Centralized control of coexistence of multiple network operators

• US 8,615,250 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2012
• Issued: 12/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Renesas Mobile Corporation (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: XING, Hongnian
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, MAHENDRA R
• Application Number:
  US13/346,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20130178225A1
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 455/450, 455/552.1, 455/550.1, 455/439, 455/435.1, 455/78, 455/41.2, 455/436, 455/454, 455/510, 370/331, 370/329, 370/328, 370/208, 370/252, 370/350, 370/476, 370/342, 370/344, 370/281, 370/335, 370/231, 370/395, 709/223, 375/267
• US Class Current: 455/454
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks

Abstract

A first wireless network collects profiles of user equipments operating under the first wireless network associated with a first core network or operator; profiles of user equipments operating under a second wireless network associated with a second core network or operator; and measurement information of an unlicensed band. Based on the collected profiles and measurement information, allocating to the first wireless network and to the second wireless network resources on the unlicensed band. In various specific embodiments, there is also collected a pre-defined agreement which sets forth relative shares of the unlicensed band for the first wireless network and for the second wireless network; and the profiles of the user equipments each includes authentication and security information, and the respective profiles are utilized to control admission of the respective user equipments to the respective first and second wireless networks.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor, and at least one memory storing a computer program;

in which the at least one memory with the computer program is configured with the at least one processor to cause a mobility management entity to at least;

collect at the mobility management entity;

profiles of user equipments operating under different wireless networks associated with different core networks or different operators, all of which operate using a same radio access technology (RAT), each profile comprising at least parameters for multi-operator coordination; and

measurement information of an unlicensed band;

based on the collected profiles and measurement information, allocate to the different wireless networks radio resources on the unlicensed band; and

in response to a reply from one of the different wireless networks rejecting the said allocation, re-allocate resources on the unlicensed band to the one wireless network from which the reply was received but not re-allocate resources on the unlicensed band which were allocated to any of the different wireless networks other than the one wireless network from which the reply was received;

wherein the different wireless networks are evolved universal terrestrial radio access networks (EUTRANs), and the radio resources are allocated to the different wireless networks;

according to a pre-defined agreement collected by the mobility management which sets forth relative shares of the unlicensed band for the different wireless networks;

or

as decided by the mobility management entity based on the profiles and the measurement information which the mobility management entity retrieves from a home subscription server and from other mobility management entities of the different wireless networks.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, in which the profiles of the user equipments each includes authentication and security information,

and the least one memory with the computer program is configured with the at least one processor to cause the mobility management entity to utilize the respective profiles to control admission of the respective user equipments to the respective different wireless networks.

3. A method for operating a mobility management entity, the method comprising:

collecting by the mobility management entity;

profiles of user equipments operating under different wireless networks associated with different core networks or different operators, all of which operate using a same radio access technology (RAT), each profile comprising at least parameters for multi-operator coordination; and

measurement information of an unlicensed band;

based on the collected profiles and measurement information, allocating by the mobility management entity to the different wireless networks radio resources on the unlicensed band; and

in response to a reply from one of the different wireless networks rejecting the said allocation, the mobility management entity re-allocating resources on the unlicensed band to the one wireless network from which the reply was received but not re-allocating resources on the unlicensed band which were allocated to any of the different wireless networks other than the one wireless network from which the reply was received;

wherein the different wireless networks are evolved universal terrestrial radio access networks (EUTRANs), and the radio resources are allocated to the different wireless networks;

according to a pre-defined agreement collected by the mobility management entity which sets forth relative shares of the unlicensed band for the different wireless networks;

or

as decided by the mobility management entity based on the profiles and the measurement information which the mobility management entity retrieves from a home subscription server and from other mobility management entities of the different wireless networks.

4. The method according to claim 3, in which the profiles of the user equipments each includes authentication and security information,

and the method further comprises the mobility management entity utilizing the respective profiles to control admission of the respective user equipments to the respective different wireless networks.

5. A computer readable memory storing a computer program executable by at least one processor, in which the computer readable memory and the at least one processor are disposed within a mobility management entity, the computer program comprising:

code for collecting at the mobility management entity;

profiles of user equipments operating under different wireless networks associated with different core networks or different operators, all of which operate using a same radio access technology (RAT), each profile comprising at least parameters for multi-operator coordination; and

measurement information of an unlicensed band;

code for allocating to the different wireless networks radio resources on the unlicensed band based on the collected profiles and measurement information; and

code, executable in response to a reply from one of the different wireless networks rejecting the said allocation, for re-allocating resources on the unlicensed band to the one wireless network from which the reply was received but not re-allocating resources on the unlicensed band which were allocated to any of the different wireless networks other than the one wireless network from which the reply was received;

wherein the different wireless networks are evolved universal terrestrial radio access networks (EUTRANs), and the radio resources are allocated to the different wireless networks;

according to a pre-defined agreement collected by the mobility management entity which sets forth relative shares of the unlicensed band for the different wireless networks;

or

as decided by the mobility management entity based on the profiles and the measurement information which the mobility management entity retrieves from a home subscription server and from other mobility management entities of the different wireless networks.

6. The computer readable memory according to claim 5, in which the profiles of the user equipments each includes authentication and security information, and the computer program further comprises:

code for utilizing the respective profiles to control admission by the mobility management entity of the respective user equipments to the respective different wireless networks.