Selective Location Reporting for Access Network Policy Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current 3GPP standards for access network discovery and selection generate significant signaling load on network resources, impacting performance and radio resource consumption, leading to inefficient network utilization and user experience.
Innovation Solution
The system optimizes access network selection by using a SelectiveLocationReporting EXT Management Object (MO) to specify interested locations for the ANDSF server, reducing unnecessary signaling through the S14 interface by allowing UEs to request policies only when entering designated locations, and using a SelectiveLocationPolicy EXT MO to provision location-specific policies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If 3GPP standards for access network discovery and selection are implemented, then access network selection capability is provided for user equipment, but signaling load on network resources increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the ANDSF server proactively push location policies to the UE before the UE actually needs to perform access network selection. The server maintains a database of location policies and pushes relevant policies to the UE in advance, so that when the UE enters a location covered by pushed policies, it can immediately apply the pre-provisioned policies without needing to perform complex real-time selection procedures, thereby reducing signaling load while maintaining network selection capability
2Ease of operation
If access network discovery and selection management is performed over the S14 interface, then network selection policies can be pushed to UE, but radio resources are consumed for user equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the network selection policy management function from the traditional real-time signaling flow and separates it into a pre-computed, pre-push mechanism. The ANDSF server performs the complex policy determination in advance and pushes only the essential policy information to the UE, extracting the computational burden from the UE's real-time operations and placing it in the server's pre-processing phase, thereby reducing radio resource consumption while maintaining ease of policy management
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the UE to autonomously apply pre-push location policies without requiring continuous network intervention. Once policies are pushed to the UE, the device can independently evaluate and apply these policies when entering covered locations, performing the selection function itself rather than requiring ongoing signaling exchanges with the network, thus reducing radio resource consumption while maintaining manageable network selection operations
3Adaptability or versatility
If location policies are pushed to UE for all locations, then comprehensive access network selection is enabled, but unnecessary signaling is generated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the treatment of different locations through location-based policy pushing. The ANDSF server identifies which locations require policy pushing based on specific criteria (such as whether a location is covered by pushed policies) and only pushes policies for those specific locations. This selective approach ensures comprehensive coverage for locations that need it while avoiding unnecessary signaling for locations where the UE can use default or existing policies, thereby reducing overall signaling traffic while maintaining adequate selection coverage
Data Source
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AI summary
An example method is provided in one example embodiment and may include provisioning a user equipment (UE) with a list comprising one or more locations at which the UE is to report its location; reporting a location of the UE when the location is identified in the list; provisioning the UE with one or more access network selection policy based on the reported location of the UE; and applying at least one access network selection policy at the UE based on the location of the UE. The list comprising the one or more locations can be sent to the UE from an Access Network Discovery and Selection Function (ANDSF) server after the UE reports its location to the ANDSF server. The one or more access network selection policies can be permanent type and/or temporal type policies.