PLMN Selection via Local Slice-Aware Steering of Roaming
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for public land mobile network (PLMN) selection in roaming scenarios, which rely on enhanced slice aware steering of roaming (SoR) information, do not guarantee slice availability across different tracking areas, leading to potential service disruptions due to non-homogeneous slice support and dynamic network conditions.
Innovation Solution
A user equipment (UE) method and system that receives enhanced slice aware SoR information, identifies supported network slices for each PLMN, and selects the most suitable PLMN based on locally stored slice aware information, including tracking area and global cell ID granularity, to ensure service availability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If enhanced slice aware SoR information is used for PLMN selection, then service availability is improved, but slice support homogeneity across tracking areas deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The UE performs preliminary actions by storing slice awareness information locally before actual PLMN selection occurs. This includes pre-storing mapping relationships between slices and tracking areas, and pre-identifying PLMNs that support required slices in specific tracking areas. When roaming occurs, the UE can immediately use this pre-stored information to select an appropriate PLMN without relying solely on enhanced slice aware SoR information, thereby ensuring service availability while accounting for slice support homogeneity issues.
2Adaptability or versatility
If PLMN selection relies on enhanced slice aware SoR information, then roaming network selection capability is improved, but service disruption risk increases due to dynamic network conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the UE monitors whether the selected PLMN actually provides the required slice support. Based on this feedback, the UE can adjust its PLMN selection strategy by updating locally stored slice awareness information. This feedback loop enables the system to adapt to dynamic network conditions while maintaining service continuity, as the UE learns from actual network behavior and refines its selection criteria.
Solution Approach 2:
The UE performs preliminary identification of PLMNs that support required slices in specific tracking areas before actual roaming occurs. This advance preparation creates a robust selection basis that is less susceptible to dynamic network condition changes, thereby reducing service disruption risk while maintaining adaptable roaming network selection capability.
3Device complexity
If generic SoR list is used for PLMN selection, then simplicity of implementation is maintained, but service-specific slice support is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The solution segments the PLMN selection process into multiple independent components: a generic SoR list for basic network selection and locally stored slice awareness information for service-specific optimization. This segmentation allows the system to maintain the simplicity of generic SoR list implementation while adding service-specific slice support through the separate, modular local storage mechanism. The UE can use the simple generic list as a baseline and apply slice-aware adjustments only when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The locally stored slice awareness information structure is designed to be universal and multi-functional. It can work independently to provide service-specific slice support, or it can be combined with the generic SoR list to enhance it. This multi-functionality allows the system to maintain implementation simplicity by using the universal local storage mechanism in different modes depending on the specific roaming scenario and service requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure discloses a system and a method implemented in the UE to perform PLMN selection using a locally stored slice aware steering of roaming (SoR) list. According to an embodiment the UE prioritizes the PLMN based on the locally stored SoR list. The UE further maintains an updated enhanced slice aware SoR information list having an updated network slice support information along with granularity information per tracking area identity of each PLMN in a database of the UE. In an embodiment, the UE updates the SoR information list in its database based on a response that is received upon sending a registration request from the PLMN.