User Equipment Network Selection via Subscription Priority
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network selection methods for user equipment accessing WLAN networks via 3GPP and non-3GPP subscriptions often result in conflicts, where the preferred network access method conflicts with the current subscription method, leading to unnecessary reselections and increased power consumption due to frequent checking of ANDSF policies.
Innovation Solution
The user equipment autonomously determines the priority between 3GPP and non-3GPP subscriptions, only switching to 3GPP when it has higher priority, and disables or ignores ANDSF policies when non-3GPP is preferred, thereby avoiding conflicts and reducing unnecessary reselections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the user equipment periodically checks the ANDSF policy to determine whether to reselect a WLAN access network, then the network selection follows the operator's policy, but the user equipment may conflict with its current access manner by using non-3GPP subscription
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of subscription priority by introducing a configurable priority relationship between 3GPP and non-3GPP subscriptions. The network can indicate through ANDSF policy whether 3GPP subscription should have higher priority, allowing the system to adapt to different tariff scenarios and avoid access method conflicts while maintaining policy compliance
2Reliability
If the user equipment switches to access WLAN by using 3GPP subscription according to ANDSF policy, then the policy is followed, but the tariff-based access preference by using non-3GPP subscription is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic adaptability by allowing the user equipment to switch between following ANDSF policy and maintaining non-3GPP access preference based on the priority relationship. When non-3GPP has higher or equal priority, the equipment dynamically ignores ANDSF policy to maintain tariff preference; when 3GPP has higher priority, it follows the policy
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the user equipment autonomously determines priority between 3GPP and non-3GPP subscriptions, then access method conflicts are avoided, but the complexity of network selection logic increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the ANDSF policy as an intermediary to convey priority relationship information from the network to the user equipment. Instead of implementing complex autonomous priority determination logic, the equipment simply follows the priority indication provided by the network through the existing ANDSF policy mechanism, reducing device complexity
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention provide a network selection method and user equipment. The method includes: accessing a first wireless local area network WLAN access device by using a non-3rd Generation Mobile Communication 3GPP subscription, and attaching to a 3GPP core network by using a 3GPP access network; determining whether a 3GPP subscription has a higher priority than the non-3GPP subscription; and accessing a WLAN by using the 3GPP subscription if the 3GPP subscription has a higher priority than the non-3GPP subscription. According to the network selection method and the user equipment that are provided in the embodiments of the present invention, the following problems in the prior art are resolved: a problem that a new WLAN network access device reselected by the user equipment according to an ANDSF policy may conflict with a WLAN network access device currently accessed by the user equipment by using a non-3GPP, and a problem that a manner, which is of accessing a WLAN network by the user equipment and uses a 3GPP subscription instead of the non-3GPP subscription, may conflict with a manner in which the user equipment is expected to access the WLAN network by using the non-3GPP subscription.