Method, apparatus, and system providing operator controlled mobility for user equipment

• US 9,398,493 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Ore, Ivan
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morales Fernandez, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US12/447,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20100255849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,186 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A method for operator controlled mobility for user equipment is described. The method includes assigning a set of radio access technologies from a plurality of radio access technologies to a user equipment. The set of radio access technologies is assigned based at least in part on a subscribed level of service corresponding to the user equipment. An indication of the assigned set of radio access technologies is signaled to the user equipment. The user equipment generates a measurement report for a subset of a neighbor cell list. The subset represents radio access technologies in the neighbor cell list that are also in the set of assigned radio access technologies. The measurement report is transmitted to the base station. Apparatus are also described.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

assigning to a user equipment, by a network device, at least one radio access technology territory from a plurality of radio access technology territories of a home sub-network of the user equipment based at least in part on a subscribed service class corresponding to the user equipment;

prioritizing, by the network device, the assigned at least one radio access technology territory based on a capability to meet at least one service class criterion, wherein the at least one service class criterion corresponds to the subscribed service class, and wherein the at least one service class criterion comprises at least one of bandwidth requirements and quality of service requirements;

signaling, by the network device, an indication of the assigned at least one radio access technology territory to the user equipment, where the indication causes the user equipment to be constrained to accessing only radio access technology territories of the assigned at least one radio access technology territory;

monitoring the user equipment such that the user equipment is accessing only radio access technology territories within the assigned at least one radio access technology territory; and

based on at least the monitoring, granting the user equipment access to a radio access technology territory of the assigned at least one radio access technology territory of the home sub-network, where each of the at least one radio access technology territory is a sub-network of the home sub-network, where the at least one radio access territory is subscription based, and where the user equipment is constrained to accessing only territories of the at least one radio access territory to which the user equipment is subscribed.

2. The method of claim 1, where prioritizing the assigned at least one radio access technology based on a capability of each territory of the set of assigned radio access technology territories to meet at least one service class criterion comprises sorting the assigned at least one radio access technology territory from least likely to meet the at least one service class criterion to most likely to meet the at least one service class criterion.

3. The method of claim 1, where the at least one service class criterion comprises bandwidth requirements, and where prioritizing the assigned at least one radio access technology territory based on a capability of each territory of the assigned at least one radio access technology territory to meet at least one service class criterion comprises sorting the assigned at least one radio access technology territory from lowest bandwidth to highest bandwidth capability.

4. The method of claim 1, where the indication comprises a list of the selected radio access technology territories of the home sub-network sorted using the prioritization.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving, by the network device, an indication that none of the assigned at least one radio access technology territory is available for access; and

in response to the indication, granting the user equipment temporary access to an unassigned radio access technology.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium tangibly encoded with a computer program executable by a processor to perform actions comprising:

assigning to a user equipment at least one radio access technology territory from a plurality of radio access technology territories of a home sub-network of the user equipment based at least in part on a subscribed service class corresponding to the user equipment;

prioritizing the assigned at least one radio access technology territory based on a capability of each of the at least one radio access technology territory to meet at least one service class criterion, wherein the at least one service class criterion corresponds to the subscribed service class, and wherein the at least one service class criterion comprises at least one of bandwidth requirements and quality of service requirements;

signaling an indication of the assigned at least one radio access technology territory to the user equipment, where the indication causes the user equipment to be constrained to accessing only radio access technology territories of the assigned at least one radio access technology territory; and

monitoring the user equipment such that the user equipment is accessing only radio access technology territories within the assigned at least one radio access technology territory; and

based on at least the monitoring, granting the user equipment access to a radio access technology territory of the assigned at least one radio access technology territory of the home sub-network, where each of the at least one radio access technology territory is a sub-network of the home sub-network, where the at least one radio access territory is subscription based, and where the user equipment is constrained to accessing only territories of the at least one radio access territory to which the user equipment is subscribed.

7. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

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

to assign to a user equipment at least one radio access technology territory from a plurality of radio access technology territories of a home sub-network of the user equipment based at least in part on a subscribed service class corresponding to the user equipment;

to prioritize the assigned at least one radio access technology territory based on a capability of each of the at least one radio access technology territory to meet at least one service class criterion, wherein the at least one service class criterion corresponds to the subscribed service class, and wherein the at least one service class criterion comprises at least one of bandwidth requirements and quality of service requirements;

to signal an indication of the assigned at least one radio access technology to the user equipment, where the indication causes the user equipment to be constrained to accessing only radio access technology territories of the assigned at least one radio access technology territory; and

to monitor the user equipment such that the user equipment is accessing only radio access technology territories within the assigned at least one radio access technology territory; and

to, based on at least the monitoring, grant the user equipment access to a radio access technology territory of the assigned at least one radio access technology territory of the home sub-network, where each of the at least one radio access technology territory is a sub-network of the home sub-network, where the at least one radio access territory is subscription based, and where the user equipment is constrained to accessing only territories of the at least one radio access territory to which the user equipment is subscribed.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, embodying a home location register configured to store service class subscription information.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to cause the apparatus to initiate a connection of the user equipment to a radio access technology territory based at least upon a received measurement report from the user equipment of the assigned at least one radio access technology and the subscribed service class of the user equipment.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, at a user equipment, an indication of a prioritized set of assigned radio access technology territories of a home sub-network of the user equipment, where the prioritized set of radio access technology territories are prioritized based on a capability of each territory of the set of assigned radio access technology territories to meet at least one service class criterion, the at least one service class criterion corresponds to a subscribed service class corresponding to the user equipment, and wherein the at least one service class criterion comprises at least one of bandwidth requirements and quality of service requirements, wherein the indication causes the user equipment to be constrained to accessing only radio access technology territories of the assigned radio access technology territories;

based on the received prioritized set of assigned radio access technology territories, generating a measurement report for a subset of a neighbor cell list, wherein the subset represents radio access technology territories in the neighbor cell list that are also in the set of assigned radio access technology territories of the home sub-network, wherein each of the radio access technology territories is a sub-network of the home sub-network, wherein the radio access territories are subscription based, and wherein the user equipment is constrained to accessing only territories of the radio access territories to which the user equipment is subscribed; and

transmitting the measurement report to a base station.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising:

based on at least the measurement report, accessing a radio access technology territory of the assigned at least one radio access technology territory of the prioritized set of assigned radio access technology territories.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the subset is further restricted to only those radio access technology territories that include a radio access technology with which the user equipment is currently connected.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium tangibly encoded with a computer program executable by a processor to perform actions comprising:

receiving, at a user equipment, an indication of a prioritized set of assigned radio access technology territories of a home sub-network of the user equipment, where the prioritized set of radio access technology territories are prioritized based on a capability of each territory of the set of assigned radio access technology territories to meet at least one service class criterion, the at least one service class criterion corresponds to a subscribed service class corresponding to the user equipment, wherein the at least one service class criterion comprises at least one of bandwidth requirements and quality of service requirements, and wherein the indication causes the user equipment to be constrained to accessing only radio access technology territories of the assigned radio access technology territories;

generating a measurement report for a subset of a neighbor cell list, wherein the subset represents radio access technologies in the neighbor cell list that are also in the set of assigned radio access technology territories of the home sub-network, wherein each of the radio access technology territories is a sub-network of the home sub-network, wherein the radio access territories are subscription based, and wherein the user equipment is constrained to accessing only territories of the at least one radio access territory to which the user equipment is subscribed; and

transmitting the measurement report to a base station.

14. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

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

receive an indication of a prioritized set of assigned radio access technology territories of a home sub-network of a user equipment, where the prioritized set of radio access technologies are prioritized based on a capability of each territory of the set of assigned radio access technology territories to meet at least one service class criterion, the at least one service class criterion corresponds to a subscribed service class corresponding to the apparatus, and wherein the at least one service class criterion comprises at least one of bandwidth requirements and quality of service requirements, where the indication causes the user equipment to be constrained to accessing only radio access technology territories of the assigned radio access technology territories;

in response to the receiving, generate a measurement report for a subset of a neighbor cell list, wherein the subset represents radio access technologies in the neighbor cell list that are also in the set of assigned radio access technology territories of the home sub-network, where each of the radio access technology territories is a sub-network of the home sub-network, where the radio access territories are subscription based, and where the user equipment is constrained to accessing only territories of the at least one radio access territory to which the user equipment is subscribed;

transmit the measurement report to a base station.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the subset is further restricted to only those radio access technology territories that include a radio access technology with which the user equipment is currently connected.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the subset is examined according to the prioritization order of the set of assigned radio access technology territories.

17. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to cause the apparatus to generate a measurement report for radio access technologies in the neighbor cell list that are not in the set of assigned radio access technology territories, in response to detecting none of the assigned radio access technology territories are available.

18. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to cause the apparatus to generate a measurement report for radio access technologies in the neighbor cell list that are not in the set of assigned radio access technology territories, in response to a determination that none of the assigned radio access technology territories meet the at least one service class criterion.