CBRS TAC Management via IBN Segmentation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The current CBRS network management system faces challenges in efficiently utilizing Tracking Area Codes (TACs) and Tracking Area Identifiers (TAIs), leading to potential denial of service due to limited unique TAC availability and improper TAC allocation, which can result in users being blocked from accessing authorized networks.
Innovation Solution
The proposed method involves using associated and unassociated TACs/TAIs, where associated TACs are linked to International Mobile Subscriber Identifier Bin Numbers (IBNs) and unassociated TACs are regionally managed to increase unique TAC availability, prevent confusion, and minimize service denial by dynamically assigning TACs and TAIs based on geographic regions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If traditional TAC allocation methods are used in CBRS networks, then network management is simplified, but the number of uniquely available TACs is limited and service denial occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments TAC management into two distinct categories: associated TACs (linked to IBNs) and unassociated TACs (regionally managed). This segmentation allows the system to expand the total pool of available TACs by utilizing both types, while maintaining separate management procedures for each category, thus resolving the contradiction between increasing TAC quantity and managing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension to TAC allocation by adding geographic region-based management alongside the traditional IBN-based association. This dimensional expansion allows unassociated TACs to be allocated based on geographic regions, significantly increasing the available TAC pool without requiring every TAC to be tied to an IBN, thereby resolving the quantity limitation while maintaining manageable complexity through regional oversight.
2Reliability
If TACs are allocated without regional management, then allocation process is simpler, but confusion arises and authorized users are blocked from accessing networks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments TAC allocation into associated TACs (managed through IBN linkage) and unassociated TACs (managed through geographic region assignment). This segmentation ensures that each TAC has a clear management path, preventing confusion and ensuring authorized users can access networks reliably, while keeping the overall system complexity manageable through distinct management procedures for each segment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces geographic region information as an intermediary mechanism for managing unassociated TACs. This intermediary layer prevents confusion by ensuring that unassociated TACs are allocated in a coordinated manner across different regions, thereby maintaining network access reliability without requiring direct IBN linkage for every TAC, thus balancing reliability with manageable complexity.
3Reliability
If more TACs are made available globally, then service denial is reduced, but TAC confusion increases across different regions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the TAC pool into associated and unassociated categories, with unassociated TACs further organized by geographic region. This segmentation preserves TAC uniqueness information by ensuring that unassociated TACs are allocated on a regional basis, preventing conflicts and confusion across different regions while still expanding the overall available TAC pool, thus maintaining service availability without losing TAC uniqueness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by managing unassociated TACs on a regional basis rather than globally uniformly. Each geographic region can allocate unassociated TACs independently within its jurisdiction, ensuring local uniqueness and preventing TAC confusion across regions. This localized management approach maintains service availability while preserving TAC uniqueness information through region-specific allocation.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus for managing TACs and TAIs used in communications system is disclosed in which “associated TACs” are used on a global basis and “unassociated TACs” are used on a regional basis. Associated TACs are associated with International Mobile Subscriber Identify (IMSI) Bin Numbers (IBNs). The value of each associated TACs is determined based on an associated IBN that serves as a seed for generating the TAC value. Unassociated TACs are TAC values that are within the “TAC space” of valid TAC values, but that are not within the pool of associated TACs. In some embodiments, there are 60,000 associated TACs and 65,536 total TAC values in the TAC space. Therefore, in such embodiments, there are 5,536 unassociated TACs that are regionally managed.