Core network node, radio network node, user equipment and methods for controlling usage of one or more radio access technologies (RATS)

Abstract

A method performed by a User Equipment (120), UE, for controlling usage of one or more Radio Access Technologies, RATs, by the UE in one or more radio locations of a wireless communications network (100) The UE receives (202), as transmitted from a core network node (130) or a radio network node (110), an indication of an allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations. The UE configures (203) itself to use the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations according to the indicated an allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs of the received indication.

Description

[0001] CORE NETWORK NODE, RADIO NETWORK NODE, USER EQUIPMENT AND

[0002] METHODS FOR CONTROLLING USAGE OF

[0003] ONE OR MORE RADIO ACCESS TECHNOLOGIES (RATS)

[0004] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0005] The disclosure herein relates to a radio network node, a core network node, a user equipment (UE). It also relates to a method performed by a radio network node for controlling usage of one or more Radio Access Technologies (RATs) by the UE in one or more radio locations of a wireless communications network. A method performed by a core network node, a method performed by a UE, computer programs and carriers . are also disclosed.

[0006] BACKGROUND

[0007] In a typical wireless communication network, wireless devices, also known as wireless communication devices, mobile stations, stations (STA) and / or UEs, communicate via a Local Area Network such as a Wi-Fi network or a Radio Access Network (RAN) to one or more core networks (CN). The RAN covers a geographical area which is divided into service areas or cell areas, which may also be referred to as a beam or a beam group, with each service area or cell area being served by a radio network node such as a radio access node e.g., a Wi-Fi access point or a radio base station (RBS), which in some networks may also be denoted, for example, a NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), or gNB as denoted in Fifth Generation (5G) telecommunications. A service area or cell area is a geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the radio network node. The radio network node communicates over an air interface operating on radio frequencies with the wireless device within range of the radio network node.

[0008] Specifications for the Evolved Packet System (EPS), also called a Fourth Generation (4G) network, have been completed within the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and this work continues in the coming 3GPP releases, for example to specify a 5G network also referred to as 5G New Radio (NR). Procedures for a 5G System (5GS) is disclosed in 3GPP TS 23.502 V18.5.0. The EPS comprises the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), also known as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) radio access network, and the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), also known as System Architecture Evolution (SAE) core network. E-UTRAN / LTE is a variant of a 3GPP radio access network wherein the radio network nodes are directly connected to the EPC rather than to Radio Network Controllers (RNCs) used in 3G networks. In general, in E-UTRAN / LTE the functions of a 3G RNC are distributed between the radio network nodes, e.g. eNodeBs in LTE, and the core network. As such, the RAN of an EPS has an essentially “flat” architecture comprising radio network nodes connected directly to one or more core networks, i.e. they are not connected to RNCs. To compensate for that, the E-UTRAN specification defines a direct interface between the radio network nodes, this interface being denoted the X2 interface.

[0009] Multi-antenna techniques may significantly increase the data rates and reliability of a wireless communication system. The performance is in particular improved if both the transmitter and the receiver are equipped with multiple antennas, which results in a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) communication channel. Such systems and / or related techniques are commonly referred to as MIMO.

[0010] As mobile networks evolved to the 5th Generation (5G), security and privacy protections are increasingly improved in 3GPP specified radio access technologies and core network. Lessons learnt from the global deployments, widespread adoption, diverse use cases, and academic research helped identify security vulnerabilities in legacy generations of cellular technologies. It is a natural desire and regulatory requirements that drive the necessity to improve security posture that offer higher levels of trust, assurance, reliability, and robustness to reduce security risks for emerging use cases of mobile networks deployed for public and private sectors. Therefore, each generation of mobile network is developed with an aim to offer better security and privacy for the users.

[0011] SUMMARY

[0012] Problems as identified as part of developing embodiments herein will first be discussed.

[0013] The lifecycle of a deployed operational network eventually comes to a decommissioning phase when public land mobile networks (PLMNs) gradually phase out legacy technologies in favor of a latest, feature rich, secure, resilient, and better performing generation of technologies. Until legacy infrastructure is completely removed, the coexistence of modern and legacy technologies presents exploit opportunities to a determined, resourceful, motivated adversary to lure subscribers to access legacy technologies with inherent security and privacy vulnerabilities. Such attacks are referred to as 'bidding-down' attacks. Several procedural and protocol signaling improvements already have been specified in 3GPP specifications to mitigate bidding-down attacks.

[0014] Since operators globally are rolling out 5G Stand-Alone, e.g., 5G NR with 5G Core (5GC), in parallel, the legacy radio access technologies (RAT), such as, General packet radio service (GPRS) I GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution) RAN (GERAN) and Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service Terrestrial RAN (UTRAN), are gradually being removed. GERAN and / or UTRAN may further be referred as “legacy RAT”.

[0015] The decommissioning phase is a long-lasting event due to costs, resources, and competing priorities. Often, the change introduces security risks and presents an exploit opportunity that an adversary exploits much later even after the change event is over.

[0016] During the phase of GERAN / UTRAN decommissioning, a PLMN removes its GERAN / UTRAN infrastructure gradually from one area to the next for a nationwide removal lasting for a while. PLMN's subscribers require inter-RAT mobility from NG RAN / LTE to GERAN / UTRAN till PLMN's NG RAN / LTE and GERAN / UTRAN coexist, but at the same time be protected from adversary's GERAN / UTRAN false base station. Removal of GERAN / UTRAN by a PLMN, presents an exploit opportunity for an attacker to position its GERAN / UTRAN False Base Stations (FBS) as a Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) tool to eavesdrop exchange between the UE and the network for further building an attack by using knowledge of compromised UE's identity, location, and its communication. Multi- RAT UEs can be tricked into accessing a legacy, less secure RAT provided by the adversary, especially when the PLMN has removed the GERAN / UTRAN RAN nodes.

[0017] Furthermore, the problem may extend to any system where there is a RAT is not configured to the area but is being advertised to a UE, by an attacker or FBS.

[0018] Therefore, an effective and fit-for-purpose risk mitigation measure to mitigate security risks is required that is effective. Currently specified technical measures do not allow being selective for informing UEs about RAT removal from infrastructure, and thus prohibiting UEs to access removed RATs, e.g., GERAN / UTRAN where a PLMN has removed a RAT while allowing UEs to access GERAN / UTRAN RAT where PLMN still has operational GERAN / UTRAN. This means that FBS operating in GERAN / UTRAN to lure UE in locations where a PLMN has removed GERAN / UTRAN RATs may exist and may be a security risk.

[0019] An object of embodiments herein is to provide efficient and secure RAT handover in wireless communications networks.

[0020] According to a first aspect, a method performed by a UE for controlling usage of one or more RATs by the UE in one or more radio locations of a wireless communications network is provided. The UE receives, as transmitted from a core network node or a radio network node, an indication of an allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations. The UE configures itself to use the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs in the received indication.

[0021] According to a second aspect, a method performed by a core network node for controlling usage of one or more RATs by a UE in one or more radio locations of a wireless communications network is provided. The core network node obtains information of absence and / or presence of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations. Based on the absence and / or presence of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations, the core network node triggers an indication to be transmitted to the UE, the indication being indicative of an allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations to the UE, thereby triggering a configuration of the UE to control the use the one or more RATs in the one or more radio locations according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs.

[0022] According to a third aspect, a method performed by a radio network node controlling usage of one or more RATs by a UE in one or more radio locations of a wireless communications network is provided.

[0023] The radio network node obtains an indication of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations. The radio network node transmits an indication to the UE, the indication being indicative of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations to the UE, thereby triggering a configuration of the UE to use the one or more RATs in the one or more radio locations according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs.

[0024] According to a fourth aspect, a UE configured to control usage of one or more RATs by the UE in one or more radio locations of a wireless communications network is provided. The UE is configured to: receive as transmitted from a core network node or a radio network node, an indication of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations, and configure the UE to use the one or more RATs in the one or more radio locations according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs of the received indication.

[0025] According to a fifth aspect, a core network node configured to control usage of one or more RATs by a UE in one or more radio locations of a wireless communications network is provided. The core network node being configured to: obtain information of absence and / or presence of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations, and based on the absence and / or presence of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations, trigger an indication to be transmitted to the UE, the indication being indicative of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations to the UE, thereby triggering a configuration of the UE to control the use of the one or more RATs in the one or more radio locations according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs.

[0026] According to a sixth aspect, a radio network node configured to control usage of one or more RATs by a UE in one or more radio locations of a wireless communications network is provided. The radio network node is configured to: obtain an indication of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more

[0027] RATs for the one or more radio locations, and transmit an indication to the UE, the indication being indicative of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations to the UE, thereby triggering a configuration of the UE to use the one or more RATs in the one or more radio locations according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs.

[0028] A seventh aspect relates to a computer program which comprises instructions, which when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform a method according to the first aspect.

[0029] An eighth aspect relates to a computer program which comprises instructions, which when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform a method according to the second aspect.

[0030] A ninth aspect relates to a computer program which comprises instructions, which when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform a method according to the third aspect.

[0031] A tenth aspect relates to a carrier which comprises a computer program according to the seventh aspect, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

[0032] An eleventh aspect relates to a carrier which comprises a computer program according to the eighth aspect, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

[0033] A twelfth aspect relates to a carrier which comprises a computer program according to the ninth aspect, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

[0034] Since the UE will receive the indication of the allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations, the UE consequently takes an action to only access allowed RATs for the one or more radio locations, and / or to configure itself to refrain from using the restricted one or more RATs. This means that the UE will be prevented from accessing RATs set up by attackers, keeping the UE to securely access PLMN network via PLMN determined allowed- RAT, and wherein the information is transmitted in an efficient manner.

[0035] Embodiments herein may target any RAT, but may specifically ensure that UEs do not camp on GERAN / UTRAN when these RATs have been decommissioned for a specific radio location.

[0036] An embodiment of the first and fourth aspects comprises, when the UE is in an idle mode, detection of a paging signal, causing the UE to transition to a connected state, and subsequently reception of the indication of an allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations.

[0037] In an embodiment of the first and fourth aspects, each of the one or more radio locations is respectively represented by a New Radio Cell Global Identifier, NCGI, and / or an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Cell Global Identifier, ECGI and / or a Tracking Area Identity, TAI.

[0038] In an embodiment of the first and fourth aspects, the indication indicates the one or more RATs present in the one or more radio locations. Configuring the UE according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs comprises configuring the UE to only use any one or more of the one or more RATs.

[0039] In an embodiment of the first and fourth aspects, the UE is registered with the core network node in a first radio location of the one or more radio locations. The indication here indicates allowed one or more RATs in the first radio location.

[0040] In an embodiment of the first and fourth aspects, the one or more RATs comprises

[0041] 5G NR and / or LTE. In an embodiment of the first and fourth aspects, the indication is received as part of any one or more of: a UE configuration update command from the core network node (130), a Radio Resource Control, RRC, message, as indicated from received System Information, SI, or a combination thereof.

[0042] In an embodiment of the second and fifth aspects, the triggering of the indication to be transmitted to the UE comprises transmitting the indication to the UE.

[0043] In an embodiment of the second and fifth aspects, triggering the indication to be transmitted to the UE comprises instructing a radio network node to transmit the indication to the UE.

[0044] In an embodiment of the second and fifth aspects, the method comprises, when the UE is in an idle mode, transmitting a paging signal towards the UE, causing the UE to transition to a connected state and subsequently receive the indication of the allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations.

[0045] In an embodiment of the third and sixth aspects, obtaining the indication comprises receiving the indication from a core network node.

[0046] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] Examples of embodiments herein are described in more detail with reference to attached drawings in which:

[0048] Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating example embodiments of a wireless communications network,

[0049] Fig. 2 is a flowchart depicting example embodiments of a method,

[0050] Fig. 3 is a flowchart depicting example embodiments of a method,

[0051] Fig. 4 is a flowchart depicting example embodiments of a method,

[0052] Figs. 5a-c are schematic block diagrams and sequence diagrams illustrating example embodiments,

[0053] Fig. 6 is a schematic block diagram illustrating example embodiments of a core network node,

[0054] Fig. 7 is a schematic block diagram illustrating example embodiments of a radio network node,

[0055] Fig. 8 is a schematic block diagram illustrating example embodiments of a

[0056] UE,

[0057] Fig. 9 shows an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments,

[0058] Fig. 10 shows a UE in accordance with some embodiments, Fig. 11 shows a network node in accordance with some embodiments,

[0059] Fig. 12 is a block diagram of a host, which may be an embodiment of the host of Fig. 9, in accordance with various aspects described herein,

[0060] Fig. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized,

[0061] Fig. 14 shows a communication diagram of a host communicating via a network node with a UE over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments, and

[0062] Figs. 15-17 are schematic block diagrams and sequence diagrams illustrating example scenarios of some embodiments.

[0063] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0064] Embodiments herein may relate to informing a UE of which RAT(s) is / are allowed or restricted in a radio location. This means that the UE will not camp on RATs that are decommissioned or otherwise not allowed, thereby ensuring that UEs are not camping on RATs of malicious False Base Stations. In particular, embodiments herein may relate to ensuring that GERAN / UTRAN is not camped on, if decommissioned by a PLMN in a radio location.

[0065] Fig. 1 is a schematic overview depicting a wireless communications network 100 wherein embodiments herein may be implemented. The wireless communications network 100 comprises one or more RANs and one or more CNs. The wireless communications network 100 may use 5G NR, but may further use a number of other different RAT technologies, such as, Wi-Fi, LTE, LTE-Advanced, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Global System for Mobile communications / enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution (GSM / EDGE), or Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), just to mention a few possible implementations.

[0066] Radio network nodes such as a radio network node 110 and optionally a second radio network node 112, operate in the wireless communications network 100. The radio network node 110 and / or the second radio network node 112 may respectively provide a number of cells referred, and may use these cells for communicating with any one or more suitable UEs operating in these cells. The radio network node 110 and / or the second radio network node 112 may respectively be a transmission and reception point e.g. a radio access network node such as a base station, e.g. a radio base station such as a NodeB, an evolved Node B (eNB, eNodeB, eNode B), an NR Node B (gNB), a base transceiver station, a radio remote unit, an Access Point Base Station, a base station router, a transmission arrangement of a radio base station, a stand-alone access point, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access point, an Access Point Station (AP STA), an access controller, a UE acting as an access point or a peer in a Device to Device (D2D) communication, or any other network unit capable of communicating with a UE within any cell served by the radio network node 110 and / or the second radio network node 112, e.g. depending on the radio access technology and terminology used.

[0067] UEs may operate in the wireless communications network 100 such as the UE 120. UEs as used herein may respectively provide radio coverage by means of a number of antenna beams, also referred to as beams herein. UEs as used herein may respectively e.g. be an NR device, a mobile station, a wireless terminal, an NB-loT device, an eMTC device, an NR RedCap device, a CAT-M device, a Wi-Fi device, an LTE device and a non-access point (non-AP) STA, a STA, that communicates via a base station such as e.g. the radio network node 110, one or more Access Networks (AN), e.g. RAN, to one or more core networks (CN). It should be understood by the skilled in the art that the UE relates to a non-limiting term which means any UE, terminal, wireless communication terminal, user equipment, (D2D) terminal, or node e.g. smart phone, laptop, mobile phone, sensor, relay, mobile tablets or even a small base station communicating within a cell.

[0068] Core network nodes such as a core network node 130 may operate in the wireless communications network 100. The core network node 130, may be or comprise an

[0069] Access & Mobility Management Function (AMF) and / or a Mobility Management Entity

[0070] (MME).

[0071] In the wireless communications network 100, one or more radio locations may be present such as a first radio location 151, a second radio location 152, and / or a third radio location 153. The different radio locations may be associated with different RATs being present or absent therein. A radio location as used herein may mean any location with connectivity, and may respectively be represented by Cell IDs and / or Base station IDs per PLMN, a New Radio Cell Global Identifier (NCGI), an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Cell Global Identifier (ECGI), or a Tracking Area Identity (TAI) of these locations. A radio location as used herein, e.g., the first radio location 151, may be identified in CN, e.g., by the core network node 130, by TAI, and the same location may be identified in RAN, e.g., by the radio network node 110 by NCGI and / or ECGI T racking areas (TAs) of embodiments herein may comprise a single or multiple cells. ECGI and / or NCGI may be more detailed information of a location than a TA. Thus, a radio location as used herein may be an NCGI and / or ECGI, which may map to a corresponding TA / TAI. Each TA / TAI may however comprise multiple cells with their respective NCGI and / or ECGI.

[0072] Methods herein may be performed by the core network node 130 and / or the radio network node 110. As an alternative, a Distributed Node (DN) and functionality, e.g. comprised in a cloud 140 as shown in Fig. 1 , may be used for performing or partly performing the methods and embodiments herein.

[0073] Embodiments herein may relate to Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling or Access Stratum (AS) between the UE 120 and network, e.g., the core network node 130 and / or the radio network node 110 respectively. The core network node 130 to the UE 120 is NAS. RAN to UE is AS. Because the UE is being informed by the CN over NAS in one method, and also by RAN over AS in a second and third method. To ensure security, the UE 120 may typically be required to be in a Registration Management (RM) REGISTERED state in the wireless telecommunications network, e.g., registered with the core network node 130. Then the UE 120 may be in Connection Management (CM) IDLE or CM CONNECTED state.

[0074] If the UE 120 is in a CM-IDLE state, and consequently in Radio Resource Control (RRC) IDLE state, the UE 120 may not maintain a NAS connection with the core network node 130, nor RRC connection with the radio network node 110. Therefore, the core network node 130 may page all UEs in its registration area, e.g., the UE 120. Embodiments herein may rely on network-triggered proactive update of the UE 120, and for that, the core network 130 may use a paging procedure to reach out to the idle mode UEs such as the UE 120. As a result of paging, all reachable idle mode UEs in the registration area transition into CM-CONNECTED state, e.g., including the UE 120. The UE 120 may be in RRC INACTIVE or RRC CONNECTED state while in CM- CONNECTED state.

[0075] When the UE 120 is in a CM-CONNECTED state, both the radio network node 110 and the core network node 130 may have visibility of the UE 120 and may have, or can obtain the corresponding UE context. When a PLMN removes a RAT such as GERAN / UTRAN from the infrastructure in a UE radio location, the core network node 130 may send a UE Configuration Update Command, or any other suitable procedure over the NAS, signaling to inform the UE 120 of an allowed RAT list containing only LTE and 5G NR. Additionally or alternatively, restricted RATs may be signaled. After receiving the information, the UE 120 may optionally acknowledge the command by sending UE Configuration Update Accept. Embodiments herein introduces a new Information Element (IE) in the UE Configuration Update Command or in any other suitable procedure over NAS, comprising a restricted RAT list while the UE 120 is registered in a TAI and 5G NCGI / 4G ECGI, e.g., where only LTE and 5G NR is permitted. In other words, the RAT list IE of the UE Configuration Update Command or in any other suitable procedure over NAS may comprise a list of RATs allowed to use in a radio location.

[0076] Upon receiving this indication from the network, e.g., the radio network node 110 and / or the core network node 130, the UE 120 will not camp on restricted RATs such as GERAN / UTRAN, for cell (re)selection during idle mode mobility if the UE 120 transitions to RRC IDLE / CM-IDLE states, and similarly will not camp on restricted RATs such as GERAN / UTRAN, during RRC INACTIVE / RRC CONNECTED / CM-CONNECTED mode mobility.

[0077] When the UE 120 moves to a new TAI and 5G NCGI / 4G ECGI, and sends a radio location update to the network, e.g., to the core network node 130, the core network node 130 follows up with UE Configuration Update Command or in any other suitable procedure over NAS if in the new location of the UE 120, indicating the restricted RAT list as an IE.

[0078] The following steps may form part of some embodiments herein:

[0079] 1. The core network node 130, e.g., being an AMF / MME, may keep a policy by mapping TAI with a legacy RAT removal flag.

[0080] 2. The core network node 130, may obtain a current location of the UE 120, e.g., the corresponding TAI disclosed by UE 120 when it registered or / and updated location, which the core network node 130 may correlate with a RAT removal flag, e.g., a 'legacy RAT removal flag' when relating to GERAN / UTRAN.

[0081] 3. The core network node 130 may use a policy table to trigger a UE Configuration Update Command or in any other suitable procedure over NAS to inform the UE 120 of a restricted RAT in the current radio location of the UE 120, e.g., if the RAT removal flag is 'Y'. This may be applicable if the UE 120 already is in CM- CONNECTED state.

[0082] 4. The core network node 130 may further page all UEs in CM-IDLE / RRC IDLE in a TAI, where policy table says that a RAT is removed, e.g., legacy RAT such as UTRAN / GERAN is removed. An objective of this paging is to make UEs such as the UE 120 transition to CM-CONNECTED from a core network perspective and may be in RRC CONNECTED from a RAN perspective. In these states, UE context and location may be available to RAN and core network, e.g., the radio network node 110 and / or the core network node 130, and the UE 120 may be reachable for the network e.g., the radio network node 110 and / or the core network node 130, to be able to instruct the UE 120 of which RATs are allowed and / or restricted. This may be performed by step-3 above.

[0083] Advantages of the embodiments herein may be summarized as follows:

[0084] Network triggered proactive informing of all UEs, e.g., the UE 120, - whether the UE 120 is in CM-IDLE or CM-CONNECTED state without waiting for the UE 120 to initiate contact with the network.

[0085] - A subscriber involvement is not required by aspects and embodiments herein, thereby improving efficiency.

[0086] Improved security is enabled due to that information may in some embodiments only be conveyed after a Security Mode Command (SMC) over NAS.

[0087] - A consistent security posture for the UE 120 in RRC CONNECTED, IDLE, and INACTIVE modes. Therefore, embodiments herein may be efficient, secure, and suitable for mobility and handover scenarios.

[0088] Embodiments herein may apply to roaming scenarios, where serving PLMN AMF / MME, e.g., the core network node 130 may convey information of embodiments herein to a roaming UE 120 in a serving network.

[0089] The core network node 130 may maintain a policy of restricted and / or allowed RATs. In other words, the core network node 130 may comprise a policy definition point i.e., where the policy is introduced. The core network node 130 may inform the UE 120, or have the radio network node 110 inform the UE 120, that if legacy RAT is removed in its current radio location, the UE 120 is then able to take an action not to camp on, i.e., use, a legacy RAT cell either by cell selection / reselection in idle mode mobility, and either by handover in connected mode mobility. Therefore, denying an adversary an opportunity to lure UE to camp on GERAN / UTRAN False Base Station.

[0090] Embodiments herein may relate to Legacy RAT, i.e., making sure that radio locations 151 , 152, 153 with decommissioned GERAN / UTRAN shall not have the UE 120 using GERAN / UTRAN as that would likely relate to a False Base Station attacking the UE 120. However, embodiments herein work as well on any type of RAT, making sure that if a RAT is not allowed to use, the UE 120 will not use it in its radio location.

[0091] In embodiments herein, SMC may be a procedural aspect that happens in the wireless communications network 100. It is the SMC procedure completeness that may secure data transmission bidirectionally between the UE 120 and the network, e.g., the core network node 130. So for embodiments herein, where the network such as the core network node 130 is telling / instructing the UE 120, if this telling / instructing is made to happen after the SMC procedure, it means that all telli ng / instructions are also in a secure channel that existed because of prior SMC. SMC may happen during registration of the UE 120 as a part of the registration procedure by default.

[0092] Embodiments herein address at least some above-mentioned problems or issues. Below follows a number of embodiment which may be performed in any suitable combination.

[0093] Fig. 2 illustrates a flow chart of a method 200 performed by the UE 120 for controlling usage of one or more RATs by the UE 120 in the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153 of the wireless communications network 100. The method comprises the following actions in any suitable order. Boxes in Fig. 2 illustrated by dashed borders may be considered optional actions.

[0094] Action 201

[0095] In some embodiments herein, when the UE 120 is arranged in an CM idle mode, e.g., RRC idle , the UE 120 detects a paging signal, e.g., transmitted by the core network node 130, causing the UE to transition to a connected state, e.g., CM-CONNECTED and / or RRC CONNECTED.

[0096] The paging may be detected by the UE 120 listening to paging signals, i.e. , by waking up temporarily, to receive paging in one or more predefined time and / or resource slots such as a paging occasion or paging frame.

[0097] Action 202

[0098] The UE 120 receives, as transmitted from the Core Network node 130 or the radio network node 110, an indication of an allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153. In this context, the one or more radio locations 151 , 152 ,153, may relate to a cell, e.g., identified by an NCGI and / or ECGI per radio location, as addressed or indicated by the indication. Typically, the indication only indicates one or more RATs allowed for and / or restricted for, the first radio location 151.

[0099] While the indication may indicate allowance and / or restriction of the one or more

[0100] RATs for multiple radio locations, typically it only indicates the allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for a current radio location of the UE 120, i.e., the first radio location 151.

[0101] The UE 120 may receive the indication of an allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations subsequently to detecting the paging and / or transitioning to RRC connected, e.g., as in action 201. The UE 120 may be configured to receive the indication in any of one or more predefined time and / or resource slots after transitioning to the connected state or it may be received in any other suitable manner.

[0102] Typically, the indication may indicate that GERAN or UTRAN is restricted and / or the indication may indicated that 5G or LTE is allowed.

[0103] However, embodiments herein relate to any one or more RATs. RATs that may need to be decommissioned in the future in many networks, that may specifically have the same need as GERAN and / or UTRAN is CDMA, W-CDMA, WiMAX, and CDMA2000.

[0104] In some embodiments, the UE 120 is registered with the core network node 130 in a first radio location 151 of the one or more radio locations 151 ,152, 152. In these embodiments, the indication may indicate allowed one or more RATs in the first radio location 151. In some embodiments, the indication only indicates allowed RATs, i.e., the indication is a whitelist. As previously stated, any RAT may apply, e.g., the one or more RATs may comprise 5G NR and / or LTE.

[0105] The indication may be received as part of any one or more out of: a UE configuration update command from the core network node 130, a Radio Resource Control, RRC, message, or from received System Information, SI, or a combination thereof. How the indication is received may depend on whether it is sent from the core network node 130 or the radio network node 110.

[0106] Action 203

[0107] The UE 120 configures itself to use the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153 according to the indicated an allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs of the received indication. The UE 120 configures itself to use the one or more RATs according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction in embodiments herein may mean that the UE 120 uses the one or more RATs according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction. In other words, if a RAT is not allowed or is restricted for the one or more radio locations, the UE 120 will not camp on said RAT. In other words, this may mean that the UE 120 is triggered to take action to only access the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs in the received indication.

[0108] In some embodiments, the UE 120 configures itself according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs comprises configuring the UE to only use any one or more out of the one or more RATs.

[0109] Typically, embodiments herein may relate to that the UE 120 configures itself not to camp on GERAN and / or UTRAN, as these have been implicitly or explicitly indicated by the indication of action 202 to not be allowed for the UE 120 to use.

[0110] Fig. 3 illustrates a flow chart of a method 300 performed by the core network node 130 for controlling usage of one or more RATs by the UE 120 in the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153 of the wireless communications network 100. The method comprises the following actions in any suitable order. Boxes in Fig. 3 illustrated by dashed borders may be considered optional actions.

[0111] Action 301

[0112] The core network node 130 obtains information of absence and / or presence of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations 151 , 152 ,153. The information may be maintained by the core network node 130, e.g., in a local storage medium or in a memory, e.g., as part of a local policy table mapping the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153 to absence and / or presence with respect to the one or more RATs. Obtaining the information of absence and / or presence of the one or more RATs may comprise obtaining a stored policy of different TAs or TAIs representing the one or more radio locations 151 , 152 ,153 and which RATs are present and / or absent therein. Typically per TA, a list of present RATs may be part of said indication, i.e. , a whitelist of RATs, however, explicit absence of RATs may also apply.

[0113] Obtaining the indication may comprise obtaining the indication for the radio location where the UE 120 is located, e.g., the first radio location 151 , e.g., based on registration information indicating the location of the UE 120, as obtained when the UE 120 registered with the core network node 130.

[0114] Action 302

[0115] When the UE 120 is arranged in an idle mode, e.g., as indicated by any suitable signaling, the core network node 130 may transmit a paging signal towards the UE 120, causing the UE 120 to transition to a connected state, e.g., RRC and CM connected, and subsequently the UE 120 may then receive the indication of the allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations.

[0116] Action 303

[0117] Based on the absence and / or presence of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153, the core network node 130 triggers an indication to be transmitted to the UE 120. The indication is indicative of an allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153 to the UE 120, i.e. , the indication as discussed in action 202.

[0118] While the indication may indicate allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for multiple radio locations, typically it only indicates the allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for a current radio location of the UE 120, i.e., the first radio location 151.

[0119] In other words, based on the absence and / or presence of the one or more RATs, it may be determined which of the one or more RATs shall be indicated in the indication to be transmitted to the UE 120, to be allowed and / or restricted. In some embodiments, if a RAT is indicated to be absent from the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153, such as the first radio location 151 , the indication may indicate that the RAT is not allowed in the respective radio location. In some embodiments, if a RAT is indicated to be present for the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153, such as the first radio location 151 , the indication may indicate that the RAT is allowed in the respective radio location.

[0120] The indication may for a respective radio location of the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153, comprise all RATs that are allowed for the respective radio location, e.g., where all other RATs are implicitly understood to not be allowed.

[0121] The indication triggers a configuration, e.g., configuration update, of the UE 120 to control the use of the one or more RATs in the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153 according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs. In other words, the indication may trigger the UE 120 to use RATs in the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153 such as the first radio location 151 , according to the indication.

[0122] In some embodiments, triggering the indication to be transmitted to the UE 120 comprises transmitting the indication to the UE 120. Alternatively, in some embodiments, triggering the indication to be transmitted to the UE comprises instructing a radio network node 110 to transmit the indication to the UE 120. In other words, the core network node 130 may initiate the process of that the UE 120 shall be notified of the allowed and / or restricted RATs, but it may have the radio network node 110 to perform the transmission of the indication.

[0123] The indication transmitted to the UE 120 may be based on a TAI that the core network node 130 references with the radio location of the UE 120, e.g., the first radio location 151. The radio network node 110 node may look up the corresponding NCGI and / or ECGI which may be used to indicate or address the radio location, e.g., the first radio location 151 , when communicating with the UE 120.

[0124] Actions 302-303 above may be conditionally triggered when the core network node detects that a RAT is removed from a radio location out of the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153 such as the first radio location 151 .

[0125] Fig. 4 illustrates a flow chart of a method 400 performed by the radio network node 110 for controlling usage of one or more RATs by the UE 120 in the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153 of the wireless communications network 100.

[0126] The method comprises the following actions in any suitable order. Boxes in Fig. 4 illustrated by dashed borders may be considered optional actions.

[0127] Action 401

[0128] The radio network node 110 obtains an indication of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153.

[0129] Obtaining the indication may comprise receiving the indication from the core network node 130, e.g., as part of an instruction from the core network node 130, e.g., as in action 303.

[0130] Action 402

[0131] The radio network node 110 transmits an indication to the UE 120. The indication is indicative of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153, to the UE 120, thereby triggering a configuration of the UE to use the one or more RATs in the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153, according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs. In other words, due to the indication, the UE 120 may be triggered to perform an action to access the one or more RATs in the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153, according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs. While the indication may indicate allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for multiple radio locations, typically it only indicates the allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for a current radio location of the UE 120, i.e., the first radio location 151.

[0132] The radio network node 110 may transmit the indication using RRC and / or SI. Paging of the UE 120 by the core network node 130 is optional with respect to the actions performed by the radio network node 110 and may depend on whether the UE 120 is idle or not.

[0133] Fig. 5a illustrates a granular cell level topology of the wireless communications network 100 according to embodiments herein. Fig. 5a may exemplify the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153. In this context, the one or more radio locations refer to cells, e.g., based on NCGI and / or ECGI. The one or more radio locations 151, 152, 153 may correspond to one or more Tracking Areas (TA), such as a first, second, third, and fourth TA, TA-1, TA-2, TA-3, TA-4.

[0134] In embodiments herein, the radio network node 110 may handle multiple radio locations that may be part of the same or different TA. For example, in embodiments herein the TA-4 and the first radio location 151 may be restricted such that only LTE and 5G NR is allowed to use therein, i.e., the indication of allowance and / or restriction may indicate only usage of LTE and 5G NR and not to use GERAN / UTRAN, e.g., as part of actions above, while TA-1 , TA-2, and TA-3 may not have any restrictions to usage of GERAN / UTRAN.

[0135] Features above of any action may apply to all other actions or embodiments where applicable and / or in a corresponding manner.

[0136] Fig. 5b illustrates an example sequence diagram of some embodiments herein.

[0137] The UE 120 may initially register with the core network node 130, e.g., an AMF and / or MME, such that the UE 120 is in RM-REGISTERED. The UE 120 may or may not be in RRC / CM idle mode.

[0138] The core network node 130 may obtain 501 a policy of present and / or absent RAT(s) per TA / TAI, e.g., as part of action 301.

[0139] The core network node 130 may further obtain 502 the location such as the first radio location 151 and / or a specific TA, of the UE 120, based on the registration. The core network node 130 may then determine the RAT presence or absence of the location of the UE 120, e.g., the first radio location 151.

[0140] When the UE is in IDLE mode

[0141] If the UE 120 is arranged in the idle mode, the core network node 130 may page 503 the UE 120 such that the UE 120 transitions 504, to a connected mode, CM- Connected.

[0142] The core network node 130 may further transmit 505 an indication of allowed and / or restricted RATs to the UE 120, e.g., as in action 303 and / or 202. The indication may be transmitted as part of a UE configuration update command with a (novel) Information Element (IE) indicating a restricted RAT list in UE's 120 radio location, e.g., TA and / or ECGI and / or NCGI of the first radio location 151. The restricted RAT list IE may in some embodiments be a whitelist, i.e. , an exhaustive list of all allowed RATs for the respective radio location. The UE 120 may optionally respond 506 with a UE configuration update command accept.

[0143] When the UE is in connected mode

[0144] If the UE is arranged in a connected mode, the core network node 130 may, directly without paging the UE 120, transmit 507 the indication of allowed and / or restricted RATs to the UE 120, e.g., as in action 303 and / or 202 and / or 505. The indication may be transmitted as part of the UE configuration update command with the (novel) Information Element (IE) indicating the restricted RAT list per radio location. The UE 120 may optionally respond 508 with a UE configuration update command accept.

[0145] In both above cases, whether the UE 120 is initially Idle or not, the UE 120 is informed 509 by the restricted RAT list, e.g., as part of action 202, which RAT is should not use in the one or more radio locations 151, 152, 153 such as the first radio location 151. The UE 120 may thereby decide to not camp on GERAN and / or UTRAN in its current location, i.e., the first radio location 151, if the RAT restriction IE indicates that GERAN and / or UTRAN

[0146] Fig. 5c illustrates an example sequence diagram of some embodiments herein. Actions 501-504 is the same as in Fig. 5b. The difference in Fig. 5c is that the core network node 130 may instead trigger the radio network node 110 to inform the UE 120 of the restricted RAT list, e.g., as in actions 202, 403, 505, 507. In other words, the core network node 130 may inform 515 the radio network node 110 that RATs have been removed in the radio location of the UE 120, e.g., as part of action 303. The core network node 130 may inform the radio network node 110 by instructing the radio network node 110 to send the restricted RAT list IE to the UE 120.

[0147] The radio network node 110 sends 516 an indication of allowed and / or restricted RATs of the one or more radio locations 151, 152, 153 such as the first radio location 151 , to the UE 120, e.g., as in actions 202, 402. The UE 120 may optionally acknowledge 517 receiving the indication.

[0148] The UE 120 is informed 518 by the restricted RAT list, e.g., as part of action 202, which RAT is should not use in the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153 such as the first radio location 151. The UE 120 may thereby decide to not camp on GERAN and / or UTRAN in its current location, i.e., the first radio location 151, if the RAT restriction IE indicates that GERAN and / or UTRAN, e.g., as transmitted from the radio network node as part of action 516.

[0149] Further variations and embodiments

[0150] Below follows discussions of embodiments herein which can be applied to any one or more out of the actions or embodiments above, in any suitable manner.

[0151] The UE 120 may access 3GPP RAT based on a RAT restriction IE, e.g., the indication of allowance and / or restricted RATs of the one or more radio locations 151, 152, 153. Typically, the core network node 130 informs the UE 120, directly or indirectly via the radio network node 110, whether a RAT is removed from the current radio location of the UE 120, e.g., the first radio location 151. The UE 120 may be informed by means of a RAT restriction IE, which may be an exhaustive list of allowed RATs in the respective radio location.

[0152] Some embodiments herein may have a prerequisite that UE 120 is in RM- REGISTERED state.

[0153] Some embodiments herein may use UE 120 NAS signaling with the core network node 130, e.g., 4G MME / 5G AMF, which may mean that the UE 120 is in an CM- CONNECTED state to allow this feature.

[0154] The core network node 130 may obtain knowledge of the location of the UE 120 from a registration state of the UE 120. The core network node 130 may comprise a implemented a policy indicating the presence and / or absence of RATs per radio locations, in this case per NCGI, ECGI, or TAI. The policy is shown in Table 1 below and may be used to obtain the presence and / or absence of RAT(s) as part of action 301. The indication of allowance and / or restriction may be determined based on the policy of Table 1.

[0155] Table 1 TAI mapping to RAT-indicator policy correlation

[0156] The policy may map TAI and 5G NCGI / 4G ECGI to RATs presence and / or absent therein. In this example the table maps to a 'Legacy RAT flag' indicating the presence and / or absence of GERAN / UTRAN, which may in some embodiments be the most critical information as embodiments herein may relate to avoiding the UE 120 camping on GERAN / UTRAN when these RATs are decommissioned in the radio location of the UE 120.

[0157] As shown in the table-1 , when GERAN / UTRAN is removed by the PLMN from its TAI 20834 with TAC-4, and 5G NCGI / 4G ECGI is 20834-123-40, the 'Legacy RAT' flag will be set to ' N' , meaning the PLMN has removed its GERAN / UTRAN from the respective radio location. Embodiments herein enables to inform the UE of this information.

[0158] Accordingly, the UE 120 may be made aware that the operator has removed legacy RAT in its current location, and now if the UE 120 detects a cell operating in GERAN / UTRAN in its current radio location, e.g., TAI and / or 5G NCGI / 4G ECGI, it may be determined that the GERAN / UTRAN relates to a potential False Base Station attempting to lure UE to camp on it so an adversary could be playing a Man-in-the-Middle attack, and can thereby be avoided.

[0159] If the UE 120 is in CM-CONNECTED state, the core network node 130 may send UE Configuration Update Command to the UE 120. The command may be used for updating the UE 120 with access and mobility management related parameters. The embodiments herein may introduce a (new) IE for restricted RAT list which may contain only RAT that is allowed to use, e.g., LTE and 5G NR, such that the UE 120 may only access LTE and 5G NR. The UE 120 may optionally acknowledge these instruction so that the network node 130 attains confirmation that CM-CONNECTED state UE 120 then shall act as instructed by not accessing legacy RAT.

[0160] If the UE 120 is in CM-IDLE state, the core network node 130 may first page the UE 120 for the UE 120 to transition to a CM-CONNECTED state. Then the core network node 130 may send a UE Configuration Update Command to UE with the above-mentioned IE with a restricted RAT list containing only RATs allowed to use for the radio location, such as LTE and 5G NR in the first radio location 151. The UE may acknowledges the instruction so the core network node may attain confirmation that CM-IDLE state transitioned UE 120 into CM-CONNECTED shall act as instructed.

[0161] The UE 120 may as a result of the received IE or indication as discussed in actions above, not to camp, use, perform cell (re) selection, nor perform handover to RATs indicated to not be allowed or to be restricted.

[0162] To perform the method actions above, the core network node 130 may comprise an arrangement depicted in Fig. 6.

[0163] The core network node 130 may comprise an input and output interface 600 configured to communicate with any suitable entity described herein. The input and output interface 600 may comprise a wireless receiver not shown, and a wireless transmitter not shown.

[0164] The core network node 130 may be configured to perform actions mentioned above, such as the ones mentioned in conjunction with Fig. 3.

[0165] The core network node 130 is configured to control usage of one or more RATs by the UE 120 in the one or more radio locations 151, 152, 153, of the wireless communications network 100.

[0166] The core network node 130 is configured to: obtain information of absence and / or presence of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations 151, 152, 153, based on the absence and / or presence of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153, trigger an indication to be transmitted to the UE 120, the indication being indicative of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153, to the UE 120, thereby triggering a configuration of the UE 120 to control the use of the one or more RATs in the one or more radio locations according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs.

[0167] In some embodiments, triggering the indication to be transmitted to the UE 120 comprises transmitting the indication to the UE 120.

[0168] In some embodiments, triggering the indication to be transmitted to the UE 120 comprises instructing the radio network node 110 to transmit the indication to the UE 120.

[0169] In some embodiments, when the UE 120 is arranged in an idle mode, transmit a paging signal towards the UE 120, causing the UE 120 to transition to a connected state and subsequently receive the indication of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153.

[0170] The embodiments herein may be implemented through a processor or one or more processors, such as at least one processor 640 of a processing circuitry in the core network node 130 depicted in Fig. 6, together with computer program code for performing the functions and actions of the embodiments herein. The program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the core network node 130. One such carrier may be in the form of a CD ROM disc. It is however feasible with other data carriers such as a memory stick. The computer program code may furthermore be provided as pure program code on a server and downloaded to the core network node 130.

[0171] The core network node 130 may further comprise respective a memory 650 comprising one or more memory units. The memory comprises instructions executable by the processor in the core network node 130. The memory is arranged to be used to store instructions, data, configurations, and applications to perform the methods herein when being executed in the core network node 130.

[0172] In some embodiments, a computer program 660 comprises instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor of the core network node 130 to perform the actions above.

[0173] In some embodiments, a respective carrier 670 comprises the respective computer program, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

[0174] The core network node 130 may further be configured to perform any one or more out of actions the above-mentioned actions in any suitable order, e.g., by used of the at least one processor 640 and / or by use of a control unit, and / or by use of any other suitable means.

[0175] Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the functional modules in the core network node 130, described below may refer to a combination of analog and digital circuits, and / or one or more processors configured with software and / or firmware, e.g. stored in the core network node 130, that when executed by the respective one or more processors such as the at least one processor described above cause the respective at least one processor to perform actions according to any of the actions above. One or more of these processors, as well as the other digital hardware, may be included in a single Application-Specific Integrated Circuitry (ASIC), or several processors and various digital hardware may be distributed among several separate components, whether individually packaged or assembled into a system-on-a-chip (SoC).

[0176] To perform the method actions above, the radio network node 110 may comprise an arrangement depicted in Fig. 7.

[0177] The radio network node 110 may comprise an input and output interface 700 configured to communicate with any suitable entity described herein. The input and output interface 700 may comprise a wireless receiver not shown, and a wireless transmitter not shown.

[0178] The radio network node 110 may be configured to perform actions above, such as the actions mentioned in conjunction with Fig. 4.

[0179] The radio network node 110 is configured to control usage of one or more RATs by the UE 120 in the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153 of the wireless communications network 100.

[0180] The radio network node 110 is configured to: obtain an indication of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations, transmit an indication to the UE 120, the indication being indicative of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations 151, 152, 153, to the UE 120, thereby triggering a configuration of the UE 120 to use the one or more RATs in the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153 according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs.

[0181] Obtaining the indication may comprise receiving the indication from the Core Network node 130. The embodiments herein may be implemented through a processor or one or more processors, such as at least one processor 740 of a processing circuitry in the radio network node 110 depicted in Fig. 7, together with computer program code for performing the functions and actions of the embodiments herein. The program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the radio network node 110. One such carrier may be in the form of a CD ROM disc. It is however feasible with other data carriers such as a memory stick. The computer program code may furthermore be provided as pure program code on a server and downloaded to the radio network node 110.

[0182] The radio network node 110 may further comprise respective a memory 750 comprising one or more memory units. The memory comprises instructions executable by the processor in the radio network node 110. The memory is arranged to be used to store instructions, data, configurations, and applications to perform the methods herein when being executed in the radio network node 110.

[0183] In some embodiments, a computer program 760 comprises instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor of the radio network node 110 to perform the actions above.

[0184] In some embodiments, a respective carrier 770 comprises the respective computer program, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

[0185] The radio network node 110 may further be configured to perform any one or more out of actions the above-mentioned actions in any suitable order, e.g., by used of the at least one processor 740 and / or by use of a control unit, and / or by use of any other suitable means.

[0186] Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the functional modules in the radio network node 110, described below may refer to a combination of analog and digital circuits, and / or one or more processors configured with software and / or firmware, e.g. stored in the radio network node 110, that when executed by the respective one or more processors such as the at least one processor described above cause the respective at least one processor to perform actions according to any of the actions above. One or more of these processors, as well as the other digital hardware, may be included in a single Application-Specific Integrated Circuitry (ASIC), or several processors and various digital hardware may be distributed among several separate components, whether individually packaged or assembled into a system-on-a-chip (SoC).

[0187] To perform the method actions above, the UE 120 may comprise an arrangement depicted in Fig. 8.

[0188] The UE 120 may comprise an input and output interface 800 configured to communicate with any suitable entity described herein. The input and output interface 800 may comprise a wireless receiver not shown, and a wireless transmitter not shown.

[0189] The UE 120 may be configured to perform actions above, such as those mentioned in conjunction with Fig. 2.

[0190] The UE 120 is configured to control usage of one or more RAT by the UE 120 in one or more radio locations 151, 152, 153 of the wireless communications network 100.

[0191] The UE 120 is configured to: receive as transmitted from the Core Network node 130 or the radio network node 110, an indication of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations, and configure the UE 120 to use the one or more RATs in the one or more radio locations 151 , 152, 153 according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs of the received indication.

[0192] In some embodiments, when the UE is arranged in an idle mode, the UE 120 may be configured to detect a paging signal, causing the UE 120 to transition to a connected state and subsequently to receive the indication of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations.

[0193] In some embodiments, each of the one or more radio locations is respectively represented by a New Radio Cell Global Identifier, NCGI, and / or an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Cell Global Identifier, ECGI and / or a Tracking Area Identity, TAI.

[0194] In some embodiments, the indication indicates the one or more RATs present in the one or more radio locations, and wherein configuring the UE according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs comprises configuring the UE to only use any one or more out of the one or more RATs

[0195] In some embodiments, the UE is registered with the Core Network node 130 in a first radio location 151 of the one or more radio locations, and wherein the indication indicates allowed one or more RATs in the first radio location 151. In some embodiments, the one or more RATs comprises 5G NR and / or LTE.

[0196] In some embodiments, the indication is received as part of any one or more out of: a UE configuration update command from the CN node, a Radio Resource Control, RRC, message, as indicated from received System Information, SI, or a combination thereof.

[0197] The embodiments herein may be implemented through a processor or one or more processors, such as at least one processor 840 of a processing circuitry in the UE 120 depicted in Fig. 8, together with computer program code for performing the functions and actions of the embodiments herein. The program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the UE 120. One such carrier may be in the form of a CD ROM disc. It is however feasible with other data carriers such as a memory stick. The computer program code may furthermore be provided as pure program code on a server and downloaded to the UE 120.

[0198] The UE 120 may further comprise respective a memory 850 comprising one or more memory units. The memory comprises instructions executable by the processor in the UE 120. The memory is arranged to be used to store instructions, data, configurations, and applications to perform the methods herein when being executed in the UE 120.

[0199] In some embodiments, a computer program 860 comprises instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor of the UE 120 to perform the actions above.

[0200] In some embodiments, a respective carrier 870 comprises the respective computer program, wherein the carrier is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

[0201] The UE 120 may further be configured to perform any one or more out of actions the above-mentioned actions in any suitable order, e.g., by used of the at least one processor 840 and / or by use of a control unit, and / or by use of any other suitable means.

[0202] Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the functional modules in the UE 120, described below may refer to a combination of analog and digital circuits, and / or one or more processors configured with software and / or firmware, e.g. stored in the UE 120, that when executed by the respective one or more processors such as the at least one processor described above cause the respective at least one processor to perform actions according to any of the actions above. One or more of these processors, as well as the other digital hardware, may be included in a single Application-Specific Integrated Circuitry (ASIC), or several processors and various digital hardware may be distributed among several separate components, whether individually packaged or assembled into a system-on-a-chip (SoC).

[0203] ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION

[0204] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0205] Fig. 9 shows an example of a communication system 900 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0206] In the example, the communication system 900, e.g., the wireless communications network 100, includes a telecommunication network 902 that includes an access network 904, such as a radio access network RAN, and a core network 906, which includes one or more core network nodes 908, e.g., the core network node 130. The access network 904 includes one or more access network nodes, such as the radio network node 110 and may be referred to as network nodes 910, or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project 3GPP access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 902 includes one or more Open-RAN ORAN network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network 902 that supports an ORAN specification e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network 902, including one or more network nodes 910 and / or core network nodes 908.

[0207] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit O-RU, an open distributed unit O-DU, an open central unit O-CU, including an O-CU control plane O-CU- CP or an O-CU user plane O-CU-UP, a RAN intelligent controller near-real time or non- real time hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application e.g., xApp or a non-real time control application e.g., rApp, or any combination thereof the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification. The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an A1, F1, W1, E1 , E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment described further below in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 910 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment UE, such as by connecting UEs 912a, 912b, 912c, and 912d one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 912 being examples of the UE 120 to the core network 906 over one or more wireless connections.

[0208] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 900 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 900 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0209] The UEs 912 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 910 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 910 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 912 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 902 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 902.

[0210] In the depicted example, the core network 906 connects the network nodes 910 to one or more hosts, such as host 916. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 906 includes one more core network nodes e.g., core network node 908 that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 908. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center MSC, Mobility Management Entity MME, Home Subscriber Server HSS, Access and Mobility Management Function AMF, Session Management Function SMF, Authentication Server Function ALISF, Subscription Identifier De-concealing function SIDF, Unified Data Management UDM, Security Edge Protection Proxy SEPP, Network Exposure Function NEF, and / or a User Plane Function UPF.

[0211] The host 916 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 904 and / or the telecommunication network 902, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 916 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0212] As a whole, the communication system 900 of Fig. 9 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications, GSM; Universal Mobile Telecommunications System, UMTS; Long Term Evolution, LTE, and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard e.g., 6G; wireless local area network WLAN standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, IEEE, 802.11 standards WiFi; and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access WiMax, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication NFC ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network LPWAN standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0213] In some examples, the telecommunication network 902 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network 902 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 902. For example, the telecommunications network 902 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication URLLC services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband eMBB services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication mMTC / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0214] In some examples, the UEs 912 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 904 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 904. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of WiFi, NR New Radio and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity MR-DC, such as E-UTRAN Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network New Radio - Dual Connectivity EN-DC.

[0215] In the example, a hub 914 communicates with the access network 904 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs e.g., UE 912c and / or 912d and network nodes e.g., network node 910b. In some examples, the hub 914 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 914 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 906 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 914 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 910, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 914. As another example, the hub 914 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 914 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 914 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 914 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 914 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0216] The hub 914 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 910b. The hub 914 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 914 and UEs e.g., UE 912c and / or 912d, and between the hub 914 and the core network 906. In other examples, the hub 914 is connected to the core network 906 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 914 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 904 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 910 while still connected via the hub 914 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 914 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 910b. In other embodiments, the hub 914 may be a nondedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 910b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0217] Fig. 10 shows a UE 1000 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP VoIP phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant PDA, wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment LEE, laptop-mounted equipment LME, smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment CPE, vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project 3GPP, including a narrow band internet of things NB-loT UE, a machine type communication MTC UE, and / or an enhanced MTC eMTC UE.

[0218] A UE may support device-to-device D2D communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication DSRC, vehicle-to-vehicle V2V, vehicle-to-infrastructure V2I, or vehicle-to- everything V2X. In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user e.g., a smart sprinkler controller. Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user e.g., a smart power meter.

[0219] The UE 1000 includes processing circuitry 1002 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1004 to an input / output interface 1006, a power source 1008, a memory 1010, a communication interface 1012, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 10. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0220] The processing circuitry 1002 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 1010. The processing circuitry 1002 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays FPGAs, application specific integrated circuits ASICs, etc.; programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor DSP, together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 1002 may include multiple central processing units CPUs.

[0221] In the example, the input / output interface 1006 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 1000. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc., a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus USB port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0222] In some embodiments, the power source 1008 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source e.g., an electricity outlet, photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 1008 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 1008 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 1000 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 1008. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 1008 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 1000 to which power is supplied.

[0223] The memory 1010 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory RAM, read-only memory ROM, programmable read-only memory PROM, erasable programmable read-only memory EPROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory EEPROM, magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 1010 includes one or more application programs 1014, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 1016. The memory 1010 may store, for use by the UE 1000, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0224] The memory 1010 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks RAID, flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc HD-DVD optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage HDDS optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module DIMM, synchronous dynamic random access memory SDRAM, external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card UICC including one or more subscriber identity modules SIMs, such as a USIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC eUlCC, integrated UICC iUICC or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 1010 may allow the UE 1000 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non- transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 1010, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0225] The processing circuitry 1002 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 1012. The communication interface 1012 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 1022. The communication interface 1012 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network. Each transceiver may include a transmitter 1018 and / or a receiver 1020 appropriate to provide network communications e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth. Moreover, the transmitter 1018 and receiver 1020 may be coupled to one or more antennas e.g., antenna 1022 and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0226] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 1012 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system GPS to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access CDMA, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access WCDMA, GSM, LTE, New Radio NR, UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol TCP / IP, synchronous optical networking SONET, Asynchronous Transfer Mode ATM, QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol HTTP, and so forth.

[0227] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 1012, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature, random e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors, in response to a triggering event e.g., when moisture is detected, an alert is sent, in response to a request e.g., a user initiated request, or a continuous stream e.g., a live video feed of a patient.

[0228] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0229] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things loT device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smartwatch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality AR or Virtual Reality VR, a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle UAV, and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 1000 shown in Figure 10.

[0230] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-loT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0231] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information obtained through a speed sensor to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the UE may adjust the throttle on the drone e.g. by controlling an actuator to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0232] Fig. 11 shows a network node 1100 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points APs e.g., radio access points, base stations BSs e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs eNBs and NR NodeBs gNBs, O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU. Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide or, stated differently, their transmit power level and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more or all parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units e.g., in an O-RAN access node and / or remote radio units RRUs, sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads RRHs. Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system DAS.

[0233] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point multi-TRP 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio MSR equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers RNCs or base station controllers BSCs, base transceiver stations BTSs, transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities MCEs, Operation and Maintenance O&M nodes, Operations Support System OSS nodes, Self-Organizing Network SON nodes, positioning nodes e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers E-SMLCs, and / or Minimization of Drive Tests MDTs.

[0234] The network node 1100 includes a processing circuitry 1102, a memory 1104, a communication interface 1106, and a power source 1108. The network node 1100 may be composed of multiple physically separate components e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc., which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 1100 comprises multiple separate components e.g., BTS and BSC components, one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 1100 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies RATs. In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated e.g., separate memory 1104 for different RATs and some components may be reused e.g., a same antenna 1110 may be shared by different RATs. The network node 1100 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1100, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification RFID or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 1100.

[0235] The processing circuitry 1102 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 1100 components, such as the memory 1104, to provide network node 1100 functionality.

[0236] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1102 includes a system on a chip SOC. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1102 includes one or more of radio frequency RF transceiver circuitry 1112 and baseband processing circuitry 1114. In some embodiments, the radio frequency RF transceiver circuitry 1112 and the baseband processing circuitry 1114 may be on separate chips or sets of chips, boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1112 and baseband processing circuitry 1114 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0237] The memory 1104 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory RAM, read-only memory ROM, mass storage media for example, a hard disk, removable storage media for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk CD or a Digital Video Disk DVD, and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 1102. The memory 1104 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 1102 and utilized by the network node 1100. The memory 1104 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 1102 and / or any data received via the communication interface 1106. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1102 and memory 1104 is integrated.

[0238] The communication interface 1106 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 1106 comprises ports / terminals 1116 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 1106 also includes radio front-end circuitry 1118 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 1110. Radio front-end circuitry 1118 comprises filters 1120 and amplifiers 1122. The radio front-end circuitry 1118 may be connected to an antenna 1110 and processing circuitry 1102. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 1110 and processing circuitry 1102. The radio front-end circuitry 1118 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio frontend circuitry 1118 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1120 and / or amplifiers 1122. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 1110. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 1110 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 1118. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 1102. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0239] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 1100 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 1118, instead, the processing circuitry 1102 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1110. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 1112 is part of the communication interface 1106. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 1106 includes one or more ports or terminals 1116, the radio front-end circuitry 1118, and the RF transceiver circuitry 1112, as part of a radio unit not shown, and the communication interface 1106 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 1114, which is part of a digital unit not shown.

[0240] The antenna 1110 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 1110 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 1118 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 1110 is separate from the network node 1100 and connectable to the network node 1100 through an interface or port.

[0241] The antenna 1110, communication interface 1106, and / or the processing circuitry 1102 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 1110, the communication interface 1106, and / or the processing circuitry 1102 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0242] The power source 1108 provides power to the various components of network node 1100 in a form suitable for the respective components e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component. The power source 1108 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 1100 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 1100 may be connectable to an external power source e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 1108. As a further example, the power source 1108 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0243] Embodiments of the network node 1100 may include additional components beyond those shown in Fig. 11 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 1100 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 1100 and to allow output of information from the network node 1100. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 1100.

[0244] Fig. 12 is a block diagram of a host 1200, which may be an embodiment of the host 916 of Fig. 9, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 1200 may be or comprise various combinations hardware and / or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host 1200 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0245] The host 1200 includes processing circuitry 1202 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1204 to an input / output interface 1206, a network interface 1208, a power source 1210, and a memory 1212. Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as Figures 14 and 11 , such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host 1200. The memory 1212 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 1214 and data 1216, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host 1200 or data generated by the host 1200 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 1200 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 1214 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs e.g., Versatile Video Coding WC, High Efficiency Video Coding HEVC, Advanced Video Coding AVC, MPEG, VP9 and audio codecs e.g., FLAG, Advanced Audio Coding AAC, MPEG, G.711 , including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems. The host application programs 1214 may also provide for user authentication and licensing checks and may periodically report health, routes, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in or on the edge of a core network. Accordingly, the host 1200 may select and / or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs 1214 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming HLS protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol RTMP, Real-Time Streaming Protocol RTSP, Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP MPEG-DASH, etc.

[0246] Fig. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1300 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines VMs implemented in one or more virtual environments 1300 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 1300 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface.

[0247] Applications 1302 which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc. are run in the virtualization environment 1300 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0248] Hardware 1304 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1306 also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors VMMs, provide VMs 1308a and 1308b one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 1308, and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1306 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 1308.

[0249] The VMs 1308 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 1306. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1302 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1308, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization NFV. NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0250] In the context of NFV, a VM 1308 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 1308, and that part of hardware 1304 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 1308 on top of the hardware 1304 and corresponds to the application 1302.

[0251] Hardware 1304 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1304 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1304 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware e.g. such as in a data center or CPE where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1310, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1302. In some embodiments, hardware 1304 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1312 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0252] Fig. 14 shows a communication diagram of a host 1402 communicating via a network node 1404 with a UE 1406 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE such as a UE 912a of Fig. 9 and / or UE 1000 of Figure 10, network node such as network node 910a of Fig. 9 and / or network node 1100 of Fig. 11 , and host such as host 916 of Fig. 9 and / or host 1200 of Fig. 12 discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Fig. 14.

[0253] Like host 1200, embodiments of host 1402 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host 1402 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host 1402 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as the UE 1406 connecting via an over-the-top OTT connection 1450 extending between the UE 1406 and host 1402. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection 1450.

[0254] The network node 1404 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host 1402 and UE 1406. The connection 1460 may be direct or pass through a core network like core network 906 of Figure 9 and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0255] The UE 1406 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE 1406 and executable by the UE’s processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or operator-specific “app” that may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE 1406 with the support of the host 1402. In the host 1402, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection 1450 terminating at the UE 1406 and host 1402. In providing the service to the user, the UE's client application may receive request data from the host's host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 1450 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection 1450.

[0256] The OTT connection 1450 may extend via a connection 1460 between the host 1402 and the network node 1404 and via a wireless connection 1470 between the network node 1404 and the UE 1406 to provide the connection between the host 1402 and the UE 1406. The connection 1460 and wireless connection 1470, over which the OTT connection 1450 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host 1402 and the UE 1406 via the network node 1404, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0257] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection 1450, in step S1 , the host 1402 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE 1406. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE 1406 that shares data with the host 1402 without explicit human interaction. In step S2, the host 1402 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE 1406. The host 1402 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE 1406. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE 1406 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE 1406. The transmission may pass via the network node 1404, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step S3, the network node 1404 transmits to the UE 1406 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host 1402 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step S4, the UE 1406 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE 1406 associated with the host application executed by the host 1402.

[0258] In some examples, the UE 1406 executes a client application which provides user data to the host 1402. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host 1402. Accordingly, in step S5, the UE 1406 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via an input / output interface of the UE 1406. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE 1406 initiates, in step S6, transmission of the user data towards the host 1402 via the network node 1404. In step S7, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node 1404 receives user data from the UE 1406 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host 1402. In step S8, the host 1402 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE 1406. One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE 1406 using the OTT connection 1450, in which the wireless connection 1470 forms the last segment.

[0259] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host 1402. As another example, the host 1402 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host 1402 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion e.g., controlling traffic lights. As another example, the host 1402 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host 1402 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR or AR which it can broadcast, multicast or unicast to UEs. As other examples, the host 1402 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time critical electrical load to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices, or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing and / or transmitting data.

[0260] In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection 1450 between the host 1402 and UE 1406, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware of the host 1402 and / or UE 1406. In some embodiments, sensors not shown may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection 1450 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection 1450 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node 1404. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like, by the host 1402. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection 1450 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc. Although the computing devices described herein e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0261] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0262] EXAMPLE SCENARIO Below is presented an example scenarios of embodiments herein. The below scenarios may be combined with the above-mentioned actions and embodiments in any suitable manner. In the below examples, when any UE is discussed, this may mean the UE 120, when RAN or gNB or radio nodes are discussed, then this may mean the radio network node 110, when AMF / MME is discussed, then this may mean the core network node 130. The below scenarios may relate to a solution to prevent biddown to GERAN / UTRAN by enforcing policy at a UE, e.g., the UE 120. In below example scenarios, “Study on 5G security enhancements against False Base Stations (FBS)" as part of 3GPP TR 33.809 may be referenced as [1], Below example scenarios are nonlimiting examples.

[0263] Rationale

[0264] During decommissioning phase when a PLMN gradually removes GERAN / UTRAN radio access types from the infrastructure, the phased approach results into coexistence of 5G NR / LTE and GERAN / UTRAN until GERAN / UTRAN is fully removed from the network. The proposed solution helps prevent bid down to GERAN / UTRAN exploit by enforcing preventative policy at the UE. Below example scenarios will be described as part of a solution Y.

[0265] 6.Y Solution #Y Solution to prevent bid down GERAN / UTRAN by enforcing policy at the UE

[0266] 6.Y.1 Introduction

[0267] The proposed solution addresses the security requirement of key issue#1.

[0268] 6.Y.2 Solution details

[0269] The AMF / MME in the CN, e.g., the core network node 130, maintains a security policy, therefore acts as a policy definition point.

[0270] The CN informs the UE, e.g., the UE 120, therefore subsequent action by the UE not accessing GERAN / UTRAN in its location results into a policy enforcement point at the UE.

[0271] The proposed solution addresses UEs both in CM-CONNECTED and CM-IDLE mode in UE's last known location.

[0272] If the UE is in CM-IDLE mode in the CN, means UE is in RRC IDLE mode in the RAN, e.g., represented by the radio network node 110. In this mode, the UE does not have RRC connection with the radio network, e.g., the radio network node 110, and does not have active NAS signaling with CN.

[0273] The CN nodes AMF / MME learns about UE's location based on UE's registration procedure; initial registration, periodic registration or mobility triggered location update. The CN maintains a policy table 6.Y.2-1 that maps UE's location represented by Tracking Area Identity (TAI).

[0274] Table 6.Y.2- 1: AMF / MME policy table screening UE location

[0275] The table maps TAI with present / absent flag for GERAN / UTRAN. If the GERAN / UTRAN is absent in UE's TAI, the AMF / MME informs UE to only access allowed RAT in UE's registered last known location. The information is passed in the form of 'allowed RAT list' that comprises only NR / LTE or future RAT introduced by 3GPP.

[0276] The CN pages the UEs in CM-IDLE / RRC IDLE in a location where GERAN / UTRAN is removed. As a result, UEs, such as the UE 120, are expected to transition to CM- CONNECTED state to receive information from the CN. The CN sends access and mobility instruction by a (new) IE in UE Configuration Update Command / Accept protocol signaling. If the UE already was in CM-CONNECTED / RRC CONNECTED state, CN sends access and mobility instruction by a (new) IE in UE Configuration Update Command / Accept protocol signaling without needing to page the UEs in location where GERAN / UTRAN is removed.

[0277] Figure 15 illustrates an example scenario where CN informs UE of GERAN / UTRAN removal.

[0278] Figure 16 illustrates an example scenario where CN informs UE of GERAN / UTRAN removal via RAN / RRC. Figure 17 illustrates an example scenario where CN informs UE of GERAN / UTRAN removal via RAN / SI.

[0279] As shown in the figure 15, the AMF / MME uses NAS signaling to pass this information to UE directly. Alternatively, as shown in the figures 16-17, the CN may also pass this information to RAN for RAN to inform UE either by RRC protocol signaling or System Information (SI) respectively.

[0280] 6.Y.3 _ Evaluation

[0281] The solution addresses UEs in CM idle mode and connected mode by network triggered action without relying on UEs to first initiate communication with the network.

[0282] The solution addresses security requirements of Key Issue 1 (Kl#1), of 3GPP TR 33.701 , during coexistence of NR / LTE and GERAN / UTRAN when depending on UE's last known location, GERAN / UTRAN may or may not exist in PLMN RAN infrastructure. The Kl#1 may relate to a study topic of ‘bid down attack during decommissioning phase of GERAN / UTRAN’.

[0283] The solution enables being selective to allow UE to access PLMN's own GERAN / UTRAN in locations where it exists, and at the same time enables being restrictive for UE to only access NR / LTE where PLMN has removed its own GERAN / UTRAN.

[0284] If the NAS or RRC are used to communicate to UE, is protected in NAS and AS because it is sent only after SMC respectively in NAS and AS.

[0285] If the System Information is used to inform UE of PLMN GERAN / UTRAN removal, System Information itself should be protected using protection measures from TR 33.809 [1], The use of SI enables the PLMN network to passively inform UE to only access allowed RAT that could include any desired 3GPP RAT options.

[0286] The solution does not address legacy UE that could only access GERAN and / or UTRAN.

[0287] The solution of embodiments herein may further apply to roaming scenarios if serving PLMN has implemented CN and RAN procedures of the solution.

[0288] Impacted 3GPP systems may be: AMF, MME, eNB, gNB, ng-eNB

[0289] Impacted 3GPP communication protocols / mediums may be: NGAP, S1AP, SI Note: CT1 / RAN2 / RAN3 liaison may be required to introduce necessary stage 3 work for NGAP / S1AP / SI / RRC. When using the word "comprise" or “comprising” it shall be interpreted as nonlimiting, i.e. meaning "consist at least of". The embodiments herein are not limited to the preferred embodiments described above. Various alternatives, modifications and equivalents may be used.

Claims

CLAIMS1 . A method (200) performed by a user equipment, UE, (120) for controlling usage of one or more radio access technologies, RATs, by the UE in one or more radio locations (151 , 152, 153) of a wireless communications network (100), the method comprising: receiving (202) as transmitted from a core network node (130) or a radio network node (110), an indication of an allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations (151 , 152, 153); and configuring (203) the UE (120) to use the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations (151 , 152, 153) according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs of the received indication.

2. The method (200) of claim 1 , further comprising, when the UE is in an idle mode, detecting (201) a paging signal, causing the UE to transition to a connected state, and subsequently receiving the indication of an allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations.

3. The method (200) of claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the one or more radio locations is respectively represented by a New Radio Cell Global Identifier, NCGI, and / or an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Cell Global Identifier, ECGI and / or a Tracking Area Identity, TAI.

4. The method (200) of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the indication indicates the one or more RATs present in the one or more radio locations, and wherein configuring the UE according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs comprises configuring the UE to only use any one or more of the one or more RATs.

5. The method (200) according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the UE is registered with the core network node (130) in a first radio location (151) of the one or more radio locations, and wherein the indication indicates allowed one or more RATs in the first radio location (151).

6. The method (200) according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the one or more RATs comprises 5G New Radio and / or Long Term Evolution.

7. The method (200) according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the indication is received as part of any one or more of: a UE configuration update command from the core network node (130), a Radio Resource Control, RRC, message, as indicated from received System Information, SI, or a combination thereof.

8. A method (300) performed by a core network node (130) for controlling usage of one or more radio access technologies, RATs, by a user equipment, UE, (120) in one or more radio locations of a wireless communications network (100), the method comprising: obtaining (301) information of absence and / or presence of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations; and based on the absence and / or presence of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations, triggering (303) an indication to be transmitted to the UE, the indication being indicative of an allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations to the UE, thereby triggering a configuration of the UE to control the use the one or more RATs in the one or more radio locations (151 , 152, 153) according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs.

9. The method (300) according to claim 8, wherein triggering the indication to be transmitted to the UE comprises transmitting the indication to the UE.

10. The method (300) according to claim 8, wherein triggering the indication to be transmitted to the UE comprises instructing a radio network node (110) to transmit the indication to the UE.

11. The method (300) according to any one of claims 8-10, further comprising: when the UE is in an idle mode, transmitting (302) a paging signal towards the UE (120), causing the UE (120) to transition to a connected state and subsequently receive the indication of the allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations.

12. A method (400) performed by a radio network node (110) controlling usage of one or more radio access technologies, RATs, by a user equipment, UE, (120) in one or more radio locations of a wireless communications network (100), the method comprising:obtaining (401) an indication of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations; and transmitting (402) an indication to the UE, the indication being indicative of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations to the UE, thereby triggering a configuration of the UE to use the one or more RATs in the one or more radio locations according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs.

13. The method (400) of claim 12 wherein obtaining the indication comprises receiving the indication from a core network node (130).

14. A user equipment, UE, (120) configured to control usage of one or more radio access technologies, RATs, by the UE in one or more radio locations of a wireless communications network (100), the UE being configured to: receive as transmitted from a core network node (130) or a radio network node (110), an indication of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations, and configure the UE to use the one or more RATs in the one or more radio locations according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs of the received indication.

15. The UE (120) of claim 14, further configured to, when the UE is in an idle mode, detect a paging signal, causing the UE to transition to a connected state; and subsequently receiving the indication of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations.

16. The UE (120) of claims 14 or 15, wherein each of the one or more radio locations is respectively represented by a New Radio Cell Global Identifier, NCGI, and / or an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Cell Global Identifier, ECGI and / or a Tracking Area Identity, TAI.

17. The UE of any one of claims 14-16, wherein the indication indicates the one or more RATs present in the one or more radio locations, and wherein configuring the UE according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs comprises configuring the UE to only use any one or more of the one or more RATs.

18. The UE (120) according to any one of claims 14-17, wherein the UE is registered with the core network node (130) in a first radio location (151) of the one or more radio locations, and wherein the indication indicates allowed one or more RATs in the first radio location (151).

19. The UE (120) according to any one of claims 14-18, wherein the one or more RATs comprises 5G New Radio and / or Long Term Evolution.

20. The UE (120) according to any one of claims 14-19, wherein the indication is received as part of any one or more of: a UE configuration update command from the core network node, a Radio Resource Control, RRC, message, as indicated from received System Information, SI, or a combination thereof.

21. A core network node (130) configured to control usage of one or more Radio Access Technologies, RATs, by a user equipment, UE, (120) in one or more radio locations of a wireless communications network (100), the core network node (130) being configured to: obtain information of absence and / or presence of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations; and based on the absence and / or presence of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations, trigger an indication to be transmitted to the UE (120), the indication being indicative of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations to the UE, thereby triggering a configuration of the UE to control the use of the one or more RATs in the one or more radio locations according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs.

22. The core network node (130) according to claim 21 , wherein triggering the indication to be transmitted to the UE comprises transmitting the indication to the UE.

23. The core network node (130) according to claim 22, wherein triggering the indication to be transmitted to the UE (120) comprises instructing a radio network node (110) to transmit the indication to the UE.

24. The core network node (130) according to any one of claims 21-23, further configured to: when the UE (120) is in an idle mode, transmit a paging signal towards the UE, causing the UE to transition to a connected state, and subsequently receive the indication of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations.

25. A radio network node (110) configured to control usage of one or more radio access technologies, RATs, by a user equipment, UE, (120) in one or more radio locations of a wireless communications network (100), the radio network node (110) being configured to: obtain an indication of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations; and transmit an indication to the UE, the indication being indicative of allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs for the one or more radio locations to the UE, thereby triggering a configuration of the UE to use the one or more RATs in the one or more radio locations according to the indicated allowance and / or restriction of the one or more RATs.

26. The radio network node (110) of claim 25, wherein obtaining the indication comprises receiving the indication from a core network node (130).

27. A computer program (830) comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor (810), causes the processor (810) to perform a method according to any one of claims 1-7.

28. A carrier (840) comprising a computer program (830) of claim 27, wherein the carrier (840) is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

29. A computer program (630) comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor (610), causes the processor (610) to perform a method according to any one of the claims 8-11.

30. A carrier (640) comprising a computer program (630) of claim 29, wherein the carrier (640) is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

31. A computer program (730) comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor (710), causes the processor (710) to perform a method according to any one of the claims 12-13.

32. A carrier (740) comprising the computer program (730) of claim 31 , wherein the carrier (740) is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

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