Policy-based roaming SIM profile activation

Abstract

Policy-based roaming SIM activation comprises a method performed by a user equipment (UE) for dynamically changing a serving network operator. A roaming state indication for a current first serving network operator is sent to a virtual corporate network (VCN) orchestrator. A SIM configuration for a second serving network operator is received from the VCN orchestrator if the VCN orchestrator determines that the second serving network operator has a not-roaming coverage area comprising a determined current geo-position of the UE, and a connection with the second serving network operator is established based on the SIM configuration.

Description

POLICY-BASED ROAMING SIM PROFILE ACTIVATIONTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The technology relates to establishing secured enterprise / corporate network communications over public or private mobile networks, and more specifically to facilitating roaming across different public or private mobile networks.BACKGROUND

[0002] Past corporate networks were required to operate only within physical locations, e.g., offices or factories, but technological advancements in recent years have made private virtual corporate networks (VCNs) possible. In a VCN, software management can be used to connect private corporate hardware and software resources over the Internet. Further, the rise in popularity of remote and hybrid work environments, e.g., where corporate team members may be working from home, in transit, or at another public location, has increased demand for enterprise technologies that can facilitate a “connect from anywhere” network environment.

[0003] VCNs, like their physically located counterparts, must still meet enterprise network security and infrastructure cost requirements while catering to modem demands for user mobility. To this end, many commercially available user equipment (UE) / devices include processing circuitry and logic operative to support multiple subscriber identity module (SIM) profiles, each allowing for connection to different mobile networks. Devices that support embedded SIMs (eSIMs) or integrated SIMs (iSIMs) may be operative to use different implementations of a standard local profile assistant (LPA) application to manage SIM profiles. The LPA application may be operative to connect an associated device to a mobile network and / or allow the device to switch across different mobile networks. For example, the LPA application may be operative to load new SIM profiles into an eSIM / iSIM storage accessible to the device and activate some of the SIM profiles. In typical commercial applications, a UE comprises a single modem, so only one SIM profile may be active at a time.

[0004] However, device mobility across different networks traditionally requires roaming, which can result in higher costs and potential poor coverage issues. In the context of enterprise device mobility, there is typically a risk of poor coverage and a high probability of transmission failure in roaming scenarios. While in some cases multiple eSIM profiles for multiple networks can be pre-provisioned in a device, it is currently challenging to minimize and / or prevent the adverse conditions typically present during roaming scenarios.SUMMARY

[0005] In some cases, multiple eSIM profiles can be pre-provisioned in a UE for the local profile assistant (LPA) to switch on a best available network, while in other cases, one or more eSIM profiles may be requested and provisioned to a UE to add coverage for likely roamed areas. However, a user of a UE provisioned with multiple eSIM profiles typically has to manually select a SIM profile to enable connection to a specific network. Further, the user often has to make a network selection without information (real-time or otherwise) about network coverage at a current device location.

[0006] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges.

[0007] In the embodiments described herein, a VCN orchestrator provides for automated device switching from a roaming VCN provider to anon-roaming VCN provider. For example, the VCN orchestrator may comprise processing circuitry / logic operative to determine a roaming status of an associated UE and provision one or more new eSIM profiles to avoid undue roaming costs and allow the device to connect to VCN providers providing in-network coverage at the device’s current roaming location. Moreover, the VCN orchestrator may be operative to provide for automated network switching in instances where the LPA is not configured to provide for automated network switching. Thus, certain embodiments described herein may provide for the technical advantages of dynamically changing a device’s serving network operator if communication costs increase due to roaming and minimizing communication quality degradation due to excessive roaming scenarios.

[0008] In an embodiment, policy-based roaming SIM profile activation includes a method performed by a user equipment (UE) for dynamically changing a serving network operator. A roaming state indication for a current first serving network operator is sent to a virtual corporate network (VCN) orchestrator. The roaming state indication may include the current geoposition of the UE. A SIM configuration for a second serving network operator is received from the VCN orchestrator if the VCN orchestrator determines that the second serving network operator has a not-roaming coverage area comprising a determined current geo-position of the UE, and a connection with the second serving network operator is established based on the SIM configuration. The second serving network operator may be selected by the VCN orchestrator from a plurality of available serving network operators based on the current geoposition of the UE.

[0009] In some embodiments, a device position request may be received from the VCN orchestrator; and device position data may be sent to the VCN orchestrator, the device position data comprising the current geo-position of the UE.

[0010] In some embodiments, a connection status indication may be sent to the VCN orchestrator, the connection status indication indicating that the UE has connected to the first serving network operator. The device position request may be received from the VCN orchestrator based on the connection status indication.

[0011] In some embodiments, the device position data may facilitate updating a VCN coverage map with new coverage information based on the current geo-position of the UE.The second serving network operator may be selected from a plurality of available serving network operators based on the updated VCN coverage map.

[0012] In some embodiments, the current geo-position of the UE may be provided to the VCN orchestrator via an exposure interface associated with the first serving network operator.

[0013] In some embodiments, the SIM configuration may comprise a SIM profile for the second serving network operator. The SIM configuration may comprise a SIM profile activation code for the second serving network operator, and may be received by the UE via the first serving network operator, or by the UE via a subscription manager data preparation plus (SM-DP+) platform of the second serving network operator.

[0014] In some embodiments, the VCN orchestrator may comprise a network node of one of the first serving network operator or the second serving network operator.

[0015] In some embodiments, the SIM configuration may be received at a mobility device manager (MDM) associated with the UE; and the MDM may be operable to facilitate establishing the connection with the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.

[0016] In some embodiments, the SIM configuration may be received via the first serving network operator.

[0017] In some embodiments, the SIM configuration may cause the UE to prioritize the SIM profile for the second serving network operator over other existing SIM profiles.

[0018] In some embodiments, the SIM configuration may cause the UE to prioritize connection to the second serving network operator over the current first serving network operator.

[0019] In some embodiments, a SIM profile request may be sent to a network node of the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration. User data may be provided,and forwarded to the network node of the second serving network operator via the SIM profde request.

[0020] In an embodiment, a method performed by a virtual corporate network (VCN) orchestrator for dynamically changing a serving network operator is provided, a roaming state indication is received from a UE, the roaming state indication indicating that the UE is operating in a roaming area of a current first serving network operator. A current geo-position of the UE is determined in response to receiving the roaming state indication, and a SIM configuration for a second serving network operator is sent to the UE if a second serving network operator has a not-roaming coverage area comprising the determined current geoposition of the UE, wherein the SIM configuration facilitates establishing a connection between the UE and the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.

[0021] In an embodiment, a tangible, non-transient computer-readable medium comprising instructions is provided that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising: sending a roaming state indication for a current first serving network operator to a virtual corporate network (VCN) orchestrator; receiving a SIM configuration for a second serving network operator from the VCN orchestrator if the VCN orchestrator determines that the second serving network operator has a not-roaming coverage area comprising a determined current geo-position of the UE; and establishing a connection with the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.

[0022] In an embodiment, a tangible, non-transient computer-readable medium comprising instructions is provided that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising: receiving a roaming state indication from a UE, the roaming state indication indicating that the UE is operating in a roaming area of a current first serving network operator; determining a current geo-position of the UE in response to receiving the roaming state indication; and sending a SIM configuration for a second serving network operator to the UE if a second serving network operator has a not- roaming coverage area comprising the determined current geo-position of the UE, wherein the SIM configuration facilitates establishing a connection between the UE and the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] For a beter understanding of the various described embodiments, reference should be made to the Detailed Description below, in conjunction with the following drawings in which like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the figures.

[0024] Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless network in accordance with some embodiments.

[0025] Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary user equipment in accordance with some embodiments.

[0026] Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary network node in accordance with some embodiments.

[0027] Figure 4 illustrates a block diagram of a host in accordance with some embodiments.

[0028] Figure 5 illustrates an exemplary virtualization environment in accordance with some embodiments.

[0029] Figure 6 illustrates an exemplary containerized environment in accordance with some embodiments.

[0030] Figure 7 illustrates a communication diagram of a host communicating via a network node with a user equipment over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments.

[0031] Figure 8 illustrates a communication diagram of policy-based eSIM selection in accordance with some embodiments.

[0032] Figure 9 illustrates a block diagram illustrating communications between a VCN orchestrator, serving network operators, a mobility device manager (MDM), and a UE in accordance with some embodiments.

[0033] Figure 10 illustrates a signal sequence diagram between a VCN orchestrator, serving network operators, a MDM, and a UE in accordance with some embodiments.

[0034] Figure 11 illustrates a block diagram of a VCN orchestrator in accordance with some embodiments.

[0035] Figures 12A & 12B illustrate a signal sequence diagram between a VCN orchestrator, serving network operators, a MDM, and a UE in accordance with some embodiments.

[0036] Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method performed by a UE in accordance with some embodiments.

[0037] Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method performed by a VCN orchestrator in accordance with some embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0039] Figure 1 shows an example of a communication system 100 in accordance with some embodiments. In the example, the communication system 100 includes a telecommunication network 102 that includes an access network 104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 106, which includes one or more core network nodes 108. The access network 104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 110a and 110b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 110), or any other similar 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 102 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 102 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network 102, including one or more network nodes 110 and / or core network nodes 108.

[0040] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O- CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or anon-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may beimplemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the 0-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 110 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 112a, 112b, 112c, and 112d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 112) to the core network 106 over one or more wireless connections.

[0041] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0042] The UEs 112 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 110 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 110 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 112 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 102 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 102.

[0043] In the depicted example, the core network 106 connects the network nodes 110 to one or more hosts, such as host 116. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 106 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 108) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 108. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), SubscriptionIdentifier De-concealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0044] The host 116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 104 and / or the telecommunication network 102, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 116 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0045] As a whole, the communication system 100 of Figure 1 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802. 11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0046] In some examples, the telecommunication network 102 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 102 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 102. For example, the telecommunications network 102 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC)ZMassive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0047] In some examples, the UEs 112 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 104 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 104. Additionally,a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved- UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0048] In the example, the hub 114 communicates with the access network 104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 112c and / or 112d) and network nodes (e.g., network node 110b). In some examples, the hub 114 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 114 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 106 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 114 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 110, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 114. As another example, the hub 114 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 114 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 114 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0049] The hub 114 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 110b. The hub 114 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 114 and UEs (e.g., UE 112c and / or 112d), and between the hub 114 and the core network 106. In other examples, the hub 114 is connected to the core network 106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 104 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 110 while still connected via the hub 114 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 114 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 110b. In other embodiments, the hub 114 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 110b, but which isadditionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0050] Figure 2 shows a UE 200 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0051] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle- to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0052] The UE 200 includes processing circuitry 202 that is operatively coupled via a bus 204 to an input / output interface 206, a power source 208, a memory 210, a communication interface 212, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 2. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0053] The processing circuitry 202 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 210. The processing circuitry202 may be implemented as one or more hardware -implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0054] In the example, the input / output interface 206 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 200. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence -sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, atilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0055] In some embodiments, the power source 208 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 208 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 208 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 200 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 208. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 208 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 200 to which power is supplied.

[0056] The memory 210 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 210 includes oneor more application programs 214, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 216. The memory 210 may store, for use by the UE 200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0057] The memory 210 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD- DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 210 may allow the UE 200 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 210, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0058] The processing circuitry 202 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 212. The communication interface 212 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 222. The communication interface 212 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 218 and / or a receiver 220 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 218 and receiver 220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 222) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0059] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 212 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-basedcommunication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / intemet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0060] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 212, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0061] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0062] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor formonitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 200 shown in Figure 2.

[0063] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0064] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone . When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0065] Figure 3 shows a network node 300 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NRNodeBs (gNBs)), 0-RAN nodes or components of an 0-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0066] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an 0-RAN access node)and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0067] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0068] The network node 300 includes a processing circuitry 302, a memory 304, a communication interface 306, and a power source 308. The network node 300 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 300 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 310 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 300 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 300, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 300.

[0069] The processing circuitry 302 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logicoperable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 300 components, such as the memory 304, to provide network node 300 functionality.

[0070] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 302 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 302 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 312 and baseband processing circuitry 314. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 312 and the baseband processing circuitry 314 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 312 and baseband processing circuitry 314 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0071] The memory 304 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computerexecutable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 302. The memory 304 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 302 and utilized by the network node 300. The memory 304 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 302 and / or any data received via the communication interface 306. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 302 and memory 304 is integrated.

[0072] The communication interface 306 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 306 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 316 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 306 also includes radio front-end circuitry 318 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 310. Radio front-end circuitry 318 comprises filters 320 and amplifiers 322. The radio front-end circuitry 318 may be connected to an antenna 310 and processing circuitry 302. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 310 and processing circuitry 302. The radio front-end circuitry 318 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 318 may convert the digital data into a radio signalhaving the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 320 and / or amplifiers 322. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 310. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 310 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 318. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 302. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0073] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 300 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 318, instead, the processing circuitry 302 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 312 is part of the communication interface 306. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 306 includes one or more ports or terminals 316, the radio front-end circuitry 318, and the RF transceiver circuitry 312, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 306 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0074] The antenna 310 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 310 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 318 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 310 is separate from the network node 300 and connectable to the network node 300 through an interface or port.

[0075] The antenna 310, communication interface 306, and / or the processing circuitry 302 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 310, the communication interface 306, and / or the processing circuitry 302 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0076] The power source 308 provides power to the various components of network node 300 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 308 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 300 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 300 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source suppliespower to power circuitry of the power source 308. As a further example, the power source 308 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0077] Embodiments of the network node 300 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 3 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 300 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 300 and to allow output of information from the network node 300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 300.

[0078] Figure 4 is a block diagram of a host 400, which may be an embodiment of the host 116 of Figure 1, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 400 may be or comprise various combinations hardware and / or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host 400 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0079] The host 400 includes processing circuitry 402 that is operatively coupled via a bus 404 to an input / output interface 406, a network interface 408, a power source 410, and a memory 412. Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as Figures 2 and 3, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 400.

[0080] The memory 412 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 414 and data 416, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host 400 or data generated by the host 400 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 400 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 414 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (WC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAC, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems). The host application programs 414 may also provide for user authentication and licensing checks and may periodically report health, routes, and contentavailability to a central node, such as a device in or on the edge of a core network. Accordingly, the host 400 may select and / or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs 414 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0081] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 500 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 500 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 500 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface.

[0082] Applications 502 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 500 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0083] Hardware 504 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 506 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 508a and 508b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 508), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 506 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 508.

[0084] The VMs 508 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 506. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 502 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 508, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0085] In the context of NFV, a VM 508 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non- virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 508, and that part of hardware 504 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 508 on top of the hardware 504 and corresponds to the application 502.

[0086] Hardware 504 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 504 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 504 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 510, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 502. In some embodiments, hardware 504 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 512 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0087] Figure 6 illustrates an exemplary containerized environment in accordance with some embodiments. In containerized environment 600, a Kubemetes manager orchestrator 610, Hardware 620, a control system 630, and one or more application and library / bin containers 640A-C are provided. Like VMs, containers 640A-C may be operative to provide virtual processing (e.g., share of CPU, memory, process space), virtual memory (e.g., an isolated filesystem), virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, but they are also operative to share an operating system (OS) among various applications. Therefore, containers640A-C can be characterized as being decoupled from underlying infrastructure, e.g., hardware 620 and control system 630, and portable across clouds and OS distributions. Generally, applications running in a containerized environment 600 can be broken into smaller, independent workloads that can be deployed and managed dynamically, e.g., by Kubemetes manager orchestrator 610.

[0088] Kubemetes manager orchestrator 610 for managing containerized workloads and sendees may be operative to provide one or more of the following: service discover}? and load balancing, storage orchestration (e.g., to automatically mount a local or cloud provider storage); automated container rollouts and rollbacks; automatic bin packing to provide a cluster of nodes for running containerized tasks; self-healing (e.g., to restart containers that fail, replace containers, and / or kill unresponsive containers); security configuration management for configurable exposure of security information; managed execution of batch workloads; and / or horizontal scaling (e.g., based on CPU usage).

[0089] Hardware 620 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more containers 640A-C, provide containers 640A-C (one or more of which may be generally referred to as containers 640), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein.

[0090] Hardware 620 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 620 may implement some functions via containerization. Alternatively, hardware 620 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via Kubemetes manager orchestrator 610, which, among other functions, oversees lifecycle management of containerized applications 640A-C. In some embodiments, hardware 620 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided via the use of a control system 630 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0091] Figure 7 shows a communication diagram of a host 702 communicating via a network node 704 with a UE 706 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE 112a of Figure 1 and / or UE 200 of Figure 2), network node (such as network node 110a of Figure 1 and / or network node 300 of Figure 3), and host (such as host 116 of Figure 1 and / or host 400 of Figure 4) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure 7.

[0092] Like host 400, embodiments of host 702 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 702 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host 702 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as the UE 706 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection 750 extending between the UE 706 and host 702. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 750.

[0093] The network node 704 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 702 and UE 706. The connection 760 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network 106 of Figure 1) and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0094] The UE 706 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE 706 and executable by the UE’s processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or operator-specific “app” that may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE 706 with the support of the host 702. In the host 702, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 750 terminating at the UE 706 and host 702. In providing the service to the user, the UE's client application may receive request data from the host's host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 750 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection 750.

[0095] The OTT connection 750 may extend via a connection 760 between the host 702 and the network node 704 and via a wireless connection 770 between the network node 704 and the UE 706 to provide the connection between the host 702 and the UE 706. The connection 760 and wireless connection 770, over which the OTT connection 750 may be provided, havebeen drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 702 and the UE 706 via the network node 704, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0096] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 750, in step 708, the host 702 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE 706. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 706 that shares data with the host 702 without explicit human interaction. In step 710, the host 702 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 706. The host 702 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 706. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 706 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 706. The transmission may pass via the network node 704, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step 712, the network node 704 transmits to the UE 706 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 702 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step 714, the UE 706 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 706 associated with the host application executed by the host 702.

[0097] In some examples, the UE 706 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 702. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host 702. Accordingly, in step 716, the UE 706 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via an input / output interface of the UE 706. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 706 initiates, in step 718, transmission of the user data towards the host 702 via the network node 704. In step 720, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 704 receives user data from the UE 706 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 702. In step 722, the host 702 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 706.

[0098] One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 706 using the OTT connection 750, in which the wireless connection 770 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve UE data rate, latency, and power consumption by increasing the likelihood of in-network coverage for higher quality communications (e.g., traffic priority is typically set to a relatively lowpriority / “best-effort” default for roaming communications) and thereby provide benefits such as, better UE responsiveness and extended UE battery lifetime.

[0099] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 702. As another example, the host 702 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 702 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host 702 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host 702 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR or AR which it can broadcast, multicast or unicast to UEs. As other examples, the host 702 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time critical electrical load to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing and / or transmitting data.

[0100] In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 750 between the host 702 and UE 706, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware of the host 702 and / or UE 706. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 750 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection 750 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 704. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like, by the host 702. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 750 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0101] Figure 8 illustrates a communication diagram of policy-based eSIM selection in accordance with some embodiments. In diagram 800, a provider network exposure interface 802 of a VCN is leveraged to let an orchestration processing circuitry / logic 804 know whena UE 806 has left an in-network / non-roaming coverage area 808 for a first provider and entered a roaming coverage area 810. Because roaming is typically more expensive than in- network coverage and can often lead to lower quality communications (e.g., traffic priority is typically set to a relatively low priority / “best-effort” default for roaming communications), the orchestration processing circuitry / logic 804 is operative to leverage the roamed network (Provider 1) to push a new eSIM / iSIM profile to the UE 806 to switch to a determined in- network / non-roaming provider for the UE location, e.g., the coverage area 812 of Provider 2. Therefore, the UE 806 can avoid roaming by switching from a current eSIM / iSIM profile, e.g., eSIM / iSIM profile 820, to a provisioned eSIM / iSIM profile, e.g., eSIM / iSIM profile 830, which covers the roamed location. In various embodiments, the orchestration processing circuitry / logic 804 decision of when to push / switch the new eSIM / iSIM profile is based on the UE 806 geographical position, e.g., obtained via an indication or notification from the network exposure interface 802 of Provider 1. Moreover, the orchestration processing circuitry / logic 804 decision of which eSIM / iSIM profile to push / switch to the device may be based on the UE 806 geographical position and the available providers included in that coverage area. Further, the eSIM / iSIM provisioning phase to push / switch the new profile may leverage current connectivity, i.e., the provider that serves the UE 806 when the decision to provision the new eSIM / iSIM profile has been made. As described in further detail below, the geographical position of the UE 806 may be provided via a network exposure interface 802 or by the device itself.

[0102] Figure 9 illustrates a block diagram illustrating communications between a VCN orchestrator, serving network operators, a mobility device manager (MDM), and a UE in accordance with some embodiments. In diagram 900, a UE 902 may move, for example, from an area 904 that is covered by a radio network that belongs to a first network provider, e.g., Provider 1 906, to an area 908 that is covered by a radio network that belongs to a second network provider, e.g., Provider 2 910, and roams to Provider 1 906. Network providers Provider 1 906 and Provider 2 910 may expose interfaces, e.g. exposure APIs 912 and 914, respectively, to, for example, indicate or signal when a UE 902 switches from in-network radio communication to roaming; and / or to provide a geographical position of the UE 902. In an embodiment, a VCN orchestrator 916 is operative to determine an SIM profile for the UE 902 based on the device position, as described in further detail below, and a mobility device manager (MDM) 918 comprises processing circuitry operative to configure the UE 902 with the new eSIM / iSIM profile data. For example, the SIM configuration including a SIM profile activation code for the selected SIM profile may be pushed to the UE 902 by an SMDP+ server920 associated with the UE’s current network Provider 1 906. Alternatively, or in addition, an address for a SMDP+ server to contact, e.g., SMDP+ server 922 associated with the selected non-roaming network Provider 2 910, may be pushed to the UE 902 by SMDP+ server 920 for the UE 902 to receive the new selected SIM profde. In various embodiments, one or many SMDP+ servers may comprise processing circuitry operative to push / pull eSIM / iSIM profdes for delivery to UE 902. Practical implementations of the various embodiments may include a plurality of VCNs or compatible networks configured to provide in-network (non-roaming) coverage areas. Alternatively, or in addition to the example communications illustrated in Figure 9, the UE 902 may also comprise processing circuitry operative to expose an interface to share its geographical position with the VCN orchestrator 916. Further, SMDP+ services may be located within the provider’s environments as shown (e.g., SMDP+ server 920 may be located within the environment of Provider 1 906, and SMDP+ server 922 may be located within the environment of Provider 2910), but they can also be managed by third parties remote from associated provider environments.

[0103] It should be appreciated that the number of serving network operators / providers is not limited to just two providers as shown in Figure 9 and as used to illustrate the various examples described herein. The various embodiments may be implemented in environments that include a plurality of provider networks, e.g., three, four, five or more provider networks. Further, while VCNs are used as examples throughout this disclosure, various other public or private network provider environments may be suitable for implementing the various embodiments herein. Therefore, this disclosure should not be read as being limited solely to roaming scenarios between VCNs.

[0104] Figure 10 illustrates a signal sequence diagram between a VCN orchestrator, serving network operators, a MDM, and a UE in accordance with some embodiments. To further illustrate the inventive solution, Figure 10 illustrates a sequence diagram 1000 that shows example messages among the components shown in Figure 9 when a device falls in a roaming state.

[0105] For example, at 1002, an exposure API ofanetworkprovider, e.g., Provider 1 1030, may be operative to send a notification to a V CN orchestrator 1040 that a UE 1070 has switched to a roaming state. If not already present in the message sent at 1002, the VCN orchestrator 1040 may be operative to send message 1004 requesting the device position to an exposure API of Provider 1 1030. Based on the device position, the VCN orchestrator may comprise processing circuitry operative to update its coverage map with the new coverage information, e.g., based on the device position, at 1006.

[0106] At 1008, the VCN orchestrator 1040 comprises processing circuitry operative to determine a new non-roaming provider, e.g., Provider 2 1050, to switch the UE 1070 to based on the updated coverage map. If the VCN orchestrator 1040 does not have a SIM profde available for Provider 2 1050, the VCN orchestrator 1040 comprises processing circuitry operative to order the SIM profde at 1010. In some embodiments, the VCN orchestrator may request a more than one SIM profde for future uses, e.g., to switch other UEs to Provider 2 1050.

[0107] Upon procuring the SIM profde from the selected Provider 2 1050, the VCN orchestrator 1040 comprises processing circuitry operative to send a new SIM configuration to an MDM 1060 associated with the UE 1070 at 1012. For example, the SIM configuration may include a specification of which SIM profde to prioritize among a plurality of SIM profiles. In such a case, the new SIM configuration may specify that Provider 2 1050 has a higher priority than Provider 1 1030 to trigger the UE 1070 to switch from the roaming network (Provider 1 1030) to the in-network / not-roaming Provider 2 1050.

[0108] At 1014, the MDM comprises processing circuitry operative to push the new SIM configuration to the UE 1070 via the current roamed network, Provider 1 1030, and upon receiving the new SIM configuration, the UE 1070 comprises processing circuitry operative to switch to the new non-roaming network, Provider 2 1050 accordingly. In some embodiments, the VCN orchestrator 1040 comprises processing circuitry operative to determine whether the UE 1070 has connected or disconnected from a VCN, e.g., by leveraging VCN exposure APIs or the UE 1070 itself. For example, when leveraging VCN exposure APIs, an exposure API for Provider 1 1030 may be operative to send an indication to the VCN orchestrator 1040 when the UE 1070 has disconnected from Provider 1 1030, and an exposure API for Provider 2 1050 may be operative to send an indication to the VCN orchestrator 1040 when the UE 1070 has connected to Provider 2 1050. Alternatively, UE 1070 may comprise processing circuitry operative to send indications that it has disconnected from Provider 1 1030 and / or connected to Provider 2 1050.

[0109] Figure 11 illustrates a block diagram of a VCN Orchestrator for implementing policy-based eSIM selection in accordance with some embodiments. In diagram 1100, a VCN Orchestrator 1110 for implementing policy-based eSIM selection may comprise one or more of an orchestration engine 1120, a monitoring engine 1130, a policy engine 1140, a VCN API client 1150, and an MDM / Endpoint API client 1160.

[0110] In an embodiment, an orchestration engine 1120 for automated policy-based eSIM selection processes is provided. For example, orchestration engine 1120 may compriseprocessing circuitry operative to provide eSIM provisioning / switching to a connected UE through serving network operator / VCN API client 1150 and MDM / Endpoint API client 1160 functions based on orchestration logic. Further, orchestration engine 1120 may comprise orchestration logic / processing circuitry operative to automate various policy-based eSIM selection processes. For example, orchestration engine 1120 may be operative to obtain an eSIM selection decision for a subscribed UE from policy engine 1140 and send eSIM activation, deactivation, or provisioning instructions via VCN API client 1150 and / or MDM / Endpoint API client 1160.[oni] In an embodiment, a monitoring engine 1130 for collecting device data is provided. Monitoring engine 1130 comprises monitoring logic / processing circuitry operative to enable collection of device data to monitor, for example, device roaming status, device location data, and / or device connectivity or activation status. For example, monitoring engine 1130 may be operative to obtain device location and roaming status information for VCN API client 1150 and / or MDM / endpoint API client 1160 and send device location and roaming status information to policy engine 1140.

[0112] In an embodiment, policy engine 1140 for eSIM selection decision processes is provided. Policy engine 1140 comprises policy logic / processing circuitry operative to automate various policy-based eSIM selection decision processes. For example, policy engine 1140 may comprise processing circuitry operative to provide different roaming switching policies per device. For example, different UEs may have different roaming switching policies based on geographical location (e.g., domestic or international), user access thresholds, security thresholds, etc. As shown, policy engine 1140 may be operative to receive device location and roaming status information from monitoring engine 1130 and send an eSIM selection decision for a subscribed UE to orchestration engine 1120.

[0113] Serving network operator / VCN API client 1150 is provided for interfacing with serving network operator service exposure APIs to obtain, for example, device roaming status, device location data, and / or device connectivity or activation status. Serving network operator / VCN API client 1150 comprises logic / processing circuitry operative to integrate and / or interface with serving network operator service exposure APIs to obtain, for example, UE roaming information, activation information, or location information. For example, VCN API client 1150 may be operative to obtain access to serving network operator services, e.g., device roaming status, device location, and / or subscriber activation / deactivation from VCN exposure API 1170 and send serving network operator services information to monitoring engine 1130.

[0114] MDM / Endpoint API client 1160 is provided for interfacing with MDM / Endpoint APIs, e.g., for SIM provisioning, switching, and / or device location. MDM / Endpoint API client 1160 comprises logic / processing circuitry operative to integrate with MDM / Endpoint APIs, for example, to obtain UE location information from MDM 1180, and send / provision eSIMs to UEs via MDM 1180, e.g., to facilitate switching between serving network operators.

[0115] Serving network operator / VCN exposure API 1170 for providing access to serving network operator services is provided. For example, serving network operator / VCN exposure API 1170 may comprise logic / processing circuitry operative to provide VCN API client 1150 access to various serving network operator services, e.g., UE roaming status information, UE subscriber activation / deactivation information, UE location data, or other UE- related data, and may be operative to receive UE subscriber activation / deactivation instructions from VCN API client 1150.

[0116] Mobile device manager (MGM) 1180 for providing for enterprise-level management of UEs is provided. For example, MGM 1180 may comprise logic / processing circuitry operative to provide for enterprise-level management of UEs (i.e., end user devices) including, for example, the provisioning and / or switching of eSIM profiles to particular UEs, providing location data for particular UEs, etc. In an embodiment, MGM 1180 may be operative to send UE location information to MDM / Endpoint API client 1160, and receive eSIM activation / deactivation and / or provisioning instructions from MDM / Endpoint API client 1160.

[0117] Local profile assistant 1190 for providing operating system services / functionality (or lower-level functionality) is provided. For example, local profile assistant 1190 may comprise logic / processing circuitry operative to provide operating system services / functionality (or lower-level functionality) to allow for handling multiple eSIM profiles on a particular UE / device. In an embodiment, local profile assistant 1190 may be operative to receive eSIM activation / deactivation and / or provisioning instructions from MDM 1180.

[0118] One skilled in the art will appreciate that VCN Orchestrator 1110 may include various other components not shown in Figure 11 for implementing policy-based eSIM selection, and that the functions of the various components described above are for illustrative purposes only. For example, each of the functions described above may be performed by one or more of the orchestration engine 1120, monitoring engine 1130, policy engine 1140, VCN API client 1150, and MDM / Endpoint API client 1160 elements of the VCN Orchestrator 1110described above, and VCN Orchestrator 1110 may include additional or fewer elements operative to perform the various functions.

[0119] Figures 12A & 12B illustrate a signal sequence diagram between a VCN orchestrator, serving network operators, a MDM, and a UE in accordance with some embodiments. In diagram 1200, example signal sequences are shown for architecture functions that may be performed by a VCN Orchestrator (e.g., orchestration engine 1220, monitoring engine 1230, policy engine 1240, VCN API client 1250, and / or MDM / Endpoint API client 1260 elements as described in Figure 11 above), and a VCN exposure API 1270, an MDM 1280, and a local profde assistant 1290 in communication with the VCN orchestrator. At 1201, a UE transmits an indication of a change to roaming status, e.g., via a VCN exposure API 1270 to VCN API client 1250 and monitoring engine 1230. At 1202, the Policy engine 1240 receives the notification of the roaming event and sends a UE location verification request to the VCN API Client 1250. At 1202, the VCN API Client 1250 receives the request and transmits the received request to one or more MDM API clients 1260. Upon determining the UE location, the policy engine 1240 transmits a service update request to the orchestration engine 1220 specifying the new UE location where in-network / non-roaming service is needed at 1203. Optionally at 1204, the orchestration engine 1220 may be operative to initiate VCN service update procedures at least by performing one or more of the following: determining the current VCN service associated with the UE directly via MDM API clients 1260 (e.g., if an MDM provides UE localization query support), and updating the UE roaming and location coverage information based on information obtained from MDM API clients 1260 at 1205. Optionally, if the roamed location is not covered by the current VCN service and an eSIM for a nonroaming VCN service for the location is not configured on the device, the orchestration engine 1220 may be operative to initiate a service update comprising one or more of the following: ordering a new eSIM for the determined roamed area VCN network at 1206; activating the new eSIM on the VCN network at 1207; provisioning the new eSIM to the UE via an MDM 1280 associated with the UE at 1208; and updating the VCN service to the non-roaming VCN service at 1209. At 1210, the orchestration engine 1220 is operative to configure the MDM 1280 to activate the eSIM associated with the non-roaming VCN service (e.g., so that the UE is switched to the non-roaming VCN service to avoid roaming connectivity) and update VCN service information for the UE at 1211.

[0120] Figure 13 is a flowchart 1300 illustrating a method performed by a UE in accordance with some embodiments. At 1310, a roaming state indication for current first serving network operator is sent to a VCN orchestrator. For example, the roaming stateindication may include the current geo-position of the UE. At 1320, SIM configuration for second serving network operator is received from the VCN orchestrator, e.g., via the UE’s current (first) serving network operator, if the VCN orchestrator determines that the second serving network operator has a not-roaming coverage area comprising a determined current geo-position of the UE. For example, the SIM configuration may be received by the UE via a subscription manager data preparation plus (SM-DP+) platform of the second serving network operator.

[0121] In some embodiments, the UE may receive a device position request from the VCN orchestrator and send device position data comprising the current geo-position of the UE to the VCN orchestrator in response to the device position request. For example, the UE may provide its current geo-position to the VCN orchestrator via an exposure interface associated with the first serving network operator, e.g., exposure interface API 1170 or 1270 described above. The device position data may facilitate updating a VCN coverage map with new coverage information based on the current geo-position of the UE. In some embodiments, the UE may be configured to send to the VCN orchestrator a connection status indication that the UE has connected to the first serving network operator, and the UE may receive the device position request from the VCN orchestrator in response based on the connection status indication.

[0122] At 1330, a connection is established with the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration, which may comprise a SIM profile and / or a SIM profile activation code for the second serving network operator. For example, the second serving network operator may be selected by the VCN orchestrator from a plurality of available serving network operators based on the current geo-position of the UE and / or the updated VCN coverage map.

[0123] In some embodiments, the VCN orchestrator may comprise a network node of one of the first serving network operator or the second serving network operator.

[0124] In some embodiments, the SIM configuration may be received at a mobility device manager (MDM) associated with the UE via the first serving network operator; where the MDM is operable to facilitate establishing the connection with the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.

[0125] In some embodiments, the SIM configuration may cause the UE to prioritize the SIM profile for the second serving network operator over other existing SIM profiles. For example, the SIM configuration may cause the UE to prioritize connection to the second serving network operator over the current first serving network operator.

[0126] In some embodiments, the UE may send a SIM profile request to a network node of the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration. For example, the UE may be operable to provide user data, and forward the user data to the network node of the second serving network operator via the SIM profile request.

[0127] Figure 14 is a flowchart 1400 illustrating a method performed by a VCN orchestrator in accordance with some embodiments. For example, the VCN orchestrator may comprise a network node of one of the first serving network operator or the second serving network operator. At 1410, a roaming state indication is received from a UE, the roaming state indication indicating that the UE is operating in a roaming area of a current first serving network operator. In some embodiments, the VCN orchestrator may send a notification to one or more subscribers indicating that the UE is in a roaming state.

[0128] At 1420, a current geo-position of the UE is determined in response to receiving the roaming state indication. For example, the roaming state indication may include the current geo-position of the UE. In some embodiments, the VCN orchestrator may send a device position request to the UE and receive device position data from the UE in response, the device position data comprising the current geo-position of the UE. For example, the VCN orchestrator may receive a connection status indication from the UE, e.g., indicating that the UE has connected to the first serving network operator, and send the device position request based on the connection status indication. Further, the VCN orchestrator may update an VCN coverage map with new coverage information based on the current geo-position of the UE. For example, the current geo-position of the UE may be provided via an exposure interface associated with the first serving network operator. In another embodiment, the VCN orchestrator may send a request to verify a geo-position of the UE based on the roaming state indication and, upon receiving verification of the geo-position of the UE, initiate a network service operator update procedure based on the geo-position of the UE. For example, the network service operator update procedure may comprise establishing the connection between the UE and the second network service operator; and updating an VCN coverage map with updated roaming and location coverage information based on the received device position data.

[0129] At 1430, a SIM configuration for a second serving network operator is sent to the UE if a second serving network operator has a not-roaming coverage area comprising the determined current geo-position of the UE, where the SIM configuration facilitates establishing a connection between the UE and the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration. For example, the SIM configuration may comprise a SIM profile and / or a SIM profile activation code for the second serving network operator. In some embodiments, theVCN orchestrator may select the second serving network operator from a plurality of available serving network operators based on an updated VCN coverage map and / or the current geoposition of the UE. In an embodiment, the VCN orchestrator may send the SIM configuration to the UE via the first serving network operator. For example, the VCN orchestrator may send the SIM configuration to the UE via a subscription manager data preparation plus (SM-DP+) platform of the second serving network operator. In another example, the VCN orchestrator may send the SIM configuration to a mobility device manager (MDM) associated with the UE; where the MDM is operable to facilitate establishing the connection between the UE and the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.

[0130] In some embodiments, the SIM configuration may cause the UE to prioritize the SIM profile for the second serving network operator over other existing SIM profiles. For example, the SIM configuration may cause the UE to prioritize connection to the second serving network operator over the current first serving network operator.

[0131] In some embodiments, the VCN orchestrator may receive a SIM profile request from the UE for a SIM profile for the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration. For example, the VCN orchestrator may receive user data from the UE and forward the user data to the second serving network operator based on the SIM profile request.

[0132] In some embodiments, the VCN orchestrator may determine if a SIM profile for the second serving network operator is available, e.g., in a local data cache / storage, and send a SIM profile request to a SIM profile provider if the SIM profile is not available. The VCN orchestrator may then receive the SIM profile for the second serving network operator from the SIM profile provider, and send the SIM configuration comprising the SIM profile to the UE.

[0133] In some embodiments, the VCN orchestrator may receive an establishment request from the UE to establish a connection with the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration, and facilitate establishment of the connection between the UE and the second serving network operator based on the establishment request.

[0134] In addition to the embodiments described herein, various additional embodiments are described below.

[0135] 1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) for dynamically changing a serving network operator, the method comprising: sending a roaming state indication for a current first serving network operator to a virtual corporate network (VCN) orchestrator;receiving a SIM configuration for a second serving network operator from the VCN orchestrator if the VCN orchestrator determines that the second serving network operator has a not-roaming coverage area comprising a determined current geo-position of the UE; and establishing a connection with the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.

[0136] 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the roaming state indication includes the current geo-position of the UE.

[0137] 3. The method of any of claims 1 and 2, further comprising: receiving a device position request from the VCN orchestrator; and sending device position data to the VCN orchestrator, the device position data comprising the current geo-position of the UE.

[0138] 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: sending a connection status indication to the VCN orchestrator, the connection status indication indicating that the UE has connected to the first serving network operator; and receiving the device position request from the VCN orchestrator based on the connection status indication.

[0139] 5. The method of claim 3, wherein the device position data facilitates updating a VCN coverage map with new coverage information based on the current geo-position of the UE.

[0140] 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second serving network operator is selected from a plurality of available serving network operators based on the updated VCN coverage map.

[0141] 7. The method of any of claims 1-6, wherein the current geo-position of the UE is provided to the VCN orchestrator via an exposure interface associated with the first serving network operator.

[0142] 8. The method of any of claims 1-7, wherein the SIM configuration comprises a SIM profile for the second serving network operator.

[0143] 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the SIM configuration comprises a SIM profile activation code for the second serving network operator.

[0144] 10. The method of any of claims 1-9, wherein the SIM configuration is received by the UE via the first serving network operator.

[0145] 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the SIM configuration is received by the UE via a subscription manager data preparation plus (SM-DP+) platform of the second serving network operator.

[0146] 12. The method of any of claims 1-11, wherein the second serving network operator is selected by the VCN orchestrator from a plurality of available serving network operators based on the current geo-position of the UE.

[0147] 13. The method of any of claims 1-12, wherein the VCN orchestrator comprises a network node of one of the first serving network operator or the second serving network operator.

[0148] 14. The method of any of claims 1-13, wherein the SIM configuration is received at a mobility device manager (MDM) associated with the UE; and the MDM is operable to facilitate establishing the connection with the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.

[0149] 15. The method of any of claims 1-14, wherein the SIM configuration is received via the first serving network operator.

[0150] 16. The method of any of claims 1-15, wherein the SIM configuration causes the UE to prioritize the SIM profile for the second serving network operator over other existing SIM profiles.

[0151] 17. The method of any of claims 1-16, wherein the SIM configuration causes the UE to prioritize connection to the second serving network operator over the current first serving network operator.

[0152] 18. The method of any of claims 1-17, wherein the method further comprises sending a SIM profile request to a network node of the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.

[0153] 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

[0154] providing user data; and

[0155] forwarding the user data to the network node of the second serving network operator via the SIM profile request.

[0156] 20. A method performed by a virtual corporate network (VCN) orchestrator for dynamically changing a serving network operator, the method comprising: receiving a roaming state indication from a UE, the roaming state indication indicating that the UE is operating in a roaming area of a current first serving network operator; determining a current geo-position of the UE in response to receiving the roaming state indication; andsending a SIM configuration for a second serving network operator to the UE if a second serving network operator has a not-roaming coverage area comprising the determined current geo-position of the UE, wherein the SIM configuration facilitates establishing a connection between the UE and the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.

[0157] 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the roaming state indication includes the current geo-position of the UE.

[0158] 22. The method of any of claims 20-21, further comprising:

[0159] sending a device position request to the UE;

[0160] receiving device position data from the UE, the device position data comprising the current geo-position of the UE.

[0161] 23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

[0162] receiving a connection status indication from the UE, the connection status indication indicating that the UE has connected to the first serving network operator; and

[0163] sending the device position request based on the connection status indication.

[0164] 24. The method of claim 22, further comprising updating an VCN coverage map with new coverage information based on the current geo-position of the UE.

[0165] 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising selecting the second serving network operator from a plurality of available serving network operators based on the updated VCN coverage map.

[0166] 26. The method of any of claims 20-25, wherein the current geo-position of the UE is provided via an exposure interface associated with the first serving network operator.

[0167] 27. The method of any of claims 20-26, wherein the SIM configuration comprises a SIM profile for the second serving network operator.

[0168] 28. The method of claim 27, wherein the SIM configuration comprises a SIM profile activation code for the second serving network operator.

[0169] 29. The method of any of claims 20-28, further comprising sending the SIM configuration to the UE via the first serving network operator.

[0170] 30. The method of claim 29, further comprising sending the SIM configuration to the UE via a subscription manager data preparation plus (SM-DP+) platform of the second serving network operator.

[0171] 31. The method of any of claims 20-30, further comprising selecting the second serving network operator from a plurality of available serving network operators based on the current geo-position of the UE.

[0172] 32. The method of any of claims 20-31, wherein the VCN orchestrator comprises a network node of one of the first serving network operator or the second serving network operator.

[0173] 33. The method of any of claims 20-32, further comprising sending the SIM configuration to a mobility device manager (MDM) associated with the UE; wherein the MDM is operable to facilitate establishing the connection between the UE and the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.

[0174] 34. The method of any of claims 20-33, wherein the SIM configuration causes the UE to prioritize the SIM profile for the second serving network operator over other existing SIM profiles.

[0175] 35. The method of any of claims 20-34, wherein the SIM configuration causes the UE to prioritize connection to the second serving network operator over the current first serving network operator.

[0176] 36. The method of any of claims 20-35, further comprising receiving a SIM profile request from the UE for a SIM profile for the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.

[0177] 37. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

[0178] receiving user data from the UE; and

[0179] forwarding the user data to the second serving network operator based on the SIM profile request.

[0180] 38. The method of any of claims 20-37, further comprising sending a notification to one or more subscribers indicating that the UE is in a roaming state.

[0181] 39. The method of any of claims 20-38, further comprising sending a request to verify a geo-position of the UE based on the roaming state indication; and upon receiving verification of the geo-position of the UE, initiating a network service operator update procedure based on the geo-position of the UE, wherein the network service operator update procedure comprises: establishing the connection between the UE and the second network service operator; and updating an VCN coverage map with updated roaming and location coverage information based on the received device position data.

[0182] 40. The method of any of claims 20-39, further comprising determining if a SIM profile for the second serving network operator is available at the VCN orchestrator; andsending a SIM profile request to a SIM profile provider if the SIM profile is not available.

[0183] 41. The method of claim 40, further comprising: receiving the SIM profile for the second serving network operator from the SIM profile provider; and sending the SIM configuration comprising the SIM profile to the UE.

[0184] 42. The method of any of claims 20-41, further comprising: receiving an establishment request from the UE to establish a connection with the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration; and facilitating establishment of the connection between the UE and the second serving network operator based on the establishment request.

[0185] 43. A user equipment for dynamically changing a serving network operator, comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of claims 1-19; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0186] 44. A network node for dynamically changing a serving network operator, the network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of claims 20-42; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

[0187] 45. A user equipment (UE) for dynamically changing a serving network operator, the UE comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of claims 1-19; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.

[0188] 46. A tangible, non-transient computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising: sending a roaming state indication for a current first serving network operator to a virtual corporate network (VCN) orchestrator; receiving a SIM configuration for a second serving network operator from the VCN orchestrator if the VCN orchestrator determines that the second serving network operator has a not-roaming coverage area comprising a determined current geo-position of the UE; and establishing a connection with the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.

[0189] 47. A tangible, non-transient computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising: receiving a roaming state indication from a UE, the roaming state indication indicating that the UE is operating in a roaming area of a current first serving network operator; determining a current geo-position of the UE in response to receiving the roaming state indication; and sending a SIM configuration for a second serving network operator to the UE if a second serving network operator has a not-roaming coverage area comprising the determined current geo-position of the UE, wherein the SIM configuration facilitates establishing a connection between the UE and the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.

[0190] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxeslocated within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0191] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) for dynamically changing a serving network operator, the method comprising: sending a roaming state indication for a current first serving network operator to a virtual corporate network (VCN) orchestrator; receiving a SIM configuration for a second serving network operator from the VCN orchestrator if the VCN orchestrator determines that the second serving network operator has a not-roaming coverage area comprising a determined current geo-position of the UE; and establishing a connection with the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the roaming state indication includes the current geoposition of the UE.

3. The method of any of claims 1 and 2, further comprising: receiving a device position request from the VCN orchestrator; and sending device position data to the VCN orchestrator, the device position data comprising the current geo-position of the UE.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: sending a connection status indication to the VCN orchestrator, the connection status indication indicating that the UE has connected to the first serving network operator; and receiving the device position request from the VCN orchestrator based on the connection status indication.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the device position data facilitates updating a VCN coverage map with new coverage information based on the current geo-position of the UE.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second serving network operator is selected from a plurality of available serving network operators based on the updated VCN coverage map.

7. The method of any of claims 1-6, wherein the current geo-position of the UE is provided to the VCN orchestrator via an exposure interface associated with the first serving networkoperator.

8. The method of any of claims 1-7, wherein the SIM configuration comprises a SIM profile for the second serving network operator.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the SIM configuration comprises a SIM profile activation code for the second serving network operator.

10. The method of any of claims 1-9, wherein the SIM configuration is received by the UE via the first serving network operator.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the SIM configuration is received by the UE via a subscription manager data preparation plus (SM-DP+) platform of the second serving network operator.

12. The method of any of claims 1-11, wherein the second serving network operator is selected by the VCN orchestrator from a plurality of available serving network operators based on the current geo-position of the UE.

13. The method of any of claims 1-12, wherein the VCN orchestrator comprises a network node of one of the first serving network operator or the second serving network operator.

14. The method of any of claims 1-13, wherein the SIM configuration is received at a mobility device manager (MDM) associated with the UE; and the MDM is operable to facilitate establishing the connection with the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.

15. The method of any of claims 1-14, wherein the SIM configuration is received via the first serving network operator.

16. The method of any of claims 1-15, wherein the SIM configuration causes the UE to prioritize the SIM profile for the second serving network operator over other existing SIM profiles.

17. The method of any of claims 1-16, wherein the SIM configuration causes the UE to prioritize connection to the second serving network operator over the current first serving network operator.

18. The method of any of claims 1-17, wherein the method further comprises sending a SIM profile request to a network node of the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: providing user data; and forwarding the user data to the network node of the second serving network operator via the SIM profile request.

20. A method performed by a virtual corporate network (VCN) orchestrator for dynamically changing a serving network operator, the method comprising: receiving a roaming state indication from a UE, the roaming state indication indicating that the UE is operating in a roaming area of a current first serving network operator; determining a current geo-position of the UE in response to receiving the roaming state indication; and sending a SIM configuration for a second serving network operator to the UE if a second serving network operator has a not-roaming coverage area comprising the determined current geo-position of the UE, wherein the SIM configuration facilitates establishing a connection between the UE and the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the roaming state indication includes the current geoposition of the UE.

22. The method of any of claims 20-21, further comprising: sending a device position request to the UE; receiving device position data from the UE, the device position data comprising the current geo-position of the UE.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:receiving a connection status indication from the UE, the connection status indication indicating that the UE has connected to the first serving network operator; and sending the device position request based on the connection status indication.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising updating an VCN coverage map with new coverage information based on the current geo-position of the UE.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising selecting the second serving network operator from a plurality of available serving network operators based on the updated VCN coverage map.

26. The method of any of claims 20-25, wherein the current geo-position of the UE is provided via an exposure interface associated with the first serving network operator.

27. The method of any of claims 20-26, wherein the SIM configuration comprises a SIM profile for the second serving network operator.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the SIM configuration comprises a SIM profile activation code for the second serving network operator.

29. The method of any of claims 20-28, further comprising sending the SIM configuration to the UE via the first serving network operator.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising sending the SIM configuration to the UE via a subscription manager data preparation plus (SM-DP+) platform of the second serving network operator.

31. The method of any of claims 20-30, further comprising selecting the second serving network operator from a plurality of available serving network operators based on the current geo-position of the UE.

32. The method of any of claims 20-31, wherein the VCN orchestrator comprises a network node of one of the first serving network operator or the second serving network operator.

33. The method of any of claims 20-32, further comprising sending the SIM configuration to a mobility device manager (MDM) associated with the UE; wherein the MDM is operable to facilitate establishing the connection between the UE and the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.

34. The method of any of claims 20-33, wherein the SIM configuration causes the UE to prioritize the SIM profile for the second serving network operator over other existing SIM profiles.

35. The method of any of claims 20-34, wherein the SIM configuration causes the UE to prioritize connection to the second serving network operator over the current first serving network operator.

36. The method of any of claims 20-35, further comprising receiving a SIM profile request from the UE for a SIM profile for the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising: receiving user data from the UE; and forwarding the user data to the second serving network operator based on the SIM profile request.

38. The method of any of claims 20-37, further comprising sending a notification to one or more subscribers indicating that the UE is in a roaming state.

39. The method of any of claims 20-38, further comprising sending a request to verify a geoposition of the UE based on the roaming state indication; and upon receiving verification of the geo-position of the UE, initiating a network service operator update procedure based on the geo-position of the UE, wherein the network service operator update procedure comprises: establishing the connection between the UE and the second network service operator; and updating an VCN coverage map with updated roaming and location coverage information based on the received device position data.

40. The method of any of claims 20-39, further comprising determining if a SIM profile for the second serving network operator is available at the VCN orchestrator; and sending a SIM profile request to a SIM profile provider if the SIM profile is not available.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising: receiving the SIM profile for the second serving network operator from the SIM profile provider; and sending the SIM configuration comprising the SIM profile to the UE.

42. The method of any of claims 20-41, further comprising: receiving an establishment request from the UE to establish a connection with the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration; and facilitating establishment of the connection between the UE and the second serving network operator based on the establishment request.

43. A user equipment for dynamically changing a serving network operator, comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of claims 1-19; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

44. A network node for dynamically changing a serving network operator, the network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of claims 20-42; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the processing circuitry.

45. A user equipment (UE) for dynamically changing a serving network operator, the UE comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of claims 1-19; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow inputof information into the UE to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the UE that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the UE.

46. A tangible, non-transient computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising: sending a roaming state indication for a current first serving network operator to a virtual corporate network (VCN) orchestrator; receiving a SIM configuration for a second serving network operator from the VCN orchestrator if the VCN orchestrator determines that the second serving network operator has a not-roaming coverage area comprising a determined current geo-position of the UE; and establishing a connection with the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.

47. A tangible, non-transient computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising: receiving a roaming state indication from a UE, the roaming state indication indicating that the UE is operating in a roaming area of a current first serving network operator; determining a current geo-position of the UE in response to receiving the roaming state indication; and sending a SIM configuration for a second serving network operator to the UE if a second serving network operator has a not-roaming coverage area comprising the determined current geo-position of the UE, wherein the SIM configuration facilitates establishing a connection between the UE and the second serving network operator based on the SIM configuration.

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