eNodeB Roaming Status Indicator for MDT Privacy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current drive test selection methods in 3GPP networks do not adequately consider user privacy regulations for roaming users, potentially violating their privacy by not distinguishing between home and roaming users, and existing solutions either fail to ensure user consent or compromise the anonymity of users.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves transferring the subscriber's roaming status from the Mobility Management Entity (MME) to the eNodeB via SI signalling, allowing the eNodeB to determine whether a user can participate in drive test data collection, using an added information element in the SI Initial Context Setup Request message that indicates whether the user is a home or roaming subscriber, and providing identification of the home network to ensure compliance with privacy and regulatory requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If area based MDT selection criteria are used without distinguishing roaming users, then MDT data collection can be performed with simple criteria, but user privacy regulations for roaming users are violated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the user population into home users and roaming users by introducing a roaming status indicator. This segmentation allows the system to apply different MDT selection criteria to different user groups, thereby protecting roaming user privacy while maintaining simple area-based selection for home users.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary roaming status indicator (one bit information) that is transferred from the HSS to the eNB. This intermediary element enables the eNB to distinguish between home and roaming users without requiring complex user identification or direct user consent checks, thus protecting privacy while enabling differentiated treatment.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If user consent is checked for every MDT selection, then user privacy can be protected, but the anonymity of users is compromised and additional signalling is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by having the HSS pre-indicate the roaming status of users before MDT selection occurs. This preliminary information is stored and readily available to the eNB, eliminating the need for real-time user consent checks during MDT selection while still protecting user privacy through pre-established regulatory compliance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses self-service by relying on the pre-configured roaming status indicator in the user profile that automatically travels with the user's context. This eliminates the need for active user participation or consent requests, maintaining user anonymity while ensuring privacy-protected MDT selection.
3Reliability
If roaming status information is transferred from MME to eNB via SI signalling, then the eNB can determine user participation eligibility, but additional signalling overhead is introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential roaming status indicator (one bit information) from the complete user profile and transfers it via SI signalling. This extraction approach provides the eNB with sufficient information for accurate MDT selection while minimizing signalling overhead by transmitting only the critical element needed for the decision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter representation by using a compact one-bit roaming status indicator instead of transmitting full user profile information. This parameter change enables accurate MDT selection based on roaming status while significantly reducing the quantity of signalling data required.
Data Source
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AI summary
It is provided an apparatus, comprising base station means adapted to provide a base station functionality of a visited mobile network; selecting means adapted to select a user equipment, which is operably connected to the base station means, to report a result of a predefined measurement to the apparatus, wherein the selecting means is adapted to select the user equipment only if a roaming information of the user equipment received from a mobility management entity by which mobility of the user equipment is controlled indicates that a user of the user equipment is subscribed to one of one or more predefined mobile networks.