Roaming Network Slice Selection Using VPLMN Priority Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
User equipment (UE) roaming in visited networks lacks prior knowledge of network slices supported by roaming partners, leading to inefficient connection attempts and repeated registration/unregistration due to the absence of standards-based mechanisms for slice awareness, resulting in time-consuming network selection processes.
Innovation Solution
Enhanced network selection techniques provide UE with slice-awareness by incorporating a VPLMN:Slice priority list or VPLMN:Slice mapping, which includes slice type information, allowing the UE to prioritize connections to networks that support the desired service.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the user equipment uses traditional roaming network selection methods, then it can connect to visited networks, but it cannot identify which networks support the desired slice type, leading to inefficient connection attempts
Solution Approach 1:
The home network provides slice awareness information to the UE in advance before the UE attempts to connect to visited networks. This preliminary provision of slice type support information allows the UE to pre-determine which visited networks can support its required slice types, eliminating the need for trial-and-error connection attempts and significantly reducing network selection time while ensuring reliable connectivity.
2Productivity
If the user equipment attempts to connect to visited networks without slice awareness, then it can establish connections, but it performs unnecessary registration and unregistration due to mismatched slice support
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by providing slice awareness information from the home network to the UE, enabling the UE to make informed network selection decisions. This feedback mechanism allows the UE to identify visited networks that support its required slice types before attempting connection, thereby avoiding unnecessary registration and unregistration cycles and reducing energy consumption associated with failed connection attempts.
3Ease of operation
If the user equipment lacks slice awareness information, then the roaming process can proceed, but the UE cannot prioritize networks based on slice type support, resulting in suboptimal network selection
Solution Approach 1:
The home network performs preliminary action by providing slice awareness information to the UE before the roaming process begins. This information includes details about which visited networks support which slice types, enabling the UE to adapt its network selection to specific slice requirements while maintaining simple operation through automated decision-making based on the pre-provided information.
Data Source
AI summary
Presented herein are techniques to facilitate visited network selection by a user equipment (UE) based on slice considerations. In one example, a method may include requesting, by a UE that is roaming among a plurality of visited mobile networks, registration for a network connection associated with a slice type; obtaining, by the UE from home mobile network for the UE, a priority for each of the plurality of visited mobile networks and an indication of one or more slice types provided by each of the plurality of visited mobile networks; selecting, by the UE, a highest priority visited mobile network of the plurality of visited mobile networks that provides the slice type; and establishing, by the UE, the network connection with the highest priority visited mobile network of the plurality of visited mobile networks that provides the slice type.