Method for determining target, network element, and system for determining target

• US 9,538,433 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2015
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• 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
• Primary Examiner(s): Arevalo, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US14/671,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20150208293A1
• Time in Patent Office: 648 Days
• Field of Search: 455/450, 455/46.1, 455/436, 455/444, 455/433, 455/423, 455/422.1, 455/435, 370/252, 370/338
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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.

Claims

1. A method for determining a target, comprising:

receiving, by an access network element, access control information of a user equipment (UE) that is sent by a mobility management network element, wherein the access control information comprises an identity of a public land mobile network (PLMN) and a radio access technology (RAT), wherein the access control information further comprises either information that the RAT is allowed by the PLMN or information that the RAT is not allowed by the PLMN, and 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; and

determining, by the access network element, a target RAT for the UE according to the access control information.

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 determining the target RAT comprises migrating, by the access network element according to the identity of the PLMN and the RAT, the UE to the RAT allowed by the PLMN.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the target RAT comprises avoiding migrating, by the access network element according to the identity of the PLMN and the RAT, the UE to the RAT not allowed by the PLMN.

6. An access network element, comprising:

a receiver, configured to receive access control information of a user equipment (UE) that is sent by a mobility management network element, wherein the access control information comprises an identity of a public land mobile network (PLMN) and a radio access technology (RAT), wherein the access control information further comprises either information that-the RAT is allowed by the PLMN or information that the RAT is not allowed by the PLMN, and 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;

a memory storing a program; and

a processor, configured to execute the program, the program comprising instructions for determining a target RAT for the UE according to the access control information.

7. The access network element according to claim 6, wherein the PLMN comprises a PLMN allowing access of the UE.

8. The access network element according to claim 6, wherein the PLMN comprises an equivalent PLMN of a PLMN serving the UE.

9. The access network element according to claim 6, wherein the program further comprises instructions for migrating, according to the identity of the PLMN and the RAT, the UE to the RAT allowed by the PLMN.

10. The access network element according to claim 6, wherein the program further comprises instructions to avoid migrating, according to the identity of the PLMN and the RAT, the UE to the RAT not allowed by the PLMN.

11. 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, so that the access network element can determine a target radio access technology (RAT) for the UE according to the access control information, wherein the access control information comprises an identity of a public land mobile network (PLMN) and a RAT, wherein the access control information further comprises either information that the RAT is allowed by the PLMN or information that the RAT is not allowed by the PLMN, and 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.

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

13. The mobility management network element according to claim 11, wherein the PLMN comprises an equivalent PLMN of a PLMN serving the UE.

14. The mobility management network element according to claim 11, wherein the receiver is configured to receive subscription data sent by a home location register (HLR) or a home subscriber server (HSS), and to acquire the access control information according to the subscription data.

15. The mobility management network element according to claim 14, wherein the transmitter is further configured to send the identity of the PLMN to the HLR or the HSS, so as to request subscription data, corresponding to the PLMN, of the UE.

16. The mobility management network element according to claim 15, wherein the subscription data comprises the RAT.

17. The mobility management network element according to claim 15, wherein the subscription data is access restriction data (ARD).

18. The mobility management network element according to claim 15, 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.