter to other wireless technologies that may use the same or different principles as may be applied, for example.

[0065] As described herein, a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) may be an example of a user equipment (UE), and therefore the terms UE and WTRU may be used interchangeably herein.

[0066] Network steering among multiple wireless networks Network steering between PLMN and PALS networks A potential PALS service user is typically a PLMN subscriber who camps on a PLMN network (either a home PLMN or a serving PLMN) most of the time. When PALS service is available to a user, e.g., when the user is within the coverage area of ​​a PALS network, the user needs to be steered toward the PALS network to register and connect to the PALS network. While it is possible for a user to manually select a PALS network, this method requires the user to possess network selection information (e.g., the name of the PALS network) and manually search for available PALS networks. The inconvenience of this method is likely to prevent most users from using PALS service.

[0067] Therefore, problems that must now be addressed include how to automatically steer a WTRU from a PLMN network to a PALS network when PALS service is available, and how to automatically steer a WTRU from a PALS network to a PLMN network when PALS service becomes unavailable.

[0068] This section addresses techniques for steering a WTRU between a PLMN and a PALS network using special roaming steering information for PALS network steering. In an embodiment, a PALS network selector provided by an HPLMN, or a network identifier within the selector, may be associated with a time window and an area. The network selector may be viewed as a data structure for a set of information used for network selection. The data structure may include a list of network identifiers, associated time windows, associated geographic areas, etc. Thus, the network selector may be activated only when certain time and / or location conditions are met, or a network identifier may be considered for network selection only when time and / or location conditions are met.

[0069] More specifically, based on a service agreement between a PLMN operator and a PALS service provider or PALS network operator, the WTRU's home PLMN may create special SoR information for the purpose of automatically steering the WTRU between the PLMN network and the PALS network. Referring now to Figure 2, in addition to the normal operator-controlled PLMN selector 200a, the special SoR may include one or more operator-controlled PALS network selectors 200b, which may comprise any one or more of the following data (Figure 2 illustrates an example manner in which such information may be organized): (i) A prioritized list of PALS network identifiers (201). PALS network identifiers may be in the form of regular PLMN or SNPN network identifiers. (ii) An indication (203) of whether the PALS network selector has higher priority than other PLMN selectors (eg, operator-controlled or user-controlled PLMN selectors). (iii) An indication (205) of whether the WTRU should switch to SNPN access mode to use the PALS network selector. (iv) Time window (207), for example, the PALS network selector is only used or activated during the time window. (v) Area 209, e.g., a PALS network selector is used or activated only when the WTRU is within a certain area. The area may be defined using a 3GPP-defined area identifier, such as a tracking area identification or geographic coordinates. (vi) Each PALS network identifier in the prioritized list, e.g., identifiers 211a, 211b, 211c, may be associated with a particular time window (215), e.g., the network identifier is only considered for network selection during the corresponding time window. (vii) Each PALS network identifier in the prioritized list, e.g., identifiers 211a, 211b, 211c, may be associated with an area (217), e.g., the network identifier is considered for network selection only if the WTRU is within the area. The area may be defined using a 3GPP-defined area identifier, such as a tracking area identification or geographic coordinates. (viii) Each PALS network identifier in the prioritized list may be associated with a network slice (not shown), and the network identifier is considered for network selection only if the network slice is within the WTRU's configured or allowed Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (NSSAI) for the corresponding PLMN. (ix) Each PALS network identifier in the prioritized list may be associated with one or more CAG (Closed Access Group) IDs (not shown). The WTRU considers a PALS network if the PALS cell is broadcasting a CAG ID stored / configured in the WTRU associated with the corresponding PALS network.

[0070] The home PLMN may store the above SoR information in a Unified Data Management (UDM) / Unified Data Repository (UDR) and transmit the SoR information to the WTRU using the SoR procedure defined in 3GPP TS 23.122, "Non-Access-Stratum (NAS) functions related to Mobile Station (MS) in idle mode," V16.8.0, 2020-12. If the WTRU has valid SoR information for PALS network steering, in an exemplary embodiment, it may perform a network selection operation as described below and illustrated by the flowchart in FIG.

[0071] First, the WTRU determines whether it has a PALS network selector available (301). If not, the process ends. (Note that in FIG. 3, the outcome of a decision step that ends the process, such as the aforementioned NO decision in step 301, is implicit, i.e., not shown in the flowchart, to avoid overcomplicating the figure.)

[0072] On the other hand, if the WTRU determines that a PALS network selector is available in step 301, flow continues in the flowchart. The WTRU may then determine whether to activate the PALS network selector based on the following: (i) If the PALS network selector has an associated time window (decision step 303) and the current time is within the time window (decision step 305), the WTRU may activate the selector (311). (ii) If the PALS network selector has an associated area (decision step 307) and the WTRU's current location is within that area (decision step 309), the WTRU may activate the selector (311). (iii) If the PALS network selector has both an associated time window and an associated area, the WTRU may activate the selector only when both the current time and the WTRU's location meet the respective conditions (311).

[0073] If the PALS network selector was activated in 311, the WTRU may determine its priority relative to other PLMN selectors (313). For example, if the PALS network selector is associated with an indication that it has higher priority than other PLMN selectors, the WTRU may use this selector for network selection (317). On the other hand, if the PALS network selector is not associated with an indication that it has higher priority than other PLMN selectors, the WTRU may use the other PLMN selectors for network selection (315). If a PLMN is not available or selected, the PALS network selector may be used for network selection.

[0074] If the WTRU determines to use the PALS network selector for network selection, it may check whether it needs to switch to SNPN access mode for network selection 319. If the PALS network selector has an indication that the WTRU should switch to SNPN access mode, the PALS network selector may switch to SNPN access mode 321. If the PALS network selector does not have an indication that the WTRU should switch to SNPN access mode, the PALS network selector may further check whether the network identifiers in the prioritized list are SNPN networks or PLMN networks, and may switch to SNPN access mode for those SNPN networks.

[0075] If the CAG ID broadcasted by the PALS network cell is configured in the WTRU's allowed CAG list, the WTRU checks the broadcasted CAG ID against the configured allowed CAG ID list corresponding to the PALS network.

[0076] If the WTRU determines to use the PALS network selector for network selection, it may search for networks and select a network according to the priority in the list. If the WTRU has switched to SNPN access mode, it may search for and select only SNPN networks (323). If the WTRU is not in SNPN access mode, it may search for and select only PLMN networks (325).

[0077] The WTRU checks (327) whether the found network is in the selector's list. If the network is not in the selector's list, the process ends. For each network identifier in the list, the WTRU determines (329) whether the network has an associated time window and / or area. If there are no such criteria, the WTRU selects (333) a network. If there are such criteria, the WTRU checks (331) whether the current time and / or WTRU location meets the condition, and if the criteria are met, the WTRU selects (333) a network and the selection process is complete. If the criteria are not met, the process ends without selecting a PALS network.

[0078] In an alternative embodiment, the WTRU may present the found networks that meet the above conditions to the user and allow the user to decide whether to select a network.

[0079] In an embodiment, if there is a time window and / or area associated with an active PALS network selector, or if there is a time window and / or area associated with a selected PALS network, the WTRU should continue to monitor the time and its location to determine whether to deactivate the selector or reselect a network. If the time is outside the time window associated with the PALS network selector, or the WTRU location is outside the area associated with the selector, the WTRU should deactivate the PALS network selector and use the PLMN selector to reselect a PLMN network.

[0080] If the time is outside the time window associated with the selected PALS network or the WTRU location is outside the area associated with the selected network, the WTRU should deregister from the PALS network and reselect another PALS or PLMN network.

[0081] If the selected PALS network becomes unavailable, for example, by the WTRU moving out of its coverage, the WTRU may reselect another PALS network in the list, or may deactivate the PALS network selector and reselect a PLMN network using the PLMN network selector.

[0082] The 5GS network may update the SoR for PALS network steering at any time (e.g., periodically or during a mobility registration procedure) or via a UCU procedure. The WTRU should replace the stored PALS network selector with a new PALS network selector and reselect a network according to the new PALS network selector if the PALS network selector meets the conditions to be activated.

[0083] When a WTRU registers with a PALS network, it may receive an initial time window in a registration accept message, and the WTRU may trigger a registration procedure to request a new time window from the network.

[0084] The time window may also be at the PDU session level. The network may configure a time window for each PDU session established with the PALS network. In this case, the WTRU may receive the time window from the network (SMF) in a PDU session accept message. When the time window expires, the WTRU may deactivate the PDU session. The WTRU may implicitly deactivate the PDU session or may send a PDU session deactivation message to the network.

[0085] The network may want to extend the time window. In such a case, the network may respond to the PDU Session Deactivation message with a PDU Deactivation Reject message with a cause code and the new time window for the WTRU. The time window may also be updated by the WTRU (if the WTRU receives an indication from higher layers). The WTRU may send an indication or request for a new time window to the network by sending a session management NAS message, e.g., a PDU Session Modify Request, to the network.

[0086] The network (e.g., AMF or SMF) may determine the time window or decide to update the time window based on interaction with a third-party external server (the PALS network may be configured by a third-party server). The external server can interact with the PALS network through the NEF API. The NEF (Network Exposure Function) API provides third-party servers with the ability to provide input to the network to determine the time window for the PAL network for registration procedures or session management procedures or both. The input provided by the third-party server to the network may include the expected time of the event for which the PAL network is created, an indication of the start of the event, an indication when the event is nearing completion, etc.

[0087] The 5GS network may revoke the SoR for PALS network steering at any time, in which case the WTRU should delete the stored PALS network selector and reselect a network according to another PLMN network selector.

[0088] Network steering between multiple PALS networks Because local services may be temporary, event-based, and limited to a specific environment, the hosting network providing the local services may be a PLMN or a Stand-alone Non-Public Network (SNPN). Some venues, such as festival venues, stadiums, or convention centers, may have multiple hosting networks deployed to cover the same area and provide either different or the same / similar services. For example, a venue owner may deploy a network infrastructure and lease the infrastructure to several PLMN or SNPN operators, which may then provide temporary event-related services to spectators / audiences / attendees. Because the services and hosting networks may be temporary, it may be expected that PLMN operators do not have long-term, individual service level agreements (SLAs) with each hosting network. Therefore, it may be expected that these short-term agreements may be event-based and may have different charging policies depending on infrastructure capabilities or agreements between the hosting networks and the infrastructure owners.

[0089] In theory, a user wanting to access a local service can manually select which hosting network to access. However, there may be some coverage and charging implications that need to be optimized from both the user side and the PLMN operator side. On the one hand, the same or similar service may be offered by two different hosting networks, and the PLMN may have a preference to select the hosting network with which its subscriber has a better agreement. On the other hand, based on the WTRU's battery level, the user may want to select the hosting network that provides better signal strength / quality, even if the hosting network has a poorer agreement compared to another network option. Therefore, a mechanism is needed to incorporate WTRU preferences and / or network preferences when the WTRU requests initial access to a local service or when switching from one local service to another.

[0090] Therefore, a question to consider is how to enable the WTRU and PLMN operator to prioritize hosting networks that are offering the same or similar local services within the same venue / restricted environment / coverage area.

[0091] This section describes techniques for steering a WTRU between multiple PALS networks that enable the SoR-AF to build a preferred PALS network list using service information (e.g., QoS / KPI (Quality of Service / Key Performance Indicator) and charging data) retrieved from the PALS networks. The WTRU can also select its own preferred PALS network based on received signal level. This section also describes an algorithm for selecting between a WTRU-configured list and a network-provided list when both are available to the WTRU.

[0092] These techniques include algorithms and procedures for prioritizing hosting networks that offer the same or similar local services. The prioritization of hosting networks can be based on: (i) PLMN operator preferences, which may take into account parameters such as hosting network load according to SLA terms with the hosting network, service-specific QoS / KPI provisioning, and service billing information. (ii) WTRU preferences, which may take into account parameters such as received signal strength of the hosting network providing the requested local service, WTRU battery level, etc.

[0093] The local services provided by the hosting network can be traditional services such as voice and data, as well as new services such as computing, machine learning (ML), and storage. Therefore, it can be expected that there may be various QoS / KPI assignments for different service types. For example, the QoS / KPI for an ML-oriented service may be the confidence level of the ML model inference. Meanwhile, the performance of a computing-oriented service may depend on the available computer resources and the load level of the hosting network. Since at least one goal is to consider different components of the local service and the hosting network, different utility functions may be considered to evaluate the value / performance of various information elements, for example, within a range of 0 to 1. These different utility functions, as well as the utility function weights for the network priority evaluation, may be configured to represent the preferences or objectives of the network operator.

[0094] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a method for a Steering of Roaming Application Function (SoR-AF) to build a network-preferred hosting network prioritized list.

[0095] The algorithm is initialized (401) when (i) state information (e.g., network load) of each hosting network, (ii) service details (e.g., service-specific provisions from each hosting network), and (iii) service billing information from each hosting network are available in the SOR-AF.

[0096] Next, the control mechanism checks whether a SOR information / parameter update request has been received (403).

[0097] In the case of an SOR information / parameter update request, the SOR-AF uses hosting network and local service-related information, namely, the service QoS provision (SQoS,i) for hosting network i, the hosting network load (Sload,i), and the service charging information (Scharge,i). Each information element is used as an input for the associated utility functions f1 for the service QoS provision, f2 for the hosting network load, and f3 for the service charging. If the WTRU has provided a list of available hosting networks to be prioritized (e.g., see FIG. 6), the SOR-AF may take into account radio parameters (e.g., signal strength per hosting network), UE battery level, and / or battery threshold level as additional functional inputs to the algorithm if such additional parameters are optionally provided by the WTRU. The outputs of the utility functions are summed to obtain a priority level for each hosting network S (405).

[0098] Once the SOR-AF determines the priority level of the hosting networks, it sorts the priority levels in descending order (407), with the hosting network with the highest priority being the first item in the list. The process ends at 409.

[0099] For the WTRU to build a network priority list, first a network scanning process is triggered to obtain the received signal levels of available hosting networks. Once the received signal strength information is available to the WTRU, the WTRU builds its own priority list of available hosting networks by sorting all networks in descending order based on their received signal levels. Thus, the hosting network with the highest received signal level becomes the first item in the list.

[0100] Because the WTRU has one priority list based on its preferences and another priority list messaged from the WTRU's home PLMN based on network preferences, a method has been developed to determine which list to consider for use and which of the lists to use. Since the WTRU builds its priority list based on the received signal levels of surrounding hosting networks, the hosting network with the highest priority may be considered the most energy-efficient network. Thus, in one embodiment, a user-defined battery level threshold may be used to determine whether the WTRU selects a network using a WTRU-preferred priority list or a network-preferred priority list. Such a threshold may be configured by the WTRU. However, if the network wants its priority list to be considered by the WTRU during the network selection process, the battery level threshold may be set to 0.

[0101] 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method according to an example embodiment. The method is initialized at 501 when (i) a WTRU battery level threshold, (ii) a WTRU-preferred priority list, and (iii) a network-preferred priority list are available at the WTRU.

[0102] In step 502, the control mechanism checks whether the first entries in both the WTRU-preferred priority list and the network-preferred priority list belong to the same hosting network.

[0103] If the same hosting network is listed as the highest priority network in both the WTRU-preferred priority list and the network-preferred priority list, flow proceeds to step 505 and the WTRU selects this hosting network.

[0104] On the other hand, if it is determined in step 503 that different hosting networks are listed as highest priority networks in the WTRU preference list and the network preference list, flow proceeds to step 507, where another control mechanism checks whether the WTRU battery level is below a predetermined battery level threshold.

[0105] If the WTRU battery level is below the threshold, flow proceeds to step 509 where the hosting network with the highest priority in the WTRU preferred priority list is selected.

[0106] If the WTRU battery level is above the threshold, flow instead proceeds to step 511 where the hosting network with the highest priority in the network preference priority list is selected. The process ends at 513.

[0107] FIG. 6 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an exemplary signal flow for a hosting network prioritization and selection procedure according to one embodiment.

[0108] In step 1a, the WTRU sends an access request to its home PLMN for a particular local service, which may be a traditional service (voice, data) or a new service, eg, a computing service, an ML service, a storage service.

[0109] When the WTRU sends an access request, in step 1b, it triggers a network scanning process to determine the received signal levels of the available hosting networks, and then builds its own priority list of available hosting networks by sorting all networks in descending order based on their received signal levels.

[0110] In step 2, the AMF sends an SOR information / parameter update request to the UDM.

[0111] In step 3, the UDM requests details and billing information for the requested service from the NEF.

[0112] In step 4, the NEF requests service details and charging information from the hosting network that has coverage at the WTRU's location and is providing the requested service. In this example, there are two such networks: Hosting Network A and Hosting Network B. Therefore, there are two such requests 4a and 4b.

[0113] In steps 5a and 5b, Hosting Network A and Hosting Network B send local service details and charging information to the Home PLMN, respectively.

[0114] In step 6, the local service and charging information received from the hosting network is published to the UDM in the home PLMN.

[0115] In step 7, the UDM sends an SOR parameter update request to the Home PLMN SOR-AF.

[0116] In step 8, based on the received local service and charging information, the Home PLMN SOR-AF builds a prioritized list of hosting networks that provide local services, as described in connection with FIG.

[0117] In step 9, the SOR-AF sends the priority list for the hosting networks back to the UDM as a SOR parameter update response.

[0118] In step 10, the UDM sends an update request to the AMF regarding the SOR information / parameters for the WTRU.

[0119] In step 11, the AMF sends the updated SOR parameters to the WTRU via a Downlink Non-Access Stratum (DL NAS) message.

[0120] In step 12, upon receiving the updated SOR information / parameters on the network priority list, the WTRU overwrites the existing list with the new list.

[0121] In step 13, the WTRU compares the priority list of network preferences with its own priority list, as described in connection with FIG. 5, to select one of the hosting networks from which to access local services.

[0122] In step 14, the WTRU attempts to register with the selected hosting network. Step 14a represents the signal flow when hosting network A is selected, and step 14b represents the signal flow when hosting network B is selected.

[0123] The methods, apparatus, techniques, and procedures described in this disclosure may also be applied when a WTRU switches from one local service to another, each time incorporating the WTRU's preferences for hosting network selection as well as the WTRU's home PLMN preferences according to the described message flows.

[0124] Alternatively, the WTRU may be configured to prioritize the list of available hosting networks, ie, hosting networks detected as a result of a radio scan, according to any of the following methods.

[0125] In a first alternative, the WTRU may share a list of available hosting networks with the network, along with optional parameters (e.g., radio signal strength for each hosting network, WTRU battery information, and battery level threshold configurations), to allow the network to assist in prioritization. Whether to do so may be based on whether the WTRU is configured to prioritize available hosting networks using network assistance and / or whether the network indicated support for network-assisted prioritization during the registration / mobility registration procedure. The network may prioritize the list received from the WTRU using any of the methods described above (e.g., see FIG. 4) and send the list back to the WTRU via control plane NAS signaling.

[0126] In another alternative embodiment, the WTRU may prioritize the list of available hosting networks by sorting the list of available hosting networks based on a preferred priority list provided by the hosting network's network. The WTRU may be configured (e.g., pre-configured and / or configured during operation via control signaling from the network) to operate according to this embodiment. Additionally, specific implementation details / configurations for this embodiment may be configured in the WTRU (e.g., pre-configured and / or via control signaling from the network). The WTRU checks whether an available hosting network is present in the network-preferred priority list, and if so, the priority may be set according to the network priority list.

[0127] 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method according to an example embodiment. In step 701, the WTRU scans for available hosting networks. This scan may be performed when the WTRU is powered on and / or based on a triggering event such as user input. As mentioned above, this may be configured (e.g., pre-configured) in the WTRU and / or based on a triggering event such as an instruction from the network during a registration / mobility registration procedure that supports network-assisted prioritization.

[0128] In step 703, the WTRU checks whether it is configured to use network assistance to prioritize available hosting networks.

[0129] If the WTRU is configured to prioritize hosting networks using network assistance, then in step 703, network-assisted prioritization is selected and flow proceeds from step 703 to step 711, where the WTRU sends the list of available hosting networks created in step 702 to the home PLMN via control plane NAS signaling (e.g., mobility registration update, service request message), etc. Optionally, the WTRU may include additional information with the list of found hosting networks, such as signal strength for each hosting network, WTRU battery information, thresholds for battery level, when such information should be taken into consideration for prioritizing hosting networks (i.e., if the WTRU's battery level is below a threshold, the network should prioritize hosting networks that have good radio conditions and require less WTRU power for communication).

[0130] The network may prioritize the list of hosting networks received from the WTRU and send the prioritized list back to the WTRU, for example, using the mechanism / algorithm defined in Figure 4. The network may send the prioritized list of hosting networks to the WTRU via SoR or control plane NAS signaling (WTRU Configuration Update Command procedure).

[0131] Thus, the WTRU then receives the prioritized list from the network in step 713 and selects a hosting network in step 715 from the available hosting networks having the highest priority in the received list.

[0132] On the other hand, if the WTRU is not configured to use network-assisted prioritization, flow instead proceeds to step 705, where the WTRU checks whether it is configured with local prioritization based on a network-first priority list. If the WTRU is not configured with local prioritization, it falls back to another prioritization scheme, such as the scheme illustrated in FIG. 5. If the WTRU is configured with local prioritization, flow instead proceeds to step 707, where the WTRU sorts the list of available hosting networks (found during the radio scan of step 701) based on the network-first priority list. Any available hosting networks that are also present in the network-first priority list get the same priority in the final sorted hosting network list. Next, in step 709, the WTRU triggers hosting network selection using the sorted hosting network list prepared in step 707, where the first entry in the list is the highest priority.

[0133] FIG. 8 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an exemplary signal flow according to this alternative hosting network prioritization and selection procedure.

[0134] In step 1a, the WTRU performs a radio scan to detect available hosting networks. In step 1b, the WTRU (i) sends an access request to the WTRU's home PLMN for a specific local service, which may be a traditional service (voice, data) or a new service, e.g., a computing service, an ML service, or a storage service, and (ii) optionally shares the list of available hosting networks along with the radio signal strength, WTRU battery level information, and threshold configuration for the WTRU battery level for each available hosting network detected during the radio scan.

[0135] In step 2, the AMF sends an SOR information / parameter update request to the UDM.

[0136] In step 3, the UDM requests details and billing information for the requested service from the NEF.

[0137] In response, the NEF requests service details and charging information from a hosting network that has coverage over the WTRU location and is providing the requested service. In this example, the WTRU is within the coverage area of ​​hosting network A and hosting network B. Thus, in step 4a, the NEF sends a request to hosting network A, and in step 4b, the NEF sends a request to hosting network B.

[0138] Next, in steps 5a and 5b, Hosting Network A and Hosting Network B respectively send local service details and charging information to the Home PLMN.

[0139] Then, in step 6, the local service and billing information received from the hosting network is published to the UDM.

[0140] In step 7, the UDM sends an SOR parameter update request to the Home PLMN SOR-AF.

[0141] In step 8, the home PLMN SOR-AF builds a prioritized list of hosting networks providing local services, as illustrated in FIG. 4, based on the list of available hosting networks shared by the WTRU (which may include the optionally shared parameters mentioned in step 1b) and the received local service and charging information.

[0142] In step 9, the SoR-AF sends the prioritized list of hosting networks back to the UDM as a SOR parameter update response.

[0143] In step 10, the UDM sends an update request to the AMF regarding the SOR information / parameters for the WTRU.

[0144] In step 11, the AMF sends the updated SOR parameters to the WTRU via a DL NAS message.

[0145] When the WTRU receives the updated SOR information / parameters on the network priority list, it overwrites the existing list with the new list in step 12 .

[0146] Next, in step 13a or 13b, the WTRU attempts to register with the selected hosting network, where in step 13a the selected hosting network is considered to be hosting network A and in step 13b the selected hosting network is considered to be hosting network B.

[0147] Based on the foregoing description of network steering between multiple wireless networks, Figure 9 shows an example method 900 for a WTRU to select a local network to join. In one example, a WTRU may be operating in a PLMN and may be tasked with selecting a local service-hosting network to join, such as in a PALS network.

[0148] At 905, the WTRU stores SoR information for multiple local service hosting networks. The SoR information includes an indication of priority in a list of network identifiers. In one example, the network identifiers may include PLMN identifiers or SNPN network identifiers. At 910, the WTRU may switch to an access mode for network discovery. In one example, switching to an access mode for network discovery may include switching to an SNPN access mode to enable discovery of networks listed in the ranked list of network identifiers.

[0149] At 915, the WTRU may search for a participating local service hosting network from among a plurality of local service hosting networks. This search may enable the WTRU to determine which networks in the list of network identifiers are joinable. In one example, the search may include searching for a participating SNPN from among the plurality of local service hosting networks in the list of network identifiers. At 920, the WTRU selects a participating local service hosting network based on a priority indication in the list of network identifiers. In one example, the WTRU may select an SNPN based at least on the priority of the SNPN on the list of network identifiers. In a further example, selecting a participating local service hosting network may include selecting a local hosting network having a network identifier associated with either or both of a time window and / or a geographical area. The time window indicates a period during which the corresponding network is considered valid or joinable. The geographical area indicates an area in which local services are available. In one embodiment, the selection of a local service hosting network by the WTRU may be performed by a network selector, as described above.

[0150] The method 900 may further include a procedure for updating the SoR information during any one or more of the periodic or mobility registration procedures. Such an update may include adding to existing SoR information or replacing SoR information when new information becomes available. Such an update may be based on a location update of the WTRU and / or an update of a local service hosting network information, such as a change in identity, capability, or availability for WTRU use.

[0151] conclusion While features and elements have been provided above in particular combinations, those skilled in the art will understand that each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with other features and elements. The present disclosure is not limited in terms of the specific embodiments described herein; these embodiments are intended as illustrations of various aspects. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. No element, act, or instruction used in the specification of the present application should be construed as critical or essential to the invention unless explicitly stated as such. Functionally equivalent methods and apparatuses within the scope of the present disclosure, in addition to those enumerated herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing specification. Such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. The present disclosure is limited only by the terms of the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to any particular method or system.

[0152] The above-described embodiments are described with reference to the terminology and structure of infrared-enabled devices (i.e., infrared emitters and receivers) for simplicity, however, the described embodiments are not limited to these systems and may also be applied to other systems that use other forms of electromagnetic waves or non-electromagnetic waves such as acoustic waves.

[0153] It should also be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the term “video” or “image” can mean either a snapshot, a single image, and / or multiple images displayed over time. As another example, when referred to herein, the term “user equipment” and its abbreviation “UE,” “remote,” and / or the term “head-mounted display” and its abbreviation “HMD” can mean or include (i) a wireless transmit and / or receive unit (WTRU), (ii) any of multiple embodiments of a WTRU, (iii) a wireless-enabled and / or wired-enabled (e.g., tetherable) device specifically configured to have some or all of the structure and functionality of a WTRU, (iii) a wireless-enabled and / or wired-enabled device configured to have less than all of the structure and functionality of a WTRU, or (iv) other. Details of an exemplary WTRU, which can represent any WTRU listed herein, are provided herein with respect to FIGS. 1A-1D. As another example, various embodiments disclosed herein above and below are described as utilizing a head-mounted display. Those skilled in the art will recognize that devices other than head-mounted displays can be utilized and that the present disclosure and various disclosed embodiments can be modified, in part or in whole, accordingly without undue experimentation. Examples of such other devices may include drones or other devices configured to stream information to provide an adaptive reality experience.

[0154] Additionally, the methods provided herein may be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware embodied in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include electronic signals (transmitted over wired or wireless connections) and computer-readable storage media. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), registers, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks and digital versatile disks (DVDs). A processor in association with software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, MME, EPC, AMF, or any host computer.

[0155] Modifications to the methods, devices, and systems provided above are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. In view of the wide variety of possible embodiments, it should be understood that the illustrated embodiments are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the appended claims. For example, the embodiments provided herein include a handheld device, which may include or be utilized with any suitable voltage source, such as a battery providing any suitable voltage.

[0156] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, it should be noted that processing platforms, computing systems, controllers, and other devices include processors. These devices may include at least one central processing unit ("Central Processing Unit (CPU") and memory. In accordance with the practices of those skilled in the art of computer programming, references to acts and symbolic representations of operations or instructions may be performed by various CPUs and memories. Such acts and operations or instructions may be referred to as being "executed," "executed by a computer," or "executed by a CPU."

[0157] Those skilled in the art will understand that the operations and symbolically represented operations or instructions include the manipulation of electrical signals by a CPU. The electrical system represents data bits that can cause a resulting transformation or reduction of the electrical signals, and maintains the data bits in memory locations in a memory system, thereby reconfiguring or otherwise altering the operation of the CPU and other processing of the signals. The memory locations where the data bits are maintained are physical locations that have particular electrical, magnetic, optical, or organic properties that correspond to or represent the data bits. It should be understood that embodiments are not limited to the platforms or CPUs described above, and that other platforms and CPUs may support the provided methods.

[0158] The data bits may also be maintained on computer-readable media, including magnetic disks, optical disks, and any other volatile (e.g., random access memory (RAM)) or non-volatile (e.g., read-only memory (ROM)) mass storage system readable by a CPU. The computer-readable media may include cooperative or interconnected computer-readable media that reside exclusively on a processing system or that are distributed among multiple interconnected processing systems, which may be local or remote to the processing system. It should be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the memories described above, and that other platforms and memories may support the provided methods.

[0159] In illustrative embodiments, any of the operations, processes, etc. described herein may be implemented as computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable instructions may be executed by a processor of a mobile, a network element, and / or any other computing device.

[0160] There is little distinction between hardware and software implementations of aspects of the system. Whether to use hardware or software is generally a design choice representing a cost vs. efficiency trade-off (although the choice between hardware and software can be important in certain situations). There may be a variety of vehicles (e.g., hardware, software, and / or firmware) in which the processes and / or systems and / or other techniques described herein may be effective, and the preferred vehicle may vary depending on the context in which the processes and / or systems and / or other techniques are deployed. For example, if an implementer determines that speed and accuracy are paramount, the implementer may select a primarily hardware and / or firmware vehicle. If flexibility is paramount, the implementer may select a primarily software implementation. Alternatively, the implementer may select some combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0161] The foregoing detailed description has illustrated various embodiments of devices and / or processes through the use of block diagrams, flowcharts, and / or examples. To the extent that such block diagrams, flowcharts, and / or examples include one or more functions and / or operations, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that each function and / or operation within such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples may be individually and / or collectively implemented by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or substantially any combination thereof. In one embodiment, some portions of the subject matter described herein may be implemented via Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), and / or other integrated forms. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that certain aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein may be equivalently implemented, in whole or in part, in integrated circuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), as firmware, or as substantially any combination thereof, and that designing circuitry and / or writing software and / or firmware code is within the skill of those skilled in the art in light of this disclosure. Additionally, those skilled in the art will understand that the subject matter mechanisms described herein may be distributed as program products in various forms, and that the illustrative embodiments of the subject matter described herein apply regardless of the particular type of signal-bearing medium used to actually effect the distribution.Examples of signal bearing media include, but are not limited to, recordable media such as floppy disks, hard disk drives, CDs, DVDs, digital tape, computer memory, and transmission media such as digital and / or analog communications media (e.g., fiber optic cables, wave guides, wired communications links, wireless communications links, etc.).

[0162] Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is common in the art to describe devices and / or processes in the manner described herein and then use engineering techniques to integrate such described devices and / or processes into a data processing system. That is, at least a portion of the devices and / or processes described herein can be integrated into a data processing system through a reasonable amount of experimentation. Those skilled in the art will recognize that a typical data processing system may generally include one or more of the following: a system unit housing; a video display; memory, such as volatile and non-volatile memory; a processor, such as a microprocessor and a digital signal processor; computing entities, such as an operating system, drivers, a graphical user interface, and application programs; one or more interaction devices, such as a touchpad or screen; and / or a control system, such as feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback that senses position and / or velocity, control motors that move and / or adjust components and / or quantities). A typical data processing system may be implemented utilizing any suitable commercially available components, such as those typically found in data computing / communication systems and / or network computing / communication systems.

[0163] The subject matter described herein may depict different components contained within or connected to different other components. It should be understood that such depicted architectures are merely examples, and that in fact many other architectures that achieve the same functionality may be implemented. Conceptually, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality may be achieved. Thus, any two components herein that combine to achieve a particular function may be considered to be “associated” with each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, regardless of the architecture or intervening components. Similarly, any two components so associated may also be considered to be “operably connected” or “operably coupled” to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components so associated may also be considered to be “operably coupleable” to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Examples of operably coupleable include, but are not limited to, components that are physically matable and / or physically interacting, and / or components that are wirelessly interacting and / or wirelessly interacting, and / or components that logically interact and / or logically interacting.

[0164] With respect to the use of virtually any plural and / or singular term herein, those skilled in the art can convert from plural to singular and / or from singular to plural as appropriate to the context and / or application. Various singular / plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for purposes of clarity.

[0165] In general, those skilled in the art will understand that terms used in this specification, and particularly in the appended claims (e.g., the body of the appended claims), are generally intended as "open" terms (e.g., the term "including" should be interpreted as "including, but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," and the term "comprises" should be interpreted as "including, but not limited to"). Those skilled in the art will further understand that where a specific number of introduced claim recitations are intended, such intention will be explicitly set forth in the claim; in the absence of such recitation, no such intention exists. For example, where only one item is intended, the term "single" or similar language may be used. To assist in understanding, the following appended claims and / or description of this specification may include the use of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed as meaning that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite article "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such an introduced claim recitation to embodiments containing only one such recitation, even if the same claim contains the introductory phrase "one or more" or "at least one" and an indefinite article such as "a" or "an" (e.g., "a" and / or "an" should be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"). The same applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. Additionally, those skilled in the art will recognize that even when a specific number of recitations of an introduced claim are explicitly recited, such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the simple recitation "two recitations" without other modifiers means at least two recitations, or more than two recitations).Furthermore, when notation similar to "at least one of A, B, and C" is used, such structure is generally intended as the meaning that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand the notation (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, and C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having A only, B only, C only, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together). When notation similar to "at least one of A, B, or C" is used, such structure is generally intended as the meaning that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand the notation (e.g., "a system having at least one of A, B, or C" includes, but is not limited to, systems having A only, B only, C only, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together). It will be further understood by those skilled in the art that virtually any disjunctive word and / or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the specification, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibility of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" should be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B." Furthermore, as used herein, the term "any of," followed by a list of items and / or a list of categories of items, is intended to include "any of," "any combination of," "any plurality of," and / or "any combination of" of the items and / or categories of items, individually or in combination with other items and / or other categories of items. Furthermore, as used herein, the term "set" is intended to include any number of items, including zero. Additionally, as used herein, the term "number" is intended to include any number, including zero. Also, as used herein, the term "multiple" is intended to be synonymous with "plurality."

[0166] Additionally, where features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of a Markush group, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.

[0167] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, for all purposes, including in terms of providing a written description, all ranges disclosed herein encompass any possible subranges and combinations of subranges. Any recited range can be readily recognized as fully descriptive and allows for the same range to be broken down into at least equal halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, tenths, etc. As a non-limiting example, each range discussed herein can be easily broken down into a lower third, middle third, upper third, etc. Also, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, all terms such as "up to," "at least," "greater than," "less than," etc., refer to ranges that are inclusive of the recited number and that can be further broken down into subranges as discussed above. Finally, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, a range includes each individual member. Thus, for example, a group having 1 to 3 cells refers to a group having 1, 2, or 3 cells. Similarly, a group having 1 to 5 cells refers to a group having 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 cells, and so on.

Claims

1. 1. A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), comprising: receiving, via non-access stratum signaling, Steering of Roaming (SoR) information for one or more networks providing localized services, the SoR information including an indication of a prioritized list of one or more networks providing localized services, each network providing localized services in the prioritized list of one or more networks being associated with a network identifier, a time period, and a geographic area, the time period indicating a time period during which the network providing localized services is valid or available for participation; searching for a local service network to connect to from said prioritized list of one or more networks offering localized service; selecting a network that provides localized services based on the prioritized list of one or more networks that provide localized services, provided that the current time is within the time period associated with the selected network that provides localized services; registering with the selected network providing localized services, provided that the selected network providing localized services is found; and 12. A WTRU comprising: circuitry configured to perform the steps of:

2. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the WTRU circuitry is further configured to connect to the selected network that provides localized services.

3. 10. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the WTRU circuitry is further configured to search for a network that provides localized services after switching from a public land mobile network operation mode to a stand alone non-public network (SNPN) access mode.

4. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the SoR information is provided by a public land mobile network.

5. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the prioritized list of one or more networks offering localized services includes a plurality of networks offering localized services.

6. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the WTRU is further configured to update the SoR information during any one or more of a periodic procedure or a mobility registration procedure.

7. 10. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein each network in the prioritized list of one or more networks providing localized service is associated with a geographic area corresponding to an area in which the network is available.

8. The WTRU of claim 1 , wherein the WTRU is further configured to select a network that provides localized services to connect to using a network selector function of circuitry in the WTRU.

9. 10. The WTRU of claim 1, wherein the selected network providing localized service is associated with a geographic area that includes a current location of the WTRU.

10. 1. A method performed by a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) for selecting a network providing localized service, comprising: receiving, via non-access stratum signaling, Steering of Roaming (SoR) information for one or more networks providing localized services, the SoR information including an indication of a prioritized list of one or more networks providing localized services, each network providing localized services in the prioritized list of one or more networks being associated with a network identifier, a time period, and a geographic area, the time period indicating a time period during which the network providing localized services is valid or available for participation; searching for a local service network to connect to from said prioritized list of one or more networks offering localized service; selecting a network that provides localized services based on the prioritized list of one or more networks that provide localized services, provided that the current time is within the time period associated with the selected network that provides localized services; registering with the selected network providing localized services, provided that the selected network providing localized services is found; and A method for providing the above.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising connecting to the selected network that provides localized services.

12. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein searching for a network that provides localized services to connect to is performed after switching from a public land mobile network operation mode to a stand alone non-public network (SNPN) access mode.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the SoR information is provided by a public land mobile network.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the prioritized list of one or more networks offering localized services includes a plurality of networks offering localized services.

15. 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising updating the SoR information during any one or more of a periodic procedure or a mobility registration procedure.

16. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein each network in the prioritized list of one or more networks offering localized service is associated with a geographic area corresponding to an area in which the network is available.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein selecting a network providing localized services to connect to includes using a network selector function of the WTRU.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the selected network providing localized service is associated with a geographic area that includes a current location of the WTRU.

19. 1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) to perform a method for selecting a network that provides localized service, the method comprising: receiving, via non-access stratum signaling, Steering of Roaming (SoR) information for one or more networks providing localized services, the SoR information including an indication of a prioritized list of one or more networks providing localized services, each network providing localized services in the prioritized list of one or more networks being associated with a network identifier, a time period, and a geographic area, the time period indicating a time period during which the network providing localized services is valid or available for participation; searching for a local service network to connect to from said prioritized list of one or more networks offering localized service; selecting a network that provides localized services based on the prioritized list of one or more networks that provide localized services, provided that the current time is within the time period associated with the selected network that provides localized services; registering with the selected network providing localized services, provided that the selected network providing localized services is found; and 1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising:

20. 20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the selected network providing localized service is associated with a geographic area that includes a current location of the WTRU.

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