Dual steering registration

Abstract

An apparatus of a user equipment (UE) comprising one or more processors, coupled to a memory, configured to: encode, for transmission to a first network, a first registration request for primary access to the first network based on a dual steer capability of the UE; decode, from the first network, a first registration accept message granting primary access to the first network to enable the UE to perform dual steering with the first network; encode, for transmission to a second network, a second registration request for secondary access based on the dual steer capability of the UE; and decode, from the second network, a second registration accept message granting secondary access to the second network to enable the UE to perform dual steering with the second network.

Description

DUAL STEERING REGISTRATIONFIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the invention relate to wireless communications, including apparatuses, systems, and methods for dual steer registration by a UE in a cellular communications network.DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

[0002] Wireless communication systems are rapidly growing in usage. In recent years, wireless devices such as smart phones and tablet computers have become increasingly sophisticated. In addition to supporting telephone calls, many mobile devices now provide access to the internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the global positioning system (GPS) and are capable of operating sophisticated applications that utilize these functionalities.

[0003] Long Term Evolution (LTE) has been the technology of choice for the majority of wireless network operators worldwide, providing mobile broadband data and high-speed Internet access to their subscriber base. LTE was first proposed in 2004 and was first standardized in 2008. Since then, as usage of wireless communication systems has expanded exponentially, demand has risen for wireless network operators to support a higher capacity for a higher density of mobile broadband users. In 2015, a study of a new radio access technology began and, in 2017, a first release of Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR) was standardized.

[0004] 5G-NR, also simply referred to as NR, provides, as compared to LTE, a higher capacity for a higher density of mobile broadband users, while also supporting device-to-device, ultra-reliable, and massive machine type communications with lower latency and / or lower battery consumption. Further, NR may allow for more flexible UE scheduling as compared to current LTE. Consequently, efforts are being made in ongoing developments of 5G-NR to take advantage of higher throughputs possible at higher frequencies.SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments relate to wireless communications, and more particularly to apparatuses, systems, and methods for an apparatus of a user equipment (UE) comprising one or more processors, coupled to a memory, configured to: encode, for transmission to a first network, a first registration request for primary access to the first network based on a dual steer capability of the UE; decode, from the first network, a first registration accept message granting primary access to the first network to enable the UE to perform dual steering with the first network; encode, for transmission to a second network, a second registration request for secondary access based on the dual steer capability of the UE; and decode, from the second network, a second registration accept message granting secondary access to the second network to enable the UE to perform dual steering with the second network; decode, from the first network, a paging message on the primary access; encode, for transmission to the first network, a deregistration request for terminating the primary access to the first network; and encode, for transmission to the second network, a deregistration request for terminating the second access to the second network.

[0006] The techniques described herein may be implemented in and / or used with a number of different types of devices, including but not limited to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned aerial controllers (UACs), base stations, access points, cellular phones, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, portable media players, and any of various other computing devices.

[0007] This Summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above-described features are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following Detailed Description, Figures, and Claims.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] A better understanding of the present subject matter can be obtained when the following detailed description of various embodiments is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system according to some embodiments.

[0010] FIG. 1 B illustrates an example of a base station and an access point in communication with a user equipment (UE) device, according to some embodiments.

[0011] FIG. 2 illustrates an example block diagram of a base station, according to some embodiments.

[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates an example block diagram of a server according to some embodiments.

[0013] FIG. 4 illustrates an example block diagram of a UE according to some embodiments.

[0014] FIG. 5 illustrates an example block diagram of cellular communication circuitry, according to some embodiments.

[0015] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a baseband processor architecture for a UE, according to some embodiments.

[0016] FIG. 7 illustrates an example block diagram of an interface of baseband circuitry according to some embodiments.

[0017] FIG. 8 illustrates example components of a core network in accordance with some embodiments.

[0018] FIG. 9 illustrates an example timing diagram signaling for UE-network interactions for dual steer registration according to some embodiments.

[0019] FIG. 10A illustrates an example diagram of registration mobility aspects and unified data management (UDM) handling for dual steer registration in accordance with some embodiments.

[0020] FIG. 10B illustrates an example diagram of registration mobility aspects and UDM handling with a single Access and Mobility Management Function AMFin accordance with some embodiments.

[0021] FIG. 1 1 illustrates example diagram of paging handling for dual steer registration in accordance with some embodiments.

[0022] FIG. 12 illustrates an example diagram of UE security credentials for dual steer registration in accordance with some embodiments.

[0023] FIG. 13 illustrates an example diagram of Fifth Generation (5G) mobility management (5GMM) capability information element (IE) for dual steer registration in accordance with some embodiments.

[0024] FIG. 14 illustrates an example diagram of Fifth Generation System (5GS) network feature support information element (IE) for dual steer registration in accordance with some embodiments.

[0025] FIG. 15 illustrates an example diagram of dual steer information element (IE) in accordance with some embodiments.

[0026] FIG. 16 illustrates an example diagram of a registration request message content for dual steer registration in accordance with some embodiments.

[0027] FIG. 17 illustrates an example diagram of a registration accept message content for dual steer registration in accordance with some embodiments.

[0028] FIG. 18 illustrates an example diagram of a registration reject message content for dual steer registration in accordance with some embodiments.

[0029] FIG. 19 illustrates an example flow chart of a method for dual steer registration by a UE for frequency range two (FR2), according to some embodiments.

[0030] While the features described herein may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to be limiting to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONTerms

[0031] The following is a glossary of terms used in this disclosure:

[0032] Memory Medium - Any of various types of non-transitory memory devices or storage devices. The term “memory medium” is intended to include an installation medium, e.g., a CD-ROM, floppy disks, or tape device; a computer system memory or random-access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; a non-volatile memory such as a Flash, magnetic media, e.g., a hard drive, or optical storage; registers, or other similar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium may include other types of non- transitory memory as well or combinations thereof. In addition, the memory medium may be located in a first computer system in which the programs are executed or may be located in a second different computer system which connects to the first computer system over a network, such as the Internet. In the latter instance, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term “memory medium” may include two or more memory mediums which may reside in different locations, e.g., in different computer systems that are connected over a network. The memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., embodied as computer programs) that may be executed by one or more processors.

[0033] Carrier Medium - a memory medium as described above, as well as a physical transmission medium, such as a bus, network, and / or other physical transmission medium that conveys signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals.

[0034] Programmable Hardware Element includes various hardware devices comprising multiple programmable function blocks connected via a programmable interconnect. Examples include FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPOAs (Field Programmable Object Arrays), and CPLDs (Complex PLDs). The programmable function blocks may range from fine grained (combinatorial logic or look up tables) to coarse grained (arithmetic logicunits or processor cores). A programmable hardware element may also be referred to as "reconfigurable logic”.

[0035] Computer System (or Computer) - any of various types of computing or processing systems, including a personal computer system (PC), mainframe computer system, workstation, network appliance, Internet appliance, personal digital assistant (PDA), television system, grid computing system, or other device or combinations of devices. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0036] User Equipment (UE) (or “UE Device”) - any of various types of computer systems devices which are mobile or portable and which performs wireless communications. Examples of UE devices include mobile telephones or smart phones (e.g., iPhone™, Android™-based phones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS™, PlayStation Portable™, Gameboy Advance™, iPhone™), laptops, wearable devices (e.g., smart watch, smart glasses), PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., drones), UAV controllers (UACs), and so forth. In general, the term “UE” or “UE device” can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic, computing, and / or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) which is easily transported by a user and capable of wireless communication.

[0037] Base Station - The term "Base Station" has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning, and at least includes a wireless communication station installed at a fixed location and used to communicate as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0038] Processing Element (or Processor) - refers to various elements or combinations of elements that are capable of performing a function in a device, such as a user equipment or a cellular network device. Processing elements may include, for example: processors and associated memory, portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processor cores, processor arrays, circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), programmable hardware elements such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), as well any of various combinations of the above.

[0039] Channel - a medium used to convey information from a sender (transmitter) to a receiver. It should be noted that since characteristics of the term “channel” may differ according to different wireless protocols, the term “channel” as used herein may be considered as being used in a manner that is consistent with the standard of the type of device with reference to which the term is used. In some standards, channel widths may be variable (e.g., depending on device capability, band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE may support scalable channel bandwidths from 1.4 MHz to 20MHz. 5G NR can support scalable channel bandwidths from 5 MHz to 100 MHz in Frequency Range 1 (FR1 ) and up to 400 MHz in FR2. In other radio access technologies, WLAN channels may be 22 MHz wide while Bluetooth channels may be 1 MHz wide. Other protocols and standards may include different definitions of channels. Furthermore, some standards may define and use multiple types of channels, e.g., different channels for uplink or downlink and / or different channels for different uses such as data, control information, etc.

[0040] Band - The term "band" has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning, and at least includes a section of spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum) in which channels are used or set aside for the same purpose.

[0041] Automatically - refers to an action or operation performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g., circuitry, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.), without user input directly specifying or performing the action or operation. Thus, the term "automatically" is in contrast to an operation being manually performed or specified by the user, where the user provides input to directly perform the operation. An automatic procedure may be initiated by input provided by the user, but the subsequent actions that are performed “automatically” are not specified by the user, i.e., are not performed “manually”, where the user specifies each action to perform. For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing information, selecting check boxes, radio selections, etc.) is filling out the form manually, even though the computer system will update the form in response to the user actions. The form may be automatically filled out by the computer system where the computer system(e.g., software executing on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills in the form without any user input specifying the answers to the fields. As indicated above, the user may invoke the automatic filling of the form, but is not involved in the actual filling of the form (e.g., the user is not manually specifying answers to fields but rather they are being automatically completed). The present specification provides various examples of operations being automatically performed in response to actions the user has taken.

[0042] Approximately - refers to a value that is almost correct or exact. For example, approximately may refer to a value that is within 1 to 10 percent of the exact (or desired) value. It should be noted, however, that the actual threshold value (or tolerance) may be application dependent. For example, in some embodiments, “approximately” may mean within 0.1 % of some specified or desired value, while in various other embodiments, the threshold may be, for example, 2%, 3%, 5%, and so forth, as desired or as set by the particular application.

[0043] Concurrent - refers to parallel execution or performance, where tasks, processes, or programs are performed in an at least partially overlapping manner. For example, concurrency may be implemented using “strong” or strict parallelism, where tasks are performed (at least partially) in parallel on respective computational elements, or using “weak parallelism”, where the tasks are performed in an interleaved manner, e.g., by time multiplexing of execution threads.

[0044] LTM - refers to lower layer triggered mobility or Layer 1 I Layer 2 Triggered Mobility in which the UE is configured to perform L1 measurements on a neighbor cell.

[0045] Various components may be described as “configured to” perform a task or tasks. In such contexts, “configured to” is a broad recitation generally meaning “having structure that” performs the task or tasks during operation. As such, the component can be configured to perform the task even when the component is not currently performing that task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors may be configured to electrically connect a module to another module, even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, “configured to” may be a broad recitation ofstructure generally meaning “having circuitry that” performs the task or tasks during operation. As such, the component can be configured to perform the task even when the component is not currently on. In general, the circuitry that forms the structure corresponding to “configured to” may include hardware circuits.

[0046] Various components may be described as performing a task or tasks, for convenience in the description. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase “configured to.” Reciting a component that is configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) interpretation for that component.

[0047] The example embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and the related appended drawings, wherein like elements are provided with the same reference numerals. The example embodiments relate to dualsteer registration by a UE.

[0048] The example embodiments are described with regard to communication between a base station (e.g., next generation Node B (gNB)) and a user equipment (UE). However, reference to a gNB or a UE is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The example embodiments may be utilized with any electronic component that may establish a connection to a network and is configured with the hardware, software, and / or firmware to provide and support dualsteer registration by a UE. Therefore, the gNB or UE as described herein is used to represent any appropriate type of electronic component.

[0049] The example embodiments are also described with regard to a fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR) network that may configure a UE to provide dualsteer registration. However, reference to a 5G NR network is merely provided for illustrative purposes. The example embodiments may be utilized with any appropriate type of network.

[0050] Throughout this description various information elements (lEs) arereferred to by specific names. It should be understood that these names are only examples and the lEs carrying the information referred to throughout this description may be referred to by other names by various entities.Fiqures 1 A and 1 B: Communication Systems

[0051] FIG. 1 A illustrates a simplified example wireless communication system, according to some embodiments. It is noted that the system of FIG. 1 A is merely one example of a possible system, and that features of this disclosure may be implemented in any of various systems, as desired.

[0052] As shown, the example wireless communication system includes a base station 102A which communicates over a transmission medium with one or more user devices 106A, 106B, etc., through 106N. Each of the user devices may be referred to herein as a “user equipment” (UE). Thus, the user devices 106 are referred to as UEs or UE devices.

[0053] The base station (BS) 102A may be a base transceiver station (BTS) or cell site (a “cellular base station”) and may include hardware that enables wireless communication with the UEs 106A through 106N.

[0054] The communication area (or coverage area) of the base station may be referred to as a “cell.” The base station 102A and the UEs 106 may be configured to communicate over the transmission medium using any of various radio access technologies (RATs), also referred to as wireless communication technologies, or telecommunication standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 5G new radio (5G NR), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1 xRTT, 1 xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc. Note that if the base station 102A is implemented in the context of LTE, also referred to as the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN, it may alternately be referred to as an 'eNodeB' or ‘eNB’. Note that if the base station 102A is implemented in the context of 5G NR, it may alternately be referred to as ‘gNodeB’ or ‘gNB’.

[0055] As shown, the base station 102A may also be equipped to communicate with a network 100 (e.g., a core network of a cellular service provider, atelecommunication network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, among various possibilities). Thus, the base station 102A may facilitate communication between the user devices and / or between the user devices and the network 100. In particular, the cellular base station 102A may provide UEs 106 with various telecommunication capabilities, such as voice, SMS and / or data services.

[0056] Base station 102A and other similar base stations (such as base stations 102B...102N) operating according to the same or a different cellular communication standard may thus be provided as a network of cells, which may provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping service to UEs 106A-N and similar devices over a geographic area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0057] Thus, while base station 102A may act as a “serving cell” for UEs 106A- N as illustrated in FIG. 1A, each UE 106 may also be capable of receiving signals from (and possibly within communication range of) one or more other cells (which might be provided by base stations 102B-N and / or any other base stations), which may be referred to as “neighboring cells”. Such cells may also be capable of facilitating communication between user devices and / or between user devices and the network 100. Such cells may include “macro” cells, “micro” cells, “pico” cells, and / or cells which provide any of various other granularities of service area size. For example, base stations 102A-B illustrated in FIG. 1 A might be macro cells, while base station 102N might be a micro cell. Other configurations are also possible.

[0058] In some embodiments, base station 102A may be a next generation base station, e.g., a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or “gNB”. In some embodiments, a gNB may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to a NR core (NRC) network. In addition, a gNB cell may include one or more transition and reception points (TRPs). In addition, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0059] Note that a UE 106 may be capable of communicating using multiplewireless communication standards. For example, the UE 106 may be configured to communicate using a wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocol (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.) in addition to at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1 xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc.). The UE 106 may also or alternatively be configured to communicate using one or more global navigational satellite systems (GNSS, e.g., GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcasting standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H or DVB-H), and / or any other wireless communication protocol, if desired. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0060] FIG. 1 B illustrates user equipment 106 (e.g., one of the devices 106A through 106N) in communication with a base station 102 and an access point 112, according to some embodiments. The UE 106 may be a device with both cellular communication capability and non-cellular communication capability (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and so forth) such as a mobile phone, a hand-held device, a computer or a tablet, or virtually any type of wireless device.

[0061] The UE 106 may include a processor that is configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. The UE 106 may perform any of the method embodiments described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively, or in addition, the UE 106 may include a programmable hardware element such as an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) that is configured to perform any of the method embodiments described herein, or any portion of any of the method embodiments described herein.

[0062] The UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may be configured to communicate using, for example, CDMA2000 (1 xRTT 1 1 xEV-DO I HRPD I eHRPD), LTE / LTE- Advanced, or 5G NR using a single shared radio and / or GSM, LTE, LTE-Advanced, or 5G NR using the single shared radio. The shared radio may couple to a single antenna, or may couple to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wirelesscommunications. In general, a radio may include any combination of a baseband processor, analog RF signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), ordigital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation as well as other digital processing). Similarly, the radio may implement one or more receive and transmit chains using the aforementioned hardware. For example, the UE 106 may share one or more parts of a receive and / or transmit chain between multiple wireless communication technologies, such as those discussed above.

[0063] In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include separate transmit and / or receive chains (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol with which it is configured to communicate. As a further possibility, the UE 106 may include one or more radios which are shared between multiple wireless communication protocols, and one or more radios which are used exclusively by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, the UE 106 might include a shared radio for communicating using either of LTE or 5G NR (or LTE or IxRTTor LTE or GSM), and separate radios for communicating using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.FIG. 2: Block Diagram of a Base Station

[0064] FIG. 2 illustrates an example block diagram of a base station 102, according to some embodiments. It is noted that the base station of FIG. 2 is merely one example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station 102 may include processor(s) 204 which may execute program instructions for the base station 102. The processor(s) 204 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 240, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor(s) 204 and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 260 and read only memory (ROM) 250) or to other circuits or devices.

[0065] The base station 102 may include at least one network port 270. The network port 270 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide a plurality of devices, such as UE devices 106, access to the telephone network as described above in Figures 1 and 2.

[0066] The network port 270 (or an additional network port) may also or alternatively be configured to couple to a cellular network, e.g., a core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility related services and / or other services to a plurality of devices, such as UE devices 106. In some cases, the network port 270 may couple to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., among other UE devices serviced by the cellular service provider).

[0067] In some embodiments, base station 102 may be a next generation base station, e.g., a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or “gNB”. In such embodiments, base station 102 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to a NR core (NRC) network. In addition, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transition and reception points (TRPs). In addition, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0068] The base station 102 may include at least one antenna 234, and possibly multiple antennas. The at least one antenna 234 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE devices 106 via radio 230. The antenna 234 communicates with the radio 230 via communication chain 232. Communication chain 232 may be a receive chain, a transmit chain or both. The radio 230 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including, but not limited to, 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0069] The base station 102 may be configured to communicate wirelessly using multiple wireless communication standards. In some instances, the base station 102 may include multiple radios, which may enable the base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, the base station 102 may include an LTE radio for performing communication according to LTE as well as a 5G NR radio for performing communication according to 5G NR. In such a case, the base station 102 may be capable of operating as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. As another possibility, the base station 102 may include a multi-mode radio which is capable of performing communications according to any of multiplewireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).

[0070] As described further subsequently herein, the BS 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting implementation of features described herein. The processor 204 of the base station 102 may be configured to implement or support implementation of part or all of the methods described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, the processor 204 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof.Alternatively (or in addition) the processor 204 of the BS 102, in conjunction with one or more of the other components 230, 232, 234, 240, 250, 260, 270 may be configured to implement or support implementation of part or all of the features described herein.

[0071] In addition, as described herein, processor(s) 204 may be comprised of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor(s) 204. Thus, processor(s) 204 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of processor(s) 204. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor(s) 204.

[0072] Further, as described herein, radio 230 may be comprised of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in radio 230. Thus, radio 230 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of radio 230. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio 230.FIG. 3: Block Diagram of a Server

[0073] FIG. 3 illustrates an example block diagram of a server 104,according to some embodiments. It is noted that the server of FIG. 3 is merely one example of a possible server. As shown, the server 104 may include processor(s) 344 which may execute program instructions for the server 104. The processor(s) 344 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 374, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor(s) 344 and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 364 and read only memory (ROM) 354) or to other circuits or devices.

[0074] The server 104 may be configured to provide a plurality of devices, such as base station 102, and UE devices 106 access to network functions, e.g., as further described herein.

[0075] In some embodiments, the server 104 may be part of a radio access network, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) radio access network. In some embodiments, the server 104 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to a NR core (NRC) network.

[0076] As described herein, the server 104 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting implementation of features described herein. The processor 344 of the server 104 may be configured to implement or support implementation of part or all of the methods described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, the processor 344 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or in addition) the processor 344 of the server 104, in conjunction with one or more of the other components 354, 364, and / or 374 may be configured to implement or support implementation of part or all of the features described herein.

[0077] In addition, as described herein, processor(s) 344 may be comprised of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor(s) 344. Thus, processor(s) 344 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of processor(s) 344. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., firstcircuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor(s) 344.FIG. 4: Block Diagram of a User Equipment

[0078] FIG. 4 illustrates an example simplified block diagram of a communication device 106, according to some embodiments. It is noted that the block diagram of the communication device of FIG. 4 is only one example of a possible communication device. According to embodiments, communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook, or portable computing device), a tablet, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a UAV controller (UAC) and / or a combination of devices, among other devices. As shown, the communication device 106 may include a set of components 400 configured to perform core functions. For example, this set of components may be implemented as a system on chip (SOC), which may include portions for various purposes. Alternatively, this set of components 400 may be implemented as separate components or groups of components for the various purposes. The set of components 400 may be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to various other circuits of the communication device 106.

[0079] For example, the communication device 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash 410), an input / output interface such as connector l / F 420 (e.g., for connecting to a computer system; dock; charging station; input devices, such as a microphone, camera, keyboard; output devices, such as speakers; etc.), the display 460, which may be integrated with or external to the communication device 106, and cellular communication circuitry 430 such as for 5G NR, LTE, GSM, etc., and short to medium range wireless communication circuitry 429 (e.g., Bluetooth™ and WLAN circuitry). In some embodiments, communication device 106 may include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as a network interface card, e.g., for Ethernet.

[0080] The cellular communication circuitry 430 may couple (e.g.,communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 435 and 436 as shown. The short to medium range wireless communication circuitry 429 may also couple (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 437 and 438 as shown. Alternatively, the short to medium range wireless communication circuitry 429 may couple (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to the antennas 435 and 436 in addition to, or instead of, coupling (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to the antennas 437 and 438. The short to medium range wireless communication circuitry 429 and / or cellular communication circuitry 430 may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) configuration.

[0081] In some embodiments, as further described below, cellular communication circuitry 430 may include dedicated receive chains (including and / or coupled to, e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly, dedicated processors and / or radios) for multiple RATs (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). In addition, in some embodiments, cellular communication circuitry 430 may include a single transmit chain that may be switched between radios dedicated to specific RATs. For example, a first radio may be dedicated to a first RAT, e.g., LTE, and may be in communication with a dedicated receive chain and a transmit chain shared with an additional radio, e.g., a second radio that may be dedicated to a second RAT, e.g., 5G NR, and may be in communication with a dedicated receive chain and the shared transmit chain.

[0082] The communication device 106 may also include and / or be configured for use with one or more user interface elements. The user interface elements may include any of various elements, such as display 460 (which may be a touchscreen display), a keyboard (which may be a discrete keyboard or may be implemented as part of a touchscreen display), a mouse, a microphone and / or speakers, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of various other elements capable of providing information to a user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0083] The communication device 106 may further include one or more smart cards 445 that include SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC(s) (Universal Integrated Circuit Card(s)) cards 445. Note that theterm “SIM” or “SIM entity” is intended to include any of various types of SIM implementations or SIM functionality, such as the one or more LIICC(s) cards 445, one or more elllCCs, one or more eSIMs, either removable or embedded, etc. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include at least two SIMs. Each SIM may execute one or more SIM applications and / or otherwise implement SIM functionality. Thus, each SIM may be a single smart card that may be embedded, e.g., may be soldered onto a circuit board in the UE 106, or each SIM 410 may be implemented as a removable smart card. Thus, the SIM(s) may be one or more removable smart cards (such as UICC cards, which are sometimes referred to as “SIM cards”), and / or the SIMs 410 may be one or more embedded cards (such as embedded UICCs (eUlCCs), which are sometimes referred to as “eSIMs” or “eSIM cards”). In some embodiments (such as when the SIM(s) include an eUlCC), one or more of the SIM(s) may implement embedded SIM (eSIM) functionality; in such an embodiment, a single one of the SIM(s) may execute multiple SIM applications. Each of the SIMs may include components such as a processor and / or a memory; instructions for performing SIM / eSIM functionality may be stored in the memory and executed by the processor. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include a combination of removable smart cards and fixed / non-removable smart cards (such as one or more eUlCC cards that implement eSIM functionality), as desired. For example, the UE 106 may comprise two embedded SIMs, two removable SIMs, or a combination of one embedded SIMs and one removable SIMs. Various other SIM configurations are also contemplated.

[0084] As noted above, in some embodiments, the UE 106 may include two or more SIMs. The inclusion of two or more SIMs in the UE 106 may allow the UE 106 to support two different telephone numbers and may allow the UE 106 to communicate on corresponding two or more respective networks. For example, a first SIM may support a first RAT such as LTE, and a second SIM 410 support a second RAT such as 5G NR. Other implementations and RATs are of course possible. In some embodiments, when the UE 106 comprises two SIMs, the UE 106 may support Dual SIM Dual Active (DSDA) functionality. The DSDA functionality may allow the UE 106 to be simultaneously connected to two networks (and use two different RATs) at the same time, or to simultaneously maintain twoconnections supported by two different SIMs using the same or different RATs on the same or different networks. The DSDA functionality may also allow the UE 106 to simultaneously receive voice calls or data traffic on either phone number. In certain embodiments the voice call may be a packet switched communication. In other words, the voice call may be received using voice over LTE (VoLTE) technology and / or voice over NR (VoNR) technology. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may support Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS) functionality. The DSDS functionality may allow either of the two SIMs in the UE 106 to be on standby waiting for a voice call and / or data connection. In DSDS, when a call / data is established on one SIM, the other SIM is no longer active. In some embodiments, DSDx functionality (either DSDA or DSDS functionality) may be implemented with a single SIM (e.g., a eUlCC) that executes multiple SIM applications for different carriers and / or RATs.

[0085] As shown, the SOC 400 may include processor(s) 402, which may execute program instructions for the communication device 106 and display circuitry 404, which may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to the display 460. The processor(s) 402 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 440, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor(s) 402 and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 406, read only memory (ROM) 450, NAND flash memory 410) and / or to other circuits or devices, such as the display circuitry 404, short to medium range wireless communication circuitry 429, cellular communication circuitry 430, connector l / F 420, and / or display 460. The MMU 440 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or set up. In some embodiments, the MMU 440 may be included as a portion of the processor(s) 402.

[0086] As described herein, the communication device 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing the above features for a communication device 106 to communicate a scheduling profile for power savings to a network. The processor 402 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), processor 402may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition) the processor 402 of the communication device 106, in conjunction with one or more of the other components 400, 404, 406, 410, 420, 429, 430, 440, 445, 450, 460 may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein.

[0087] In addition, as described herein, processor 402 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processor 402 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of processor 402. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor(s) 402.

[0088] Further, as described herein, cellular communication circuitry 430 and short to medium range wireless communication circuitry 429 may each include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in cellular communication circuitry 430 and, similarly, one or more processing elements may be included in short to medium range wireless communication circuitry 429. Thus, cellular communication circuitry 430 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of cellular communication circuitry 430. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of cellular communication circuitry 430. Similarly, the short to medium range wireless communication circuitry 429 may include one or more ICs that are configured to perform the functions of short to medium range wireless communication circuitry 429. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of short to medium range wireless communication circuitry 429.FIG. 5: Block Diagram of Cellular Communication Circuitry

[0089] FIG. 5 illustrates an example simplified block diagram of cellular communication circuitry, according to some embodiments. It is noted that the block diagram of the cellular communication circuitry of FIG. 5 is only one example of apossible cellular communication circuit. According to embodiments, cellular communication circuitry 530, which may be cellular communication circuitry 430, may be included in a communication device, such as communication device 106 described above. As noted above, communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook, or portable computing device), a tablet and / or a combination of devices, among other devices.

[0090] The cellular communication circuitry 530 may couple (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 435a-b and 436 as shown (in FIG. 4). In some embodiments, cellular communication circuitry 530 may include dedicated receive chains (including and / or coupled to, e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly, dedicated processors and / or radios) for multiple RATs (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). For example, as shown in FIG. 5, cellular communication circuitry 530 may include a modem 510 and a modem 520. Modem 510 may be configured for communications according to a first RAT, e.g., such as LTE or LTE-A, and modem 520 may be configured for communications according to a second RAT, e.g., such as 5G NR.

[0091] As shown, modem 510 may include one or more processors 512 and a memory 516 in communication with processors 512. Modem 510 may be in communication with a radio frequency (RF) front end 535. RF front end 535 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 535 may include receive circuitry (RX) 532 and transmit circuitry (TX) 534. In some embodiments, receive circuitry 532 may be in communication with downlink (DL) front end 550, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 335a.

[0092] Similarly, modem 520 may include one or more processors 522 and a memory 526 in communication with processors 522. Modem 520 may be in communication with an RF front end 540. RF front end 540 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 540 may include receive circuitry 542 and transmit circuitry 544. In some embodiments,receive circuitry 542 may be in communication with DL front end 560, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 335b.

[0093] In some embodiments, a switch 570 may couple transmit circuitry 534 to uplink (UL) front end 572. In addition, switch 570 may couple transmit circuitry 544 to UL front end 572. UL front end 572 may include circuitry for transmitting radio signals via antenna 336. Thus, when cellular communication circuitry 530 receives instructions to transmit according to the first RAT (e.g., as supported via modem 510), switch 570 may be switched to a first state that allows modem 510 to transmit signals according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain that includes transmit circuitry 534 and UL front end 572). Similarly, when cellular communication circuitry 530 receives instructions to transmit according to the second RAT (e.g., as supported via modem 520), switch 570 may be switched to a second state that allows modem 520 to transmit signals according to the second RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain that includes transmit circuitry 544 and UL front end 572).

[0094] As described herein, the modem 510 may include hardware and software components for implementing the above features or for time division multiplexing UL data for NSA NR operations, as well as the various other techniques described herein. The processors 512 may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), processor 512 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition) the processor 512, in conjunction with one or more of the other components 530, 532, 534, 535, 550, 570, 572, 335a, 335b, and 336 may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein.

[0095] In addition, as described herein, processors 512 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processors 512 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of processors 512. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processors 512.

[0096] The processors 522 may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), processor 522 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition) the processor 522, in conjunction with one or more of the other components 540, 542, 544, 550, 570, 572, 335a, 335b, and 336 may be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein.

[0097] In addition, as described herein, processors 522 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processors 522 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of processors 522. In addition, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processors 522.

[0098] In some embodiments, the processors 512, 522 can be configured for dualsteer registration, as further described herein.FIG. 6: Block Diagram of a Baseband Processor Architecture for a UE

[0099] FIG. 6 illustrates example components of a device 600 in accordance with some embodiments. It is noted that the device of FIG. 6 is merely one example of a possible system, and that features of this disclosure may be implemented in any of various UEs, as desired.

[0100] In some embodiments, the device 600 may include application circuitry 602, baseband circuitry 604, Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry 606, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 608, one or more antennas 610, and power management circuitry (PMC) 612 coupled together at least as shown. The components of the illustrated device 600 may be included in a UE 106 or a RAN node 102A. In some embodiments, the device 600 may include less elements (e.g., a RAN node may not utilize application circuitry 602, and instead include a processor / controller to process IP data received from an EPC). In some embodiments, the device 600 may include additional elements such as, for example, memory / storage, display,camera, sensor, or input / output (I / O) interface. In other embodiments, the components described below may be included in more than one device (e.g., said circuitries may be separately included in more than one device for Cloud-RAN (C- RAN) implementations).

[0101] The application circuitry 602 may include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuitry 602 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor(s) may include any combination of general-purpose processors and dedicated processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processors may be coupled with or may include memory / storage and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the device 600. In some embodiments, processors of application circuitry 602 may process IP data packets received from an EPC.

[0102] The baseband circuitry 604 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuitry 604 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic to process baseband signals received from a receive signal path of the RF circuitry 606 and to generate baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 606. Baseband processing circuity 604 may interface with the application circuitry 602 for generation and processing of the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the RF circuitry 606. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 604 may include a third generation (3G) baseband processor 604A, a fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 604B, a fifth generation (5G) baseband processor 604C, or other baseband processor(s) 604D for other existing generations, generations in development or to be developed in the future (e.g., second generation (2G), sixth generation (6G), etc.). The baseband circuitry 604 (e.g., one or more of baseband processors 604A-D) may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry 606. In other embodiments, some or all of the functionality of baseband processors 604A-D may be included in modules stored in the memory 604G and executed via a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 604E. The radio controlfunctions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, modulation / demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry 604 may include Fast- Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functionality. In some embodiments, encoding / decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 604 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functionality. Embodiments of modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functionality are not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functionality in other embodiments.

[0103] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 604 may include one or more audio digital signal processor(s) (DSP) 604F. The audio DSP(s) 604F may be include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation and may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments. Components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on a same circuit board in some embodiments. In some embodiments, some or all of the constituent components of the baseband circuitry 604 and the application circuitry 602 may be implemented together such as, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

[0104] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 604 may provide for communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 604 may support communication with an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) or other wireless metropolitan area networks (WMAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN). Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry 604 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

[0105] RF circuitry 606 may enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry 606 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the communication with the wireless network. RF circuitry 606 may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 608 and provide baseband signals to thebaseband circuitry 604. RF circuitry 606 may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by the baseband circuitry 604 and provide RF output signals to the FEM circuitry 608 for transmission.

[0106] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF circuitry 606 may include mixer circuitry 606a, amplifier circuitry 606b and filter circuitry 606c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 606 may include filter circuitry 606c and mixer circuitry 606a. RF circuitry 606 may also include synthesizer circuitry 606d for synthesizing a frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 606a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 606a of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 608 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry 606d. The amplifier circuitry 606b may be configured to amplify the down-converted signals and the filter circuitry 606c may be a low-pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signals to generate output baseband signals. Output baseband signals may be provided to the baseband circuitry 604 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signals may be zero-frequency baseband signals, although this is not a necessity. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 606a of the receive signal path may comprise passive mixers, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0107] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 606a of the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert input baseband signals based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 606d to generate RF output signals for the FEM circuitry 608. The baseband signals may be provided by the baseband circuitry 604 and may be filtered by filter circuitry 606c.

[0108] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 606a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 606a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature downconversion and upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 606a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 606a of the transmit signal path may include two ormore mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 606a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 606a may be arranged for direct downconversion and direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 606a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 606a of the transmit signal path may be configured for super-heterodyne operation.

[0109] In some embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternate embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals may be digital baseband signals. In these alternate embodiments, the RF circuitry 606 may include analog- to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry and the baseband circuitry 604 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuitry 606.

[0110] In some dual-mode embodiments, a separate radio IC circuitry may be provided for processing signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0111] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 606d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuitry 606d may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0112] The synthesizer circuitry 606d may be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 606a of the RF circuitry 606 based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 606d may be a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0113] In some embodiments, frequency input may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although that is not a necessity. Divider control input may be provided by either the baseband circuitry 604 or the applications processor 602 depending on the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, a dividercontrol input (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up table based on a channel indicated by the applications processor 602.

[0114] Synthesizer circuitry 606d of the RF circuitry 606 may include a divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the divider may be a dual modulus divider (DMD) and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by either N or N+1 (e.g., based on a carry out) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a set of cascaded, tunable, delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump and a D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to break a VCO period up into Nd equal packets of phase, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0115] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 606d may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and divider circuitry to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency with multiple different phases with respect to each other. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be a LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuitry 606 may include an IQ / polar converter.

[0116] FEM circuitry 608 may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 610, amplify the received signals and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry 606 for further processing. FEM circuitry 608 may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF circuitry 606 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 610. In various embodiments, the amplification through the transmit or receive signal paths may be done solely in the RF circuitry 606, solely in the FEM 608, or in both the RF circuitry 606 and the FEM 608.

[0117] In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 608 may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry may include an LNA to amplify received RF signals and provide the amplified received RF signals as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry 606). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 608 may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify input RF signals (e.g., provided by RF circuitry 606), and one or more filters to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the one or more antennas 610).

[0118] In some embodiments, the PMC 612 may manage power provided to the baseband circuitry 604. In particular, the PMC 612 may control power-source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-to-DC conversion. The PMC 612 may often be included when the device 600 is capable of being powered by a battery, for example, when the device is included in a UE. The PMC 612 may increase the power conversion efficiency while providing desirable implementation size and heat dissipation characteristics.

[0119] While FIG. 6 shows the PMC 612 coupled only with the baseband circuitry 604, in other embodiments the PMC 612 may be additionally or alternatively coupled with, and perform similar power management operations for, other components such as, but not limited to, application circuitry 602, RF circuitry 606, or FEM 608.

[0120] In some embodiments, the PMC 612 may control, or otherwise be part of, various power saving mechanisms of the device 600. For example, if the device 600 is in a radio resource control_Connected (RRC_Connected) state, where it is still connected to the RAN node as it expects to receive traffic shortly, then it may enter a state known as Discontinuous Reception Mode (DRX) after a period of inactivity. During this state, the device 600 may power down for brief intervals of time and thus save power.

[0121] If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, then the device 600 may transition off to an RRCJdle state, where it disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback,handover, etc. The device 600 goes into a very low power state and it performs paging where again it periodically wakes up to listen to the network and then powers down again. The device 600 may not receive data in this state, in order to receive data, it will transition back to RRC_Connected state.

[0122] An additional power saving mode may allow a device to be unavailable to the network for periods longer than a paging interval (ranging from seconds to a few hours). During this time, the device is totally unreachable to the network and may power down completely. Any data sent during this time incurs a large delay and it is assumed the delay is acceptable.

[0123] Processors of the application circuitry 602 and processors of the baseband circuitry 604 may be used to execute elements of one or more instances of a protocol stack. For example, processors of the baseband circuitry 604, alone or in combination, may be used execute Layer 3, Layer 2, or Layer 1 functionality, while processors of the application circuitry 604 may utilize data (e.g., packet data) received from these layers and further execute Layer 4 functionality (e.g., transmission communication protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP) layers). As referred to herein, Layer 3 (L3) may comprise a radio resource control (RRC) layer, described in further detail below. As referred to herein, Layer 2 (L2) may comprise a medium access control (MAC) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, described in further detail below. As referred to herein, Layer 1 (L1 ) may comprise a physical (PHY) layer of a UE / RAN node, described in further detail below. Accordingly, the baseband circuitry 604 can be used to encode a message for transmission between a UE and a gNB, or decode a message received between a UE and a gNB.FIG. 7: Block Diagram of an Interface of Baseband Circuitry

[0124] FIG. 7 illustrates example interfaces of baseband circuitry in accordance with some embodiments. It is noted that the baseband circuitry of FIG. 7 is merely one example of a possible circuitry, and that features of this disclosure may be implemented in any of various systems, as desired.

[0125] As discussed above, the baseband circuitry 604 of FIG. 6 may comprise processors 604A-604E and a memory 604G utilized by said processors. Each of the processors 604A-604E may include a memory interface, 704A-704E, respectively, to send / receive data to / from the memory 604G.

[0126] The baseband circuitry 604 may further include one or more interfaces to communicatively couple to other circuitries / devices, such as a memory interface 712 (e.g., an interface to send / receive data to / from memory external to the baseband circuitry 604), an application circuitry interface 714 (e.g., an interface to send / receive data to / from the application circuitry 602 of FIG. 6), an RF circuitry interface 716 (e.g., an interface to send / receive data to / from RF circuitry 606 of FIG. 6), a wireless hardware connectivity interface 718 (e.g., an interface to send / receive data to / from Near Field Communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth® components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and other communication components), and a power management interface 720 (e.g., an interface to send / receive power or control signals to / from the PMC 612.FIG. 8: Core Network

[0127] FIG. 8 illustrates an example architecture of a system 800 including a core network (CN) 820 in accordance with various embodiments. The CN 820 may be a core network for a 5G System (which may be referred to as a 5GC). The system 800 is shown to include a UE 801 , which may be the same or similar to the UEs 106A, 106B, or 106N discussed previously; a (R)AN 810, which may be the same or similar to the BSs 102A or 102N discussed previously; and a data network (DN) 803, which may be, for example, operator services, Internet access, or 3rd party services; and a CN 820. The CN 820 may include a number of network functions including an Authentication Server Function (AUSF) 822; an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 821 ; a Session Management Function (SMF) 824; a Network Exposure Function (NEF) 823; a Policy Control Function (PCF) 826; a Network Repository Function (NRF) 825; a Unified Data Management (UDM) 827; an Application Function (AF) 828; a User Plane Function (UPF) 802; and a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) 829. These networkfunctions may be implemented, in some cases, as virtualized software based functions / services.

[0128] The UPF 802 may act as an anchor point for intra-RAT and inter-RAT mobility, an external packet data unit (PDU) session point of interconnect to DN 803, and a branching point to support mufti-homed PDU session. A PDU session is a logical connection between the UE and the DN. The UPF 802 may also perform packet routing and forwarding, perform packet inspection, enforce the user plane part of policy rules, lawfully intercept packets (user plane (UP) collection), perform traffic usage reporting, perform quality of service (QoS) handling for a user plane (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement), perform Uplink Traffic verification (e.g., Service Data Flows (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, and perform downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering. UPF 802 may include an uplink classifier to support routing traffic flows to a data network, The DN 803 may represent various network operator services, Internet access, or third party services. DN 803 may include, or be similar to, application server 104 discussed previously. The UPF 802 may interact with the SMF 824 via an N4 reference point between the SMF 824 and the UPF 802.

[0129] In some examples, the UPF 802 supports Performance Measurement Functionality (PMF), which may be used by the UE 801 to obtain access performance measurements over the user-plane of 3GPP access and / or over the user-plane of non-3GPP access. For example, when the UE 801 requests establishment of a Multiple Access Protocol Data Unit (MA PDU) Session and indicates that it is capable of supporting Access Traffic Steering, Switching and Splitting (ATSSS), the UE may receive Measurement Assistance Information during the establishment of a MA PDU session. This information assists the UE in determining which measurements should be performed over either or both accesses, as well as whether and when measurement reports should to be sent to the network. Measurement Assistance Information can include, for example, the IP address and the UDP port of a PMF in the UPF 802, with which the UE 801 can send PMF protocol messages. Additional details on access network performance measurements are described in clause 5.32.5 of 3GPP Technical Specification(TS) 23.501 , the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0130] In some examples, the following PMF protocol messages can be exchanged between the UE and the PMF: Messages for Round Trip Time (RTT) measurements (e.g., when the “Smallest Delay” steering mode is used); and messages for reporting access availability / unavailability by the UE 801 to the UPF 802. In some examples, such as when the UE requests a MA PDU session and indicates that it is capable of supporting the Multipath TCP (MPTCP) functionality only, the network may not send Measurement Assistance Information, as the UE can use measurements available at the MPTCP layer.

[0131] The AUSF 822 may store data for authentication of UE 801 and handle authentication-related functionality, The AUSF 822 may facilitate a common authentication framework for various access types. The AUSF 822 may communicate with the AMF 821 via an N12 reference point between the AMF 821 and the AUSF 822; and may communicate with the UDM 827 via an N13 reference point between the UDM 827 and the AUSF 822. Additionally, the AUSF 822 may exhibit an Nausf service-based interface.

[0132] The AMF 821 may be responsible for registration management (e.g., for registering UE 801 , etc.), connection management, reachability management, mobility management, and lawful interception of AMF-related events, and access authentication and authorization. The AMF 821 may be a termination point for the an N1 1 reference point between the AMF 821 and the SMF 824. The AMF 821 may provide transport for SM messages between the UE 801 and the SMF 824, and act as a transparent proxy for routing SM messages. AMF 821 may also provide transport for Short Message Service (SMS) messages between UE 801 and an SMSF (not shown by FIG. 8). AMF 821 may act as a security anchor function (SEAF), which may include interaction with the AUSF 822 and the UE 801 , receipt of an intermediate key that was established as a result of the UE 801 authentication process. Where Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) based authentication is used, the AMF 821 may retrieve the security material from the AUSF 822. AMF 821 may also include a Security Context Management (SCM) function, which receives a key from the SEAF that it uses to derive access-network specific keys. Furthermore, AMF 821 may be a termination point of a RAN controlplane (CP) interface, which may include or be an N2 reference point between the (R)AN 810 and the AMF 821 ; and the AMF 821 may be a termination point of NAS (Nl) signaling, and perform NAS ciphering and integrity protection.

[0133] AMF 821 may also support NAS signaling with a UE 801 over a non- 3GPP Inter-Working Function (N3IWF) interface. The N3IWF may be used to provide access to untrusted entities. N3IWF may be a termination point for the N2 interface between the (R)AN 810 and the AMF 821 for the control plane and may be a termination point for the N3 reference point between the (R)AN 810 and the UPF 802 for the user plane. As such, the AMF 821 may handle N2 signaling from the SMF 824 and the AMF 821 for PDU sessions and encapsulate / de- encapsulate packets for IPSec and N3 tunneling, mark N3 user-plane packets in the uplink, and enforce QoS corresponding to N3 packet marking while considering QoS requirements associated with such marking received over N2. N3IWF may also relay uplink and downlink control plane non-access stratum (NAS) signaling between the UE 801 and AMF 821 via an N1 reference point between the UE 801 and the AMF 821 , and relay uplink and downlink user-plane packets between the UE 801 and UPF 802. The N3IWF also provides mechanisms for internet protocol security (IPsec) tunnel establishment with the UE 801. The AMF 821 may exhibit an Namf service based interface and may be a termination point for an N14 reference point between two AMFs 821 and an N17 reference point between the AMF 821 and a 5G Equipment Identity Register (5G-EIR) (not shown by FIG. 8).

[0134] The UE 801 may need to register with the AMF 821 in order to receive network services. Registration Management (RM) is used to register or deregister the UE 801 with the network (e.g., AMF 821 ), and establish a UE context in the network (e.g., AMF 821 ). The UE 801 may operate in an RM-REGISTERED state or an RM-DEREGISTERED state. In the RM-DEREGISTERED state, the UE 801 is not registered with the network, and the UE context in AMF 821 holds no valid location or routing information for the UE 801 so the UE 801 is not reachable by the AMF 821. In the RM REGISTERED state, the UE 801 is registered with the network, and the UE context in AMF 821 may hold a valid location or routing information for the UE 801 so the UE 801 is reachable by the AMF 821 . In the RM- REGISTERED state, the UE 801 may perform mobility registration updateprocedures, perform periodic registration update procedures triggered by expiration of the periodic update timer (e.g., to notify the network that the UE 801 is still active), and perform a Registration Update procedure to update UE capability information or to re-negotiate protocol parameters with the network, among others.

[0135] The AMF 821 may store one or more RM contexts for the UE 801 , where each RM context is associated with a specific access to the network. The RM context may be a data structure, database object, etc. that indicates or stores, inter glia, a registration state per access type and the periodic update timer. The AMF 821 may also store a 5GC mobility management (MM) context that may be the same or similar to the evolved packet services (EPS) Mobility Management (E)MM context discussed previously. In various embodiments, the AMF 821 may store a CE mode B Restriction parameter of the UE 801 in an associated MM context or registration management (RM) context. The AMF 821 may also derive the value, when needed, from the UE's usage setting parameter already stored in the UE context (and / or MM / RM context).

[0136] Connection Management (CM) may be used to establish and release a signaling connection between the UE 801 and the AMF 821 over the N1 interface. The signaling connection is used to enable NAS signaling exchange between the UE 801 and the CN 820, and comprises both the signaling connection between the UE and the AN (e.g., RRC connection or UE-N3IWF connection for non-3GPP access) and the N2 connection for the UE 801 between the AN (e.g., AN 810) and the AMF 821 . The UE 801 may operate in one of two CM states, CM-IDLE mode or CM-CONNECTED mode. When the UE 801 is operating in the CM-IDLE state / mode, the UE 801 may have no NAS signaling connection established with the AMF 821 over the N1 interface, and there may be (R)AN 810 signaling connection (e.g., N2 and / or N3 connections) for the UE 801 . When the UE 801 is operating in the CM-CONNECTED state / mode, the UE 801 may have an established NAS signaling connection with the AMF 821 over the Nl interface, and there may be a (R)AN 810 signaling connection (e.g., N2 and / or N3 connections) for the UE 801. Establishment of an N2 connection between the (R)AN 810 and the AMF 821 may cause the UE 801 to transition from CM-IDLE mode to CM- CONNECTED mode, and the UE 801 may transition from the CM-CONNECTEDmode to the CM-IDLE mode when N2 signaling between the (R)AN 810 and the AMF 821 is released.

[0137] The SMF 824 may be responsible for session management (SM) session establishment, modify and release, including tunnel maintain between UPF and AN node); UE IP address allocation and management (including optional authorization); selection and control of UP function; configuring traffic steering at UPF to route traffic to proper destination; termination of interfaces toward policy control functions; controlling part of policy enforcement and QoS; lawful intercept (for SM events and interface to LI system); termination of SM parts of NAS messages; downlink data notification; initiating AN specific SM information, sent via AMF over N2 to AN; and determining SSC mode of a session. SM may refer to management of a PDU session, and a PDU session or "session" may refer to a PDU connectivity service that provides or enables the exchange of PDUs between a UE 801 and a data network (DN) 803 identified by a Data Network Name (DNN). PDU sessions may be established upon UE 801 request, modified upon UE 801 and CN 820 request, and released upon UE 801 and CN 820 request using NAS SM signaling exchanged over the N1 reference point between the UE 801 and the SMF 824. Upon request from an application server, the CN 820 may trigger a specific application in the UE 801. In response to receipt of the trigger message, the UE 801 may pass the trigger message (or relevant parts / information of the trigger message) to one or more identified applications in the UE 801 . The identified application(s) in the UE 801 may establish a PDU session to a specific data network name (DNN). The SMF 824 may check whether the UE 801 requests are compliant with user subscription information associated with the UE 801. In this regard, the SMF 824 may retrieve and / or request to receive update notifications on SMF 824 level subscription data from the UDM 827.

[0138] The SMF 824 may include the following roaming functionality: handling local enforcement to apply QoS SLAB virtual Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN); charging data collection and charging interface (VPLMN); lawful intercept (in VPLMN for SM events and interface to LI system); and support for interaction with external DN for transport of signaling for PDU session authorization / authentication by external DN. An N16 reference point between twoSMFs 824 may be included in the system 800, which may be between another SMF 824 in a visited network and the SMF 824 in the home network in roaming scenarios. Additionally, the SMF 824 may exhibit the Nsmf service-based interface.

[0139] The NEF 823 may provide means for securely exposing the services and capabilities provided by 3GPP network functions for third party, internal exposure / re-exposure, Application Functions (e.g., AF 828), edge computing or fog computing systems, etc. In such embodiments, the NEF 823 may authenticate, authorize, and / or throttle the AFS. NEF 823 may also translate information exchanged with the AF 828 and information exchanged with internal network functions. For example, the NEF 823 may translate between an AF-Service- Identifier and an internal SCC information. NEF 823 may also receive information from other network functions (NFs) based on exposed capabilities of other network functions. This information may be stored at the NEF 823 as structured data, or at a data storage NF using standardized interfaces. The stored information can then be re-exposed by the NEF 823 to other NFs and AFs, and / or used for other purposes such as analytics. Additionally, the NEF 823 may exhibit an Nnef servicebased interface.

[0140] The NRF 825 may support service discovery functions, receive NF discovery requests from NF instances, and provide the information of the discovered NF instances to the NF instances. NRF 825 also maintains information of available NF instances and their supported services. As used herein, the terms "instantiate," "instantiation," and the like may refer to the creation of an instance, and an "instance" may refer to a concrete occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during execution of program code. Additionally, the NRF 825 may exhibit the Nnrf service based interface.

[0141] The PCF 826 may provide policy rules to control plane function(s) to enforce them and may also support unified policy framework to govern network behavior, The PCF 826 may also implement a front end (FE) to access subscription information relevant for policy decisions in a UDR of the UDM 827. The PCF 826 may communicate with the AMF 821 via an N15 reference point between the PCF 826 and the AMF 821 , which may include a PCF 826 in a visited network and the AMF 821 in case of roaming scenarios. The PCF 826 may communicate with theAF 828 via an NS reference point between the PCF 826 and the AF 828; and with the SMF 824 via an N7 reference point between the PCF 826 and the SMF 824, The system 800 and / or CN 820 may also include an N24 reference point between the PCF 826 (in the home network) and a PCF 826 in a visited network, Additionally, the PCF 826 may exhibit an Npcf service-based interface.

[0142] The UDM 827 may handle subscription-related information to support the network entities' handling of communication sessions and may store subscription data of UE 801 . For example, subscription data may be communicated between the UDM 827 and the AMF 821 via an NS reference point between the UDM 827 and the AMF. The UDM 827 may include two parts, an application FE and a UDR (the FE and UDR are not shown by FIG. 8). The UDR may store subscription data and policy data for the UDM 827 and the PCF 826, and / or structured data for exposure and application data (including PFDs for application detection, application request information for multiple UEs 801 ) for the NEF 823. The Nadr service-based interface may be exhibited by the UDR 221 to allow the UDM 827, PCF 826, and NEF 823 to access a particular set of the stored data, as well as to read, update (e.g., add, modify), delete, and subscribe to notification of relevant data changes in the UDR. The UDM may include a UDM-FE, which is in charge of processing credentials, location management, subscription management and so on. Several different front ends may serve the same user in different transactions. The UDM-FE accesses subscription information stored in the UDR and performs authentication credential processing, user identification handling, access authorization, registration / mobility management, and subscription management. The UDR may interact with the SMF 824 via an NI0 reference point between the UDM 827 and the SMF 824. UDM 827 may also support SMS management, wherein an SMS-FE implements the similar application logic as discussed previously. Additionally, the UDM 827 may exhibit the Nudm service based interface.

[0143] The AF 828 may provide application influence on traffic routing, provide access to the NCE, and interact with the policy framework for policy control. The NOE may be a mechanism that allows the CN 820 and AF 828 to provide information to each other via NEF 823, which may be used for edge computingimplementations. In such implementations, the network operator and third party services may be hosted close to the UE 801 access point of attachment to achieve an efficient service delivery through the reduced end-to-end latency and load on the transport network. For edge computing implementations, the 5GC may select a UPF 802 close to the UE 801 and execute traffic steering from the UPF 502 to DN 803 via the N6 interface. This may be based on the UE subscription data, UE location, and information provided by the AF 828. In this way, the AF 828 may influence UPF (re)selection and traffic routing. Based on operator deployment, when AF 828 is considered to be a trusted entity, the network operator may permit AF 828 to interact directly with relevant NFs. Additionally, the AF 828 may exhibit an Naf service-based interface.

[0144] The NSSF 829 may select a set of network slice instances serving the UE 501. The NSSF 829 may also determine allowed Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (NSSAI) and the mapping to the subscribed single NSSAI (S-NSSAI) is, if needed. The NSSF 829 may also determine the AMF set to be used to serve the UE 801 , or a list of candidate AMF(s) 821 based on a suitable configuration and possibly by querying the NRF 825. The selection of a set of network slice instances for the UE 801 may be triggered by the AMF 821 with which the UE 801 is registered by interacting with the NSSF 829, which may lead to a change of AMF 821 . The NSSF 829 may interact with the AMF 821 via an N22 reference point between AMF 821 and NSSF 829; and may communicate with another NSSF 829 in a visited network via an N31 reference point (not shown by FIG. 8). Additionally, the NSSF 829 may exhibit an Nnssf service-based interface.

[0145] As discussed previously, the CN 820 may include a short message service function (SMSF), which may be responsible for SMS subscription checking and verification, and relaying SM messages to / from the UE 801 to / from other entities, such as an SMS-GMSC / IWMSC / SMS-router. The SMS may also interact with AMF 821 and UDM 827 for a notification procedure that the UE 801 is available for SMS transfer (e.g., set a UE not reachable flag, and notifying UDM 827 when UE 801 is available for SMS).

[0146] The CN 820 may also include other elements that are not shown by FIG.8, such as a Data Storage system / architecture, a 5G-EIR, a Security EdgeProtection Proxy (SEPP), and the like. The Data Storage system may include a Structured Data Storage Network Function (SDSF), air Unstructured Data Storage Function (UDSF), and / or the like. Any network function (NF) may store and retrieve unstructured data into / from the UDSF (e.g., UE contexts), via N18 reference point between any NF and the UDSF (not shown by FIG. 8), Individual NFs may share a UDSF for storing their respective unstructured data or individual NFs may each have their own UDSF located at or near the individual NFs. Addition- ally, the UDSF may exhibit an Nudsf service-based interface (not shown by FIG. 8). The 5G-EIR may be an NF that checks the status of permanent equipment identifier (PEI) for determining whether particular equipment / entities are blacklisted from the network; and the SEPP may be a non-transparent proxy that performs topology hiding, message filtering, and policing on inter-PLMN control plane interfaces.

[0147] Additionally, there may be many more reference points and / or servicebased interfaces between the NF services in the NFs; however, these interfaces and reference points have been omitted from FIG. 8 for clarity. In one example, the CN 820 may include an Nx interface, which is an inter-CN interface between a mobility management entity (MME) and the AMF 821 in order to enable interworking between CN 820 and a CN in a 4G system. Other example interfaces / reference points may include an N5G-EIR service-based interface exhibited by a 5G-EIR, an N27 reference point between the NRF in the visited network and the NRF in the home network; and an N31 reference point between the NSSF in the visited network and the NSSF in the home network.Dual Steering Operations

[0148] A dualsteer UE is capable of steering and switching user traffic between two 3GPP access networks connected to the same or different public land mobile networks (PLMN). The dual steer UE can be a single user equipment (UE) for nonsimultaneous transmission, or two separate UEs for simultaneous transmission.

[0149] The subscriber of the dual steer UE may have two subscriptions and identifiers (e.g., subscription permanent identifier (SUPI)), sharing one subscription profile from the same operator. At any given time, the dual steer UE can transmit all traffic of a service on only one of the two 3GPP accesses.

[0150] As a preliminary matter, a UE, which may be UE 801 of FIG. 8, may register with 3GPP access either in a single registration mode or in a dual registration mode. The UE can provide the appropriate credentials in the registration message such as a Fifth Generation Globally Unique Temporary Identifier (5G-GUTI) if the UE has one available to use, or a Subscription Concealed Identifier (SUCI) or Permanent Equipment Identifier (PEI).

[0151] The UE may register with a non-Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access, to which single / dual registration modes are not applicable. For non-3GPP access registration, the UE can provide a 5G-GUTI if available or SUCI as credentials. The UE can register separately for 3GPP access and non-3GPP access, as the network only knows which access type is being used based on how the registration request is received over that particular access. The 3GPP access registration and non-3GPP access registration share the same 5G-GUTI identifier when registering on the same Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN). The registrations have different 5G-GUTIs when registering on different PLMNs. The UE might register with different Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) entities depending on the deployment. The UE and network can also exchange Access Traffic Steering, Switching and Splitting (ATSSS) capability information as part of the Fifth Generation Session Management (5GSM) capability exchange during Protocol Data Unit (PDU) activation or modification.Multi-Access PDU Session

[0152] An ATSSS-capable UE may establish a multi-access (MA) PDU (or MA- PDU) session over both accesses it connects to. In some cases, the network may establish a MA-PDU session for an ATSSS-capable UE even if the UE originally requested a single access PDU session. If both accesses are integrated on the same PLMN, the UE can send an MA-PDU session establishment request over either of the two accesses. If the accesses are integrated on different PLMNs, the UE may first send an MA-PDU session establishment request over one access, and then utilize the received PDU session identifier to send another MA-PDU session establishment request over the other access network.Steering

[0153] The ATSSS-capable UE may also have the capability and functionality to steer and / or switch user traffic across two accesses based on provided ATSSS rules. The UE may use or apply 1 ) a higher layer functionality, which operates above an internet protocol (IP) layer using Multi-Path TCP (MPTCP); or 2) a lower layer functionality operating below the IP layer using ATSSS-lower layer (ATSSS- LL).ATSSS Rules and Measurements

[0154] Additionally, a Policy Control Function (PCF) may provide ATSSS traffic routing rules to the UE (FIG. 8) via the Session Management Function (SMF). The SMF can provide N4 interface rules to the User Plane Function (UPF) dictating how downlink traffic should be routed. Performance Management Function (PMF) messages are exchanged between the UE and UPF for round-trip time (RTT) measurements over each access type.

[0155] Thus, dual steering enables intelligently routing device traffic across two simultaneous network connections, such as 5G networks and fourth generation (4G) networks. However, current device registration procedures are tied to a single network access and do not fully facilitate dynamic steering.

[0156] As described herein, mechanisms of the illustrated embodiments provide examples for dual steering capabilities and registration. In one example, the dual steering UE may provide and support traffic steering and switching for different services across two 3GPP access networks. The dual steering UE may be a single User Equipment (UE) for non-simultaneous transmission across both networks, or two separate UEs to enable simultaneous transmission over the two 3GPP access networks. In one example, the dual steering UE may have two subscriptions and associated Subscription Permanent Identifiers (SUPIs) that share one subscription profile from the same operator.

[0157] In an additional example, on a network side (e.g., a first 3GPP access network), the dual steering UE may appear as two distinct UEs regardless ofwhether it has single or dual UE hardware capability and can or cannot transmit simultaneously over the two 3GPP access networks. The dual steering UE may register separately on each of its two supported accesses. The network (e.g., a first 3GPP access network) needs to identify the two SUPIs and associated UEs corresponding to the same dual steering UE during these registration operations, including identifying when the secondary access is registering. The UDM may identify that an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) registration is for the same dual steering UE, but the older registration information and context may be stored and maintained. Additionally, the network can generate appropriate steering rules to identify two access paths (e.g., a primary access and a secondary access) of the dual steering UE(s) to perform the traffic steering and switching between data sessions across those access paths.

[0158] In one example, the dual steering UE may have a single Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) with two subscription profiles or multiple USIMs, while using one International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI). The UE’s two subscriptions and associated SUPIs may simultaneously register with two 3GPP access networks, enabling the dual steering UE to perform traffic steering or switching of traffic across the two access connections (e.g., a primary access with a primary 3GPP access network and a secondary access with the secondary 3GPP access network) from the two SUPI’s / UEs. For single or dual UE variants, the UE may identify a network that supports dual steering and switching and identify which pair of SUPI’s / subscriptions belong to a same subscription profile.

[0159] In another example, the dual steering UE can appear to the 3GPP access networks as a single consolidated UE to upper layers (e.g., Host Linux Operating System (HLOS)), the Dual steering UE presentation coalesces to a consolidated access abstraction.

[0160] In an additional example, a dual steering UE may have two subscriptions represented by Subscription Permanent Identifiers (SUPIs) that share one subscription profile from the same operator. The two SUPIs / UEs can register with two 3GPP access networks connected to the same Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), two different PLMNs, or between a PLMN and a PLMN-integrated NonPublic Network (NPN), use a same or different radio access technologies (RATs)incorporating terrestrial and / or satellite (non-terrestrial) components. That is, a first 3GPP network and a second 3GPP network may each belong to a same public land mobile network (PLMN); or each belong to a different PLMN; or belong to one PLMN and one PLMN-integrated non-public network (NPN); or use a same radio access technology (RAT); or use a different RAT; or provide terrestrial network access; or provide non-terrestrial access.

[0161] In one example, mechanisms of the illustrated embodiments provide for DualSteer registration, de-registration, and mobility procedures, along with related subscription data handling. Updates may occur regarding UE context stored at the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) for state management.

[0162] In one aspect, the UE may have two SUPI subscriptions that establish independent Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions with independent traffic steering and switching between the two PDU sessions.

[0163] In one example, mechanisms of the illustrated embodiments provide establishing, modifying, and / or terminating PDU sessions and associated authorization considering both network and user equipment initiated changes. A 3GPP network may identify the PDU Sessions from the two SUPIs of the UE and authorize a request of the UE to establish a DualSteer PDU Session. The network may select a common PDU Session anchor in a home public land mobile network (HPLMN) for the two PDU Sessions from the two SUPIs of the UE so as to enable routing the traffic across 3GPP network accesses towards the same PSA UPF during switching.

[0164] A single Internet Protocol (IP) address can be used for the two PDU sessions from the two SUPIs of a UE. In one example, an enhanced N4 reference point between an SMF and a UPF for DualSteer operations is provided. Also, related subscription data to support steering across two PDU sessions is provided.

[0165] In an additional example, policy and subscription enhancements are also provided for two subscriptions / SUPIs, sharing one subscription profile from a same operator dual access. This policy and subscription enhancements include steering and switching policies leveraging Access Traffic Steering, Switching, and Splitting (ATSSS), Mobility Anchoring Rules (MAR), and Policy Charging and Control (PCC)processes. In one aspect, one or more UE route selection policies (URSP) may be provided to enable the UE to establish a PDU Session for Dual Steer.

[0166] In an additional example, a UE may be a Dual Steer UE and have two subscriptions / SUPIs, sharing one subscription profile from the same operator. The UE may indicate the UE’s capability to support Dual Steer functionality as part of a registration procedure in a ‘REGISTRATION REQUEST message. The UE does so by setting a DualSteer Capability (DSC) bit to T in a Fifth Generation Mobility Management (5GMM) UE capability information element (IE).

[0167] To set up initial access, the UE may register on the first 3GPP network using a first SUPI (e.g., SUPI-1 ) with a first network (NW-1 ) and first AMF (AMF- 1 ). The UE may perform a PLMN selection to select the PLMN for registration.

[0168] The UE can select any of its subscriptions or accesses to initiate the first registration. The UE may indicate its DualSteer capability by setting a DSC bit in a 5GMM Capability information element (IE). The UE may indicate if the access to the first network is a primary access or a secondary access as part of DualSteer functionality by setting the appropriate bit in the DualSteer IE.

[0169] In one example, the UE may include the first SUPI (e.g., the SUPI-1 ) as a UE identity (corresponding to first subscription) unless the UE already has a Fifth Generation Globally Unique Temporary Identifier (5G-GUTI) corresponding to SUPI-1 from an earlier registration and sends a Registration Request message corresponding to the initial registration.

[0170] The first AMF (e.g., AMF-1 ) may retrieve UE subscription information from a UDM and verify if the UE has a Dual Steer subscription. If a UE does not have a subscription corresponding to the first 3GPP access on this PLMN, the registration procedure may abort and the first AMF (e.g., AMF-1 ) can return an error to the UE in a registration reject message.

[0171] In one aspect, a new fifth generation mobility management (5GMM) cause may be defined as DualSteer Registration unsuccessful. The UE may attempt registration again with the first access on an appropriate PLMN. Alternately, if the UE has a subscription only for a single access, a 3GPP network may register for single access only.

[0172] If a UE has an appropriate subscription and credentials, the first AMF (e.g., AMF-1 ) may create the context for the UE in a first network corresponding to the first / primary access. The first network (e.g., NW-1 ) can mark this access as primary access for paging the UE and for mobile terminated (MT) incoming calls etc.

[0173] The first AMF (e.g., AMF-1 ) may send a Registration Accept message, including the 5G-GUTI corresponding to this registration, and notifying the UE that a 3GPP network supports Dual Steer and that the UE has a Dual Steer subscription. The 3GPP network may optionally include a list of PLMNs supported for each access technology based on a UE subscription. If the UE does not have a Dual Steer subscription, the network may register the UE for a single access only and indicate so appropriately.

[0174] The UE may register on a second 3GPP access that supports using a second SUPI (e.g., SUPI-2) with a second network (e.g., NW-2). The UE may conduct a PLMN selection to select the PLMN for registration.

[0175] The UE may know all of the various 3GPP accesses that the UE supports and also maintains and stores a list of PLMNs that the UE can connect to for the second 3GPP access. In one example, the UE may indicate its Dual Steer capability by setting a DSC bit in a 5GMM Capability IE.

[0176] The UE may indicate that there is a secondary access as part of a Dual Steer functionality by setting an appropriate bit in a Dual Steer IE. The UE may include the second SUPI (e.g., SUPI-2) as a UE identity (corresponding to the second subscription) unless it already has a 5G-GUTI-2 corresponding to the SUPI-2 from an earlier registration and sends the Registration Request message corresponding to the initial registration. The UE can also include the 5G-GUTI-1 from the registration to the first network (NW-1 ) in this request, so as to enable the networks to tie the two registrations together.

[0177] The UE may register with a same AMF-1 as in NW-1 when using a first 3GPP access or a different AMF-2 in NW-2 depending on deployment configuration. The AMF-2 can retrieve UE subscription information from the UDM and verify if the UE has a Dual Steer subscription. The AMF-2 can also retrieve aUE context already created in NW-1 (using 5G-GUTI-1 ) as part of the registration request on the first access. If the UE has an appropriate subscription and credentials, the second AMF (AMF-2) can create the context for this UE in the network corresponding to the second access. The NW-2 can mark this access as secondary access for paging the UE and for MT incoming calls, etc. The second AMF (AMF-2) may send a Registration Accept message, including a 5G-GUTI-2 corresponding to this registration, and notifying the UE that a network supports Dual Steer and that UE has DualSteer subscription. The network can also optionally include a list of updated PLMNs supported for each access technology based on UE subscription.

[0178] In an additional example, for paging, the UE may receive MT data over the primary access of the first 3GPP network or secondary access of the second 3GPP network. The network can page the UE over the primary access. If an MT request is received over the first network (NW-1 ), which is connected to the primary access, the first network / first AMF (e.g., NW-1 / AMF-1 ) may directly send a paging message to the UE. However, if MT request is received over the second network (NW-2), which is connected to a secondary access, then NW-2 / AMF-2 can send a new message to NW-1 / AMF-1 which in turn then pages the UE.

[0179] It is possible that the Dual Steer device loses coverage and is only accessible over NW-2. In such cases the UE can send a SERVICE REQUEST message or a Mobility and Registration Update (MRU) message to update Dual Steer device registration and indicate that the Dual Steer Device is now reachable only over secondary access. The secondary access can become the primary access. The UE can change the primary and the secondary access configurations by performing a registration update procedure (MRU).

[0180] In another example, for de-registration, a UE de-registration may be initiated either by the UE or one of the 3GPP networks. In one embodiment, the UE or network may deregister either of the accesses (e.g., primary access or secondary access) in any order. If either one of the primary access or secondary access is de-registered, the UE can cease to operate as a DualSteer UE and the registration for the remaining access that is registered operates similar to that for a UE with single access registration.

[0181] It should be noted also that a Multi-USIM UE and the network may support Paging Restriction. A Multi-USIM UE, if the AMF indicates that the network supports Paging Restriction feature, may indicate Paging Restriction Information in the Service Request or Registration Request message (including the case where the Registration Request is sent due to mobility outside the Registration Area, i.e. before detecting whether the network supports the feature in the new Tracking Area, provided that the network has already indicated support for Paging Restriction feature in the current stored Registration Area) as specified in clauses 5.38.2 and 5.38.4.

[0182] Based on operator policy the AMF may accept or reject the Paging Restriction Information requested by the UE. If the AMF accepts the Paging Restriction Information from the UE, the AMF stores the Paging Restriction Information from the UE in the UE context. If the AMF rejects the Paging Restriction Information, the AMF removes any stored Paging Restriction Information from the UE context and discards the UEs requested Paging Restriction Information. The AMF informs the UE about the acceptance / rejection of the requested Paging Restriction Information in the Registration Accept or Service Accept message.

[0183] If the UE does not provide any Paging Restriction Information in the Service Request over 3GPP access or the Registration Request over 3GPP access, the AMF removes any stored Paging Restriction Information from the UE context.

[0184] The Paging Restriction Information may indicate any of the following: a) all paging is restricted; or b) all paging is restricted, except paging for voice service (IMS voice); or c) all paging is restricted, except for certain PDU Session(s); or d) all paging is restricted, except paging for voice service (IMS voice) and certain PDU session(s).

[0185] The UE expects not to be paged for any purpose in case a). The UE expects to be paged only for voice service in case b). The UE expects to be paged only for certain PDU Session(s) in case c). The UE expects to be paged for voice service and certain PDU session(s) in case d). The AMF can page the UE for mobile terminated signaling based on local policy considering the stored PagingRestriction Information, except for case a). In this case, to comply with the UE provided Paging Restriction Information, the AMF can trigger AN release procedure as soon as possible after the mobile terminated signaling procedure is executed.

[0186] In the case of roaming, the Paging Restrictions for voice service implied by bullet b) and d) depends on the existence of an agreement with the HPLMN to support voice service via IMS. Hence the support of Paging Restrictions in bullets b) and d) takes the IMS voice service agreement into consideration.

[0187] When there is no PLMN-wide support for the Paging Restriction feature, it can occur that upon Mobility Registration Update with Paging Restriction Information the UE detects the network does not support the feature. If so, the UE assumes that no Paging Restriction Information is applied.

[0188] Thus, to summarize, the main purpose of the DualSteer UE is to use two 3GPP accesses to register separately with a 3GPP core network. The core network needs to comprehend that these are two separate UEs with two different subscriptions connected to two different access networks in a same or different PLMNs, but the core network ties / associates these two registrations together, so that later on session management can be done appropriately for switching / steering.FIG. 9: Dualsteer Registration Procedure

[0189] As described herein, mechanisms of the illustrated embodiments provide user equipment UE-Network interactions for dual steer registration. FIG.9 illustrates an example timing diagram signaling for UE-network interactions for dual steer registration according to some embodiments.

[0190] The signaling shown in FIG. 9 may be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, and / or devices. In various embodiments, some of the signaling shown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. Additional signaling may also be performed as desired. Asshown, this signaling may flow as follows as one example embodiment.

[0191] The signaling in FIG. 9 may begin with a UE, such as UE 106 sending 910, to a first network 902, a first registration request for primary access to the first network based on a dual steer capability of the UE. The first network 902 may include a first AMF and provide for a first or primary access.

[0192] The first network 902 may send 920 a first registration accept message to the UE 106 granting primary access to the first network 902 to enable the UE 106 to perform dual steering with the first network 902. Alternatively, or subsequent to sending the first registration accept message, the first network 902 may send 930 a registration reject message.

[0193] The UE 106 may send 940, to a second network 904, a second registration request for secondary access based on the dual steer capability of the UE. The first network 904 may include a second AMF and provide for a secondary).

[0194] The second network 904 may send 950, to the UE, a second registration accept message granting secondary access to the second network to enable the UE to perform dual steering with the second network. Alternatively, or subsequent to sending and establishing the second registration accept message, the first network 902 may send 960 a registration reject message.

[0195] A remote server 906 may issue 970 an MT calls over the primary access of the first network or secondary access of the second 3GPP network. The first network 902 can send 980 a paging message on the primary access.

[0196] The UE may send 990 a deregistration request, for terminating the primary access to the first network. The UE may send 995 a deregistration request, for terminating the secondary access to the second network.

[0197] In one embodiment, a deregistration for UE-1 or UE-2 can be initiated either by the respective UE or the network. The UE or network may de-register either of the access in any order. If one of the access network is de-registered, the UE ceases to operate as a DualSteer UE and the registration for the remaining access that is registered operates similar to that for UE with single accessregistration.

[0198] In another embodiment, there may be a change in subscription information in UDM. The subscription for a DualSteer device in UDM is enhanced to include two SUPIs along with status information that indicates whether DualSteer registration has been activated or not.

[0199] Thus, the UE may register a subscription on a first access (primary access) with a first network and a simultaneous subscription on a second access (secondary access) with a second network. Registration procedures for two accesses is serialized by the UE, i.e., only after the registration in a first network (NW-1 ) is completed may the UE perform registration on a second network (NW- 2) for Dual Steer purpose. In one aspect, a Dual Steer capable UE cannot perform parallel registration even if it is a two UE configuration (i.e. device can transmit simultaneously on both accesses). The Dual Steer UE can register on a second access (secondary access).

[0200] In another embodiment, a DualSteer UE has two subscriptions / SUPIs, sharing one subscription profile from same operator. The two SUPIs / UEs can register to two 3GPP access networks belonging to the same PLMN, or between two different PLMNs, or between one PLMN and one PLMN-integrated NPN, over same or different RAT, which can use terrestrial and / or satellite access. The subscription for a DualSteer device is enhanced to include two SUPIs along with status information that indicates whether DualSteer registration has been activated or not.FIGS. 10A-B: Dualsteer Registration - Mobility Aspects & UDM handling

[0201] FIGS. 10A-B illustrate an example diagram of registration mobility aspects and unified data management (UDM) handling for dual steer registration in accordance with some embodiments. In one example, the embodiments described herein illustrate dualsteer registration by a UE.

[0202] In one example, as depicted in FIG. 10A, a UDM may be updated about UE registration during a registration procedure based on mobility for a differentPLMN or a same PLMN. In one aspect, a UE subscription profile may correspond to two separate Subscription Permanent Identifiers (SUPIs) associated with the same UE device such as, for example, SUPI1 and SUPI2.

[0203] Even though both SUPIs belong to the same UE, the UDM (Unified Data Management function) keeps updating UE registration separately for each SUPI after every registration procedure performed by the UE with that specific SUPI. For reaching the UE and delivering paging messages, the UDM can connect with either a first AMF (AMF-1 ) or a second AMF (AMF-2) based on which SUPI needs to be paged (i.e. , based on which SUPI is associated with incoming data for that UE). It should be noted that the Nudm_UECM_Registration interface and protocol may be used between the AMF and the UDM. That is, for UE reachability (paging), the UDM connects with AMF-1 or AMF-2 based on the SUPI that needs to be paged.

[0204] As depicted in FIG. 10B, a UDM may be updated about UE registration during a registration procedure based on mobility for a same PLMN or same AMF.

[0205] In one aspect, a UE subscription profile is maintained and maps to two SUPIs such as, for example, SUPI1 and SUPI2. The UDM keeps updating the UE registration for each SUPI separately for every registration procedure that the UE performs with an AMF change although both SUPIs belong to the same UE. For UE reachability (paging), a UDM can connect with AMF-1 for paging the specific SUPI that needs to be paged.

[0206] Also, it should be noted that in one embodiment, the Dual Steer UE registers with UE-1 on first 3GPP access it supports by sending Registration Request message using SUCI-1 with NW-1 and AMF-1. The UE-1 indicates its capability to support DualSteer functionality and also any paging restrictions for this access network as part of the 5GS registration procedure.

[0207] The AMF-1 registers with the UDM using Nudm UECM Registration for the first access. The AMF-1 retrieves the subscription data from the UDM using Nudm SDM Get and verifies that the device supports DualSteer subscription. If the device has appropriate subscription and credentials, the AMF-1 creates the context for this UE-1 in the network corresponding to first 3GPP access. The AMF- 1 stores the paging restrictions for UE-1 , if any.

[0208] The AMF-1 sends a Registration Accept message, including the 5G- GUTI-1 corresponding to this registration, notifying the UE-1 that network supports DualSteer and that device has DualSteer subscription. If the device does not have DualSteer subscription, the network may register the UE-1 for single access only and indicate so appropriately.

[0209] After registering for the first access network the DualSteer device registers with UE-2 on second 3GPP access it supports using SUCI-2 with NW-2 and AMF-2 by sending the Registration Request message. The UE-2 may register with same AMF-1 (when using first 3GPP access) or a different AMF-2 depending on deployment configuration and whether the second access network belongs to the same or different PLMN. The UE-2 indicates its capability to support DualSteer functionality and also any paging restrictions for this access network as part of the registration procedure. The UE-2 also includes 5G-GUTI-1 from registration to NW-1 in this registration request, so as to allow the UDM to tie the two DualSteer registrations together.

[0210] In another embodiment, the UDM retrieves the UE-2 subscription and associates the two Dual Steer registrations and activates Dual Steer registration for the Dual Steer UE.

[0211] In another embodiment, the AMF-2 registers with the UDM using Nudm UECM Registration for the second access using SUPI-2 and AMF-2. The AMF may also include 5G-GUTI-1 . The UDM retrieves the UE-2 subscription and associates the two DualSteer registrations and activates DualSteer registration for the DualSteer device. The AMF-2 retrieves the subscription data from the UDM using Nudm SDM Get and verifies that the device supports DualSteer subscription. If the device has appropriate subscription and credentials, the AMF-2 creates the context for this UE-2 in the network corresponding to second 3GPP access. The AMF-2 stores the paging restrictions for UE-2, if any.

[0212] In another embodiment, the AMF-2 may send a Registration Accept message, including the 5G-GUTI-2 corresponding to this registration, notifying the UE-2 that network supports DualSteer and that device has DualSteer subscription and that DualSteer registration has been activated. If the device does not haveDualSteer subscription, the network may register the UE-2 for single access only and indicate so appropriately.FIG. 1 1 : Dualsteer Registration - Paging handling

[0213] FIG. 1 1 illustrates an example diagram of paging handling for dual steer registration in accordance with some embodiments. In one aspect, a UE subscription profile may be mapped to two separate SUPIs associated with the same UE device such as, for example, SUPI1 and SUPI2.

[0214] The UDM can keep updating the UE registration for each SUPI separately for every registration that the UE performs although both SUPIs belong to the same UE. For UE reachability (paging), the UDM can connect with a first AMF (AMF-1 ) or a second AMF (AMF-2) based on the SUPI that needs to be paged.

[0215] It should be noted that the UE will not be listening to the SUPI2 paging. Thus, an "initiate service request procedure for SUPI2 indicating paging restriction" message may be sent from UE-SUPI2 to AMF2 to indicate that SUPI2 has restricted paging.

[0216] In another embodiment, the Dual Steer UE may receive MT data over any of the access network and may specify paging restrictions for either or both of the access networks. The network stores these paging restrictions for each of the access network and pages the device over the access networks accordingly. If MT request is received over NW-1 which is connected to an access network that does not have any paging restrictions, the NW-1 / AMF-1 pages the UE-1 directly. If the DualSteer device loses coverage and is only accessible over NW-2, then the UE- 2 can send a Service Request message or a Mobility and Registration Update (MRU) message to update DualSteer device registration over the second access network and indicate that the DualSteer Device is now reachable only over second access network. The DualSteer device can change paging restrictions by performing a registration update procedure (MRU) or a Service Request.FIG. 12: UE SIM

[0217] FIG. 12 illustrates an example diagram of UE security credentials for dual steer registration in accordance with some embodiments.

[0218] In one aspect, security contexts for both SUPI-1 and SUPI-2 associated with a UE may be stored separately in elementary files (EFs) within a SIM card of a UE. The security context may include one or more parameters such as, for example, a key set identifier (KSI), uplink and downlink non-access stratum (NAS) counters, identifiers of the last activated integrity and encryption algorithms, and the security keys such as, for example, key access security management entity (KASME), key access management function (KAMF), and device capability configurations.

[0219] Alternatively, if a SIM card EFs are unavailable on the UE, the UE can store these security contexts in non-volatile memory (NVM). However, the security contexts contained in the NVM may be deleted immediately upon detecting a change in SIM card.

[0220] New EF’s may be defined specifically for the first SUPI and second SUPI (e.g., SUPI-1 and SUPI-2) within the SIM card to separately store either 5G or 4G security contexts / parameters.

[0221] Considering security principles around integrity, SUPI-1 and SUPI-2 are restricted from interchanging their security contexts or sharing security data with one another. This separation is used since the UE could have created security contexts for SUPI-1 and SUPI-2 via different PLMNs.

[0222] Also, messages transmitted to the network registered under SUPI-1 are integrity protected and encrypted using the security context tied specifically to SUPI-1 . Similarly, messages sent to the network associated with SUPI-2 leverage the security context dedicated to SUPI-2.

[0223] Usage counters related to security procedures such as, for example, steering of roaming (SoR) and unauthenticated public key Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) based interface (UPU) are also instantiated for each SUPI and the counters may be stored within non-volatile memory to reinforce discretehandling. Said differently, the usage counters tracking the number of times SoR and UPU procedures have been invoked are also instantiated separately for each SUPI within non-volatile memory on the UE.FIG. 13: 5GMM capability information element

[0224] FIG. 13 illustrates an example diagram of a Fifth Generation (5G) mobility management (5GMM) capability information element (IE) for dual steer registration in accordance with some embodiments. The purpose of the 5GMM capability information element is to provide the network with information concerning aspects of the UE related to the 5G core network (CN) or interworking with the EPS. The contents may affect the manner in which the network handles the operation of the UE.

[0225] The 5GMM capability information element is coded as shown in Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS) 24.501 Version 18.5.0 (December 2023) Figure 9.1 1 .3.1 .1 and table 9.1 1.3.1.1. The 5GMM capability is a type 4 information element with a minimum length of 3 octets and a maximum length of 15 octets. A dual steer capability (DSC) bit is provided in the 5GMM capability IE for providing an indication of dual steer capability of the UE. In some embodiments, the DSC can be included in octet 1 1 , bit 2 in the 5GMM IE and designates that dual steer capability is supported at the UE or dual steer capability is not supported at the UE. In one example, a value of “0” in bit 2 in octet 11 of the 5GMM capability information element can be used to show dual steer is not supported, while a value of “1 ” in bit 2 in octet 1 1 of the 5GMM capability information element can be used to show dual steer capability is supported. This example is not intended to be limiting. The DSC can be included in other locations within the 5GMM capability IE.FIG. 14: 5GS network feature support information element

[0226] FIG. 14 illustrates an example diagram of Fifth Generation System (5GS)network feature support information element (IE) for dual steer registration in accordance with some embodiments. The 5GS network feature support information element is coded as shown in 3GPP TS 24.501 Version 18.5.0 (December 2023) Figure 9.1 1.3.1 .1 and table 9.11.3.5.1.

[0227] The 5GS network feature support IE is a type 4 information element with a minimum length of 3 octets and a maximum length of 6 octets. If the length of the 5GS network feature support IE contents field is set to one, then the UE shall interpret this as a receipt of an information element with all bits of octet 4, octet 5 and octet 6 coded as zero. If the length of the 5GS network feature support IE contents field is set to two, the UE shall interpret this as a receipt of an information element with all bits of octet 5 and octet 6 coded as zero. If the length of the 5GS network feature support IE contents field is set to three, the UE shall interpret this as a receipt of an information element with all bits of octet 6 coded as zero.

[0228] The DSC can be included in octet 6, bit 5 of the 5GS network feature support IE and designates that dual steer capability is supported at the UE or dual steer capability is not supported at the UE. In one example, a value of “0” in bit 5 in octet 6 of the 5GS network feature support IE can be used to show dual steer is not supported, while a value of “1 ” in bit 5 in octet 6 of the 5GS network feature support IE can be used to show dual steer capability is supported. This example is not intended to be limiting. The DSC can be included in other locations within the 5GS network feature support IE.FIG. 15: Dualsteer support information element

[0229] FIG. 15 illustrates an example diagram of a Dual Steer (DualSteer) information element (IE) in accordance with some embodiments. In one example, the Dual Steer IE can be used to indicate dual steer specific information from a UE to a network or from the network to the UE. The DualSteer IE is a type 4 information element with a length of 3 octets.

[0230] In one example, 3GPP access primary access type (PrimaryAccess) can be included in octet 3, bit 1 .

[0231] In one example, a value of “0” in bit 1 in octet 3 of 3GPP access primary access type can be used to show 3GPP access used in Dual Steer is not primary access, while a value of “1 ” in bit 1 in octet 3 of 3GPP access primary access type can be used to show 3GPP access used in Dual Steer is primary access.

[0232] In one example, 3GPP access secondary access type (SecondaryAccess) can be included in octet 3, bit 2. In this example, a value of “0” in bit 2 in octet 3 of 3GPP access secondary access type can be used to show 3GPP access used in Dual Steer is not secondary access, while a value of “1 ” in bit 2 in octet 3 of 3GPP access secondary access type can be used to show 3GPP access used in Dual Steer is secondary access.

[0233] In one example, Dual Steer Registration (DSR), in a direction from the network to the UE only, can be included, in one example, in octet 3, bit 3. In this example, a value of “0” in bit 3 in octet 3 of DSR can be used to show DSR is not enabled, while a value of “1 ” in bit 3 in octet 3 of DSR can be used to show DSR is enabled.FIG. 16: REGISTRATION REQUEST Message

[0234] FIG. 16 illustrates an example diagram of a ‘REGISTRATION REQUEST’ message content for dual steer registration in accordance with some embodiments. The registration request message is coded as shown in Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS) 24.501 Version 18.5.0 (December 2023) table 8.2.6.1 .1 . The REGISTRATION REQUEST message is sent by the UE to the AMF. The message type is REGISTRATION REQUEST, the significance is dual, and the direction is from the UE to network.

[0235] In table 8.2.6.X, a DualSteer information element may be added to the REGISTRATION REQUEST message content. The UE shall include the DualSteer information element to the REGISTRATION REQUEST message if the DualSteer UE indicates whether the 3GPP access used for registration is primary access or secondary access.

[0236] In table 8.2.6.X, a DualSteer firstAccess GUTI information element maybe added to the REGISTRATION REQUEST message content. The UE shall include the DualSteer firstAccess GUTI information element in the REGISTRATION REQUEST message if the DualSteer UE is registering the second 3GPP access and the DualSteer UE includes the 5G GUTI of the first 3GPP access.FIG. 17: REGISTRATION ACCEPT Message

[0237] FIG. 17 illustrates an example diagram of a REGISTRATION ACCEPT message content for dual steer registration in accordance with some embodiments. The REGISTRATION ACCEPT message is coded as shown in Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS) 24.501 Version 18.5.0 (December 2023) table 8.2.7.1 .1 . The REGISTRATION ACCEPT message is sent by the AMF to the UE. The message type is REGISTRATION ACCEPT, the significance is dual, and the direction is from the network to the UE.

[0238] In table 8.2.6.X, a DualSteer information element may be added to the REGISTRATION ACCEPT message content. The network shall include the DualSteer information element in the REGISTRATION ACCEPT message to indicate to the DualSteer UE whether the current registration is for primary access or secondary access. The network will also indicate whether the UE is or is not registered for Dual Steer Registration.

[0239] In table 8.2.6.X, a List of PLMNs for a Primary Access (PrimaryAccess) information element may be added to the REGISTRATION ACCEPT message. The network shall include this list of PLMNs for the PrimaryAccess information element in the REGISTRATION ACCEPT message if the DualSteer UE is registering with the network and the network indicates the list of PLMNs applicable for primary access based on a UEs Dual Steer subscription. The RAT information can be included in the REGISTRATION ACCEPT message along with PLMN information as it will help reduce time for the UE to search and camp on the specific RAT where Dual Steer is supported.

[0240] In table 8.2.6. X, a List of PLMNs for a Secondary Access (SecondaryAccess) information element may be added to the REGISTRATIONACCEPT message. The network shall include the List of PLMNs for the SecondaryAccess information element in the REGISTRATION ACCEPT message if the DualSteer UE is registering with the network and the network indicates the list of PLMNs applicable for secondary access based on UEs DualSteer subscription.FIG. 18: REGISTRATION REJECT Message

[0241] FIG. 18 illustrates an example diagram of a REGISTRATION REJECT message content for dual steer registration in accordance with some embodiments. The REGISTRATION REJECT message is coded as shown in Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Technical Specification (TS) 24.501 Version 18.5.0 (December 2023) table 8.2.9.1 .1 . The REGISTRATION REJECT message is sent by the AMF to the UE. The message type is REGISTRATION REJECT, the significance is dual, and the direction is from the network to the UE.

[0242] In table 8.2.6.X, a List of PLMNs for a Primary Access (PrimaryAccess) information element may be added to the REGISTRATION REJECT message. The network shall include the list of PLMNs for the PrimaryAccess information element in the REGISTRATION REJECT message if the Dual Steer UE is registering with the network and the network indicates the list of PLMNs applicable for primary access based on the UEs Dual Steer subscription.

[0243] In table 8.2.6.X, a List of PLMNs for a secondary access (SecondaryAccess) information element may be added to the REGISTRATION REJECT message. The network shall include the list of PLMNs for the SecondaryAccess information element in the REGISTRATION REJECT message if the DualSteer UE is registering with the network and the network indicates the list of PLMNs applicable for secondary access based on UEs DualSteer subscription.

[0244] A new 5GMM cause value may be used specifically for failed DualSteer registrations within 5GMM. It should be noted that since the REGISTRATION REJECT message can be sent without integrity protection, the list of PLMNs for PrimaryAccess and / or SecondaryAccess may be sent only if REGISTRATIONREJECT is integrity protected.FIG. 19: Flow Chart for a Method for Dual Steer Registration

[0245] FIG. 19 illustrates an example flow chart of a method 1900 for dual steer registration by a UE, according to some embodiments. The method shown in FIG. 19 may be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or devices illustrated in the Figures, among other devices. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed concurrently, in a different order than shown, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as desired.

[0246] In accordance with an embodiment, a method 1900 for dual steer registration by a UE is disclosed. The method 1900 comprises encoding, for transmission to a first network, a first registration request for primary access to the first network based on a dual steer capability of the UE, as in block 1910. The method 1900 comprises decoding, from the first network, a first registration accept message granting primary access to the first network to enable the UE to perform dual steering with the first network, as in block 1920. The method 1900 comprises encoding, for transmission to a second network, a second registration request for secondary access based on the dual steer capability of the UE, as in block 1930. The method 1900 comprises decoding, from the second network, a second registration accept message granting secondary access to the second network to enable the UE to perform dual steering with the second network, as in block 1940.

[0247] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise decoding, from the first network, a paging message on the primary access.

[0248] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise enabling a paging restriction.

[0249] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise receiving a paging message over the primary access of the first network for a paging message for the first network or a paging message for the second network.

[0250] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise the pagingmessage for the first network or the second network from a first access and mobility management function (AMF) that is coupled to a unified data management (UDM) and a first subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) of the first network.

[0251] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise enabling a paging restriction to enable or disable paging on the primary access to the UE to the first network or the secondary access to the UE to the second network.

[0252] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise receiving the paging message for the first network from a first access and mobility management function (AMF) that is coupled to the UDM and a first subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) of the first network; or receiving the paging message for the second network from a second AMF that is coupled to the UDM and a second SUPI of the second network.

[0253] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise encoding, for transmission to the first network, a deregistration request for terminating the primary access to the first network.

[0254] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise encoding, for transmission to the second network, a deregistration request for terminating the second access to the second network.

[0255] In some embodiments, the dual steer capability enables the UE to steer and switch user data for different services across a plurality of network types.

[0256] In some embodiments, the first registration request for primary access to the first network includes an indication of dual steer capability by the UE, a request for primary access, a first subscription concealed identifier (SUCI) and paging restrictions for the first network. In one embodiment, a Registration Request message may include a SUCI rather than of SUPI. In one example, as used herein, any reference to a SUPI may be replaced with SUCI and / or used interchangeably with SUCI.

[0257] In some embodiments, the second registration request for secondary access to the second network includes an indication of dual steer capability by the UE, a request for secondary access, a second subscription concealed identifier(SUCI) and paging restrictions for second network.

[0258] In some embodiments, the dual steer capability of the UE enables the UE to use: the first SUPI with a first packet data unit (PDU) session; and the second SUPI with a second PDU session independent of the first PDU session to enable application traffic to be steered or switched between the first network and second network.

[0259] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise maintaining a UE subscription profile at the UE, wherein the UE subscription profile maps a first subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) for accessing the first network and a second SUPI for accessing the second network.

[0260] In some embodiments, the first SUPI and the second SUPI share a single subscription profile.

[0261] In some embodiments, the first network and the second network each comprise a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access network.

[0262] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise the first network and the second network: each belong to a same public land mobile network (PLMN); or each belong to a different PLMN; or belong to one PLMN and one PLMN-integrated non-public network (NPN); or use a same radio access technology (RAT); or use a different RAT; or provide terrestrial network access; or provide non-terrestrial access; or provide terrestrial access on one of the first network or the second network and non-terrestrial access on one of the second network or the first network.

[0263] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise the UE performing a public land mobile network (PLMN) selection procedure to determine the first network for primary access to the first network.

[0264] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise setting a dual steer capability (DSC) bit in a fifth generation mobility management (5GMM) information element (IE) for providing an indication of dual steer capability of the UE in the first registration request for the primary access to the first network and the second registration request for the secondary access to the second network.

[0265] In some embodiments, the DSC is included in octet 1 1 , bit 2 in the 5GMM IE and designates that dual steer capability is supported at the UE or the dual steer capability is not supported at the UE.

[0266] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise receiving a dual steer capability (DSC) for a network in a fifth generation system (5GS) network feature support information element (IE) providing an indication of dual steer capability (DSC) support by the network.

[0267] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise the DSC is included in octet 6, bit 5 of the 5GS network feature support IE and designates that dual steer capability is supported at the network or dual steer capability is not supported at the network.

[0268] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise transmitting or receiving a dual steer (DualSteer) information element (IE) to indicate dual steer specific information from the UE to a network or from the network to the UE.

[0269] In some embodiments, the DualSteer IE comprises: a first octet including a DualSteer information element identifier (IEI); a second octet containing a length of contents of the DualSteer IE; and a third octet including: a bit indicating third generation partnership project (3GPP) access used in dual steer is primary access or is not primary access; a bit indicating third generation partnership project (3GPP) access used in dual steer is secondary access or is not secondary access; and a bit indicating dual steer registration is enabled or dual steer registration is not enabled when the dual steer IE is received from the network.

[0270] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise sending the DualSteer IE to the network in a registration request message to indicate whether a 3GPP access used for primary registration is primary access or secondary access.

[0271] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise sending a DualSteer first access fifth generation globally unique temporary identifier (5G- GUTI) information element to the network in a registration request message to indicate if the UE is registering a second 3GPP access and the UE includes a 5G-GUTI received from registration to the first 3GPP access.

[0272] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise receiving, at the UE, a registration accept message comprising the DualSteer IE, a list of public land mobile networks (PLMNs) for primary access, and a list of PLMNs for secondary access.

[0273] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise receiving, at the UE, a registration reject message comprising a list of public land mobile networks (PLMNs) for primary access, a list of PLMNs for secondary access, and a 5GMM cause of ‘DualSteer Registration unsuccessful’.

[0274] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise identifying a fifth generation globally unique temporary identifier (5G-GUTI), corresponding to a first subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) provided in a prior registration, is associated with the UE; and sending the first SUPI, from the prior registration with the first network, in the first registration request.

[0275] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise aborting the first registration request with the first network based on determining the UE fails to have a first subscription corresponding to the first network on a public land mobile network (PLMN).

[0276] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise receiving, from the first network, a registration rejection based on aborting the first registration request, wherein a fifth generation mobility management (5GMM) cause of “DualSteer Registration Unsuccessful” is received at the UE.

[0277] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise resending the first registration request to the first network on an alternate public land mobile network (PLMN) upon receiving a registration rejection.

[0278] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise the first registration accept message includes an indication the first network supports dual steering capability, and a first subscription is established with the first network to enable the UE to perform dual steering with the first network.

[0279] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise the firstregistration accept message includes a list of public land mobile networks (PLMN) supported for each access technology based on the first subscription.

[0280] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise the UE performing a public land mobile network (PLMN) selection procedure to determine the second network for secondary access.

[0281] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise identifying a second fifth generation globally unique temporary identifier (5G-GUTI), corresponding to a second subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) provided in a prior registration, is associated with the UE; and sending, in the second registration request, the second SUPI from the prior registration with the second network and a 5G-GUTI from the prior registration with a first network.

[0282] In some embodiments, the second registration accept message includes an indication the second network supports dual steering capability, a second subscription is established with the second network to enable the UE to perform dual steering with the second network.

[0283] In some embodiments, the second registration accept message includes a list of public land mobile networks (PLMN) supported for each access technology based on the second subscription.

[0284] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise establishing a first protocol data unit (PDU) session with the first network and a second PDU session with the second network.

[0285] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise steering traffic of a first application data type over the first PDU session on the first network and traffic of a second application data type over the second PDU session on the second network.

[0286] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise selectively switching traffic between the first network to the second network.

[0287] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise receiving mobile terminated (MT) data over the primary access of the first network or the secondary access of the second network.

[0288] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise determining connectivity with the primary access is terminated while maintaining connectivity with the secondary access with the second network.

[0289] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise sending a service request message or a mobility and registration update (MRU) message to update a registration status of the UE and indicate access to the UE is only available with the secondary access of the second network or to update the paging restrictions.

[0290] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise changing the secondary access with the second network to be the primary access based on access to the UE is only available with the secondary access of the second network.

[0291] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise sending a MRU message to indicate a UE change in the primary and secondary access configurations, wherein the UE updates a registration status with the secondary network.

[0292] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise maintaining a subscription profile mapping to a first subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) and a second SUPI.

[0293] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise receiving registration status updates for the first SUPI and the second SUPI subsequent to establishing the primary access to the first network and the secondary access to the second network.

[0294] In some embodiments, the method 1900 can further comprise sending a registration update message to a Unified Data Management (UDM) upon switching registration between the first SUPI and the second SUPI to a enable the UDM to access either an access management function (AMF) associated with the first SUPI or an AMF associated with the second SUPI.

[0295] In some embodiments, an apparatus is configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to perform one or more operations of the method 1900.

[0296] In some embodiments, an apparatus is configured to cause a base station to perform one or more operations of the method 1900.

[0297] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be realized in any of various forms. For example, some embodiments may be realized as a computer- implemented method, a computer readable memory medium, or a computer system. Other embodiments may be realized using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Still other embodiments may be realized using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0298] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium may be configured so that it stores program instructions and / or data, where the program instructions, if executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method, e.g., any of the method embodiments described herein, or, any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or, any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or, any combination of such subsets.

[0299] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., a UE 106) may be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium, where the memory medium stores program instructions, where the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, where the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method embodiments described herein (or, any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or, any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or, any combination of such subsets). The device may be realized in any of various forms.

[0300] Any of the methods described herein for operating a user equipment (UE) may be the basis of a corresponding method for operating a base station, by interpreting each message / signal X received by the UE in the downlink as message / signal X transmitted by the base station, and each message / signal Y transmitted in the uplink by the UE as a message / signal Y received by the base station.

[0301] Although the embodiments above have been described in considerabledetail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:1 . A method of dual steer registration by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: encoding, for transmission to a first network, a first registration request for primary access to the first network based on a dual steer capability of the UE; decoding, from the first network, a first registration accept message granting primary access to the UE to the first network to enable the UE to perform dual steering with the first network; encoding, for transmission to a second network, a second registration request for secondary access based on the dual steer capability of the UE; and decoding, from the second network, a second registration accept message granting secondary access to the UE to the second network to enable the UE to perform dual steering with the second network.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: enabling a paging restriction; or enabling the paging restriction to enable or disable paging on the primary access to the UE to the first network or the secondary access to the UE to the second network.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving a paging message over the primary access of the first network for a paging message for the first network or a paging message for the second network.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving the pagingmessage for the first network or the second network from a first access and mobility management function (AMF) that is coupled to a unified data management (UDM) and a first subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) of the first network.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: receiving the paging message for the first network from a first access and mobility management function (AMF) that is coupled to the UDM and a first subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) of the first network; or receiving the paging message for the second network from a second AMF that is coupled to the UDM and a second SUPI of the second network.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising encoding, for transmission to the first network, a deregistration request for terminating the primary access to the first network, wherein the deregistration request indicates to unified data management (UDM) to change status information that DualSteer registration is not activated, wherein the UDM includes a first subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) of the first network and second subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) of the second network change and subscription information and the status information.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising encoding, for transmission to the second network, a deregistration request for terminating the second access to the second network, wherein the deregistration request indicates to unified data management (UDM) to change status information that DualSteer registration is not activated, wherein the UDM includes a first subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) of the first network and second subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) of the second network change andsubscription information and the status information.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first registration request for primary access to the first network includes an indication of dual steer capability by the UE, a request for primary access, a first subscription concealed identifier (SUCI) and paging restrictions for the first network.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second registration request for secondary access to the second network includes an indication of dual steer capability by the UE, a request for secondary access, a second subscription concealed identifier (SUCI) and paging restrictions for second network.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the dual steer capability of the UE enables the UE to use: the first SUPI with a first packet data unit (PDU) session; and the second SUPI with a second PDU session independent of the first PDU session to enable application traffic to be steered or switched between the first network and second network.1 1 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: maintaining a UE subscription profile at the UE, wherein the UE subscription profile maps a first subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) for accessing the first network and a second SUPI for accessing the second network; wherein the first SUPI and the second SUPI share a single subscription profile.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first network and the second network: each belong to a same public land mobile network (PLMN); oreach belong to a different PLMN; or belong to one PLMN and one PLMN-integrated non-public network (NPN); or use a same radio access technology (RAT); or use a different RAT; or provide terrestrial network access; or provide non-terrestrial access; or provide terrestrial access on one of the first network or the second network and non-terrestrial access on one of the second network or the first network.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the UE performing a public land mobile network (PLMN) selection procedure to determine the first network for primary access to the first network.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising setting a dual steer capability (DSC) bit in a fifth generation mobility management (5GMM) information element (IE) for providing an indication of dual steer capability of the UE in the first registration request for the primary access to the first network and the second registration request for the secondary access to the second network.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the DSC is included in octet 1 1 , bit 2 in the 5GMM IE and designates that dual steer capability is supported at the UE or the dual steer capability is not supported at the UE.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving a dual steer capability (DSC) for a network in a fifth generation system (5GS) network feature support information element (IE) providing an indication of dual steer capability (DSC) support by the network;wherein the DSC is included in octet 6, bit 5 of the 5GS network feature support IE and designates that dual steer capability is supported at the network or dual steer capability is not supported at the network.

17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting or receiving a dual steer (DualSteer) information element (IE) to indicate dual steer specific information from the UE to a network or from the network to the UE.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the DualSteer IE comprises: a first octet including a DualSteer information element identifier (IEI); a second octet containing a length of contents of the DualSteer IE; and a third octet including: a bit indicating third generation partnership project (3GPP) access used in dual steer is primary access or is not primary access; a bit indicating third generation partnership project (3GPP) access used in dual steer is secondary access or is not secondary access; and a bit indicating dual steer registration is enabled or dual steer registration is not enabled when the dual steer IE is received from the network.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: sending the DualSteer IE to the network in a registration request message to indicate whether a 3GPP access used for primary registration is primary access or secondary access; or sending a DualSteer first access fifth generation globally unique temporary identifier (5G-GUTI) information element to thenetwork in a registration request message to indicate if the UE is registering a second 3GPP access and the UE includes a 5G-GUTI received from registration to the first 3GPP access.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving, at the UE, a registration accept message comprising the DualSteer IE, a list of public land mobile networks (PLMNs) for primary access, and a list of PLMNs for secondary access.21 . The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving, at the UE, a registration reject message comprising a list of public land mobile networks (PLMNs) for primary access, a list of PLMNs for secondary access, and a 5GMM cause of ‘DualSteer Registration unsuccessful’.

22. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: identifying a fifth generation globally unique temporary identifier (5G-GUTI), corresponding to a first subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) provided in a prior registration, is associated with the UE; and sending the first SUPI, from the prior registration with the first network, in the first registration request.

23. The method of claim 1 , further comprising aborting the first registration request with the first network based on determining the UE fails to have a first subscription corresponding to the first network on a public land mobile network (PLMN).

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising receiving, from the first network, a registration rejection based on aborting the first registration request, wherein a fifth generation mobility management (5GMM) cause of “DualSteer RegistrationUnsuccessful” is received at the UE.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising resending the first registration request to the first network on an alternate public land mobile network (PLMN) upon receiving a registration rejection.

26. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: wherein the first registration accept message includes an indication the first network supports dual steering capability, and a first subscription is established with the first network to enable the UE to perform dual steering with the first network; or wherein the first registration accept message includes a list of public land mobile networks (PLMN) supported for each access technology based on the first subscription.

27. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the UE performing a public land mobile network (PLMN) selection procedure to determine the second network for secondary access.

28. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: identifying a second fifth generation globally unique temporary identifier (5G-GUTI), corresponding to a second subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) provided in a prior registration, is associated with the UE; and sending, in the second registration request, the second SUPI from the prior registration with the second network and a 5G-GUTI from the prior registration with a first network.

29. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second registration accept message includes: an indication the second network supports dual steering capability, a second subscription is established with the secondnetwork to enable the UE to perform dual steering with the second network; or a list of public land mobile networks (PLMN) supported for each access technology based on the second subscription.

30. The method of claim 1 , further comprising establishing a first protocol data unit (PDU) session with the first network and a second PDU session with the second network.31 . The method of claim 30, further comprising steering traffic of a first application data type over the first PDU session on the first network and traffic of a second application data type over the second PDU session on the second network.

32. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining connectivity with the primary access is terminated while maintaining connectivity with the secondary access with the second network.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising sending a service request message or a mobility and registration update (MRU) message to update a registration status of the UE and indicate access to the UE is only available with the secondary access of the second network or to update paging restrictions.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising changing the secondary access with the second network to be the primary access based on access to the UE is only available with the secondary access of the second network.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising sending the MRU message to indicate a UE change in primary and secondary access configurations, wherein the UE updates a registration status withthe secondary network.

36. The method of claim 1 , further comprising maintaining a subscription profile mapping to a first subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) and a second SUPI.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising receiving registration status updates for the first SUPI and the second SUPI subsequent to establishing the primary access to the first network and the secondary access to the second network.

38. The method of claim 36, further comprising sending a registration update message to a Unified Data Management (UDM) upon switching registration between the first SUPI and the second SUPI to a enable the UDM to access either an access management function (AMF) associated with the first SUPI or an AMF associated with the second SUPI.

39. A user equipment (UE) comprising: one or more processors, coupled to a memory, configured to perform one or more of the methods of claims 1 to 38.

40. A baseband processor configured to perform one or more of the method claims 1 to 38.

Images