Network Slice Rejection by TAI and AMF for Service Continuity
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Solution Overview
Problem
User equipment (UE) faces challenges in accessing desired network slices due to conventional network slice rejection mechanisms that apply to entire registration areas or access and mobility management functions, leading to suboptimal user experience and service continuity issues.
Innovation Solution
Implementing network slice rejection techniques at the tracking area and AMF levels, allowing UE to identify specific areas or AMFs that support the desired network slices, and enabling transfer of existing PDU sessions to different network slices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If network slice rejection is applied at registration area level, then network management is simplified, but UE access to desired network slices is blocked even when available in specific tracking areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network slice rejection mechanism from registration area level to tracking area level. Each tracking area within a registration area can independently indicate support for specific network slices through TAI-based rejection indications. This allows UE to access network slices in tracking areas where they are supported while avoiding areas where they are not, resolving the contradiction between simplified management and improved access.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by allowing different tracking areas to have different network slice support characteristics. Each TAI contains information about which network slices are supported in that specific tracking area. UE can selectively access network slices based on local TAI conditions rather than being uniformly restricted across the entire registration area, improving access while maintaining manageable complexity through standardized TAI information elements.
2Adaptability or versatility
If network slice rejection is applied at AMF level, then slice allocation control is improved, but service continuity is disrupted when UE moves between AMF serving areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the AMF-level rejection control into tracking area-level controls. Each TAI provides granular information about network slice availability in specific geographic areas. When UE moves between AMF serving areas, it can maintain access to network slices by selecting tracking areas that support the required slices, ensuring service continuity while preserving AMF control capabilities through TAI-based indications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by providing UE with TAI information indicating network slice support before UE attempts to access network slices. UE can proactively select tracking areas that support desired network slices based on TAI information received during mobility procedures, preventing service disruption before it occurs rather than reacting after rejection happens.
3Loss of energy
If UE is rejected from network slice in current registration area, then network resources are protected, but UE cannot access the same slice in other tracking areas within the same registration area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by enabling network slice availability to vary by tracking area within a registration area. Each TAI contains specific information about which network slices are supported in that location. UE receives TAI-based rejection indications that are localized to specific tracking areas, allowing it to access network slices in tracking areas where they are supported while avoiding areas where they are not, thus protecting network resources while maintaining access flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the rejection indication mechanism to operate at tracking area level rather than registration area level. This segmentation allows UE to receive differentiated rejection indications for different tracking areas within the same registration area, enabling selective access to network slices based on local TAI conditions while preventing resource waste in areas where slices are not supported.
Data Source
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AI summary
A user equipment (UE) is configured to transmit a first registration request to a network, receive a registration accept message in response to the first registration request comprising a rejected network slice and an indication of a rejection cause corresponding to the rejected network slice and transmit a second registration request to the network comprising a requested network slice, wherein the requested network slice and the rejected network slice are a same network slice.