AUTOMATIC NETWORK SELECTION FOR MULTEFIRE

• US 20170280382A1
• Filed: 03/21/2017
• Published: 09/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Radulescu, Andrei Dragos, Luo, Tao, Patel, Chirag, Griot, Miguel, Sharma, Manu, Kadous, Tamer, Prakash, Rajat
• Granted Patent: US 10,368,305 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/10 using broadcasted information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described. A user equipment (UE) may attempt to access a network at a local area network access point without prior context information. The access point may be a hotspot operating in unlicensed spectrum according to a Long Term Evolution (LTE)-based standard. The UE may be unable to determine if it is authorized to access the network, so the UE may attempt to obtain system information that provides a list of service providers supported by the network. The UE may then determine whether it has credentials for a supported service provider, and the UE may access the network using those credentials when a supported service provider is recognized. Other broadcast messages may provide information about system information for supported service providers. A UE that is unable to access the network using stored credentials may attempt access using a random access channel procedure.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication comprising:

receiving a network identity broadcast;

determining whether a network associated with the network identity broadcast supports access by a user equipment (UE); and

decoding a system information message for an indication of service providers supported by the network based at least in part on the determining being inconclusive.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a broadcast message that indicates a presence of the system information message in a subsequent broadcast transmission, wherein the decoding the system information message is based at least in part on receiving the broadcast message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the system information message includes a list of service providers supported by the network.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the broadcast message includes a field with a value set to indicate the presence of the system information message.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the broadcast message comprises a master information block (MIB).

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a system information block (SIB) that indicates a location of the system information message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the SIB is SIB2 or an enhanced SIB (eSIB).

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the SIB indicates whether a list of service providers comprises a comprehensive list of service providers supported by the network.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the SIB indicates a number of service providers included in a list of service providers supported by the network.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

decoding the system information message to obtain a list of service providers; and

determining whether the list of service providers includes a service provider for which the UE has credentials.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining that the list of service providers includes the service provider for which the UE has credentials; and

communicating with the network using the credentials of the service provider, wherein using the credentials comprises attaching to a mobility management entity (MME) of the network.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the list of service providers includes a plurality of service providers for which the UE has credentials.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining that the list of service providers excludes the service provider for which the UE has credentials; and

communicating with the network using a non-access stratum (NAS) procedure.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the communicating comprises at least one of transmitting an indication of service providers for which the UE has credentials, transmitting a requests for the list of service providers supported by the network, or receiving at least a partial list of service providers supported by the network.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein decoding the system information message comprises:

blindly decoding the system information message.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the system information message excludes the indication of service providers supported by the network; and

performing a random access channel (RACH) procedure to access the network.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting an indication of whether the UE determined that it was authorized to access the network based on the received identity information, or transmitting an indication of whether the UE identified a service provider for which the UE has credentials in another system information message.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

communicating with the network using a NAS procedure based at least in part on performing the RACH procedure.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a list of service providers supported by the network is incomplete or larger than a threshold size; and

performing a RACH procedure to access the network.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a request for the system information message to be broadcast by the network.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the request is transmitted in a random access channel (RACH) message.

22. An apparatus for wireless communication comprising:

means for receiving a network identity broadcast;

means for determining whether a network associated with the network identity broadcast supports access by a user equipment (UE); and

means for decoding a system information message for an indication of service providers supported by the network based at least in part the determining being inconclusive.

23. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

a processor;

memory in electronic communication with the processor; and

instructions stored in the memory and operable, when executed by the processor, to cause the apparatus to;

receive a network identity broadcast;

determine whether a network associated with the network identity broadcast supports access by a user equipment (UE); and

decoding a system information message for an indication of service providers supported by the network based at least in part the determining being inconclusive.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

receive a broadcast message that indicates a presence of the system information message in a subsequent broadcast transmission, wherein the decoding the system information message is based at least in part on receiving the broadcast message.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the system information message includes a list of service providers supported by the network.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the broadcast message includes a field with a value set to indicate the presence of the system information message.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the broadcast message comprises a master information block (MIB).

28. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

receive a system information block (SIB) that indicates a location of the system information message.

29. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

decode the system information message to obtain a list of service providers; and

determine whether the list of service providers includes a service provider for which the UE has credentials.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable to:

receive a network identity broadcast;

determine whether a network associated with the network identity broadcast supports access by a user equipment (UE); and

decode a system information message for an indication of service providers supported by the network based at least in part on the determining being inconclusive.