Method for Determining Target, Network Element, and System for Determining Target

• US 20170086057A1
• Filed: 12/05/2016
• Published: 03/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Yanping, Zhu, Fenqin, Shi, Shufeng, ZHI, Yuliang
• Granted Patent: US 10,142,826 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0077 of access information of target access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/16 selectively restricting mobility data tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method, a network element, and a system for determining a target RAT. The method includes: receiving, by an access network element, access control information of a UE that is sent by a mobility management network element, where the access control information includes an identity of a PLMN and a radio access technology RAT allowed and/or a RAT not allowed by the PLMN; and determining, by the access network element, a target RAT for the UE according to the access control information. The present invention can be applied to a shared network environment.

Claims

1. A method for determining a target, comprising:

acquiring, by a mobility management network element, access control information of a user equipment (UE); and

sending, by the mobility management network element, the access control information of the UE to an access network element, wherein the access control information is used for determination of a target radio access technology (RAT), and comprises an identity of a public land mobile network (PLMN) and at least one of a RAT allowed by the PLMN and a RAT not allowed by the PLMN.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the PLMN comprises:

a PLMN allowing access of the UE.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the PLMN comprises:

an equivalent PLMN of a PLMN serving the UE.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein before acquiring the access control information, the method comprises:

receiving, by the mobility management network element, subscription data from a home location register (HLR) or a home subscriber server (HSS); and

wherein acquiring the access control information comprises acquiring, by the mobility management network element, the access control information according to the received subscription data.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein before receiving the subscription data, the method comprises:

sending, by the mobility management network element, the identity of the PLMN to the HLR or the HSS to request subscription data, corresponding to the PLMN, of the UE.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the subscription data comprises at least one of the RAT allowed by the PLMN and the RAT not allowed by the PLMN.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the subscription data is access restriction data (ARD).

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the PLMN is comprised in a PLMN list, and the PLMN list is one or a combination of the following PLMN lists:

a list of PLMNs supported by the mobility management network element or a subset of the PLMN list;

a list of PLMNs equivalent to a PLMN supported by the mobility management network element or a subset of the PLMN list;

a list of PLMNs equivalent to the PLMN serving the UE or a subset of the PLMN list;

a list of PLMNs that have a roaming or a cooperation agreement with a PLMN supported by the mobility management network element or a subset of the PLMN list;

a list of PLMNs that have a roaming or cooperation agreement with the PLMN serving the UE or a subset of the PLMN list;

a list of PLMNs that belong to a same operator as a PLMN supported by the mobility management network element or a subset of the PLMN list; and

a list of PLMNs that belong to a same operator as the PLMN serving the UE or a subset of the PLMN list.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein sending the identity of the PLMN to the HLR or the HSS comprises:

sending, by the mobility management network element, a location update request message to the HLR or the HSS, wherein the location update request message comprises indication information and a PLMN list that carries the identity of the PLMN, and the indication information is used to request subscription data corresponding to the identity of the PLMN in the PLMN list.

10. A mobility management network element comprising:

a receiver configured to acquire access control information of a user equipment (UE); and

a transmitter configured to send the access control information of the UE to an access network element, wherein the access control information is used for determination of a target radio access technology (RAT), and comprises an identity of a public land mobile network (PLMN) and at least one of a RAT allowed by the PLMN and a RAT not allowed by the PLMN.

11. The mobility management network element according to claim 10, wherein the PLMN comprises a PLMN allowing access of the UE.

12. The mobility management network element according to claim 10, wherein the PLMN comprises an equivalent PLMN of a PLMN serving the UE.

13. The mobility management network element according to claim 10, wherein the receiver is configured to receive subscription data from a home location register (HLR) or a home subscriber server (HSS), and acquire the access control information according to the subscription data.

14. The mobility management network element according to claim 13, wherein the transmitter is further configured to:

send the identity of the PLMN to the HLR or the HSS to request subscription data, corresponding to the PLMN, of the UE.

15. The mobility management network element according to claim 14, wherein the subscription data comprises at least one of the RAT allowed by the PLMN and the RAT not allowed by the PLMN.

16. The mobility management network element according to claim 14, wherein the subscription data is access restriction data (ARD).

17. The mobility management network element according to claim 14, wherein the PLMN is comprised in a PLMN list, and the PLMN list is one or a combination of the following PLMN lists:

a list of PLMNs supported by the mobility management network element or a subset of the PLMN list;

a list of PLMNs equivalent to a PLMN supported by the mobility management network element or a subset of the PLMN list;

a list of PLMNs equivalent to the PLMN serving the UE or a subset of the PLMN list;

a list of PLMNs that have a roaming or a cooperation agreement with a PLMN supported by the mobility management network element or a subset of the PLMN list;

a list of PLMNs that have a roaming or cooperation agreement with the PLMN serving the UE or a subset of the PLMN list;

a list of PLMNs that belong to a same operator as a PLMN supported by the mobility management network element or a subset of the PLMN list; and

a list of PLMNs that belong to a same operator as the PLMN serving the UE or a subset of the PLMN list.

18. The mobility management network element according to claim 17, wherein the transmitter is configured to send a location update request message to the HLR or the HSS, wherein the location update request message comprises indication information and a PLMN list that carries the identity of the PLMN, and the indication information is used to request subscription data corresponding to the identity of the PLMN in the PLMN list.

19. A system for determining a target, the system comprising:

a mobility management network element configured to

acquire access control information of a user equipment (UE) and

send the access control information, wherein the access control information comprises an identity of a public land mobile network (PLMN) and at least one of a radio access technology (RAT) allowed by the PLMN and a RAT not allowed by the PLMN; and

an access network element configure to

receive the access control information from the mobility management network element; and

determine a target RAT for the UE according to the access control information.