UE Capability ID Transfer for Lower Cellular Signaling Overhead
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Solution Overview
Problem
The transfer and storage of UE capability information in cellular networks, particularly in 3GPP LTE and 5G NR networks, have become cumbersome due to the increased size and complexity of this information, leading to inefficiencies in network operations and potential security risks.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a capability ID system where UEs provide a unique identifier representing their capabilities, allowing networks to store and manage UE capabilities efficiently, reducing the need for frequent air-interface transmissions and minimizing security threats by validating the capability ID through a self-learning process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If full UE capability information is transferred and stored in the network, then network can make accurate routing and resource allocation decisions, but network signaling overhead and storage requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential capability information needed for network decisions (access stratum capabilities) while leaving detailed non-access stratum capabilities at the UE side. This selective extraction reduces network signaling overhead while maintaining sufficient accuracy for routing and resource allocation decisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments UE capabilities into two parts: access stratum capabilities (transferred to network) and non-access stratum capabilities (retained at UE). This segmentation allows the network to receive only the necessary subset of capability information, reducing overall signaling overhead while preserving decision-making accuracy.
2Productivity
If detailed UE capability information is stored in the network, then network can optimize resource allocation, but storage requirements and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential access stratum capability information needed for resource allocation decisions, storing only this subset in the network. This reduces network storage requirements and processing complexity while maintaining sufficient information for optimizing resource allocation.
3Reliability
If UE capability information is frequently transmitted over air interface, then network has up-to-date capability data, but air interface overhead and security exposure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and transfers only access stratum capabilities to the network, reducing the amount of sensitive capability information that needs to be transmitted over the air interface. This minimizes security exposure while maintaining sufficient data freshness for network operations.
4Adaptability or versatility
If complete UE capability information is managed centrally in the network, then network has full control over capability management, but network load and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments capability management responsibilities: the network centrally manages access stratum capabilities while UEs retain control of non-access stratum capabilities. This segmentation reduces network processing load while maintaining centralized control over the essential capability information needed for network operations.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods of providing UE capability are described. A capability ID is associated with the same Radio Capability information for multiple UEs. If the capability ID is validated at a network node, the UE provides the capability ID to a RAN node, which obtains the capability information from the network node after providing the received capability ID to the RAN node. The capability ID is received in an RRC Setup Complete. Security Mode Complete or Reconfiguration Complete message. The network node, if the Radio Capability information is not available, requests and receives the Radio Capability information and associates it with the capability ID, and marks that the capability ID as not validated until a threshold number of the UEs have provided the same Radio Capability information. The capability ID is based on a UE device type, manufacturer and software version.