Validating Cell Access Mode

• US 20160014826A1
• Filed: 07/02/2015
• Published: 01/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Mizikovsky, Semyon, Nair, Suresh P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,986,420 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/122 Counter-measures against attacks; Protection against rogue devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/186 Processing of subscriber group data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B

Abstract

An example method includes receiving at a User Equipment (UE) a value for an Access Mode identifier and a value for a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) identifier in one or more cell advertisements, selecting a cell based on the or more cell advertisements, and reporting in a message the value of the Access Mode identifier and the value CSG identifier for the cell advertisement of the cell selected. A core network element receives a first Access Mode identifier value and a first CSG identifier value, these first values associated with a cell advertisement of a cell selected by a UE; receives a second Access Mode identifier value and a second CSG identifier value, these second values reported by the cell selected by the UE; performs a comparison of first and second Access Mode identifier value and/or first and second CSG identifier values; and takes action based on the comparison.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a User Equipment (UE), a value for an Access Mode identifier and a value for a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) identifier in one or more cell advertisements;

selecting , at the UE, a cell based on the one or more cell advertisements; and

reporting in a message, by the UE, the value of the Access Mode identifier and the value of the CSG identifier for the cell advertisement of the cell selected.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the cell is a Home NodeB or Home eNodeB.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the message is a Non Access Stratum (NAS) message.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the reporting in a message comprises:

forwarding a Non Access Stratum (NAS) message to a core network element via a Home NodeB or Home eNodeB.

5. An apparatus comprising:

a processor and an associated memory, the processor configured to

receive a value for an Access Mode identifier and a value for a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) identifier in one or more cell advertisements;

select a cell based on the one or more cell advertisements; and

report in a message the value of the Access Mode identifier and the value of the CSG identifier for the cell advertisement of the cell selected.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the processor is configured to receive the one or more cell advertisements from a Home NodeB or Home eNodeB.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the processor is configured report the value of the Access Mode identifier and the value CSG identifier for the cell advertisement of the cell selected in a Non Access Stratum (NAS) message.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the processor is configured to forward the value of the Access Mode identifier and the value CSG identifier for the cell advertisement of the cell selected a Non Access Stratum (NAS) message toward a core network element via a Home NodeB or Home eNodeB.

9. A method comprising:

receiving, at a core network element, a first Access Mode identifier value and a first Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) identifier value, the first Access Mode identifier value and the first CSG identifier value associated with a cell advertisement of a cell selected by a User Equipment (UE);

receiving, at the core network element, a second Access Mode identifier value and a second CSG identifier value, the second Access Mode identifier value and the second CSG identifier value reported by the cell selected by the UE;

performing a comparison of, at the core network element, at least one of the group consisting of the first Access Mode identifier value to the second Access Mode identifier value and the first CSG identifier value to the second CSG identifier value; and

taking action based on the comparison.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein taking action based on the comparison comprises:

when the first Access Mode identifier value is not equivalent to the second Access Mode identifier value or the first CSG identifier value is not equivalent to the second CSG identifier value, at least one of the group consisting of disallowing attach to the core network and denying service to the cell.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein taking action based on the comparison comprises:

when the first Access Mode identifier value is equivalent to the second Access Mode identifier value and the first CSG identifier value is equivalent to the second CSG identifier value, at least one of the group consisting of permitting attach to the core network and permitting service to the cell.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the second Access Mode identifier value and the second CSG identifier value are received in a message that includes the first Access Mode identifier value and the first CSG identifier value in a Non Access Stratum (NAS) capsule, the second Access Mode identifier value and the second CSG identifier value being outside the NAS capsule.

13. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

receiving at the core network element a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) identifier value from a first cell;

at the core network element, retrieving from a configuration database an authorized operation mode for the first cell;

verifying at the core network element that the CSG identifier value received from the first cell is authorized; and

when verified as authorized, instructing by the core network element initialization of the operation mode of the first cell.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a core network element comprising a processor configured to

receive a first Access Mode identifier value and a first Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) identifier value, the first Access Mode identifier value and the first CSG identifier value associated with a cell advertisement of a cell selected by a User Equipment (UE);

receive a second Access Mode identifier value and a second CSG identifier value, the second Access Mode identifier value and the second CSG identifier value reported by the cell selected by the UE;

perform a comparison of at least one of the group consisting of the first Access Mode identifier value to the second Access Mode identifier value and the first CSG identifier value to the second CSG identifier value; and

take action based on the comparison.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the processor is configured to:

when the first Access Mode identifier value is not equivalent to the second Access Mode identifier value or the first CSG identifier value is not equivalent to the second CSG identifier value, at least one of the group consisting of disallow attach to the core network and deny service to the cell.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the processor is configured to:

when the first Access Mode identifier value is equivalent to the second Access Mode identifier value and the first CSG identifier value is equivalent to the second CSG identifier value, at least one of the group consisting of permit attach to the core network and permit service to the cell.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the processor is configured to:

receive the second Access Mode identifier value and the second CSG identifier value in a message that includes the first Access Mode identifier value and the first CSG identifier value in a Non Access Stratum (NAS) capsule, second Access Mode identifier value and the second CSG identifier value being outside the NAS capsule.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the processor is configured to:

receive a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) identifier value from a first cell;

retrieve from a configuration database an authorized operation mode for the first cell;

verify that the CSG identifier value received from the first cell is authorized; and

when verified as authorized, instruct initialization of a cell mode of the first cell.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the apparatus is a Home eNodeB Gateway (HeNB-GW), Home NodeB Gateway, or a Mobility Management Entity (MME).