Manual public land mobile network and access selection handling in a (RADIO) access technology control scenario

Abstract

A method is provided that includes maintaining a list of public land mobile networks (PLMNs) with associated access technology restrictions. The method includes starting a timer corresponding to a time until release of a restriction on a restricted combination of a PLMN and an access technology contained in the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions. The method includes presenting, to a user, information that indicates one or more available PLMNs, wherein upon expiration of the timer, the one or more available PLMNs include the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology. The method includes receiving, from the user, selection of the PLMN from the one or more available PLMNs. And the method includes sending a registration request to the PLMN using the access technology.

Description

MANUAL PUBLIC LAND MOBILE NETWORK AND ACCESS SELECTION HANDLING IN A (RADIO) ACCESS TECHNOLOGY CONTROL SCENARIO TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to telecommunications and, in particular, to (radio) access technology utilization control in a telecommunications system.BACKGROUND

[0002] A telecommunications system can be seen as a facility that enables communication sessions between two or more entities such as user terminals, base stations and / or other nodes by providing carriers between the various entities involved in the communications path. A telecommunications system can be provided for example by means of a communication network and one or more compatible communication devices. The communication sessions may comprise, for example, communication of data for carrying communications such as voice, video, electronic mail (email), text message, multimedia and / or content data and so on. Non-limiting examples of services provided comprise two-way or multi-way calls, data communication or multimedia services and access to a data network system, such as the Internet.

[0003] In a wireless telecommunications system, at least a part of a communication session between at least two stations occurs over a wireless link. Examples of wireless telecommunications systems comprise public land mobile networks (PLMN), satellite- based communication systems and different wireless local networks, for example wireless local area networks (WLAN). Some wireless systems can be divided into cells and are therefore often referred to as cellular systems.

[0004] A user can access the telecommunications system by means of an appropriate communication device or terminal. A communication device of a user may be referred to as user equipment (UE) or user device. A communication device is provided with an appropriate signal receiving and transmitting apparatus for enabling communications, for example enabling access to a communication network or communications directly with other users. The communication device may access a carrier provided by a station, for example a base station of a cell, and transmit and / or receive communications on the carrier.

[0005] The telecommunications system and associated devices typically operate in accordance with a given standard or specification which sets out what the various entities associated with the communication system are permitted to do and how operations should be achieved. Communication protocols and / or parameters which shall be used for connection ofthe various entities are also typically defined. One example of a telecommunications system is the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Other examples of telecommunications systems are Long-Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced and the so-called 5G or New Radio (NR) networks. These generations of mobile networks are standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).BRIEF SUMMARY

[0006] Example implementations of the present disclosure are directed to telecommunications and, in particular, to (radio) access technology utilization control in a telecommunications system. The present disclosure includes, without limitation, the following example implementations.

[0007] Some example implementations provide an apparatus comprising: means for maintaining information indicative of a list of public land mobile networks (PLMNs) with associated access technology restrictions; means for presenting, to an user, information that indicates one or more available PLMNs including a PLMN in a restricted combination of the PLMN and an access technology contained in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions; means for receiving, from the user, selection of the PLMN from the one or more available PLMNs; and means for sending a registration request to the PLMN using the access technology.

[0008] Some example implementations provide a method comprising: maintaining information indicative of a list of public land mobile networks (PLMNs) with associated access technology restrictions; presenting, to a user, information that indicates one or more available PLMNs including a PLMN in a restricted combination of the PLMN and an access technology contained in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions; receiving, from the user, selection of the PLMN from the one or more available PLMNs; and sending a registration request to the PLMN using the access technology.

[0009] Some example implementations provide an apparatus comprising: means for maintaining information indicative of a list of public land mobile networks (PLMNs) with associated access technology restrictions; means for starting a timer corresponding to a time until release of a restriction on a restricted combination of a PLMN and an access technology contained in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions; means for presenting, to an user, information that indicates one or more available PLMNs, wherein upon expiration of the timer, the one or more availablePLMNs include the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology; means for receiving, from the user, selection of the PLMN from the one or more available PLMNs; and means for sending a registration request to the PLMN using the access technology.

[0010] Some example implementations provide a method comprising: maintaining information indicative of a list of public land mobile networks (PLMNs) with associated access technology restrictions; starting a timer corresponding to a time until release of a restriction on a restricted combination of a PLMN and an access technology contained in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions; presenting, to a user, information that indicates one or more available PLMNs, wherein upon expiration of the timer, the one or more available PLMNs include the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology; receiving, from the user, selection of the PLMN from the one or more available PLMNs; and sending a registration request to the PLMN using the access technology.

[0011] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description together with the accompanying figures, which are briefly described below. The present disclosure includes any combination of two, three, four or more features or elements set forth in this disclosure, regardless of whether such features or elements are expressly combined or otherwise recited in a specific example implementation described herein. The present disclosure is intended to be read holistically such that any separable features or elements of the disclosure, in any of its aspects and example implementations, should be viewed as combinable unless the context of the disclosure clearly dictates otherwise.

[0012] It will therefore be appreciated that this Brief Summary is provided merely for purposes of summarizing some example implementations so as to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above described example implementations are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the disclosure in any way. Other example implementations, aspects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of some described example implementations.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURE(S)

[0013] Having thus described example implementations of the disclosure in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying figures, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

[0014] FIG. 1 illustrates a telecommunications system that includes one or more public land mobile networks (PLMNs) coupled to one or more external data networks, according to some example implementations of the present disclosure;

[0015] FIG. 2 is a signaling chart of procedure(s) for delivery of radio access technology (RAT) utilization control information, according to some example implementations;

[0016] FIG. 3 is a signaling chart of a procedure for manual PLMN selection of a PLMN in a restricted combination of PLMN and RAT, according to some example implementations;

[0017] FIG. 4 is a signaling chart of a procedure for manual PLMN selection of a PLMN in a restricted combination of PLMN and RAT, according to some other example implementations;

[0018] FIGS. 5 A, 5B and 5C are flowcharts illustrating various steps in a method according to various example implementations;

[0019] FIGS. 6 A, 6B, 6C and 6D are flowcharts illustrating various steps in a method according to various example implementations; and

[0020] FIG. 7 illustrates an apparatus according to some example implementations.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Some implementations of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures, in which some, but not all implementations of the disclosure are shown. Indeed, various implementations of the disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein; rather, these example implementations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

[0022] Unless specified otherwise or clear from context, references to first, second or the like should not be construed to imply a particular order. A feature described as being above another feature (unless specified otherwise or clear from context) may instead be below, and vice versa; and similarly, features described as being to the left of another feature else mayinstead be to the right, and vice versa. Also, while reference may be made herein to quantitative measures, values, geometric relationships or the like, unless otherwise stated, any one or more if not all of these may be absolute or approximate to account for acceptable variations that may occur, such as those due to engineering tolerances or the like.

[0023] As used herein, unless specified otherwise or clear from context, the “or” of a set of operands is the “inclusive or” and thereby true if and only if one or more of the operands is true, as opposed to the “exclusive or” which is false when all of the operands are true. Thus, for example, “[A] or [B]” is true if [A] is true, or if [B] is true, or if both [A] and [B] are true. Further, the articles “a” and “an” mean “one or more,” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form. Furthermore, it should be understood that unless otherwise specified, the terms “data,” “content,” “digital content,” “information,” and similar terms may be at times used interchangeably. The term “network” may refer to a group of interconnected computers including clients and servers; and within a network, these computers may be interconnected directly or indirectly by various means including via one or more switches, routers, gateways, access points or the like.

[0024] The present disclosure discusses systems and architectures that, while specific terms may be used, are broadly applicable across various technologies. For instance, while the present disclosure may reference technologies from 3GPP such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), UMTS, LTE, LTE Advanced, 5G NR, 5G Advanced, and 6G, the present disclosure is equally relevant to non-3GPP technologies like IEEE 802, Bluetooth, and Bluetooth Low Energy. Example implementations of the present disclosure described herein also mention public land mobile networks (PLMNs) and mobile network operators (MNOs), but example implementations are similarly applicable to standalone nonpublic networks (SNPNs) and the private entities operating these networks. Furthermore, although some examples and figures focus on radio access networks (RANs) and 3GPP access, example implementations are applicable to any type of network access. This includes not only 5G or 6G 3GPP access but also non-3GPP access, such as wireline access, untrusted non-3GPP access, and trusted non-3GPP access using wireless access gateway function (W-AGF), non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF), or trusted non-3GPP gateway function (TNGF) to connect to a 5G or 6G core network.

[0025] Further, as used in this application, the term “circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry); (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) withsoftware / firmware and (ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions); or (c) hardware circuit(s) and / or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation.

[0026] The above definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0027] FIG. 1 illustrates a telecommunications system 100 according to various example implementations of the present disclosure. The telecommunications system generally includes one or more telecommunications networks. As shown, for example, the system includes one or more PLMNs 102 coupled to one or more other external data networks 104 - notably including a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet. As will be appreciated, a PLMN may be deployed in a number of different manners. Some deployments of 4G LTE and 5G NR in particular are considered standalone (SA) deployments. Other deployments combine 4G LTE and 5G technologies, and are referred to as non- standalone (NSA) deployments.

[0028] Each of the PLMNs 102 includes a core network (CN) 106 backbone, such as the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) of 4G LTE, and the 5G core network (5GC) (at times referred to as the NGC) of 5G NR; and each of the core networks are coupled to one or more RANs 108, air interfaces or the like that implement one or more radio access technologies (RATs) (at times more generally referred to as access technologies). Examples of these RANs include the evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) of 4G LTE, E-UTRA cell of satellite E-UTRAN, and the next generation (NG) radio access network (NG-RAN) of 5G NR. As used herein, a “network device” refers to any suitable device at a network side of a telecommunications network. Examples of suitable network devices are described in greater detail below.

[0029] Examples of RATs include 3GPP radio access technologies such as GSM, CDMA2000 1xEV-DO (HRPD), CDMA2000 1x (1xRTT), UTRA, E-UTRA, 5G NR, 5GAdvanced, and 6G. Other examples of RATs include IEEE 802 technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.15 (including 802.15.1 (WPAN / Bluetooth), 802.15.4 (Zigbee) and 802.15.6 (WBAN)), Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), ultra wideband (UWB), and the like. Generally, a RAT may refer to any 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G or higher generation RAT and their different versions (terrestrial and / or satellite), as well as to any other RAT that may be arranged to interwork with such a mobile communication technology to provide access to the CN 106 of a MNO.

[0030] The telecommunications system 100 also includes one or more radio units that may be varyingly known as user equipment (UE) 110, terminal device, terminal equipment, mobile station (MS), communication device or the like. The UE is generally a device configured to communicate with a network device or a further UE in a telecommunications network. The UE may be a portable computer (e.g., laptop, notebook, tablet computer), mobile phone (e.g., cell phone, smartphone), wearable computer (e.g., smartwatch), or the like. In other examples, the UE may be an Internet of things (IoT) device, an industrial IoT (IIoT device), a vehicle equipped with a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technology, or the like. In some examples, as referenced by 3GPR the UE may be a narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) device, an enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) device, a reduced capability (RedCap) device, an ambient IoT device, or the like.

[0031] In operation, these UEs 110 may connect to one or more of theRANs 108 according to their particular RATs to thereby access a particular CN 106 of a PLMN 102, or to access one or more of the external data networks 104 (e.g., the Internet). The external data network may provide Internet access, operator services, 3rd party services, etc. For example, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has classified 5G mobile network services into three categories: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine type communications (mMTC) or massive internet of things (MIoT).

[0032] In various examples, a RAN 108 may be configured as one or more macrocells, microcells, picocells, femtocells or the like. The RAN may generally include one or more radio access nodes that interact with UEs 110. In various examples, a radio access node may be referred to as a base station (BS), access point (AP), base transceiver station (BTS), Node B (NB), evolved NB (eNB), macro BS, NB (MNB) or eNB (MeNB), home BS, NB (HNB) or eNB (HeNB), next generation NB (gNB), enhanced gNB (en-gNB), next generation eNB (ng-eNB), or the like. The term ‘gNB’ in 5G NR may correspond to the eNB in 4G LTE. Also, a NG-RAN node may refer to a gNB or a ng-eNB.

[0033] The RAN 108 may include some type of network controlling / governing entity responsible for control of the radio access nodes. The network controlling / governing entity and radio access node may be separate or integrated into a single apparatus. The network controlling / governing entity may include processing circuity configured to carry out various management functions, etc. The processing circuity may be associated with a memory, computer-readable storage medium or database for maintaining information required in the management functions.

[0034] It has been recognized that national roaming services are important for ensuring seamless connectivity, especially in areas where an MNO lacks coverage. Allowing unrestricted use of RATs for national roamers can result in technical challenges including interoperability issues, quality of service concerns and network congestion concerns.

[0035] The current mechanism to limit the UEs 110 utilization (e.g., control or restriction) of certain RAT(s) employed by MNOs involves rejecting the UE’s registration request (e.g., attach request, tracking area update (TAU) request, initial registration request, mobile registration update (MRU), etc.) when the UE attempts to attach / register via a specific RAT. Rejecting the UE’s request, however, may result in higher signaling loads within the network, and a service outage for the UE until the UE selects another RAT. Rejecting the UE’s request may also result in the UE continuing to re-attempt the request on the same PLMN / RAT upon the UE re-enabling the corresponding RAT. In view of foregoing, enhancements are needed to address these drawbacks and meet MNO requirements.

[0036] One of the main use cases of RAT restriction is when a MNO, in a PLMN 102, wants to restrict one or more RATs, especially for roamer UEs 110 (UEs that are roaming outside a home PLMN), when the PLMN encounters a sudden increase in traffic / load in a specific RAT. This sudden increase in traffic / load may be due to a number of conditions or events, such as a global event in which many subscribers (e.g., UEs of subscribers) enter the PLMN and try to connect to the same RAT (using their UEs). By restricting one or more RATs, the network may limit roamer UEs from connecting to a specific RAT (e.g., 5G / 4G RAT), which may in turn avoid call drops or service degradation for the PLMN’s own subscribers. Moreover, an MNO may use this mechanism to handle congestion (e.g., apply RAT restriction to all subscribers (subscriber equipment) or specific national roamer users (specific national roamer user equipment) if the total number of subscribers / users (subscriber equipment / user equipment) is more than some threshold value) or to handle priority subscribers (e.g., restrict RAT for non-priority UEs in specific location / time).

[0037] Also notable is the operation of PLMN selection and roaming in which a PLMN may be selected by the UE 110 based on a predefined priority for the PLMN / RAT or manually by the user of the UE. In this regard, the UE normally operates on its home PLMN (HPLMN) or equivalent home PLMN (EHPLMN). However, a visited PLMN (VPLMN) may be selected, such as when the UE loses coverage. There are two modes for PLMN selection, namely, automatic mode and manual mode. In automatic mode, the UE 110 utilizes a list of PLMN / RAT combinations in a priority order; and in automatic mode, the highest priority PLMN / RAT combination which is available and allowable is selected. In manual mode, the UE indicates to the user of the UE which PLMNs are available; and in manual mode, the UE tries to obtain normal service on the VPLMN only when the user makes a manual selection of a PLMN.

[0038] To prevent repeated attempts to have roaming service on a not allowed area (e.g., local area (LA) or tracking Area (TA)), when the UE 110 is informed that an area is forbidden, the area may be added to a list of “forbidden location areas for roaming” and / or “forbidden tracking areas for roaming” respectively, which are / is stored in the UE. These lists, if existing, may be deleted when the UE is switched off or when the subscriber identity module (SIM) is removed, and may also be deleted periodically (with period in the range 12 to 24 hours). LA area restrictions may always be valid for complete location areas independent of possible subdivision into general packet radio service (GPRS) routing areas. The structure of the routing area identifier may support area restriction on a LA basis.

[0039] In order to indicate / trigger a change of the PLMN / RAT restrictions (e.g., a change of a PLMN / RAT restriction list) due to potential restrictions for a MNO, a number of procedures may be impacted, such as a UE registration procedure (e.g., initial registration, mobility and periodic registration update ), and the generic UE configuration update procedure. In 3GPP Release 19 work, on RAT restriction item, it has been agreed that the network (e.g., CN 106) may send RAT utilization control or RAT restriction information to the UE 110, such as by an information element (IE) to the UE in the registration accept message of the UE registration procedure, or in the configuration update command message of the configuration update procedure. This information can contain a list of RATs that are restricted for the UE in the PLMN while the UE is in that location area.

[0040] During an example UE registration procedure, the UE 110 may indicate support for RAT utilization control in the registration request message. Then, if the network decides to apply the RAT utilization control, the CN 106 (e.g., access and mobility managementfunction (AMF)) may include the RAT utilization control IE in the registration accept message.

[0041] During an example generic UE configuration update procedure, the UE may set the RAT utilization control (RATUC) bit to “RAT utilization control supported” in the 5G mobility management (5GMM) capability IE of the registration request message. If the CN 106 (e.g., AMF) needs to update the RAT utilization control information, the CN may then include the RAT utilization control IE, and not indicate “NG-RAN is restricted” in the configuration update command message. For instance, according to this generic UE configuration update procedure, a UE have already registers sent a flag in a registration request indicating that the UE supports the RAT utilization control feature. However, the network does not restrict any RAT at the moment of registration. Later after some time, the network decides to restrict a RAT for the UE (which is already registered) and sends this information / update to update the configuration of the UE (e.g., using the UE configuration update (UCU)).

[0042] FIG. 2 is a signaling chart 100 of procedure(s) for delivery of RAT utilization control information. As shown, the UE 110 may at step 201 initiate an initial registration request to a PLMN 102 on a particular RAT-X. The network / operator may at step 202 decide to send RAT restriction information to the UE, which may include a restriction of one or more RATs except RAT-X. The CN 106 may then at step 204 send a registration accept message (in a UE registration procedure) or a configuration update command message (in a configuration update procedure). The message may include a RAT utilization control IE which includes information on restricted / non-restricted RAT(s), without restricting RAT-X.

[0043] When the UE 110 receives the RAT utilization control or RAT restriction information, the UE may store the information in memory and use the information to deprioritize or forbid selection of the specific restricted combination of PLMN and RAT from the priority PLMN selection list. In 3GPP, UE automatic PLMN / access technology selection procedures have been addressed. But the scenario in which the UE is in manual PLMN selection mode and needs to handle the RAT utilization control set by the network has not been addressed. A number of problems may therefore be indicated for this scenario.

[0044] A first problem may be to define a procedure for the UE 110 to use the manual selection of PLMN / RAT combination when the UE has received RAT utilization control information (RAT restriction information) from the network, or the UE has RAT utilization control information stored in memory.

[0045] Due to the RAT restriction sent by the network (e.g., CN 106), a second problem may be how the manual PLMN selection can be used in order to fix a misconfiguration created by the network. On this second problem, a first scenario may be when the network restricts the only available PLMN / RAT combination supported (or preferred) by the UE 110.In a second scenario, the network may have restricted a specific PLMN / RAT combination for the UE, but then remove the restriction. By the time the restriction is removed, however, the UE may become unreachable and unable to receive updated information that indicates the restriction has been removed. The UE may therefore continue to consider the PLMN / RAT as restricted.

[0046] Example implementations of the present disclosure provide solutions to the first problem and the second problem. Example implementations of the present disclosure update / enhance the manual PLMN selection procedure in order to address a PLMN / RAT restriction which is sent / mandated by the network.

[0047] According to some example implementations that provide a solution to the first problem, when both the network and the UE 110 support RAT restriction, the UE may receive an indication from the network (e.g., CN 106) to restrict a combination of a PLMN and RAT (referred to at times as a restricted PLMN / RAT combination). The UE may store information indicative of the restricted PLMN / RAT combination in a list of PLMNs with associated RAT restrictions (also at times referred to as a list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions), and the UE may maintain the information (e.g., list) in memory. In some examples, the list of PLMNs with associated RAT restrictions may include one or more restricted PLMN / RAT combinations (e.g., PLMN1 / RAN1, PLMN1 / RAN2, PLMN2 / RAN1, PLMN3 / RAN2).

[0048] Under the manual PLMN selection operation, the UE 110 may present, to the user, information that indicates one or more available PLMNs including a PLMN in a restricted combination of the PLMN and a RAT (a restricted PLMN / RAT combination, e.g., PLMN1 / RAT2). The UE may indicate the PLMN without the associated RAT, or the UE may indicate both the PLMN and associated RAT in the restricted combination. In some examples, the UE may send (to the user) a notification, indication or display message (e.g., warning or pop-up message) if a restricted PLMN / RAT combination is available. In another examples, together with the indicated PLMN or PLMN / RAT combination corresponding to a restricted PLMN / RAT combination, the UE may display an indication that the PLMN or the PLMN / RAT combination is restricted. In some other examples, the UE may present theavailable PLMN(s) to the user without any restricted PLMN / RAT combinations, in which case the PLMN selection may be referred to as a “restricted manual PLMN selection.”

[0049] Upon presentation of the available PLMN(s) including the PLMN in the restricted PLMN / RAT combination (e.g., PLMN1 / RAT2), the UE 110 may receive, from the user, selection of the PLMN from the available PLMN(s). In this regard, it may be up to the user if the UE still selects the restricted PLMN / RAT combination even though it is restricted. If the user selects the restricted PLMN / RAT combination, after receiving the information / notification and ignoring the PLMN / RAT restriction, the UE may select the restricted combination of PLMN / RAT for registration to the PLMN (e.g., PLMN1) using the RAT (e.g., RAT2). The UE may therefore override the PLMN / RAT restriction, and send a registration request to the PLMN 102 using the restricted RAT. In some examples, the non-access stratum (NAS) layer in the UE may indicate the access stratum layer in the UE that the restricted PLMN / RAT combination is selected (manually by the user). With this indication the access stratum layer in the UE can ignore the restriction applied for the PLMN / RAT combination.

[0050] In some examples, the UE 110 may receive a registration accept message or other indication that the registration to the PLMN is successful, and remove the restricted PLMN / RAT combination from the list of PLMNs with associated RAT restrictions. In some other examples, the UE may receive a registration reject message or other indication that the registration to the PLMN is unsuccessful, and enter a limited service state in which access to network services is limited. In this case, the UE may also continue to present (for user selection) the information that indicates the available PLMN(s) including the PLMN in the restricted PLMN / RAT combination.

[0051] According to some example implementations that provide a solution to the second problem, when both the network and the UE 110 support RAT restriction, the UE may receive an indication from the network (e.g., CN 106) to restrict a combination of a PLMN and RAT (referred to at times as a restricted PLMN / RAT combination). In some examples, the restricted PLMN / RAT combination may be the only PLMN / RAT combination that is available to the UE, or the PLMN / RAT combination may be the preferred PLMN / RAT among all other available PLMN / RAT combinations to the UE. In some of these examples, based on a UE capability indication from the UE, the network may know that the restricted PLMN / RAT combination is the only available / preferred PLMN / RAT combination. In other examples, the network may be unaware.

[0052] The network may establish a timer corresponding to a time until release of a restriction on the restricted PLMN / RAT combination, and send the timer to the UE 110. In this regard, the timer (e.g., back-off timer) may indicate a minimum waiting time T for the UE to be able to perform manual PLMN selection of the restricted PLMN / RAT combination. The user may be restricted to use its only supported / preferred PLMN / RAT combination, and by using manual PLMN selection, the user may attempt to bypass the PLMN / RAT restriction imposed by the network. In some examples, the indicated timer value T may indicate the amount time for which the UE needs to keep the restricted PLMN / RAT combination in the list of PLMNs with associated RAT restrictions. Upon expiry of the timer, the UE can remove the PLMN / RAT combination from the list of PLMNs with associated RAT restrictions. The indicated timer T can be a single timer applicable to all RATs of the PLMN or a set of timers; one for each of the restricted RATs.

[0053] In some examples, the UE 110 may start the timer. The UE may present, to the user, information that indicates available PLMN(s), which upon expiration of the timer, may include the PLMN (and possibly the associated RAT) in the restricted PLMN / RAT combination. This may be referred to as “time restricted manual PLMN selection.” In some other examples, the available PLMN(s) may include the PLMN (and possibly the associated RAT) in the restricted PLMN / RAT combination at any time, without regard for the timer. In some examples, the UE may send (to the user) a notification, indication or display message (e.g., warning) if a restricted PLMN / RAT combination is available.

[0054] Similar to before, upon presentation of the available PLMN(s) including the PLMN in the restricted PLMN / RAT combination, the UE 110 may receive, from the user, selection of the PLMN from the available PLMN(s). In this regard, it may be up to the user if the UE still selects the restricted PLMN / RAT combination even though it is restricted. If the user selects the restricted PLMN / RAT combination, after receiving the information and ignoring the PLMN / RAT restriction, the UE may select the restricted combination of PLMN / RAT. The UE may therefore override the PLMN / RAT restriction, and send a registration request to the PLMN 102 using the restricted RAT.

[0055] When the registration to the PLMN is successful, the UE 110 may remove the restricted PLMN / RAT combination from the list of PLMNs with associated RAT restrictions. On the other hand, when the registration to the PLMN is unsuccessful, the UE may enter a limited service state in which access to network services is limited. In this case, the UE may also continue to present (for user selection) the information that indicates the available PLMN(s) including the PLMN in the restricted PLMN / RAT combination.

[0056] The solutions of example implementations of the present disclosure provide a number of advantages. For example, even when the UE is not reachable by the network, such as when the only supported / preferred PLMN / RAN combination is restricted, the UE / user may bypass the restriction using the manual PLMN selection.

[0057] To further illustrate example implementations of the present disclosure, FIG. 3 is a signaling chart 300 of a procedure for manual PLMN selection of a PLMN in a restricted combination of PLMN and RAT, according to some example implementations. As shown, the network may at step 301 apply a RAT restriction on the UE 110 for one or more specific PLMN / RAT combinations. This information may be conveyed to the UE using, for example, a registration accept message or a configuration update command message (or by any other means). The UE may at step 302 maintain the RAT restriction information (including a restricted PLMN / RAT combination) in a list of PLMNs with associated RAT restrictions, and may avoid selecting the restricted PLMN / RAT combination in an automatic PLMN selection.

[0058] For manual PLMN selection, the UE 110 may at step 303 indicate to the user (of the UE) that the restricted PLMN / RAT combination is available (among one or more available PLMNs). The UE may indicate this to the user in a number of different manners, such as by a notification, indication or pop-up display message. In some examples, the trigger for the indication may be from an access stratum (AS) / access layer as (i) only the restricted RAT / access cell is available (e.g., no other cell / RAT is available), or (ii) the restricted RAT cell has the highest signal quality.

[0059] The user may at step 304 manually select the restricted PLMN / RAT combination, and receive a notification from the UE 110 regarding the restriction. In turn, the UE may at step 305 ignore the restriction and select the restricted PLMN / RAT combination for registration. The UE may then at step 306 send a registration / location registration (LR) request to the PLMN (CN 106) using the RAT of the restricted PLMN / RAT combination. In some examples, the UE may also send an explicit indication to the network, in the registration request or MRU, that the specific RAT is the only available RAT, or the only available / supported / preferred RAT (e.g., due to signal quality). In other examples, the UE may instead disable the RATUC bit (support for RAT restriction) indicating that the UE does not support RAT restriction, so that network cannot impose RAT restriction on the specific RAT.

[0060] The PLMN (CN 106) may accept the registration request, and the PLMN may at step 307 send a registration accept message to the UE 110 to indicate the registration issuccessful. The UE may then at step 308 remove the restricted PLMN / RAT from the list of PLMNs with associated RAT restrictions.

[0061] FIG. 4 is a signaling chart of a procedure 400 for manual PLMN selection of a PLMN in a restricted combination of PLMN and RAT, according to some other example implementations. As shown, the UE 110 may at step 401 indicate, to the network (CN 106) one or more supported / preferred RATs, such as in a registration request message or by means of separate signaling. The network may at step 402 apply a RAT restriction on the UE for one or more specific PLMN / RAT combinations. This information may be conveyed to the UE using, for example, a registration accept message or a configuration update command message (or by any other means). The network may also send a timer T to the UE that indicates a back-off time to allow / enable manual PLMN / RAT selection of a restricted PLMN / RAT combination (one or more). In some examples, the timer may be sent by the network when the restriction created by the network / operator has a known time window Tre, e.g., a particular event with a known duration where the operator wants to restrict a RAT.

[0062] The UE may at step 403 stores and maintain the RAT restriction information (including a restricted PLMN / RAT combination) in a list of PLMNs with associated RAT restrictions, and may avoid selecting the restricted PLMN / RAT combination in an automatic PLMN selection. In a first option, upon expiration of the timer T, the user may ignore the restriction, and at step 404 manually select the restricted PLMN / RAT combination. In a second option, the user may ignore the restriction, and at step 405 manually select the restricted PLMN / RAT combination, without any timing restriction.

[0063] Similar to above, the UE may at step 306 send a registration / LR request to the PLMN (CN 106) using the RAT of the restricted PLMN / RAT combination. The PLMN (CN 106) may accept the registration request, and the PLMN may at step 307 send a registration accept message to the UE 110 to indicate the registration is successful. The UE may then at step 308 remove the restricted PLMN / RAT from the list of PLMNs with associated RAT restrictions.

[0064] FIGS. 5A- 5C are flowcharts illustrating various steps in a method 500 according to various example implementations. The method includes maintaining information indicative of a list of public land mobile networks (PLMNs) with associated access technology restrictions, as shown at block 502 of FIG. 5A. The method includes presenting, to a user, information that indicates one or more available PLMNs including a PLMN in a restricted combination of the PLMN and an access technology contained in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions, as shown at block 504.The method includes receiving, from the user, selection of the PLMN from the one or more available PLMNs, as shown at block 506. And the method includes sending a registration request to the PLMN using the access technology, as shown at block 508.

[0065] In some examples, the method is performed by a user equipment.

[0066] In some examples, the presenting and the receiving occur when the user equipment is in a manual user selection mode.

[0067] In some examples, the registration request is for registration to the PLMN. In some of these examples, the method 500 further includes receiving an indication that the registration to the PLMN is successful, as shown at block 510 of FIG. 5B. And the method includes removing the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology from the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions, as shown at block 512.

[0068] In some examples, the registration request is for registration to the PLMN. In some of these examples, the method 500 further includes receiving an indication that the registration to the PLMN is unsuccessful, as shown at block 514 of FIG. 5C. And the method includes entering a limited service state in which access to network services is restricted, as shown at block 516.

[0069] In some examples, the method 500 further includes continuing to present, to the user, the information that indicates the one or more available PLMNs including the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology contained in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions.

[0070] In some examples, the information presented at block 504 to the user includes an indication that the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology is restricted.

[0071] In some examples, the indication is presented when the selection of the PLMN is received at block 506.

[0072] FIGS. 6A- 6D are flowcharts illustrating various steps in a method 600 according to various example implementations. The method includes maintaining information indicative of a list of public land mobile networks (PLMNs) with associated access technology restrictions, as shown at block 602 of FIG. 6A. The method includes starting a timer corresponding to a time until release of a restriction on a restricted combination of a PLMN and an access technology contained in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions, as shown at block 604. The method includes presenting, to a user, information that indicates one or more available PLMNs, In some ofthese examples, upon expiration of the timer, the one or more available PLMNs include the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology, as shown at block 606. The method includes receiving, from the user, selection of the PLMN from the one or more available PLMNs, as shown at block 608. And the method includes sending a registration request to the PLMN using the access technology, as shown at block 610.

[0073] In some examples, the method 600 is performed by a user equipment.

[0074] In some examples, the method 600 is performed by the user equipment that is in a manual network selection mode when the information that indicates one or more available PLMNs is presented at block 606 and the selection of the PLMN is received at block 608.

[0075] In some examples, the user equipment prefers, among combinations of the one or more available PLMNs and one or more access technologies, the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology.

[0076] In some examples, the method 600 further includes receiving, from a network, information that includes a value for the timer and that indicates the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology is restricted, as shown at block 612 of FIG. 6B. In some of these examples, the method also includes storing the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions, as shown at block 614.

[0077] In some examples, the method 600 further includes sending, to the network, information that indicates at least one access technology that is available to the user equipment or preferred by the user equipment.

[0078] In some examples, starting the timer at block 604 comprises starting one or more timers corresponding to one or more times until release of restrictions on one or more restricted combinations of one or more PLMNs and one or more access technologies contained in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions.

[0079] In some examples, the registration request is for registration to the PLMN. In some of these examples, the method 600 further includes receiving an indication that the registration to the PLMN is successful, as shown at block 616 of FIG. 6C. And the method includes removing the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology from the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions, as shown at block 618.

[0080] In some examples, the registration request is for registration to the PLMN. In some of these examples, the method 600 further includes receiving an indication that theregistration to the PLMN is unsuccessful, as shown at block 620 of FIG. 6D. And the method includes entering a limited service state in which access to network services is restricted, as shown at block 622.

[0081] In some examples, the method 600 further includes continuing to present, to the user, the information that indicates the one or more available PLMNs including the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology contained in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions.

[0082] In some examples, the information presented to the user includes an indication that the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology is restricted.

[0083] In some examples, the indication is presented when the selection of the PLMN is received.

[0084] According to example implementations of the present disclosure, a telecommunications system 100 or PLMN 102, and its components such as a UE 110, CN 106 and / or RAN 108, may be implemented by various means. Means for implementing the system and its components may include hardware, firmware, software, or combinations thereof. In some examples, one or more apparatuses may be configured to function as or otherwise implement the system and its components shown and described herein. In examples involving more than one apparatus, the respective apparatuses may be connected to or otherwise in communication with one another in a number of different manners, such as directly or indirectly via a wired or wireless network or the like.

[0085] According to some example implementations, at least some of the method 500 described with respect to FIGS. 5A - 5C may be carried out by an apparatus comprising means for performing functions corresponding steps of the method. Similarly, at least some of the method 600 described with respect to FIGS. 6 A - 6D may be carried out by an apparatus comprising means for performing functions corresponding steps of the method. Examples of a suitable apparatus may include a user equipment, user device, user terminal or the like.

[0086] FIG. 7 illustrates an apparatus 700 in which means for performing various functions includes hardware, alone or under direction of one or more computer programs from a computer-readable storage medium or other memory, such as computer memory, according to some example implementations of the present disclosure. Generally, an apparatus of example implementations of the present disclosure may comprise, include or be embodied in one or more fixed or portable electronic devices. Examples of suitable electronicdevices include a wearable computer, mobile phone, portable computer, desktop computer, workstation computer, server (server computer) or the like. The apparatus may include one or more of each of a number of components such as, for example, processing circuitry 702 connected to computer-readable storage medium or other memory 704.

[0087] The processing circuitry 702 may be composed of one or more processors alone or in combination with one or more computer-readable storage media. The processing circuitry is generally any piece of computer hardware that is capable of processing information such as, for example, data, computer programs and / or other suitable electronic information. The processing circuitry is composed of a collection of electronic circuits some of which may be packaged as an integrated circuit or multiple interconnected integrated circuits (an integrated circuit at times more commonly referred to as a “chip”). The processing circuitry may be configured to execute computer programs, which may be stored onboard the processing circuitry or otherwise stored in the memory 704 (of the same or another apparatus).

[0088] The processing circuitry 702 may be a number of processors, a multi-core processor or some other type of processor, depending on the particular implementation. Further, the processing circuitry may be implemented using a number of heterogeneous processor systems in which a main processor is present with one or more secondary processors on a single chip. As another illustrative example, the processing circuitry may be a symmetric multi-processor system containing multiple processors of the same type. In yet another example, the processing circuitry may be embodied as or otherwise include one or more ASICs, FPGAs or the like. Thus, although the processing circuitry may be capable of executing a computer program to perform one or more functions, the processing circuitry of various examples may be capable of performing one or more functions without the aid of a computer program. In either instance, the processing circuitry may be appropriately programmed to perform functions or operations according to example implementations of the present disclosure.

[0089] The memory 704 is generally any piece of computer hardware that is capable of storing information such as, for example, data, computer programs, instructions 706 (e.g., computer-readable program code) and / or other suitable information either on a temporary basis and / or a permanent basis. The memory may include volatile and / or non-volatile memory, and may be fixed or removable. Examples of suitable memory include recording media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard drive, a flash memory, a thumb drive, a removable computer diskette, an optical disk or some combination thereof.

[0090] The memory 704 is a non-transitory device capable of storing information. One example of a suitable memory is a computer-readable storage medium, which is distinguishable from a computer-readable transmission medium capable of carrying information from one location to another. Examples of suitable computer-readable transmission media comprise electronic carrier signals, telecommunications signals, or some combination thereof. As used herein, the term “non-transitory” is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM versus ROM). A computer-readable medium as described herein generally refers to a computer-readable storage medium or computer-readable transmission medium. A computer-readable medium is any entity or device capable in which information, such as one or more computer programs or portions thereof, may be stored and carried.

[0091] In addition to the memory 704 (e.g., computer-readable storage medium), the processing circuitry 702 may also be connected to one or more interfaces for displaying, transmitting and / or receiving information. The interfaces may include a communications interface 708 and / or one or more user interfaces. The communications interface may be configured to transmit and / or receive information, such as to and / or from other apparatus(es), network(s) or the like. The communications interface may be configured to transmit and / or receive information by physical (wired) and / or wireless communications links. Examples of suitable communication interfaces include a network interface controller (NIC), wireless NIC (WNIC) or the like.

[0092] The user interfaces may include a display 710 and / or one or more user input interfaces 712. The display may be configured to present or otherwise display information to a user, suitable examples of which include a liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED) display, organic LED (OLED) display, active-matrix OLED (AMOLED) or the like. The user input interfaces may be wired or wireless, and may be configured to receive information from a user into the apparatus, such as for processing, storage and / or display. Suitable examples of user input interfaces include a microphone, image or video capture device, keyboard or keypad, joystick, touch-sensitive surface (separate from or integrated into a touchscreen), biometric sensor or the like. The user interfaces may further include one or more interfaces for communicating with peripherals such as printers, scanners or the like.

[0093] Execution of the instructions 706 by the processing circuitry 702, or storage of the instructions in the memory 704, supports combinations of operations for implementing example implementations of the present disclosure. In this manner, an apparatus 700 may comprise at least one processing circuitry and at least one memory coupled to the at least oneprocessing circuitry, where the at least one processing circuitry is configured to execute instructions stored in the at least one memory. It will also be understood that one or more functions, and combinations of functions, may be implemented by special purpose hardwarebased computer systems and / or processing circuitry which perform the specified functions, or combinations of special purpose hardware and program code instructions.

[0094] Some example implementations of the present disclosure may also be carried out in the form of a computer process defined by one or more computer programs or portions thereof. Example implementations of the present disclosure may be carried out by executing at least one portion of a computer program comprising instructions. The computer program may be in source code form, object code form, or in some intermediate form. The computer program may be stored in a computer-readable medium that is readable by a computer, processing circuitry or other suitable apparatus. As indicated above, for example, the computer program may be stored in a memory, such as a computer-readable storage medium. Additionally or alternatively, for example, the computer program may be stored in a computer-readable transmission medium. The coding of software for carrying out example implementations of the present disclosure is well within the scope of a person of ordinary skill in the art.

[0095] As will be appreciated, any suitable instructions may be loaded onto a computer, a processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus from a memory or a computer-readable medium (e.g., computer-readable storage medium, computer-readable transmission medium) to produce a particular machine, such that the particular machine becomes a means for implementing the functions specified herein. The instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable medium that can direct a computer, a processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus to function in a particular manner to thereby generate a particular machine or particular article of manufacture. In some examples, the instructions stored in the computer-readable medium may produce an article of manufacture, where the article of manufacture becomes a means for implementing functions described herein. The instructions may be retrieved from a computer-readable medium and loaded into a computer, processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus to configure the computer, processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus to execute operations to be performed on or by the computer, processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus.

[0096] Retrieval, loading and execution of instructions comprising program code instructions may be performed sequentially such that one instruction is retrieved, loaded and executed at a time. In some example implementations, retrieval, loading and / or executionmay be performed in parallel such that multiple instructions are retrieved, loaded, and / or executed together. Execution of the program code instructions may produce a computer-implemented process such that the instructions executed by the computer, processing circuitry or other programmable apparatus provide operations for implementing functions described herein.

[0097] As explained above and reiterated below, the present disclosure includes, without limitation, the following example implementations.

[0098] Clause 1. A method comprising: maintaining information indicative of a list of public land mobile networks (PLMNs) with associated access technology restrictions; presenting, to a user, information that indicates one or more available PLMNs including a PLMN in a restricted combination of the PLMN and an access technology contained in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions; receiving, from the user, selection of the PLMN from the one or more available PLMNs; and sending a registration request to the PLMN using the access technology.

[0099] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the method is performed by a user equipment.

[0100] Clause 3. The method of clause 2, wherein the presenting and the receiving occur when the user equipment is in a manual user selection mode.

[0101] Clause 4. The method of any of clauses 1 to 3, wherein the registration request is for registration to the PLMN, and wherein the method further comprises: receiving an indication that the registration to the PLMN is successful; and removing the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology from the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions.

[0102] Clause 5. The method of any of clauses 1 to 4, wherein the registration request is for registration to the PLMN, and wherein the method further comprises: receiving an indication that the registration to the PLMN is unsuccessful; and entering a limited service state in which access to network services is restricted.

[0103] Clause 6. The method of clause 5 further comprising continuing to present, to the user, the information that indicates the one or more available PLMNs including the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology contained in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions.

[0104] Clause 7. The method of any of clauses 1 to 6, wherein the information presented to the user includes an indication that the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology is restricted.-23-

[0105] Clause 8. The method of clause 7, wherein the indication is presented when the selection of the PLMN is received.

[0106] Clause 9. An apparatus comprising: at least one memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 8.

[0107] Clause 10. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method of any of clauses 1 to 8.

[0108] Clause 11. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 8.

[0109] Clause 12. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 8.

[0110] Clause 13. A computer program comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 8.

[0111] Clause 14. A method comprising: maintaining information indicative of a list of public land mobile networks (PLMNs) with associated access technology restrictions; starting a timer corresponding to a time until release of a restriction on a restricted combination of a PLMN and an access technology contained in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions; presenting, to a user, information that indicates one or more available PLMNs, wherein upon expiration of the timer, the one or more available PLMNs include the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology; receiving, from the user, selection of the PLMN from the one or more available PLMNs; and sending a registration request to the PLMN using the access technology,

[0112] Clause 15. The method of clause 14, wherein the method is performed by a user equipment.

[0113] Clause 16. The method of clause 15, wherein the method is performed by the user equipment that is in a manual network selection mode when the information that indicates one or more available PLMNs is presented and the selection of the PLMN is received.

[0114] Clause 17. The method of clause 15 or clause 16, wherein the user equipment prefers, among combinations of the one or more available PLMNs and one or more accesstechnologies, the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology.

[0115] Clause 18. The method of any of clauses 15 to 17 further comprising: receiving, from a network, information that includes a value for the timer and that indicates the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology is restricted; and storing the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions.

[0116] Clause 19. The method of clause 18 further comprising sending, to the network, information that indicates at least one access technology that is available to the user equipment or preferred by the user equipment.

[0117] Clause 20. The method of any of clauses 14 to 19, wherein starting the timer comprises starting one or more timers corresponding to one or more times until release of restrictions on one or more restricted combinations of one or more PLMNs and one or more access technologies contained in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions.

[0118] Clause 21. The method of any of clauses 14 to 20, wherein the registration request is for registration to the PLMN, and wherein the method further comprises: receiving an indication that the registration to the PLMN is successful: and removing the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology from the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions.

[0119] Clause 22. The method of any of clauses 14 to 21, wherein the registration request is for registration to the PLMN, and wherein the method further comprises: receiving an indication that the registration to the PLMN is unsuccessful; and entering a limited service state in which access to network services is restricted.

[0120] Clause 23. The method of clause 22 further comprising continuing to present, to the user, the information that indicates the one or more available PLMNs including the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology contained in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions.

[0121] Clause 24. The method of any of clauses 14 to 23, wherein the information presented to the user includes an indication that the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology is restricted.

[0122] Clause 25. The method of clause 24, wherein the indication is presented when the selection of the PLMN is received.

[0123] Clause 26. An apparatus comprising: at least one memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processing circuitry configured to access the at least one memory, and execute the instructions to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 14 to 25.

[0124] Clause 27. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method of any of clauses 14 to 25.

[0125] Clause 28. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 14 to 25.

[0126] Clause 29. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 14 to 25.

[0127] Clause 30. A computer program comprising instructions that, in response to execution by at least one processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to perform the method of any of clauses 14 to 25.

[0128] Many modifications and other implementations of the disclosure set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which the disclosure pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the associated figures. Therefore, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specific implementations disclosed and that modifications and other implementations are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, although the foregoing description and the associated figures describe example implementations in the context of certain example combinations of elements and / or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and / or functions may be provided by alternative implementations without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and / or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

WE CLAIM:

1. An apparatus comprising:means for maintaining information indicative of a list of public land mobile networks (PLMNs) with associated access technology restrictions;means for starting a timer corresponding to a time until release of a restriction on a restricted combination of a PLMN and an access technology contained in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions;means for presenting, to a user, information that indicates one or more available PLMNs, wherein upon expiration of the timer, the one or more available PLMNs include the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology;means for receiving, from the user, selection of the PLMN from the one or more available PLMNs; andmeans for sending a registration request to the PLMN using the access technology.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus is to implement an user equipment.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the apparatus is to implement by the user equipment that is in a manual network selection mode when the information that indicates one or more available PLMNs is presented and the selection of the PLMN is received.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the user equipment prefers, among combinations of the one or more available PLMNs and one or more access technologies, the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology.

5. The apparatus as claimed in any of claims 2 to 4 further comprising: means for receiving, from a network, information that includes a value for the timer and that indicates the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology is restricted; and-27-means for storing the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5 further comprising means for sending, to the network, information that indicates at least one access technology that is available to the user equipment or preferred by the user equipment.

7. The apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the means for starting the timer comprises means for starting one or more timers corresponding to one or more times until release of restrictions on one or more restricted combinations of one or more PLMNs and one or more access technologies contained in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions.

8. The apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the registration request is for registration to the PLMN, and wherein the apparatus further comprises:means for receiving an indication that the registration to the PLMN is successful; and means for removing the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology from the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions.

9. The apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the registration request is for registration to the PLMN, and wherein the apparatus further comprises:means for receiving an indication that the registration to the PLMN is unsuccessful; andmeans for entering a limited service state in which access to network services is restricted.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 further comprising means for continuing to present, to the user, the information that indicates the one or more available PLMNs including the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology contained in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions.

11. The apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the information presented to the user includes an indication that the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology is restricted.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the indication is presented when the selection of the PLMN is received.

13. A method comprising:maintaining information indicative of a list of public land mobile networks (PLMNs) with associated access technology restrictions;starting a timer corresponding to a time until release of a restriction on a restricted combination of a PLMN and an access technology contained in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions;presenting, to a user, information that indicates one or more available PLMNs, wherein upon expiration of the timer, the one or more available PLMNs include the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology;receiving, from the user, selection of the PLMN from the one or more available PLMNs; andsending a registration request to the PLMN using the access technology.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the method is performed by a user equipment.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the method is performed by the user equipment that is in a manual network selection mode when the information that indicates one or more available PLMNs is presented and the selection of the PLMN is received.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14 or claim 15, wherein the user equipment prefers, among combinations of the one or more available PLMNs and one or more access technologies, the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology.

17. The method as claimed in any of claims 14 to 16 further comprising:receiving, from a network, information that includes a value for the timer and that indicates the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology is restricted; and storing the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17 further comprising sending, to the network, information that indicates at least one access technology that is available to the user equipment or preferred by the user equipment.

19. The method as claimed in any of claims 13 to 18, wherein starting the timer comprises starting one or more timers corresponding to one or more times until release of restrictions on one or more restricted combinations of one or more PLMNs and one or more access technologies contained in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions.

20. The method as claimed in any of claims 13 to 19, wherein the registration request is for registration to the PLMN, and wherein the method further comprises:receiving an indication that the registration to the PLMN is successful; and removing the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology from the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions.

21. The method as claimed in any of claims 13 to 20, wherein the registration request is for registration to the PLMN, and wherein the method further comprises:receiving an indication that the registration to the PLMN is unsuccessful; and entering a limited service state in which access to network services is restricted.

22. The method as claimed in claim 21 further comprising continuing to present, to the user, the information that indicates the one or more available PLMNs including the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology contained in the information indicative of or the list of PLMNs with associated access technology restrictions.

23. The method as claimed in any of claims 13 to 22, wherein the information presented to the user includes an indication that the PLMN in the restricted combination of the PLMN and the access technology is restricted.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the indication is presented when the selection of the PLMN is received.-31-

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