D2D Communications Considering Different Network Operators

• US 20110258327A1
• Filed: 04/20/2010
• Published: 10/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Phan, Vinh V., Horneman, Kari, Hakola, Sami-Jukka, Yu, Ling
• Granted Patent: US 9,198,210 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

There is stored a database of registration information associating UEs with cells under control of different network operators. In response to a inquiry from a first network operator that a first UE desires direct communications with a second UE, the registration information is used to coordinate between the first network operator and the second network operator to facilitate establishment of a direct communication link between the first UE and the second UE. In various embodiments the facilitating is enhancing the inquiry/page by adding a cell ID of the first UE'"'"'s cell and adding pre-allocated radio resources in the first UE'"'"'s cell for use by the second UE in responding to the page, and determining a single network which is not highly loaded and which can allocate resources for the D2D communications and directing one or both UEs to that single network.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing computer program code and a database of registration information for at least a first user equipment and a second user equipment, the registration information associating the first user equipment to a first cell under control of a first network operator and associating the second user equipment to a second cell under control of a second network operator;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least;

in response to an inquiry from the first network operator that the first user equipment desires direct communications with the second user equipment, to use the database registration information to coordinate between the first network operator and the second network operator to facilitate establishment of a direct communication link between the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inquiry comprises a page from the first user equipment directed to the second user equipment;

and in which using the database registration information to coordinate between the first network operator and the second network operator comprises enhancing the page to facilitate the establishment of the direct communication link.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, in which enhancing the page comprises adding to the page an identifier of the first network operator, the identifier of the first network operator retrieved from the database, and further to distribute the page to the second network operator.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, in which enhancing the page comprises further adding to the page radio resources that are pre-allocated in the first cell for direct communications from the second user equipment to the first user equipment in reply to the page.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, in which the direct communication link between the first user equipment and the second user equipment, whose establishment is facilitated, is within a single network.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, in which using the database registration information comprises determining that at least one of the first and the second cells are highly loaded and the single network is not determined to be highly loaded.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, in which the single network is under control of a third network operator different from the first network operator and from the second network operator, in which the database of registration information further comprises registration information associating at least a further user equipment to a third cell under control of the third network operator.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, in which the single network that is not determined to be highly loaded is an ad hoc network.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, in which the database further comprises information about at least one of a discontinuous transmission DTX pattern and a discontinuous reception DRX pattern for the first user equipment in the first cell, and information about at least one of a DTX pattern and a DRX pattern for the second user equipment in the second cell;

and in which the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least further to use the stored information about the patterns to facilitate times for using the established direct communication link.

10. A method comprising:

storing in at least one memory a database of registration information for at least a first user equipment and a second user equipment, the registration information associating the first user equipment to a first cell under control of a first network operator and associating the second user equipment to a second cell under control of a second network operator; and

in response to an inquiry from the first network operator that the first user equipment desires direct communications with the second user equipment, using the database registration information to coordinate between the first network operator and the second network operator to facilitate establishment of a direct communication link between the first user equipment and the second user equipment.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the inquiry comprises a page from the first user equipment directed to the second user equipment;

and in which using the database registration information to coordinate between the first network operator and the second network operator comprises enhancing the page to facilitate the establishment of the direct communication link.

12. The method according to claim 11, in which enhancing the page comprises adding to the page an identifier of the first network operator, the identifier of the first network operator retrieved from the database, and further to distribute the page to the second network operator.

13. The method according to claim 12, in which enhancing the page comprises further adding to the page radio resources that are pre-allocated in the first cell for direct communications from the second user equipment to the first user equipment in reply to the page.

14. The method according to claim 10, in which the direct communication link between the first user equipment and the second user equipment, whose establishment is facilitated, is within a single network.

15. The method according to claim 14, in which using the database registration information comprises determining that at least one of the first and the second cells are highly loaded and the single network is not determined to be highly loaded.

16. The method according to claim 14, in which the single network is under control of a third network operator different from the first network operator and from the second network operator, in which the database of registration information further comprises registration information associating at least a further user equipment to a third cell under control of the third network operator.

17. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

19. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus at least to;

determine that a second user equipment is operating in a second cell under control of a second network operator different from a first cell under control of a first network operator to which the apparatus is currently associated;

determine that a cell other than the first cell is currently more suitable than the first cell for device to device communications; and

handover from the first cell to the determined cell and thereafter send a device to device page to the second user equipment via the determined cell but not via the first cell.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, in which the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus:

to determine that the second user equipment is operating in the second cell by checking a database of device registration information that stores an association of the apparatus to the first cell and an association of the second user equipment to the second cell;

and to determine that the cell other than the first cell is currently more suitable than the first cell for device to device communications by checking congestion of at least the second cell.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19, in which checking congestion of at least the second cell comprises checking a database of spectrum usage information.

22. The apparatus according to claim 19, in which the determined cell is the second cell.

23. A method comprising:

determining at a first user equipment that a second user equipment is operating, in a second cell under control of a second network operator different from a first cell under control of a first network operator to which the first user equipment is currently associated;

determining at the first user equipment that a cell other than the first cell is currently more suitable than the first cell for device to device communications; and

the first user equipment handing over from the first cell to the determined cell and thereafter sending a device to device page to the second user equipment via the determined cell but not via the first cell.

24. The method according to claim 23, in which:

determining that the second user equipment is operating in the second cell comprises checking a database of device registration information that stores an association of the apparatus to the first cell and an association of the second user equipment to the second cell; and

determining that the cell other than the first cell is currently more suitable than the first cell for device to device communications comprises checking congestion of at least the second cell.

25. (canceled)

26. (canceled)