Methods and devices for sharing a SIM profile

Abstract

A wireless communication method is performed by a user associated equipment, UAE, (103), which does not have a SIM profile or prefers or is configured to not use its own SIM profile and thus, the UAE borrows the SIM profile of a user equipment, UE, associated with the UAE. The UAE informs (314) a core network, CN, element (110), about using the UE SIM profile, and receives (326), from the CN element, a SIM profile lease period that allows the UAE to communicate with the CN element using the SIM profile while the UE (102) is not in communication with the UAE (103).

Description

METHODS AND DEVICES FOR SHARING A SIM PROFILEFIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0001] This document generally describes methods and devices operating in wireless communication systems such as (but not limited to) the ones known as 5G communication systems and described in 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) standard documents.BACKGROUND

[0002] This background description is provided for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.

[0003] A user equipment (UE) that is part of a wireless communication system has a unique identity, which is then used for various procedures (e.g., authentication, registration, etc.) performed by the system. Such a unique identity is provided by a subscriber identity module (SIM). The SIM at the UE generates an indication, e.g., a key, uniquely associated with the UE, which is used by a core network (CN) element of the system for various procedures (including authentication and registration).

[0004] A user associated equipment (UAE), which lacks a SIM, might be a tablet, earbud, smart glasses, smartwatch, or other electronic device. Due to the lack of SIM, the UAE cannot generate credentials for completing one or more of the various procedures associated with the wireless communication system. This UAE, however, is associated with the UE, which might be a smartphone, that has a SIM. For these situations, the CN element is configured to accept a borrowed SIM profile, from the UE, if the UE is in reach of the UAE. For a user having multiple UE and UAE devices, e.g., a smartphone, a mobile WiFi hotspot, a watch, and / or a tablet, there are several cases and / or scenarios when a UAE device borrows the UE SIM profile. For example, the user prefers to use the mobile WiFi hotspot when staying at home, i.e. , the mobile WFihotspot uses the UE SIM profile to attach to the cellular network and shares the connectivity with all the other home appliances / devices.

[0005] However, a problem with these cases appears when there is no longer a direct connection between the UE and UAE, and thus, the UAE is unable to obtain the SIM profile from the UE for further authentication or registration procedures. As an example, the user only wears the smartwatch, e.g., for a jogging activity, and leaves the smartphone at home. Thus, for these situations, the UAE loses connectivity privileges to the communication system until a direct connection is re-established between the UAE and the UE.SUMMARY

[0006] To overcome the need for a UAE (with no SIM or that prefers or is configured to not use its own SIM) to always have a direct connection to an associated UE (which has a SIM and provides a SIM profile to the UAE) in order to borrow a SIM profile, the UAE is configured to send a registration request message to the CN element, while in communication with the UE, and indicate (1 ) a remote SIM situation, or (2) an activity performed by the UAE, or (3) request a lease period, or (4) a preference or configuration to not use its own SIM. In response to the registration request message, the CN element provides a SIM lease period to the UAE. The SIM lease period allows the UAE to stay connected to the CN element even when the UAE is not in communication with the UE because the CN element refrains from performing an authentication procedure during the SIM lease period. The UAE may be configured to request a new or extended SIM lease period prior to the expiration of the original SIM lease period.

[0007] In another embodiment, the CN element provides a temporary key to the UAE so that, when the UE is not directly connected to the UAE and the CN element requests an authentication procedure to be performed by the UAE, the UAE uses the temporary key to perform the procedure. In yet another embodiment, the UAE may use both the SIM lease period and the temporary key to continue communication with the CN element while the UAE is not in communication with the UE.

[0008] In either embodiment, the CN element may grant the SIM lease period without informing the UAE.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a wireless communication system in which a UE, UAE, and CN element perform methods according to various embodiments.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a signal diagram indicating how traditionally the UAE uses the SIM profile of the UE to access the CN element while the UAE is in direct communication with the UE.

[0011] FIG. 3 is a signal diagram indicating how the CN element configures the UAE with a lease period during which the CN element does not ask the UAE to perform any authentication procedure, according to an embodiment.

[0012] FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a UAE method for receiving a SIM profile lease period according to an embodiment.

[0013] FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a CN element method for sending a SIM profile lease period to the UAE, according to an embodiment.

[0014] FIG. 6 is a signal diagram indicating how the CN element configures the UAE with a lease period and a temporary key so that the UAE can perform an authentication procedure based on the temporary key, although the UAE is not in communication with the UE, according to an embodiment.

[0015] FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a UAE method for receiving a temporary key and a lease period for completing an authentication procedure while not in communication with the UE, according to an embodiment.

[0016] FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a CN element method for sending a temporary key and a lease period to the UAE for completing an authentication procedure while the UAE is not in communication with the UE, according to an embodiment.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Methods and devices described in this section embody techniques related to connecting or reconnecting a UAE to a communication network, based on a SIM profile associated with a UE, while the UAE does not have a SIM or prefers to not use its ownSIM and the UAE is not in direct communication with the UE. The embodiment descriptions in this section refer to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings identify the same or similar elements. The detailed descriptions do not preclude other embodiments within the scope of the appended claims, for example, instead of using a 5G (N1 mode network access stratum (NAS) protocol) system, to use a 4G system (evolve packet system (EPS), S1 mode NAS protocol) or any other communication system.

[0018] Reference throughout this section to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Further, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0019] For communication systems, the SIM profile of a UE is installed in a secure element (SE) For example, the SIM profile may be stored in an electronic SIM (eSIM) or a universal SIM (USIM) application embedded into a universal integrated circuit card (eUlCC), which is a component of the SIM card. The UE uses the SIM profile to attach to the CN element. The SIM profile contains the credentials (e.g., key K, subscriber identity (ID), and key derivation algorithms) for mutual authentication of the UE and the network and key derivation procedures. Note that the key K cannot be stored by the UE, it is rather generated by the SIM card based on the key derivation algorithms. Thus, this key cannot be stored by an associated UAE.

[0020] Traditionally, the owner of the UE only obtains one SIM card per plural devices, e.g., a SIM card for the smartphone (i.e. , the UE or master device in this application) with a SIM profile for attaching to the cellular network while having the other devices (i.e., the UAE) SIM-less, e.g., watch or tablet, connecting to the network via WiFi (e.g., via smartphone tethering or home / public WiFi) with no SIM profile. However, there are situations when the UAE has its own SIM but prefers or is configured to use the UE SIM (for example, because it is cheaper). In other words, the UAE (1 ) does not have a SIM card or a SIM profile or (2) has a SIM card and a SIM profile but prefers touse the UE SIM profile for network connection. The term “SIM card” is used in this document to refer to a physical SIM or electronic SIM.

[0021] Because of this arrangement, when the UAE (which lacks a SIM profile or does not use its own SIM profile) attaches to the cellular network, it borrows the SIM profile from the UE. When this action takes place, the UE loses its attachment to the network because only one device per SIM profile is typically supported by the cellular network. To borrow the SIM profile from the UE, the UAE is in direct communication / connection (wireless or wired) with the UE. When the direct communication between the UAE and UE is lost, for example, the UAE moves away from the UE, the UAE cannot obtain a SIM profile from the UE. Being capable of obtaining the SIM profile from the UE is important if the cellular network initiates a specific procedure that requires SIM profile access, e.g., an authentication procedure. In this case, the UAE would likely fail the procedure and thus lose connectivity to the network. The UAE cannot technically store the SIM profile from the UE, as the key K associated with the SIM profile is generated each time the network requests it, i.e., it changes in time and only the key generating algorithm from the SIM card at the UE is capable of generating this key.

[0022] Thus, according to an embodiment, the UAE, without a SIM profile or with a SIM profile of its own but configured to use the UE SIM profile, may be configured to attach to the cellular network and keep the connection even when a CN-based procedure later requests SIM profile access. For this embodiment, the cellular network assists the UAE for preventing the loss of connectivity. In one aspect, the CN element provides the UAE with a SIM profile lease period during which a CN-based procedure does not request the SIM profile. In another embodiment, the CN element provides a new key K to the UAE, when the UE is away, so that the UAE is able to perform a CN- based procedure that requests a SIM profile.

[0023] Prior to discussing these embodiments in more detail, a description of a possible wireless communication system 100, which is illustrated in FIG. 1 , is provided. Wireless communication system 100 includes a UE 102, a first base station (BS) 104, a second BS 106, and a CN element 110. The BSs 104 and 106 may operate in a RAN 105 connected to the CN element 110. The CN element 110 may be implemented as anevolved packet core (EPC) 111 (i.e., non-5G system) or a 5G core (5GC) 160, for example. The CN element 110 may also be implemented as a sixth generation (6G) core in another example.

[0024] The first BS 104 covers a first cell 124 and a second cell 125, and the second BS 106 covers a cell 126 in this example. If the first BS 104 is a gNB, the cells 124 and 125 are an NR cell. If the first BS 104 is an ng-eNB or eNB, the cells 124 and 125 are an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) cell. The same is valid for the second BS 106. The cells 124, 125, and 126 may be in the same Radio Access Network Notification Areas (RNA) or different RNAs. In general, the RAN 105 can include any number of BSs, and each of the BSs can cover one, two, three, or any other suitable number of cells. The UE 102 can support at least a 5G NR (or simply, “NR”) or E-UTRA air interface to communicate with the BSs 104 and 106. Each of the BSs 104, 106 may connect to the CN element 110 via an interface (e.g., S1 or Ng interface, i.e., CN-based interface). The BSs 104 and 106 may also be interconnected via an interface (e.g., X2 or Xn interface) for interconnecting NG-RAN nodes (i.e., NG-RAN to NG-RAN interface).

[0025] Among other components, the EPC 111 can include a Serving Gateway (SGW) 112, a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 114, and a Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW) 116. SGW 112 is configured to transfer user-plane packets related to audio calls, video calls, Internet traffic, etc., and the MME 114 is configured to manage authentication, registration, paging, and other related functions. PGW 116 provides connectivity from the UE to one or more external packet data networks, e.g., an Internet network and / or an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network. 5GC 160 includes a User Plane Function (UPF) 162, an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 164, and / or a Session Management Function (SMF) 166. Each of these functions may be hosted by a corresponding processor or a common processor. Among other functionalities, UPF 162 is configured to transfer user-plane packets related to audio calls, video calls, Internet traffic, etc., AMF 164 is configured to manage authentication, registration, paging, and other related functions, and SMF 166 is configured to manage PDU sessions.

[0026] Because cells 124, 125, and 126 can partially overlap, the UE 102 can select, reselect, or hand over from one of the cells 124, 125, and 126 to another. To directly exchange messages or information (e.g., related to the handover procedure), the first BS 104 and second BS 106 may support an X2 or Xn interface, i.e. , a dedicated protocol for exchanging messages between the BSs without involving the CN element 110. In addition, the BSs are connected through Ng interfaces to the CN element 110, which may connect to any suitable number of BSs supporting NR cells and / or EUTRA cells.

[0027] The first BS 104 is equipped with processing hardware 130 that can include one or more general-purpose processors (e.g., CPUs) and a non-transitory computer- readable memory storing instructions that the one or more general-purpose processors execute. Additionally, or alternatively, the processing hardware 130 can include specialpurpose processing units. The processing hardware 130 in an example implementation includes a processor 132 to process data that the first BS 104 will transmit in the downlink (DL) direction, or process data received by the BS 104 in the uplink (UP) direction. The processing hardware 130 can also include a transmitter 136 configured to transmit data in the DL. The processing hardware further can include a receiver 134 configured to receive data in the uplink direction. The processing hardware 130 can also include a storage media 138 for storing instructions that are executed by the processor 132. The second BS 106 can include generally similar components. Components 140, 142, 144, 146, and 148 of the second BS 106 can be similar to the components 130, 132, 134, 136, and 138, respectively.

[0028] The UE 102 is equipped with processing hardware 150 that can include one or more general-purpose processors such as CPUs and non-transitory computer-readable memory storing machine-readable instructions executable on the one or more general- purpose processors, and / or special-purpose processing units. Processing hardware 150 may include a processor 152 to process data that the UE 102 will transmit in the UP, or process data received by UE 102 in the DL. The processing hardware 150 may also include a transmitter 156 configured to transmit data in the DL. The processing hardware may further include a receiver 154 configured to receive data in the UP. Theprocessing hardware 150 may also include a SIM card 158 for generating a key with which the UE connects to the network 100.

[0029] FIG. 1 also shows a UAE 103, which does not have a SIM card. UAE may borrow the SIM profile from UE 102 when the UAE performs a CN-based procedure that requests SIM properties. UAE 103 includes similar elements as the UE, i.e. , elements 182 to 186 correspond to elements 150 to 156 of the UE.

[0030] To better understand one or more advantages of the embodiments discussed in this document, a traditional procedure for connecting the UAE 103, with no SIM card, to the system 100, is first discussed. FIG. 2 shows UE 102 (i.e., the master device) and the UAE 103 (i.e., the associated device) optionally performing 210 an identification procedure. In the identification procedure, the two devices may share information regarding the identification, the device statuses, and / or the authentication / authorization information for the devices to associate with each other. The information can be sent via broadcast messages, pushing notifications, etc.

[0031] The UAE 103 and the UE 102 establish 211 a secure direct connection for secure SIM profile access so that the UAE can borrow the UE SIM profile. The secure connection can be based on, e.g., end-to-end security (IPsec) protocol, point-to-point tunneling (PPTP) protocol, hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS), any other virtual protocol network (VPN), encryption mechanisms, and integrity protection mechanisms. The UE or the UAE may trigger the secure connection establishment. The access between the UE and UAE may be WiFi, WiFi direct, Bluetooth, wireline, cable, etc.

[0032] The UAE 103 optionally reads 212 a configuration from the UE and / or the SIM profile 203, e.g., the public land mobile network (PLMN) selection parameters and / or the subscriber identity, in anticipation of network registration. The UAE sends 213 a registration request message to the CN element 110. The registration request message may include the subscriber identity and the UE capabilities. The CN element initiates the authentication procedure by sending 215 an authentication request message to the UAE 103. Upon receipt of this message, the UAE 103 accesses the SIM profile 203 in the UE 102 via the secure connection established in 211 , for generating 217 the authentication response and / or an access key. After UAE receives the authentication response from the UE 102 (e.g., associated with a physical SIM or eUlCC whichincludes a SIM profile), the UAE 103 replies 219 to the CN element 110 with an authentication response message. The authentication procedure may include several exchanges of authentication request messages and authentication response messages.

[0033] After the authentication procedure is completed, CN element 110 triggers a security mode control procedure to generate a 5G NAS security context and initialize NAS signaling security (i.e., ciphering and integrity protection) between the UAE and CN element with the corresponding NAS keys and security algorithms. Thus, CN element 110 sends 221 to the UAE 103 a security mode command message with a NAS key set index and the selected algorithms, and UAE 103 responds 223 with a security mode complete when the instructions from CN element 110 are completed. UAE 103 may retrieve 217 the SIM profile from the UE if not previously retrieved. Then, CN element 110 sends 225 a registration accept message when all the registration related procedures (e.g., mutual authentication and security mode control) have been completed. During any of these procedures, the UAE 103 requests secure SIM profile access from the UE 102, which is achieved by 217. UAE 103 then establishes 227 a PDU session with the CN element 110, e.g., for internet connection / services.

[0034] UAE 103 remains connected to the CN element 110 as long as the UAE maintains a direct connection with the UE 102 and responds to CN (re-)authentication requests via secure SIM profile access with the UE. However, in scenarios where the UE moves away from the UAE (or vice versa), a direct connection between the two devices is lost 229. After this happens, the CN element 110 may trigger some procedures (called in this document “CN-related procedures”) that require secure SIM profile access, e.g., re-attach and / or re-authentication procedures 231. Other CN- related procedures request access to the secure SIM profile and are included in the scope of “CN-related procedures”. For simplicity, the figures only show the re-attach and / or re-authentication procedures. Because the UAE 103 has no access 229 to UE 102 and thus has no access to the SIM profile 203 of the UE 102, the UAE 103 loses 233 the connection to the CN element 110 because the CN-related procedures cannot be completed successfully.

[0035] Solutions to these problems are now discussed with regard to the figures. FIG. 3 illustrates a scenario in which the CN element provides a SIM profile lease period tothe UAE so that the UAE can use the established connection with the CN element without being asked for a CN-based procedure that requires access to the secure SIM profile. Some of the steps of this procedure are similar to those shown in FIG. 2 and thus, these steps are not described again. Different from the procedure of FIG. 2, the UAE 103 sends 314 in the registration request message an indication that it is using the SIM profile from the UE. The indication may be a remote SIM indication, a lease period request, an activity type associated with the user of the UE, and / or a preference to use UE SIM profile instead of its own SIM profile. A remote SIM indication may simply be a flag or other type of binary indication. A lease period request might indicate a length of time. An activity type might indicate one of several predefined activities (e.g., jogging, cycling, etc.). These indications may be used together (e.g., flag ON, 30 minutes, jogging), combined (e.g., 30-minute flag ON), and the registration message may include additional or alternative indications regarding SIM leasing.

[0036] In one variation of this embodiment, the UAE and the CN element negotiate the SIM profile lease period (i.e., its length). The UAE 103 may indicate 314 the requested lease period or the type of application / service (e.g., biking, traveling, etc.) by using, for example, a 5G mobility management (5GMM) registration request message. CN element 110 provides 326 the allowed lease period, e.g., using a 5GMM registration accept message. Note that CN element 110 may grant the UAE the SIM lease period without making aware the UAE of it. The lease period may be expressed in a variety of ways that include: (a) a value of a length of time of the lease period (e.g., a given number of seconds or minutes) or (b) a time stamp representing the end of the lease period.

[0037] After the UAE establishes 227 the PDU session with CN element 110, and the direct connection between the UE and UAE is lost 229, the CN element refrains 339 from initiating a procedure that requests a SIM profile access from the UAE during the SIM profile lease period. For example, during the SIM profile lease period, the CN element requires no re-authentication procedure for the UAE.

[0038] In one other variation of this embodiment, the UAE may renegotiate, after the original registration with the CN element, a length of the SIM profile lease period (e.g., increasing, reducing, stopping, etc.) or the type of application / service (e.g., biking,traveling, etc.) with the CN element, by sending 335 a 5G NAS message, for example, a 5GMM status message or a registration request message. If CN element 110 decides to update the SIM profile lease period, CN element sends 337 a 5G NAS message to the UAE with the new period, e.g., with a 5GMM status message, registration accept message, or a configuration update command message. The new SIM profile lease period may provide a value of a length of time that replaces the remaining SIM profile lease period, a value of a length of time that extends the remaining SIM profile lease period, or a time stamp that indicates the end of the new SIM profile lease period.

[0039] A flow chart of a method 400 based on the SIM profile lease period is illustrated in FIG. 4. For this method, the UAE sends 414 to the CN element 110, a registration request message including a parameter indicative of the UAE 103 depending on the UE 102 for receiving a SIM profile. FIG. 3 describes various implementations of this parameter. The UAE receives 426, from the CN element 110, a registration accept message, and the UAE completes 439 a CN-related procedure while the UE 102 is not in communication with the UAE 103, because of the SIM profile lease period generated by CN element 110.

[0040] Method 500, which is illustrated in FIG. 5, illustrates the same procedure from the CN element point of view. More specially, the CN element receives 514, from the UAE 103, a registration request message including a parameter indicative of the UAE depending on the UE 102 for receiving a SIM profile. The CN element sends 526, to the UAE 103, a registration accept message, and completes 539 a CN-related procedure with the UAE while the UE 102 is not in communication with the UAE 103, because of the SIM profile lease period generated by the CN element 110.

[0041] In another embodiment, CN element 110 is configured to provide a new credential (e.g., a temporary key temp_k) to the UAE 103 so that the UAE can access the network without accessing the secure SIM profile 203 via the UE 102. The description of the steps that are similar to those in FIG. 2 is omitted in this embodiment.

[0042] UAE 103 sends 614 the CN element 110 a registration message that indicates that the UAE is using the SIM profile from the UE similar to message 314. This registration message might include at least one of a remote SIM indication, a lease period request, or an activity type associated with the user of the UE. CN element 110sends 628 a registration accept message that may include, a SIM profile lease period and / or a temporary key temp_k, to be used during the lease period. CN element 110 may optionally indicate the authentication procedure, e.g., the legacy authentication procedure or the specific authentication for the leasing SIM profile scenario.

[0043] After the PDU session is established 227 and after the UAE has lost its direction connection 229 to the UE, the UAE 103 may trigger a negotiation of the SIM profile lease period (e.g., increasing, reducing, stopping, etc.) or the type of application / service (e.g., biking, traveling, etc.), or the authentication mechanism / key with CN element 110 by sending 635 a 5G NAS message, e.g., a 5GMM status message or a registration request message.

[0044] When CN element 110 decides to update the SIM profile lease period, the authentication mechanism or the key, CN element sends 638 a 5G NAS message including the updated parameters to the UAE, e.g., a 5GMM status message, registration accept message, or a configuration update command message. The updated parameters may include a new SIM profile lease period (e.g., a replacement length of time value, an extension length of time value, or a time stamp for the end of the lease period) and optionally a second temporary key temp_k.

[0045] If CN element 110 triggers 640 a CN-based procedure that requires authentication, and the UAE is not in direct connection 229 with the UE, and thus, it cannot use the UE SIM profile 203, the UAE may use the credentials (and optionally the authentication mechanism) provisioned 628, 638 by CN element 110 for such network- triggered procedures. Thus, the UAE maintains its connectivity to the CN element 110 while away from the UE 102, although re-attach and / or re-authentication procedures 231 are triggered by the CN element.

[0046] A flow chart of a method 700, based on the SIM profile lease period and / or the temporary key temp_k, is illustrated in FIG. 7. For this method, the UAE sends 714 to the CN element, a registration request message including a parameter indicative of a SIM lease. The SIM lease parameter includes at least one of a remote SIM indication, a lease period request, an activity associated with the UE which lends a SIM profile to the UAE, because the UAE lacks a SIM, or a preference to use UE SIM profile instead of UAE SIM profile. The UAE receives 728 from the CN element a registration acceptmessage including a temporary key. The message may also include an indication of a SIM profile lease period. The UAE then performs 740 an authentication procedure based on the temporary key while the UAE is not in communication with the UE. In one embodiment, if the UAE received both the temporary key and the SIM profile lease period, the CN element may refrain from requesting the UEA to perform an authentication procedure during the SIM profile lease period. If a certain event / action forces the CN element to request the UAE to perform the authentication procedure during the SIM profile lease period, the UAE may use the temporary key for the authentication procedure.

[0047] Method 800, which is illustrated in FIG. 8, is a flow chart of a CN element method that refers to the procedure of FIG. 6. More specifically, the CN element receives 814 from the UAE 103, a registration request message including a parameter indicative of a SIM lease. The SIM lease parameter includes at least one of a remote SIM indication, a lease period request, an activity associated with the UE which lends a SIM profile to the UAE, because the UAE lacks a SIM, or a preference to use UE SIM profile instead of UAE SIM profile. The CN element sends 828 to the UAE, a registration accept message including a temporary key. The message may also include an indication of a SIM profile lease period. The CN element allows the completion of an authentication procedure while the UAE is not in communication with the UE, based on the temporary key. In one embodiment, if the CN element sent to the UAE both the temporary key and the SIM profile lease period, the CN element may refrain from requesting the UEA to perform an authentication procedure during the SIM profile lease period. However, a certain event / action may force the CN element to request the UAE to perform the authentication procedure during the SIM profile lease period. For this case, the CN element accepts the UAE to use the temporary key for the authentication procedure during the SIM profile lease period.

[0048] The concepts presented in this disclosure have wide-ranging applicability across a diverse spectrum of telecommunication systems, network architectures, and communication standards. For instance, consider the 3GPP, a standards organization responsible for defining numerous wireless communication standards, particularly those related to the EPS commonly known as LTE networks. Evolved iterations of LTE, like5G networks, can support a plethora of services and applications, including but not limited to web browsing, video streaming, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), mission- critical applications, multi-hop networks, real-time remote operations (e.g., tele-surgery), and more.

[0049] Hence, the teachings presented here can be implemented across various network technologies, including, but not restricted to, 6G, 5G, LTE, and diverse network architectures. Moreover, the techniques described herein can be applied to different types of links, whether it is a downlink, uplink, peer-to-peer link, or any other connection type.

[0050] The selection of the specific telecommunication standard, network architecture, or communication standard hinges on the particular application and the overall system design constraints imposed. While these disclosures may illustrate certain aspects in the context of a 6G, 5G or LTE system for clarity, one skilled in the art would recognize that these teachings are equally adaptable to other technological frameworks, networks, components, signaling methods, and so forth.

[0051] In summary, the adaptability and versatility of the concepts discussed in this disclosure make them suitable for a wide array of telecommunication scenarios, regardless of the specific terminology or technology involved.

[0052] Numerical adjectives “first,” “second,” and “third” used in the above embodiments do not imply any order (are not ordinals) but are markers to distinguish separate instances of similar elements. References to the singular (e.g., “a” or “an,” and “the”) should include the plural unless clearly indicated otherwise.

[0053] As used herein, a phrase referring to “at least one of” or “one or more of” a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. For example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover the possibilities of: a only, b only, c only, a combination of a and b, a combination of a and c, a combination of b and c, and a combination of a and b and c.

[0054] Although the features and elements of the present embodiments are described in the embodiments in particular combinations, each feature or element can be used alone without the other features and elements of the embodiments or in various combinations with or without other features and elements disclosed herein. Themethods or flowcharts may be implemented in a computer program, software or firmware tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage medium for execution by a specifically programmed computer or processor.

Claims

What is claimed is:1 . A wireless communication method performed by a user associated equipment, UAE, (103), the method comprising: sending (414), to a core network, CN, element (110), a registration request message including a parameter indicative of the UAE (103) using a user equipment, UE, (102) subscriber identification module, SIM, profile; and receiving (426), from the CN (110), a registration accept message that includes a SIM profile lease period that allows the UAE (103) to communicate with the CN element (110) using the SIM profile while the UE (102) is not in communication with the UAE (103).

2. The method of Claim 1 , wherein the parameter includes at least one of a remote SIM indication, a lease period request, an indication of an activity associated with the UE, or a preference to use the UE SIM profile instead of an UAE SIM profile.

3. The method of Claim 2, wherein the UAE SIM profile is different from the UE SIM profile.

4. The method of any of Claims 1 or 3, wherein the registration accept message further includes a temporary key generated by the CN element.

5. The method of any of Claims 1 to 4, further comprising: completing (439) a CN-related procedure based on at least one of the SIM profile lease period or a temporary key generated by the CN element, while the UE (102) is not in communication with the UAE (103).

6. The method of Claim 5, wherein the CN-related procedure includes authenticating the UAE.

7. The method of any of Claims 1 to 6, further comprising: prior to the sending the registration request message, establishing a first direct communication between the UE and the UAE; and sending an update request to the CN element requesting a new or extended lease period after interruption of the first direct communication between the UE and the UAE.

8. The method of Claim 7, further comprising: receiving a status update from the CN element, including a renewed SIM profile lease period and / or a temporary key generated by the CN, in response to the sending the update request.

9. The method of any of Claims 5 to 7, wherein the CN-related procedure is a reregistration procedure or an authentication procedure.

10. A wireless communication method performed by a core network, CN, element (110), the method comprising: receiving (514), from a user associated equipment, UAE, (103), a registration request message including a parameter indicative of the UAE (103) using a user equipment, UE, (102) subscribed identification module, SIM, profile; and sending (526), to the UAE (103), a registration accept message that includes a SIM profile lease period that allows the UAE (103) to communicate with the CN element (110) using the SIM profile while the UE (102) is not in communication with the UAE (103).11 . The method of Claim 10, wherein the parameter includes at least one of a SIM indication, a lease period request, an indication of an activity associated with UE, or a preference to use the UE SIM profile instead of an UAE SIM profile.

12. The method of any of Claims 10 or 11 , wherein the registration accept message further includes a temporary key generated by the CN element.

13. The method of any of Claims 10 to 12, further comprising: completing (539) a CN-related procedure based on at least one of the SIM profile lease period or a temporary key generated by the CN element, while the UE (102) is not in communication with the UAE (103).

14. The method of Claim 13, wherein the CN-related procedure includes authenticating the UAE.

15. The method of any of Claims 10 to 14, further comprising: receiving an update request from the UAE for a different lease period.

16. The method of Claim 15, further comprising: sending to the UAE a status update, including a renewed SIM profile lease period and / or a temporary key generated by the CN element, in response to the receiving the update request.

17. The method of any of Claims 11 to 16, wherein the CN-related procedure is a re-registration procedure or an authentication procedure.

18. The method of any of Claims 10 to 17, wherein the CN element refrains from requesting the UAE to use the SIM profile during the SIM profile lease period.

19. A wireless communication device (103, 110) comprising a transceiver (184, 186, 176), a processor (182, 172), and computer-readable storage media (188, 178) storing executable instructions for the processor to perform any one of methods recited in claims 1-18, using the transceiver.

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