PLMN List Rewriting for Network Collision Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Smartphones may experience network collisions when within the coverage areas of foreign networks sharing the same network identifier as their preferred network, leading to repeated attempts to attach to unavailable networks, wasting energy and processing cycles.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a system in User Equipment (UE) devices that rewrites the priority list of cellular networks based on availability and subscription status, ensuring that the UE attaches to its secondary network when the preferred network is not available and reverts back when the preferred network becomes available again.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the UE continuously attempts to attach to the preferred network with the same network identifier, then the UE can quickly reconnect to the preferred network when available, but the UE wastes energy and processing cycles when the preferred network is unavailable due to network collision
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by detecting network collision conditions before the UE attempts to attach to the preferred network. When a collision is detected (foreign network has same identifier as preferred network), the system proactively modifies the PLMN list to prevent futile attachment attempts, thereby avoiding energy waste while maintaining the capability to quickly reconnect when the preferred network becomes available.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by monitoring network attachment outcomes and detecting when attachment failures occur due to network collision. This feedback mechanism allows the system to identify foreign networks with conflicting identifiers and adjust the PLMN list accordingly, creating a closed-loop control that balances reconnection speed with energy conservation.
2Reliability
If the UE modifies the PLMN list to avoid network collision, then the UE can attach to available secondary networks, but the PLMN list structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the problematic foreign network identifier from the PLMN list by removing or demoting networks that cause collision conflicts. This extraction approach maintains attachment reliability by preventing futile connection attempts while keeping the PLMN list structure relatively simple, as only specific conflicting entries are modified rather than restructuring the entire list.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes parameters of the PLMN list by dynamically adjusting the priority order and availability status of network identifiers. When network collision is detected, the system modifies the state of affected PLMN entries (e.g., marking them as unavailable or changing their priority), allowing reliable attachment to suitable networks without requiring complex structural changes to the PLMN list framework.
Data Source
AI summary
A device includes a processor that may be configured to obtain a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) identifier (ID) from a signal broadcast by a network and determine whether the obtained PLMN ID is an original preferred PLMN ID of the device. When the processor determines that the obtained PLMN ID is the original preferred PLMN ID, the processor may attempt to attach to the network over a wireless link. When the attempt to attach to the network fails, the processor may rewrite, in a list of PLMN IDs, a non-preferred PLMN ID as a new preferred PLMN ID.