UE RAT Scan Skipping for Legacy GSM/WCDMA Unavailability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless communication devices face inefficiencies in scanning for legacy radio access technologies (RATs) that are no longer supported in certain locations, leading to increased battery consumption, signaling overhead, and delayed call setups due to unnecessary scans for unavailable RATs.
Innovation Solution
The UE is configured to receive an indication of unavailable legacy RATs based on unsuccessful scans, skipping subsequent scans for those RATs and communicating via alternative RATs, thereby reducing unnecessary scanning procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the UE performs scans across multiple RATs including legacy GSM/WCDMA, then the UE can maintain compatibility with legacy networks, but battery consumption increases and call setup delays occur
Solution Approach 1:
The network performs preliminary scans and determines RAT availability before the UE attempts connection. The network stores availability information for legacy RATs (GSM/WCDMA) and provides this information to the UE in advance, allowing the UE to skip unnecessary scans and conserve battery power while maintaining compatibility where available.
Solution Approach 2:
The network acts as an intermediary between the UE and legacy RATs. Instead of the UE directly scanning for legacy networks, the network intermediary provides availability information and guides the UE's connection attempts, reducing the UE's scanning burden and energy consumption while maintaining legacy compatibility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the UE performs scans across multiple RATs including legacy GSM/WCDMA, then the UE can maintain compatibility with legacy networks, but call setup delays increase
Solution Approach 1:
The network performs preliminary scans and determines RAT availability before the UE attempts connection. By having the network pre-determine which RATs are available and providing this information to the UE in advance, the UE can skip unnecessary scans and directly attempt connection on available RATs, significantly reducing call setup delay while maintaining legacy compatibility where available.
Solution Approach 2:
The UE skips scans for RATs that the network has already determined to be unavailable. Based on network-provided availability information, the UE rushes through the connection process by directly attempting connection on available RATs without performing unnecessary scanning steps, thereby reducing call setup delay.
3Reliability
If the UE attempts to connect to unavailable legacy RATs, then the UE maintains scanning thoroughness, but signaling overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The network provides feedback to the UE about RAT availability based on its own scans and network state. This feedback mechanism allows the UE to adjust its scanning and connection attempts according to actual network conditions, avoiding unnecessary signaling to unavailable RATs while maintaining reliability by directing attempts to available RATs.
Solution Approach 2:
The network acts as an intermediary that filters and directs connection attempts. Instead of the UE blindly attempting connections to all possible RATs, the network intermediary provides availability information that guides the UE's attempts, reducing unnecessary signaling overhead while maintaining connection reliability by focusing attempts on available RATs.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure provides systems, devices, apparatus, and methods, including computer programs encoded on storage media, for a scan reduction associated with legacy RATs. A UE may receive, from a database, an indication that a first RAT is unavailable for communications associated with a PLMN. The indication that the first RAT is unavailable may be based on one or more unsuccessful scans for the first RAT. The UE may scan for a second RAT based on a skipped scan for the first RAT. The skipped scan may be based on the indication that the first RAT is unavailable. The UE may communicate with the PLMN based on the scan for the second RAT and the skipped scan for the first RAT.