Access Point Priority Guidance for Network Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless communication networks, user equipment (UE) often randomly selects Wi-Fi access points when roaming, leading to inconsistencies with the network access policy of the operator, resulting in inefficient network access processes.
Innovation Solution
An access point sends a network access message to user equipment, including priority information and supported communications networks, allowing the UE to select an access point that aligns with the operator's expectations, thereby avoiding random selection inconsistencies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If user equipment randomly selects Wi-Fi access points when roaming, then the selection process is simple and fast, but the network access consistency with operator policy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The access point sends priority information to the user terminal before the terminal makes a selection decision. This preliminary provision of guidance information allows the terminal to make informed selections that align with operator policy, resolving the contradiction between fast random selection and policy-compliant selection.
Solution Approach 2:
Priority information acts as an intermediary between the operator's network selection policy and the user terminal's selection process. Instead of the terminal directly implementing complex policy evaluation, the access point translates policy into simple priority indicators that guide terminal selection, maintaining both efficiency and consistency.
2Reliability
If user equipment implements policy-based access point selection, then network access consistency improves, but the selection process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The access point serves as an intermediary that handles the complexity of policy evaluation and translates it into simple priority information. The user terminal only needs to compare priority values and select accordingly, avoiding the need to implement complex policy interpretation while maintaining consistent network access.
Solution Approach 2:
The complex policy evaluation function is extracted from the user terminal and relocated to the access point. The terminal receives only the essential selection criterion (priority information) rather than needing to process the full policy framework, reducing terminal complexity while maintaining policy consistency.
Data Source
AI summary
When an access point notifies a user equipment of a communications network supported by the access point, the access point also notifies the user equipment of priority information of the access point, so that the user equipment can select an access point that an operator expects the UE to select, to be connected to the communications network, thereby avoiding inconsistency between an access point, which is randomly selected by the user equipment to be connected to a communications network, and an access point that a communications network operator expects the UE to select.