Methods and devices used to support location services for ue

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and device for supporting location services for a UE. During a location session between the user equipment (UE) and the location server, the location server may send a request to the base station to temporarily suspend the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection with the UE. For example, the location server might send a request to the base station recommending a suspension of the connection or providing an indication of the amount of time during which location-related communications between the UE and the location server are not expected. The base station can determine whether to suspend the connection with the UE, thereby putting the UE into an inactive state based on the information provided. The base station can also determine whether to suspend the connection based on the UE's data activity. While inactive, the UE and base station store the UE connection context, which can be used to quickly restore the connection.