System Information Hash Reporting for False Base Station Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for detecting false base stations in LTE and NR networks, such as through minimization of drive testing (MDT), face challenges including significant UE implementation burdens, privacy concerns, and difficulties in selecting and configuring UEs for reporting system information (SI) hashes, which hinder widespread adoption and effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A novel approach involving enhanced mobility history information (MHI) reporting by UEs, where UEs in non-connected states obtain and report SI hashes for visited cells, including identifiers, duration, and hash values, facilitating network security by allowing broad UE adoption without requiring user consent or explicit configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If system information is transmitted frequently and in full detail, then network coverage and signal quality are improved, but network signaling overhead and consumption of network resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential changes in system information by comparing current SI with previously broadcast SI, identifying and transmitting only the differences (delta SI) rather than the complete SI message. This reduction extracts the critical information needed while eliminating redundant data transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter representation by introducing a bitmask field that indicates which SI parameters have changed, allowing the receiver to selectively update only the changed parameters rather than processing entire SI messages. This parameter-based differentiation reduces signaling overhead while maintaining information completeness.
2Loss of information
If system information is transmitted frequently, then user equipment can access up-to-date network information, but power consumption and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the changed portions of system information using a bitmask mechanism, allowing user equipment to receive minimal updates rather than processing complete SI messages repeatedly. This extraction approach reduces processing overhead and power consumption while ensuring information availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by transmitting only the necessary subset of system information (changed parameters indicated by bitmask) rather than complete SI messages. This partial transmission reduces the energy required for both transmission and reception while maintaining information freshness.
3Measurement precision
If complete system information is transmitted, then all network parameters are available to user equipment, but transmission time and network resource usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and transmits only the changed system information parameters identified by the bitmask, rather than transmitting complete SI messages. This extraction maintains measurement precision for changed parameters while significantly reducing transmission time and network resource consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments system information transmission into complete SI messages and incremental delta SI updates with bitmasks. This segmentation allows the network to transmit detailed information when necessary while using compact bitmask updates for routine changes, optimizing the balance between information completeness and transmission efficiency.
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments include methods for a user equipment (UE) operating in a wireless network. Such methods include, while operating in a non-connected state in the wireless network, obtaining system information (SI) broadcast in each of a plurality of cells visited by the UE and, for each of the visited cells, determining one or more SI hash values for the SI broadcast in the visited cell. Such methods also include sending, to a network node in the wireless network, at least a portion of the determined SI hash values as mobility history information (MHI). Other embodiments include complementary methods for a network node, as well as UEs and network nodes configured to perform such methods.